Kawasaki has announced a recall for their best-selling motorcycle in India, the Ninja 300. The Kawasaki Ninja 300 was locally built (few parts), and saw a noticeable reduction in price tag which made it popular in the premium bike segment. Now, the brand has issued a recall for this sportsbike in India because the locally sourced component might be faulty.
The problem with the Ninja 300 is related to the brakes. The bikes might have an issue with the front brake master cylinder which is made by Endurance. All bikes with locally assembled parts since 2018 have been subject to this recall. The faulty brake master cylinder could in some situations result in brake failure, which could prove fatal to the rider and pillion astride the Ninja 300.
Kawasaki dealers have started to contact customers of the Ninja 300 and get their bikes inspected. The faulty master cylinder will be replaced with a new unit free of cost.
Powering the Kawasaki Ninja 300 is a 296cc, parallel-twin cylinder, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke motor producing 39 HP of power and 27 Nm of torque matched to a 6-speed gearbox. The bike features a slipper-assist clutch and gets dual-channel ABS.
Priced at INR 2.98 lakh ex-showroom, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 still is primarily a CKD motorcycle, but quite a few parts such as brakes, wheels, tyres and plastic panels are built in India. This helped in reduction of the price tag by over INR 60,000. The Ninja 300 is the most affordable twin-cylinder sportsbike in the Indian market.
Kawasaki seems to be very happy with the current Ninja 300 for the Indian market, although the bike has evolved to a new design in international markets. The Ninja 400 on the other hand is the most overpriced 400cc-class motorcycle in the Indian market, and hence, doesn’t really sell here.
Kawasaki motorcycles are known for their reliability, in the long run. This recall might be a small fix, but overall, the Ninja 300 is still quite a potent motorcycle. It has just started to show its age now since it does not get good information on the speedometer, no LED lighting and top quality tyres.