[sriramv.iyer]

@StanJohn, How did I miss this thread

If you read my initial posts of my RC390 review, I had the same dilemma. If I had to go back, I probably would buy the N300

My suggestion - If 4L doesn't hurt you much, just close your eyes and jump on a N300 and ride away. If 4L is too much of a stretch, buy a RC390 and be happy.

The reviews, specs, blogs don't do justice to the feel of N300. It is a BEAUTIFUL bike. It looks, feels AND rides beautiful.

Lack of ABS is the biggest drawback at this price point.

RC390 is loaded to the gills with equipment which N300 doesn't have.

1. The inverted fork suspension
2. ABS
3. Projector Head Lamps
4. LED DRLs
5. More Power (39 vs 44)
6. Metzelers!!!!

All said, the RC390 vibrates (handle bars, seats), built to a cost, has a harsh engine etc.

N300's top end is surreal. No ABS, but brakes well. Rides super smooth - And gives a real premium bike's feeling.

I hope I am not adding to your confusion!

[black12rr]

Not only about buying, need to think beyond that.

-Parts cost in case of crash
-Parts cost in general
-Regular service costs
-Insurance cost year over year
-Resale
-Parts availability

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

@StanJohn, How did I miss this thread

If you read my initial posts of my RC390 review, I had the same dilemma. If I had to go back, I probably would buy the N300

My suggestion - If 4L doesn't hurt you much, just close your eyes and jump on a N300 and ride away. If 4L is too much of a stretch, buy a RC390 and be happy.

The reviews, specs, blogs don't do justice to the feel of N300. It is a BEAUTIFUL bike. It looks, feels AND rides beautiful.

Lack of ABS is the biggest drawback at this price point.

RC390 is loaded to the gills with equipment which N300 doesn't have.

1. The inverted fork suspension
2. ABS
3. Projector Head Lamps
4. LED DRLs
5. More Power (39 vs 44)
6. Metzelers!!!!

All said, the RC390 vibrates (handle bars, seats), built to a cost, has a harsh engine etc.

N300's top end is surreal. No ABS, but brakes well. Rides super smooth - And gives a real premium bike's feeling.

I hope I am not adding to your confusion!

Hi Sriram, welcome to the thread :-).
I've been following your ownership thread very closely and based on that, the RC390 seems like a very good bike.

If I'm not mistaken on that thread you've mentioned that your bikes rattles and vibrations are all gone after the first service. So this should not be a problem for the RC compared to the Ninja right ?

I like the Ninja too and 4L is still within my budget but I'm hesitating because I read somewhere that some owners are facing problems in sourcing parts and even if they did get it ,parts are more expensive ( although I'm more worried about its availability ).

The whole dilemma came with the Ninja because the RC has an option to fit the Akrapovic Exhaust which would cost a lakh more and bring the entire cost to 3.5 L ( close to the Ninja ).

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I've read Ninja ownership reviews where some owners have sold their N300's since they were not able to source parts from their dealerships and have now bought RC's.

They should be online. Any links?
Thanks

[JayKis]

I have ridden the RC 390, the Ninja 300 and owned a Ninja 250 for 4.5 years -ridden it in Rain, Offroad, desert and completed around 61000 kilometres on it before i sold it.

Buy the bike for what you intend to do and not the other way round i.e, buy the bike and then decide what to do!

If your intention is to really go fast around the corners buy the RC 390 eyes closed. It has
1) Better power - 44 bhp vs 39
2) Lighter weight - 155 vs 173
3) Cost - 2.3 lacs vs 4 lacs
4) Time to fix - Should be very little as supply should be plenty.
5) ABS - Comes with ABS
6) Value for money

But if your intention is to go touring with occasional cornering, would recommend the Ninja 300 for its versatiilty. This is based on my ownership of the 250 but would be applicable to the 300 as well.

1) Higher fuel capacity - 17L vs 11L. You also can get a mileage anywhere from 36 to 18 depending on the way you ride. Thats like a range of 300-550 kms!
2) A much better looking bike - Big time poser value. Ninja is an absolutely great looking bike for posergiri.
3) Quality of parts are phenomenal - The only problem i ever had in 60000 kilometers was a radiator fan fuse blown in first 1000 kilometres and this disappeared when the fuse was replaced. If you service in the right intervals, change the moving parts at the correct time then this bike will stand the test of time and abuse. I was still using my original front disk brake rotor when i sold the bike!!Dont think KTM comes anywhere close. Service is every 6000 kilometres (Oil + Oil filter). Chain Sprocket change is every 30000 kilometers or so.
4) The screamer sound - The beauty of the bike is the sound which it produces post 7000 rpm. The fun of you making your arrival known by downshifting is insane when the bike screams!!
5) Long distance touring - Great bike for touring. Done Pune to Chennai, Pune to Trivandrum, Pune to Kutch and numerous other long distance trips on the bike
6) Brakes - Killer brakes on the kawasaki. Period!
7) Refinement- Two cylinder is far superior to the siingle cylinder.
8) Slipper Clutch - This means you dont have to worry about the rear losing traction on hard braking.
The cons are that parts may take time to arrive -normally 3 weeks or so in case of minor accidents but you can have a zero dep cover on your bike for 5 years anyways so accidents shouldnt matter!

If your intention is cornering, then get the RC390 or if your intention is primarily touring with occasional cornering and have the moolah spend it on the Kawasaki. The Bike will stand the test of time if you keep her well.

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by JayKis

Buy the bike for what you intend to do and not the other way round i.e, buy the bike and then decide what to do!

To be quite honest I need the bike only for riding from point A to point B in style and speed , need the bike to make a statement. I havent thought so far as riding it for touring or cornering mainly because I've never ridden bikes before.

Originally Posted by JayKis

The cons are that parts may take time to arrive -normally 3 weeks or so in case of minor accidents

What about in case of a major accident? Has there ever been a case where parts take many months to arrive or never arrive at all ?

Originally Posted by Sheel

They should be online. Any links?
Thanks

I think I've read it on xbhp, their server seems down now. Will search and try to post the link here.

[JayKis]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

To be quite honest I need the bike only for riding from point A to point B in style and speed , need the bike to make a statement. I havent thought so far as riding it for touring or cornering mainly because I've never ridden bikes before.

What about in case of a major accident? Has there ever been a case where parts take many months to arrive or never arrive at all ?

I think I've read it on xbhp, their server seems down now. Will search and try to post the link here.

If you have never ridden bikes before wouldnt advice to buy either of these two. There is a different set of skills required in driving a bike at 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 kmph. It comes gradually as you experience with time. If you get any of the bikes above and keep hitting 100+ its most likely that you would end up as an organ donor. So if you have no experience think before you take the step. If you are really careful and do think that you have enough maturity to spend time to gradually improve your skill set to match the boundaries offered by the bike, take the leap! Get riding gear. Wear all the gear all the time as well. So factor in that cost as well. 5000 for a jacket + 5000 for a trouser (with knee protectors) + 8000 for boots + 2000 for gloves + 5000 for Helmet (around 25000) should get you a decent basic riding gear!!

If you need to make a statement, buy the RC390. If you need to make a style statement with a better exhaust note get the N300.

Major accidents usually take 2-3 months to get repaired. In most of the cases, the major accidents involving these kind of bikes are usually write offs, since there would be nothing left of the bike considering the speeds they do.

[shan_ned]

Hi stanjohn,

As jaykis suggested, avoid going for either rc390 or N300 since you seem to suggest that you have less experience riding the bikes. These bikes are too fast even for our indian road conditions. I am not discouraging you, but rather asking you to be more careful. It may look easy to ride those bikes, but it is actually not. To ride at certain speed limits, one has to polish his riding skills and that is a never ending process. Let me state again. Riding powerful bikes is not same or easy like driving cars. If you are still interested in riding, start with less powerful bikes like R15 or rc200. High speed riding requires effective use of counter steering, target fixation and few more to learn for safe riding. Many guys become over confident and start pushing the bikes beyond their skill limits. So start from the scratch with bikes like r15, attend riding coaching classes, etc. Remember - these are meant not only for professional track racers, but also for normal riders who ride even the entry level sports bikes like rc390, n300, etc. Finally, it is you who has to make a call based on how confident you are and how good your riding skills are. Take care and wish you to take the right decision that is good for you.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Sheel

One advise, cut your teeth on either the Yamaha FZ or Suzuki Gixxer150.

6 months later, upgrade. Or buy a pre owned R15, FZ or CBR 250R with ABS or RTR 180 ABS and potter around. Upgrade when you exhaust their abilities.

On topic, I will pick the N 300. Reasons already mentioned above.

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

Thanks but I'm not looking at lower segments although I'm a newbie.

Originally Posted by shan_ned

Hi stanjohn,

As jaykis suggested, ...So start from the scratch with bikes like r15, attend riding coaching classes, etc. Remember - these are meant not only for professional track racers, but also for normal riders who ride even the entry level sports bikes like rc390, n300, etc.

Has been suggested already.

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I think I've read it on xbhp, their server seems down now. Will search and try to post the link here.

I do not go to xbhp any more, though would like to read as their guest (when ever server works)

There might be few issues with spares, but I do not think they would be serious.

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by JayKis

If you have never ridden bikes before wouldnt advice to buy either of these two. There is a different set of skills required in driving a bike at 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 kmph. It comes gradually as you experience with time. If you get any of the bikes above and keep hitting 100+ its most likely that you would end up as an organ donor. So if you have no experience think before you take the step. If you are really careful and do think that you have enough maturity to spend time to gradually improve your skill set to match the boundaries offered by the bike, take the leap! Get riding gear. Wear all the gear all the time as well. So factor in that cost as well. 5000 for a jacket + 5000 for a trouser (with knee protectors) + 8000 for boots + 2000 for gloves + 5000 for Helmet (around 25000) should get you a decent basic riding gear

Thanks a lot for your concern. I know a lot of friends and relatives who have lost their lives riding 2 wheelers on our hellish roads but I guess I'm mature enough to ride these bikes carefully now. I know with more power comes more responsibility as well, so I will be careful with the throttle. I'm way past my college days where I need to impress college girls or bystanders by revving the bike to kingdom come.

So like I said in my previous posts , the bike might be used only on weekends and my primary mode of transport will still be cars but I will definitely be going out in a bike only in my full riding gear.

If like you say there are no problems with parts availability ( I can wait 3-4 months for parts ) the Ninja 300 becomes tempting.

Only problem now is that one guy has a 2011/2012 Ninja 250 in my area which looks strikingly similar to the Ninja 300. So there goes the exclusivity factor out the window even if I pay 4 lakhs for a brand new Ninja 300. In this case the RC390 will be exclusive in my area for a while as no one has it yet.

Both are damn good bikes and it is still very difficult to choose based on the pros and cons. I guess I will just have to wait even for the R3 from Yamaha and then make a decision.

[Chida]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

Only problem now is that one guy has a 2011/2012 Ninja 250 in my area which looks strikingly similar to the Ninja 300. So there goes the exclusivity factor out the window even if I pay 4 lakhs for a brand new Ninja 300. In this case the RC390 will be exclusive in my area for a while as no one has it yet.

Whatever bike you purchase, the exclusivity may not be for long, as someone or the other would definitely get the product (read bike), considering we are discussing quarter litre bikes here

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

Both are damn good bikes and it is still very difficult to choose based on the pros and cons. I guess I will just have to wait even for the R3 from Yamaha and then make a decision.

I do not want to sound harsh, but I believe you can wait as long as you want, there will always be new bikes / models coming in the market and hence confusion all the time like for instance I was planning for N300 for about 2years now and has even saved enough money for getting the same, then thought of waiting for R25/R3 (never arrived, atleast not till now) but when it came to the final push, I decided that may be R15 ( I understand they are poles apart and different category/segment) is better at this point in time as there are so many other costs associated with owning and maintaining a machine esp N300 and also the fact that I have not been using bike for about 6+yrs.

I believe there are so much information in T-bhp (and google), you can keep reading and analyzing, but its only after riding a bike yourself, you can make sure whether you like X or Y.

I always thought riding R15 is going to be very difficult in traffic situations or narrow lanes, but when I took a test drive in a narrow lane, I felt otherwise and after a week of riding my bike now, I can confidently say that I made the right choice.

All the Best!!!

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I'm way past my college days where I need to impress college girls or bystanders by revving the bike to kingdom come.

.....................................

Only problem now is that one guy has a 2011/2012 Ninja 250 in my area which looks strikingly similar to the Ninja 300. So there goes the exclusivity factor out the window even if I pay 4 lakhs for a brand new Ninja 300. In this case the RC390 will be exclusive in my area for a while as no one has it yet

You want the poser value but are done with posing? Not following

Someone in your locality owns a mass produced item and so do you, so? What happens when someone else in your locality buys an RC 390 right after you do? I mean, why is this even a factor is honestly beyond me

I would recommend at this stage take a deep breath and think long and hard why you want to get into motorcycling in the first place. Dont forget to exhale

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

You want the poser value but are done with posing? Not following

Someone in your locality owns a mass produced item and so do you, so? What happens when someone else in your locality buys an RC 390 right after you do? I mean, why is this even a factor is honestly beyond me

I don't know what you mean by poser value but I belive it's different from being exclusive.

I also mentioned earlier I wanted a bit of exclusivity ( even if it's going to be short lived ) , so don't know what's the problem with having that as one of the deciding factors ?

Yes a guy nearby has a Ninja and I might not necessarily like him and that itself is enough for me to avoid that brand( if the bikes look similar ). Maybe this is how I choose while purchasing my things , and I'm sure there are many like me doing the same themselves while buying a lot of other things.

[hsub]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I don't know what you mean by poser value but I belive it's different from being exclusive.

I also mentioned earlier I wanted a bit of exclusivity ( even if it's going to be short lived ) , so don't know what's the problem with having that as one of the deciding factors ?

Yes a guy nearby has a Ninja and I might not necessarily like him and that itself is enough for me to avoid that brand( if the bikes look similar ). Maybe this is how I choose while purchasing my things , and I'm sure there are many like me doing the same themselves while buying a lot of other things.

Same thoughts as Urban Nomad came to me after reading your last post. Anyway if you are basing your decision on what other people around you own and what will they think about your purchase then I am afraid you are not going to get to the true joys of riding.

Your choice should be dictated by how you feel about a bike, how you connect with it and will it give you the widest smiles while you are riding on your favorite roads.

[shan_ned]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I don't know what you mean by poser value but I belive it's different from being exclusive.

I also mentioned earlier I wanted a bit of exclusivity ( even if it's going to be short lived ) , so don't know what's the problem with having that as one of the deciding factors ?

Yes a guy nearby has a Ninja and I might not necessarily like him and that itself is enough for me to avoid that brand( if the bikes look similar ). Maybe this is how I choose while purchasing my things , and I'm sure there are many like me doing the same themselves while buying a lot of other things.

Everyone has his/her own thought process and in that way, I understand your point. Yes, exclusivity can be one of the factors in buying things but when it comes to riding, it generally takes a lesser priority (I am not ruling out that factor completely anyway). What if you decided to buy RC390 just for exclusivity, but found not suiting you down the line ??

I would say this - If you are very serious about riding, keep exclusivity as one of the last deciding factors and there are other important factors to consider. You can disagree with this traditional thought and it is you who has to decide. Good Luck !!!