[ani_meher]

I inquired about the routine service cost that covers the oil change etc for Ninja 300. I was quoted 7k in Pune! It costs more than my car :( Is the Pune SC taking me for a ride or is Kawasaki charging so high for standard service?

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Please do seriously consider the 650.

It's much more sportier than earlier, value for money compared to the 300, has ABS, slipper clutch etc.

It's a bike you can keep far longer than the 300 and be happy with it day in and day out.

I agree with your points. For a difference of 2L the 650 offers a lot more. But I had some limitations. Firstly I did not opt for finance and buying the bike cash down meant I had budget issues. I didn't want to spend more than this else my family also would have raised an eyebrow or two regarding the price I would pay for the 650. Secondly, this being my first bike, I am definitely not confident to handle the added weight and power of the 650. Hence I had to settle for the 300. But it does come with a slipper clutch and ABS is missing.

My initial idea was to buy a used 300, use it for sometime and then buy the 2018 300 which will get an equipment upgrade. But I searched for three months for a good used example but failed to find one. So much that even the kawasaki service center offered to search bikes for me. Those guys especially Bhanu were really helpful and hence I was convinced to stick to the Kawa but brought a new one. The 300 does seem overpriced, but the other alternative I had almost settled was for the Duke 390. However barring ABS and some gizmos, the refinement of the Ninja got my preference compared to the single cylinder Duke.

Originally Posted by AtheK

How much is the on road price for the 300, I am so tempted to buy it with only deterrent being the lack of ABS.

In Bangalore the current on road price is Rs. 4.52L. However I am hearing that there could be changes to GST structure and it could be reduced to 18% for bikes less than 350cc. If that happens the price of the Ninja would be really worth it. Not yet confirmed but. The finance option they had s***** big time. Though my salary account was with HDFC, they were charging me a bomb for processing and pre closure for loan from HDFC. I didn't want to carry the loan for the complete tenure and wanted some flexibility in repayment but they were hell bent on not offering any flexibility in spite of showing them an outstanding credit score . The only good thing was they offered a ROI of 9%. Hence I decided to pay upfront and didnt want to wipe any more money out of my savings.

Service costs I expect are high. But after speaking to the service guys I hear that the parts problem is slowly getting solved and they don't have any shortage of regular spares. Only accidental parts And non regular parts would take time which is quite obvious. Anyway for the long run I have the service manual and parts catalogue already hence I can always do some DIY maintenance Hence I am ok with the maintenance costs.

[pcpranav]

Goa to soon get its Kawasaki dealer - Anzen Automotive, the same people running dealership in Mumbai. Link and their FB-Link

Indeed Kawasaki team is gearing-up across India, and confirmed its participation in the 2018 Auto Expo Show, Link.

regards,
Pranav

[dkaile]

Dealer list as per website - http://www.kawasaki-india.com/showrooms/



Cheers...

[audioholic]

Unexpectedly took delivery of my Ninja 300 today. The last week was a complete roller coaster ride for those guys at Rideventur. Considering they delivered the bike to me in four working days, the experience was nothing less than amazing. Here is how the timeline went:

Friday evening(6.10.2017): Booked the bike paying the initial amount and I was given a lead time of two weeks.
Saturday: I get a word from home that it would be auspicious to take the bike this thursday according to a priest. I laugh it off saying it would be impossible
Monday: I check with the SA if there is any bike in stock and asked him if they would prepare the bike by thursday. He didnt give me an assurance but told he will try. Hence, I paid the remaining amount and kept a due of 50k on me which I told I would pay upon inspecting the bike. They gave a lead time of three days for clearing the cheque and invoicing the bike.
Wednesday: I get a call from the team lead saying that the bike will be arriving from their godown and I could take a look at it. Me and my father inspect the bike.

Surprise was that the company announced an additional discount of 25k but had rolled back the third year warranty. The team lead gave me an option of either which was a nice gesture. I opted for the cash discount since I didnt feel the need for the third year warranty. Transferred the remaining amount immediately.

Thursday(today): The SA had not yet received clearance from their finance department until 1PM and told he would deliver tomorrow. However, I was not comfortable with that since they couldnt deliver it to my house on friday due to a lot of deliveries happening. I was not ready to ride the new bike in friday peak hour traffic, and with rain gods playing games every minute. Yet, even at 3PM they had not got the approval. And the adding factor was that the calculations had to be redone taking into account the additional discount.

At 445PM, on my way back home from office, I get a call from them saying that they have got clearance, and would deliver the bike in two hours. Within these two hours, they sent the papers for temporary registration and since the dealership is on my way home, I reached the dealership by when they had already loaded the bike onto their van. This was nothing but professional. Their service van had all the necessary tools and the bike was strapped tight inside with their entire staff at work. I expected a tow truck to just drop the bike home. To add to this, their TT Driver was absent and in his place, the SA himself drove the TT and brought it home.


By the time they secured the bike and shut the doors, the RTO agent arrived with the temp registration documents. And then we left to my house. Though the skies were clear by the time we left, I was part drenched by the time I reached home since I was on my two wheeler.

Their service van:


Their TT couldnt get into my parking lot as it was long and the SA was not that used to maneuvering the TT around. Hence, we had to park outside and they unlatched and unloaded the bike in the rain. Finally, at around 7PM, the bike was handed off to me with a short demo of the features. Really impressed by the whole experience. Of course I understand they had less buyers for the 300, but they gave enough attention and ensured that nothing fell short.

Here are some poor pics of the bike:







The bike was delivered with 1km on the odo for which a justification was given(really?) and I got a T shirt and a Mug complementary, along with the jacket.

Took the bike around for a short spin since the customary puja couldnt be done today due to rains. After riding a rented duke yesterday, this is as refined as hell. Did not revv higher than 5-6k RPM and kept it sedate. My dad also tried riding and he was blown away by the smooth and silent engine. He had an impression that this would be a noisy bike but that was proven wrong.

Overall, the first experience has been amazing.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Unexpectedly took delivery of my Ninja 300 today.

Heartiest Congratulations on a smooth twin. The bike looks fantastic. Wishing you many years of safe and enjoyable riding on it.

Cheers...

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Heartiest Congratulations on a smooth twin. The bike looks fantastic. Wishing you many years of safe and enjoyable riding on it.

Cheers...

Congratulations to you too Dkaile on your new 1000, and thanks a lot for the wishes. I saw the 1000 in person yesterday and its design is just too beautiful and sharp. The new metallic green shades on the bikes stand out compared to the solid lime green. The black is a different beast too. Lets see when the day I upgrade to a 1000 arrives. For now, this is the closest I could get to it without having to blow a lot of my money.

OTOH, I am planning to get paddocks for parking the bike for extended periods of time and am confused if I should settle for a swingarm type paddock or go for the ones which require a spool.

[AtheK]

Congratulations, so what was the final otr price you paid.

Wish you years of happy and safe riding.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Congratulations, so what was the final otr price you paid.

Wish you years of happy and safe riding.

Final on-road came to 427000 from 452000. Upon this 400 for temp registration and 3000 for a number of my choice, which is to be negotiated later

[pcpranav]

Good News:
India Kawasaki Motors plans to open 10 more dealerships in 2017, totaling to 22 dealerships. The new cities would be Kolhapur, Nagpur, Vizag, Calicut, Mangalore, Kolkata, Dehradun, Bhubaneshwar, Ludhiana & Goa (regarding Goa I already mentioned in one of my previous post).

News Article (16-Oct'17): Link-1, Link-2

Dealership List : http://www.kawasaki-india.com/showrooms/ (website already updated with mention of all above cities, wow!!)

Side Note: with Kawasaki expanding its base in India and increasing its bike portfolio in offerings, Im hoping they soon bring the KLR650 too. I find that bike interesting for the DS/AT category.

regards,
Pranav

[Red Liner]

Klr 650 wont come to india. Instead you might see the versys x 300, but at a premium to the ninja 300, by which time it doesn't really make too much sense compared to a versys 650.

[ani_meher]

I thought the Vulcan S was slated for an India release. Any guess whether it would be launched here?

[dkaile]

Vulcan S is coming first followed by Versys 300. KLR 650 is a dying model worldwide due to difficulties in achieving the emission norms with that single cylinder, so I doubt if it will see the light of the day. Newer lighter technology works much better. I think they want the Versys 300 to take the space of the KLR 650 with the spoked rims, higher ground clearance et al.

Cheers...

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Unexpectedly took delivery of my Ninja 300 today.

Congrats.

I'm really surpised by the way the dealership treated you as a customer. Nice. Hopefully, this indicates that the network is finally catching up and trying to improve costumer satisfaction. Have seen a similar trend for the service department as well.

The bike is a great precision tool for corner carving. Ride safe.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Congrats.

I'm really surpised by the way the dealership treated you as a customer. Nice. Hopefully, this indicates that the network is finally catching up and trying to improve costumer satisfaction. Have seen a similar trend for the service department as well.

The bike is a great precision tool for corner carving. Ride safe.

Thanks Crazy Driver. Indeed, they are ramping up with everything. Given their aggressive product profile, they are definitely serious about India and are not here just for the sake of it. In fact, the 300 is the most overpriced of the lot if you consider the pricing of the other bikes. When the 2018 N300 is launched, they better keep the pricing unchanged. Thats when the bike will become real VFM.

BTW, on seeing your Versys thread, I recognised the SA who delivered the bike to you. She is now my SA's Boss and I had a great experience interacting with Ms. Nandini.