Kawasaki Ninja 300 or KTM RC 390: Best sportbike under Rs 3.50 lakh?

Ninja 300 is smaller but has an extra cylinder. The single-cylinder RC has higher peak performance.

Published On Jun 23, 2024 07:00:00 AM

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Kawasaki Ninja 300 or KTM RC 390: Best sportbike under Rs 3.50 lakh?

I have been using a Yamaha R15 V3 for the past four years as my only bike and I am now looking to upgrade. My budget is Rs 3.50 lakh and I want a fully faired sportsbike in that price range. Please suggest some good options.

Aryan, via email

Autocar India says: At that price, you’ve got two credible options in the form of the KTM RC 390 and the Kawasaki Ninja 300. The latter has just been launched with new colours, but has remained more or less the same for the past decade. Still, the 296cc twin-cylinder engine is an exciting unit and this is currently the most affordable multi-cylinder Japanese bike you can buy today. The baby Ninja also has comfortable ergonomics, which make it amenable for longer journeys. However, at Rs 3.43 lakh (ex-showroom, India), it might seem like a pricey option given the dated underpinnings and the fact that it is right at the edge of your price bracket.

Meanwhile, the Rs 3.20 lakh KTM RC 390 was updated just two years ago and feels like a proper modern sportbike with a Bluetooth-compatible TFT display, a bi-directional quickshifter, switchable traction control and dual-channel ABS. Within the confines of your budget, this is the bike we would recommend, although we suggest taking a test ride of both, if possible, before you make a purchase.

You can also take a look at the TVS Apache RR 310 or its rebadged BMW G 310 RR, but in our opinion, while this is a feature-rich platform, it can’t match the outright performance of the other two options we have suggested.

Also See:
2022 KTM RC 390 vs TVS Apache RR310 BTO comparison

Aprilia RS 457 vs KTM RC 390 comparison review