Sweet Spot
COMPARISON
SWEET SPOT
HONDA CBR300R VS. KAWASAKI NINJA 300 VS. KTM RC390 VS. YAMAHA YZF-R3
THE AFFORDABLE SPORTBIKE GETS JUST BIG ENOUGH
Don Canet
Back in the early 1980s, I had sights on purchasing my first streetbike. Sport motorcycles were most interesting to me, but the smallerdisplacement machines offered back then just weren’t technically or visually inspiring. Ultimately, I put common sense aside and an entire life savings down on a spanking-new $3,500 Honda V45 Interceptor. And, as so often is the case in such situations, it didn’t end well!
That Interceptor’s purchase price would amount to a mere down payment for an equivalent modern sportbike, but today’s selection of enticing entry-level sport offerings for novice or advanced riders on a budget has never been so rich. We’re even more fortunate that “mission creep” has set in, boosting the displacement of bikes in the class to the 300 to 400CC range, preserving the unintimidating nature of a 250 while adding torque and enough performance to keep even experts interested.
We gathered four of the top players in the $5,000 range, pitting the Honda CBR300R and Kawasaki Ninja 300 against two promising freshmen, the KTM RC390 and Yamaha YZF-R3.
Joining me on a test loop that included a mix of city, freeway, and back roads were Senior Editor Blake Conner and regular guest tester Ryan Orr. Both are highly skilled riders and fans of light and agile sporty machines. We also enlisted the help of Corie Windust from the Bonnier Motorcycle Group marketing staff. A solid street rider, she stands 5-foot-6 and weighs 125 pounds, helping us discern ergonomic and performance differences from the perspective of many of those in the target demographic.
Modern, low-maintenance, liquidcooled, four-stroke, fuel-injected engines power all four machines. Simply pressing the start button with the throttle closed brings each to a steady idle, whether the engine is fully warm or stone cold. With a click into first gear and a release of the class-characteristic light clutch, we were under way with revs zinging before we even reached the parking lot exit.
WITH At CK 1 ANTI FIRST GEAR AJD RLASE OF TI'IE LEsTcH WE WERE vt RWAY W7H REVS INNG iFRE WE EVEJ O7 lT. LET THE FUN NGAMES BEGIN.
Let the fun and games begin.
Honda’s 286cc single has beginnerfriendly power delivery and smooth torque right off idle. Pulling away from a stop without stalling the motor is almost a given. While lowto midrange torque has been the CBR’s around-town trump card against the rev-happy Ninja, it no longer holds such an advantage in this growing category.
As the least powerful member of our foursome, the CBR still has its appeal. “Perhaps the ideal sportbike for the new rider,” Conner noted. “It offers slick, precise controls, short gearing for easy getaways, a compact seating position for smaller riders, and a manageable seat height.” Our designated ergo evaluator offered her take. “In riding boots I stood mostly flat-footed with straight knees,” Windust said. “The overall ergonomics of the CBR300R were natural and neutral, encouraging comfort during a full day of riding.” If that ride should include a passenger, the Honda CBR easily offers the best pillion of the pack with its low saddle step and convenient grab handles.
“What I don’t like about the Honda are perhaps the things that make this bike a great choice for beginners,” Conner continued. “The gearing is too short overall, which made me start out in second to avoid a quick shift. It’s also very revved out on the freeway, which means you really feel the vibration from the single-cylinder engine.” In fact, each of these bikes has a short bottom gear, and all are quite capable of smoothly pulling away in second. Doing so delivers the impression of riding a bigger machine and is well worth trying.
Admittedly, our 70-mph freeway pace is a bit more frenzied here than in other parts of the country. At that speed, the Honda registered 7,500 rpm on the tachometer, leaving 3,000 revs
in reserve. The Ninja and YZF-R3 also spun 7,500 at 70 mph, yet both have a 12,500-rpm redline. Geared taller than the others, the RC390 lopes along at a relaxed 6,600 rpm at 70, which is 66 percent of its 10,000-rpm rev ceiling.
A champion of the modern lightweight sportbike since the Kawasaki Ninja 250 debuted in ’87, this 296CC evolution of the venerable parallel twin exudes decades of refinement. This is evidenced in the Ninja 300’s seamless fuel mapping, ultra-smooth revs, slick shifting, and slipper/assist clutch, which has an uncannily light effort while removing all angst over rear wheel hop on downshifts.
“The Kawi offers comfortable ergos, a good seat height, and better wind protection than the Honda, which would make it a great commuter, and
yet it still fits a wide variety of rider’s body types,” 5-foot-n Conner noted. Windust concurred: “The Kawasaki was comfortable at stoplights for me. I had a slight bend in my knee and good stability when the bike was stopped on off-cambered roads.”
All well and good, but it does say “Ninja” on its racy fairing. “When hustled on a fast road, the Kawi does a good job of hanging with the other bikes in this test and was never that far off the pace,” Conner enthused. “Handling is predictable, the ABS braking good for the class, and the suspension offered better damping than most of the bikes here.” Even for an experienced rider, the Ninja is a fun bike to flog on a twisty back road. We all agreed the Ninja’s wind protection and quality of fit and finish are second only to the R3’s.
The KTM RC390 displays its intent the moment you turn the ignition key— “Ready to Race” momentarily appears on the LCD dash. “The KTM is definitely the bike for the more experienced rider, offering a massive amount of communication through the chassis,” noted Conner following a blast up and down the serpentine Palomar Mountain Road. “The chassis feels stiff and sporty, and it lets the rider feel what the front tire is doing, equating to handling that is crisp and aggressive.”
The Austrian builder’s Moto3 experience lends engineering cred to this 374-cc thumper, which is clearly the sportiest bike in this test. With its racy trellis chassis, WP suspension, and grippy Metzeler rubber, the RC really is the standout performance package. But is it the right choice for you?
“With performance comes compromises, and the KTM has plenty,” Conner said in a more practical tone. “Although the cockpit is roomy, the reach to its low bars puts weight on your wrists, and the saddle is firm and unforgiving.” The chassis attitude is stinlcbug steep, making for the tallest seat height in the group. “This bike had me on my tip toes and standing onelegged when the road was cambered,” said Windust, who praised the KTM’s design and styling. “This bike is an absolute head-turner. The orange trellis frame and matching wheels looked great, and they’re complemented nicely by the minimalist bodywork that really showed off the bike’s mechanical aesthetics.
“The all-digital instrument cluster was really cool looking and very modern,
TODAY'S SELECTION OF ENTICING ENTRY-LEVEL SPORT OFFERINGS FOR NOVICE OR ADVANCED RIDERS ON A BUDGET HAS NEVER BEEN SO RICH.
THE NUMBERS
HONDA CBR300R ABS
$4899
KAWASAKI NINJA 300 ABS
$5299
KTM RC390
$5499
YAMAHA YZF-R3
$4990
but I missed the analog tachometer,” Windust continued, referencing the analog-tach/digital-speedo combo found on the other three bikes. The KTM and Yamaha both feature a programmable shift indicator light and gear selection indicator that many will find helpful. Similarly, ABS is standard on the KTM yet optional on the Honda and Kawasaki.
Yamaha has rolled out a number of exciting new sport machines across all displacement categories, and the R3 fills the bottom tier with striking looks that can easily be mistaken for its YZF-R6 supersport sibling. The 321CC parallel twin is ultra-smooth-revving (on par with the silky Kawasaki) but delivers
more performance. “Despite giving up 53CC to the KTM, the R3 is revvy, and it offers a wider powerband than the Honda or Kawasaki,” said Conner, who found the Yamaha allowed more gear options for a given corner. “Without a doubt, I liked the Yamaha’s chassis the most of this foursome. It offers predictable steering, good stability, and a nice degree of feedback.” We found the R3 requires a touch more effort at the bars to get it turned relative to the others, but this also translates into superb straight-line stability and a very planted feel midcorner. The R3 feels a bit larger overall than the others in a good way, accommodating
6-footers and jockeys alike. “My feet were firmly planted on the ground in all circumstances,” Windust said. “I felt like I was sitting in the bike, not on, and never found myself trying to get comfortable, thanks to a really cushy seat and narrow gas tank.”
If there’s a bone to pick, the Yamaha has the least shock damping of the lot. As with each bike here, the only suspension adjustment provided is a stepped preload collar. Cranking up the R3 for sport duty overwhelms the shock’s rebound control. Despite a bit of wallow in quick cornering transitions, the Yamaha nearly matched the KTM’s most spirited canyon pace while proving to be the most comfortable ride on freeways and city streets.
If I were to turn back the clock and take one of these four with me to the days when I was green to tarmac, which bike would it be? All are great choices depending on one’s priorities. The Honda—not my V45—is the most userfriendly learning platform. But as a miser attracted to racer styling, I see how the Ninja 300 delivers large and costs less than the KTM (and saves an additional $400 without ABS). If trackdays and frequent weekend canyon runs top your list, the RC390 is the winner. But common sense and hindsight reveal I need a bike that can do it all, a commuter that also manages to fuel a young person’s sport-riding ambitions.
Which leads us to the $4,990 Yamaha YZF-R3. It’s an ideal platform to take to the track and refine my analog braking technique. Maybe I’ll even make a career of it... EUl
