The same 296cc DOHC 4V liquid cooled parallel-twin engine from Ninja 300 will do duties on Kawasaki Versys X-300 spotted in India
The iconic Japanese motorcycle brand, Kawasaki seems to be on the verge of expanding its lineup in India. Especially in sub 500cc segment. In that regard, we saw Kawasaki launching Eliminator 400 in India at Rs. 5.62 lakh (ex-sh). Now, the company is considering re-introducing its Ninja 300-based ADV.
Where will Versys X-300 operate?
India is no stranger to Kawasaki Versys X-300 that used to be on sale in India, albeit at a premium. Because it was based on Ninja 300, many components were shared between the two. The same ideology seems to hold with the new Kawasaki Versys X-300 that has been spotted testing around Pune.
Adventure and lifestyle vehicles have been gaining prominence in the recent past. We saw the success story that Royal Enfield and Hero MotoCorp wrote with Himalayan and Xpulse 200 respectively. With champs, there are challengers and we saw Yezdi Adventure, KTM 390 Adventure, BMW G 310 GS, Triumph Scrambler 400X and the new Himalayan 450.
Honda launched NX500 too at Rs. 5.9 lakh (ex-sh), which is a multi-cylinder ADV/Tourer-style motorcycle. Kawasaki’s current ADV-style motorcycle for the mainstream audience is Versys 650, which costs Rs. 7.77 lakh. If priced around Rs. 4 lakh (ex-sh), Kawasaki could establish a decent bridge between Himalayan 450 and Honda NX500.
Kawasaki Versys X-300 Spotted Testing
Team Green currently sells Versys X-300 in overseas markets. Test mule spotted around Pune, India, looks very similar to the global model. For starters, Kawasaki Versys X-300 will be a Sports Touring/Adventure motorcycle. We say this because the test engineer is donning fancy riding gear with knee sliders and everything. So, there seems to be a sporty edge.
There is a single-pod headlight housed in this handsome fairing. A tall transparent windscreen looks like it protects the rider from wind blasts. Speaking of rider, this test engineer is sitting quite relaxed with an upright seating position and centre-set footpegs. Rider triangle looks to be quite comfy for the long hauls.
Conventional RSU telescopic forks take care of front suspension duties and we can see a mono-shock at the rear. Global model comes with a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wire-spoke wheel setup. The same was spotted in India too. We wish tyres were fatter, as 100-section front and 130-section rear look too skinny to be on a Rs. 4 lakh motorcycle.
125cc and 160cc bikes are getting USD telescopic front forks and LED lighting all around and Kawasaki is less likely to implement both. What it will implement with Kawasaki Versys X-300, though, is Ninja 300’s 296cc DOHC liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine that delivers around 39 bhp and 26 Nm, mated to a slipper clutch and 6-speed gearbox. Launch could happen by the end of 2024.
