Pushing My 2016 Ninja 300 to Its Limits
Alright folks, gather ’round, ’cause today I wanna share a little adventure I had with my trusty 2016 Kawasaki Ninja 300. It’s not every day you decide to see what your machine is really made of, but the curiosity, man, it just gets to ya after a while. I’d had the bike for a bit, done all the usual sensible riding, commuting, weekend jaunts, the lot. But that little question always lingered in the back of my mind: just how fast can this thing go?
So, one fine morning, the conditions were just right. Clear skies, not too windy, and I knew a stretch of road that was long, straight, and, most importantly, pretty deserted, especially early on. Safety first, always, or at least as much as you can manage when you’re about to do something a little bit cheeky. I’d given the bike a good once-over the day before. Checked the tire pressures, made sure the chain was lubed and tensioned correctly, oil level was good. You know, the usual pre-flight checks.
I got out there, let the engine warm up nicely. Took a few easy runs up and down to get a feel for the surface and make sure there were no unexpected potholes or critters deciding to play chicken. Everything felt good. The Ninja, bless its little parallel-twin heart, was purring, ready to go.
Okay, moment of truth. I found my starting point, took a deep breath, and rolled on the throttle.
- First gear, quick shift.
- Second, building revs, that engine starts to sing a bit.
- Third, now we’re moving, things are starting to blur a little at the periphery.
- Fourth, the wind’s picking up, gotta start tucking in a bit.
- Fifth, pushing harder now, keeping an eye on the (digital) needle.
Then, clicked it into sixth. This was it. I flattened myself on the tank as much as my not-so-flexible body would allow, chin practically resting on the fuel cap. Full throttle. The engine screamed, not in protest, but like it was finally allowed to stretch its legs properly. The wind noise was intense, even with a decent helmet. You really feel it at those speeds.
I kept my eyes glued to the speedometer, watching the numbers climb. 90 mph… 95 mph… it was still pulling, slowly but surely. Then, 100 mph ticked over! That was a milestone. It crept up a little more… 103, 104… and then it seemed to hit a wall. I held it there for a few seconds, just to be sure. The bike felt surprisingly stable, all things considered. No crazy wobbles, just a lot of vibration and the roar of the wind and engine.
So, what was the final figure? Well, on my dash, on that particular day, under those conditions, I saw a pretty consistent 105 mph (around 169 km/h). Could it eke out another one or two mph with a tailwind or a lighter rider? Maybe. But for my little 300, I was pretty chuffed with that.
Slowing down felt almost as intense as speeding up. The feeling of relief, the engine noise dropping, the wind becoming less of a battle. Pulled over, heart still thumping a bit, and just sat there for a minute with a big grin on my face. It’s not something I’d do every day, or recommend doing recklessly, but as a personal test, it was quite the experience. That little Ninja 300, it’s a capable machine, let me tell ya.
