The Kawasaki Ninja 300 has been the most popular road bike in the country for the last three years.

We did a little bit of digging through the Cycle Torque archive and it turns out we haven’t ridden one since then.

For this test, we thought a little bit differently and put it through it’s paces both on the road and at the track to find out just how capable it is.

To me the figures don’t lie even though most punters say being a LAMS bike its popularity is misrepresented.

A large percentage of Ninja 300 owners are certainly learner riders either buying their first bike, or their first new bike which is partly why it is so popular.

Most states require learners to hold their licence for over three years, so to stay at the top of sales charts for that long means Ninja 300 riders are holding onto their bikes longer than other LAMS bikes and I’ll tell you why.

The Ninja 300 has a solid set features that set it apart from other bikes in the category.

First and foremost is the bike is available with ABS.

More and more of the bikes in the 300-650 segment are starting to come with ABS now which is great, but there are still a few that aren’t.

There’s also a slipper clutch.

I get why it’s used and you will find that part out later, but at the same time, on a bike aimed primarily at learners, I don’t.

On the road under normal riding conditions, you know – not revving up near the redline, a slipper clutch will only really save your bacon if you change from third to first too soon, which would be a pretty rare occurrence  – even for learners.

In its defence, it does make the bike much easier to ride, but clutch control is an important skill and I will also address that later.

Other features of note include the radiator fan blows hot air downwards – on a hot summer’s day, hearing the radiator fan click on doesn’t incite profanity and a torrent of sweat. There’s a 17-litre tank, which for a frugal bike like this is huge and makes for a long time between drinks. Partial rubber mounts on the engine smooth vibrations and there is a dual storage compartment under the seat for your wallet or any other small objects.

They might not seem like much, but all up they each add a little bit more comfort to the rider and makes concentrating and enjoying the ride much easier.

I haven’t even mentioned how stylish the bike is – the ‘Special Edition’ we picked up from Kawasaki Australia is a real head-turner with its metallic flat grey, black and red bodywork and those red 10 spoke wheels are eye-popingly gorgeous.

On the Road

The Ninja 300 is certainly confidence inspiring on the road. The liquid-cooled 296cc fuel-injected parallel twin engine is predictable, and giving the throttle a good twist isn’t overwhelming, nor is it underwhelming.

It handles brilliantly.

The bike weighs in at 174 kilograms and is accompanied by a well-balanced rake and trail which means it turns into corners easily, and despite its sporty appearance it doesn’t turn onto its side too quickly.

The Ninja is also firmly suspended and provides the rider with a good feel of the surface underneath, soaking up all but the toughest of bumps. The single stopper up front works well on the road and ABS engages without startling in an emergency stop.

The slipper clutch feels a little bit vague taking off from a stop and seems like overkill – more for the sake of smoothing out poor technique. The distance from the seat to the ’pegs and ‘bars is limited for a guy my size, and on the road I felt too big for this bike. I’m about 194 centimetres tall and 100 kilos take or take. It’s hardly a problem for the bike, nor is it the bike’s problem. The geometries draw the right lines for comfortable, upright riding thanks to higher ‘bars and a wide angle from the ‘pegs, to the seat and ‘bars.

Overall, the bike has an impressive feature list and provides you with plenty of feedback and responds superbly to rider input. That’s why people love the Ninja 300. Now it’s time to push the bike a little bit further at the track.

At the track

The track component of the Ninja 300 test was taken at a motoDNA Rider Academy training day on the South Circuit at Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek.

Getting the chance to put the Ninja 300 on the track in a controlled environment was a fantastic way to push the bike much further than I could on the road and much harder than most riders still on their plates would. It could also identify more critical shortcomings that the bike has. On the tight and technical South Circuit, the Ninja 300 was unbelievably fun. Shortcomings? For what the bike is rather than what it is not, it isn’t perfect but it didn’t really have one.

The riding style you learn to use at track-based training days like this meant the Ninja was more accepting of my large frame and the slipper clutch also deserves much more credit than I gave it on the road, coming into its own throughout quick successive downshifts.

The engine likes to rev and performs best when you squeeze every last drop out of it.

The suspension provides little adjustability and is not perfect – but it was never going to be. It was adequate enough for the smooth track conditions and my large frame, only suffering from the slightest lack of front-end feel in the exit of a faster, downhill, off-camber turn.

Harder braking was also tested in a few areas and the Ninja came up trumps lap after lap – I didn’t engage the ABS which is good news, because it means they could have been pushed a little bit harder.

It amazed me to ride in both the more advanced or ‘faster’ groups on a pretty tight circuit and the small capacity Ninja and the bike could hold its own just fine. Sure, I was being overtaken by bigger bikes and better riders but I was hardly holding the group up.

To think that within a few months of getting your licence, you can go to a track-based training school like MotoDNA on a Ninja 300 and get to work on upping your skills and the bike has the ability to take you from the beginner to advanced groups is nothing short of exceptional.

You might go through a few sets of tyres and consumables in the process but, you will have serious amounts of fun while, and again, the skills you pick up along the way will take your riding to levels you didn’t think were possible. It’s money well spent.

What it means

If you are a learner rider and you are looking at the plethora of LAMS bikes on the market, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 must be on your list. After riding it in a wide range of conditions, it would have to be at the pointy end of mine.

It continues to be the most popular road bike in the country because so much about it is right.

It has great handling, attractive Ninja styling and its performance is a great balance of thrill and control which gives you confidence from the get-go.

Priced at $6,399 plus on-roads, the Ninja 300 is easily one of the best choices for your first bike, or your next one.

You will have a machine that is safe and easy to operate capable of: getting you through learner or provisional licences; attacking any sealed road you can throw at it; tearing around the track at a training school like motoDNA and it will continue to suit you as your skills increase.

The Ninja 300 is one seriously impressive little LAM.