2016 Kawasaki J300 in Malaysia, RM31,498 – first ride

2016 Kawasaki J300 -1

Two years of persistent effort by Kawasaki Motors Malaysia (KMM) petitioning Kawasaki Japan to allow the J300 into the country saw the entry of the 2016 J300 maxi-scooter this month at a price of RM31,498. Datuk Jeffrey Lim, director of KMM said in a speech that it was exploring a specialised market segment.

“In the scooter segment, more than 95% are small scooters of 150 cc and below. The bigger scooters, 200 cc and above, are still a very small and niche market. With the introduction of the Kawasaki J300 scooter, we believe we can expand this niche market further,” said Lim. He added that KMM has a sales target of 500 units for the J300 in 2016, and the scooter was released in Malaysia ahead of Singapore and Thailand.

Based on a Kymco Downtown 300i, the Kawasaki J300 has a liquid-cooled, four-stroke, 299 cc single-piston engine fed by EFI through a 34 mm diameter throttle body. Driving a CVT gearbox with centrifugal clutch, the J300 produces 27.6 hp at 7.750 rpm and 28.7 Nm of torque at 6,250 rpm.

A touch heavy in the weight stakes, coming in at 191 kg, the 2016 J300 is 2,235 mm long and 775 mm wide, with a seat height of 775 mm. Fuel is carried in a 13-litre fuel tank that is filled through a flap forward of the rider’s feet. A neat touch are the cut-outs in the floorboard, which lets the rider get both feet down without having to splay their legs too wide apart.

2016 Kawasaki J300 -17

Thoughtful details abound throughout the J300’s design, such as the parcel hook in the front panel, and a small storage compartment to the left that contains a 12-volt power socket. Lifting the seat is by using the key, and the seat-pan is lifted by a hydraulic strut, revealing a storage space large enough for a full-face helmet and small document bag, and lit by a small courtesy light.

An almost three-hour long ride on the J300 with its aggressive styling borrowed from Kawasaki’s Ninja range through Morib, Selangor, revealed its zippy performance, with the engine handling quick acceleration and sustained riding well. Hitting the bumps and potholes of the coastal road showed the rear shock absorber to have a touch too much rebound damping.

Braking on the maxi-scooter was good, with front-and-rear Bosch ABS and stainless-steel braided hoses coming as standard. Braking duties are handled by single-discs, with a 260 mm disc in front and a 240 mm unit at the back. The blue back-lit LCD instrument cluster is legible and easy to read, and it came as a surprise to find it had a tachometer.

This twist-and-go maxi-scooter is designed for the urban environment, but it can handle somewhat spirited riding as well. Under police escort, occasional speeds of up to 145 km/h were seen. While performance might be one of the J300’s selling points, its engine capacity requires riders to have a ‘B’ or ‘B1’ license.

2016 Kawasaki J300 -14

The 2016 Kawasaki J300 retails for RM31,489 including GST, and is available in only two colours – white and black. This price puts the J300 on the high-side for a maxi-scooter, compared to rivals such as the Honda NSS300 which retails for around RM27,000, the Aprilia SR Max 300 at RM31,800 and the SYM Maxsym 400i which goes for RM26,150.

Is there a place for another maxi-scooter in the Malaysian market? Although the Aprilia SR Max was a sales success, the high buy-in and licensing upgrade required from the ‘B2’ class may deter some customers. What do you think? Leave a comment with your thoughts and opinions below.

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Mohan K Ramanujam

Coming with diverse and extensive experience in heavy engineering, Mohan enjoys making anything with wheels go fast, especially motorcycles. His weapon of choice is the Desmoquattro engine, and he has a penchant for anything with a dash of Italian design. Strangely enough, he insists he's a slow rider.

 

Comments

  • Tamau itu macam on Mar 16, 2016 at 8:49 pm

    What has happened to Malaysia……when a scooter can be more expensive than a kancil???

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 32 Thumb down 13
    • kzm (Member) on Mar 17, 2016 at 12:29 am

      UK price around £ 4,399 (~RM25K)

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 2
    • japanese bro!! on Mar 17, 2016 at 7:55 am

      it’s kawasaki bro, japanese brand…….. what?! rebadge kymco? dimsum this . better buy maxsym 400. both need B full, both taiwanese brand, but sym is cheaper, better and got saffee yang menunggang

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 30 Thumb down 0
    • HAHAHAHA! Wanna bash Malaysia but kena fire back by Malaysians

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 6
  • alldisc on Mar 16, 2016 at 10:08 pm

    Feels sorry for Kawasaki Malaysia. Once it was making huge money with the success of 2 stroke superkips 150cc between 2008-2013 before new regulations killed it. And also the Malaysian’s favourite entry level superbike the er6n. And not to forget the beginner 250cc Ninja. Kawasaki ruled the market for 150cc and above.

    But Kawasaki is struggling now with the death of ZX150RR and er6 (due to broken valve issue). I just want to wish jefri lim the best of luck.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 2
  • Kawabanga on Mar 16, 2016 at 11:32 pm

    30k for a scooter? I would buy a used kawasaki versys 650 with cash to spare.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 1
    • JB_KIA on Mar 17, 2016 at 12:02 am

      I prefer to use that 30k to ride UBER for 10 farqing years…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 2
      • Abang Alza Pakai Topi on Mar 17, 2016 at 12:19 am

        I prefer to use that 30k to pimp my Alza with wifi sticker, no smoking sticker and DVD sticker with cash to spare for a baseball cap. And also teh tarik for Alza club gatherings for 10 farqing years…

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 1
      • Kancil Hybrid on Mar 17, 2016 at 12:47 am

        I belanja my family to Krabi for 10 farqing days with RM30k.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
  • Tanah Merah on Mar 17, 2016 at 1:01 am

    Requirement to upgrade to B,B1 license is a bummer for potential buyer me think, not just license fee but to go through all JPJ procedure again.

    Those who took ( or planning to ) B, B1 lic will surely target higher cc bike.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
  • sardin on Mar 17, 2016 at 7:35 am

    perhaps license class is not so much of an issue. i feel that the downtown 400(and to many extent, so does maxsym 400) is where kawa might be at odds.. they costs less than this j300 and it is THE original scoot who provides all technicalities to kawa to build (aka rebadge) this…and even beemer c series scooter..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Concept same with ninja 300 in Malaysia. Sohai class b1

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • In my point of view
    it will be king of 100m at traffic light
    it will not be a best choice for cilok
    Pricey

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • the more I look, the more I feel that the Kawa Vulcan S is a good deal for a cruiser.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • Farid on Mar 17, 2016 at 9:50 am

    I prefer riding small scooter in out the city..quick throttle reapond jimat minyak n light n most importantly small body…Maxi is good for inter city long ride above 30km…but kena jam susah sikit…minyak kuat…berat…leceh la..eyeing the new Yamaha NMAX..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
    • yummykim on Mar 17, 2016 at 1:09 pm

      the worst moment for riding a bike, or scooter….is when raining heavily. All wet, all soggy and visibility to almost zero.

      Maybe better use 30k to buy a second hand car. Safer, comfy and no need to be exposed to rain and sun….

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 10
      • Yeap, raining it nice to be warm & dry in the car BUT i cannot stand it being stuck for 1-2hrs (warm/dry) in my car esp after office hours just trying to get home!!!! I wish i hv a bike licence & get one of this jam buster…sigh, soo sad

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 1
  • michaelooi on Mar 24, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    This machine is pricey!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Zaifuddin on Jun 09, 2016 at 12:16 pm

    This scoot is very MAHALLL for almost 300cc, I would go for Integra Honda, NMAX Yamaha or Sym400i. B-full is not an issue at least to me la.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Gila skuter on Aug 22, 2016 at 12:29 am

    Sedih. Ada potensi. Kemasan terbaik. Ada gaya. Tapi mahal. Sangat. Cubalah buat di Malaysia seperti model Er6, Versys 650 dan lain-lain. Jika harga yg kompetitif, pasti mampu menyaingi Sym, kymco, honda dan yamaha.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
 

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