Advice on lightweight production

**desmoto** · 10th April 2017, 15:13

Thinking about giving lightweight class a go. Been looking at the kwaka 300, R3 & ktm390. Anyone got advice on which bike is best? Thanks

**haydes55** · 10th April 2017, 20:26

What bike do you find the sexiest?

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**nzspokes** · 10th April 2017, 20:31

Originally Posted by haydes55

What bike do you find the sexiest?

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I would go with which bike has the cheapest parts.

**jellywrestler** · 10th April 2017, 21:12

Originally Posted by desmoto

Thinking about giving lightweight class a go. Been looking at the kwaka 300, R3 & ktm390. Anyone got advice on which bike is best? Thanks

don't think the kawasaki is very competitive.

**Autech** · 11th April 2017, 09:02

Originally Posted by jellywrestler

don't think the kawasaki is very competitive.

Lewis Dray borrowed one and won a race in Teretonga, said it had some good grunt. But it seems the R3 and the KTM are the bikes to riding if you want to win a championship, if you're just and average bumpkin like myself a Ninja should do the trick. Lots cheaper too.

**steveyb** · 11th April 2017, 21:36

Pros and cons as I have heard it and seen it:

Kawasaki: Plenty of power and fast, but steering geometry is well wrong for our tight twisty circuits. Has a habit of closing the front causing front end crashes. Maybe fixable by bending the frame??

KTM: Fast, nimble and easy to ride. Ugly as sin, single cylinder runs out of steam a bit early on some circuits. Probably the best of the bunch in NZ conditions.

Yamaha: Looks like a race bike, handles really well but can be a bit vague, heaps of grunt and goes really fast. MNZ proposing to allow a full race exhaust system which will increase power and make it more competitive against the KTM. Probably the one I would go for all things considered.

**malcy25** · 12th April 2017, 18:30

Originally Posted by jellywrestler

don't think the kawasaki is very competitive.

Tell that to the guy that won the first 300SSP race at Aragon! Though to be fair, the rules are a little different from NZ but not massively.....

I suspect the Yamaha may be a better bike, and a lot of riders went over to it, but the Kwaka is not that far behind.

My straightline drag race with KG's R3 at HD nationals and me on my Kwawa showed dead equal. In fact the Kwaka was dead equal with a stock CBR500 that Aaron slight was riding on sat at HD. That's stock motor, pipe and a reflash for the 300.

Av rode my Ninja on the Friday and loved the motor. Thought the whole bike was pretty good, though as Steve said about the front, she did comment on the front feeling like the tyre was cold - I've not noticed, but I am ham fisted. On Sunday though I could feel the front moving when the tyres were not fully warm - giving me a bit of notice I was on the edge.

Oh and NO ONE selected a KTM for the 300SSP class.....strange!

But watching the 300SSP race, most of the riders binning it was losing the front - I saw at least 3 R3's do it....and a few more riders through the pack

**malcy25** · 12th April 2017, 18:32

Originally Posted by Autech

Lewis Dray borrowed one and won a race in Teretonga, said it had some good grunt. But it seems the R3 and the KTM are the bikes to riding if you want to win a championship, if you're just and average bumpkin like myself a Ninja should do the trick. Lots cheaper too.

get in there though - massive fun!

**steveyb** · 12th April 2017, 19:37

The word on the street that I hear is that the front trail on the Kawasaki is too long [I think I have that right] so makes it harder to turn in on tight corners and causes the contact with the road to be wrong.
On the faster and more flowing Euro circuits that is likely to be an advantage, but that will be seen as we go along.
The bikes are rev limited [or the KTM is at least] so it will run out of steam too early on the fast tracks, such as Aragon and all of the others.