the more reviews I watched the less I know what I want ...

The Ninja 300 is a solid, very reliable bike, rode the balls of mine and never failed me once, put 30,000 kms on it in a year. On a 636 now and still love the little Ninja.

"I don't know what it is about the Ninja; it just seems like it's trying too hard"... I laughed that

I'm glad there is a review on KZfaq that finally recognizes the superb handling of the little Honda CBR's. Too often I see videos where they ride them for great distances in a straight line and complain they are boring and under powered, well duh! They come alive in the corners, a highly enjoyable bike to flick from side to side. Great video.

If 300cc is small bike, then what bike is my 150 cbr? Micro bike?

Fuck it I'll take the Ninja just because it gets 70mpg compared to the R3's 55mpg. I'm using the bike for commuting back and forth from campus to my apartment.

YES!! You guys are THE best motorcycle reviewers out there! Glad y'all are back.

I have a ninja 300 and I absolutely love it. I was regretting my decision earlier on and wished I got the r3, but the one thing that I love about the ninja that the r3 doesnt have is reputation. People know a lot more about the ninja than the r3 and can always have confidence about how it can handle on the streets to where the r3 is completely new and there is no known knowledge about how exciting the r3 really is. Senority gets it here and thats the ninja, plus I hear people say that the r3 feels a low slower than the ninja even with the 24cc more, might be a higher seating position and the wind is pushing back against you more since you're sitting straight up to where the ninja has a little bit more of an aggressive seating position than the r3.

Well , r3 is my choice

As a beginner, I really appreciate this video. In 11 minutes you gave me an unbiased comparison of the options, with no bullshit. Wrap up was perfect. Thanks!

I had the ninja 300 2014 my weight about 140lb. For a beginner and experienced rider this thing is fun and fast enough for streets and highway.I topped it out at 120mph going down hill on flat land I get to 110 to 115 easy! People talk crap about 300s but they are fast and will get you speeding tickets😂.I had no issues passing cars on the highway. Amazing on gas and you get there faster.

new rider here, just picked up the cb300r. so far so good. good confidence builder. I def plan on keeping it a while. great commuter bike. when I get my skill level up I plan on taking a long trip somewhere. that's my goal for the summer. great video, very informative. made my decision easier. thanks guys.

i just bought a cbr 300r, 4 years ago i had the 250. what an improvement in overall torque, also first gear is usable now unlike the 250. i found the cbr300 easier to handle than the rc390 and not a firm in suspension, it was also £2000 cheaper so that was a huge factor. I also the torque spread of the 300 compared to the rc390 which seemed to have more of a powerband compared to just twist and shit at 9500 on the honda. it's my 12th bike so not a novice and i really enjoy it. vibes are a lot over 75mph/7500 revs. i did really like the ninja 300 but found that i really wanted to wind it up to feel tjhe high end surge, it also felt stiff @ the rear end than the cbr300 but the ninja parrallel twin was wonderfully smooth. Cbr300, sexy, lightweight, low seat, agile handling, its like a 100 mph bicycle, that to me is fun

Thank you so much for posting this video! After doing tons of research, these exact four bikes are what I've narrowed down to be the best for my first bike. Seeing them in a side by side comparison like this has really helped make my decision. Thanks for being so thorough!

You guys rock. I hope you get a lot more exposure with this new series, you sure deserve it.

I've missed On Two Wheels. So Glad You Guys are back! :D

I admit the r3 has a great looking front end but the tail and the rear wheel set up betrays the over all look. In my humble opinion, the KTM is the best looking bike here. The trellis frame, the orange juxtaposed to the matte black, not to mention that it breaks away from the japanese style with its sharp angular lines. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Probably the best review ever.......you guys made my day....😍😍😍

Im thrilled you guys are back! Love your comparisons and personalities! Wondered where you went, can't wait for the 1 liter comparison with the all new bikes!

Nice work Ari and Zack! Great review on the bikes. Thanks for all your hard work. See you at the track! PJ

Great reviews. I am glad I bought the CBR300R. It's absolutely perfect for commuting, which is what I primarily use it for.

SOOOOO glad y'all are back! Give me the little Yammey.......with a turbo. ;)

Good show, as the parent of a new rider it is a great time to be a beginner. I was all set to shop for an R3 but the Honda sounds like it would be a great errand bike for me and a great learner for the kids. Thanks guys, that was fun.

Cheers for the review and good to see you guys back.

ktm is so expensive on other countries $5599/ here in india its $3681.55 on road

I’m loving my 2017 R3. Glad I went with Yamaha.

Awesome to see On Two Wheels back!

I got a 2017 R3 as my first motorcycle in Oct. 2019, and I am extremely happy with my choice. I am literally having hard feelings wanting to upgrade. When I can have more than one bike in my life, I will definitely own a current year R3 for city commuting. I absolutely love my R3.

What i concluded from the opinions is that the CBR would be the best for the price if you're looking for something that is really nice handling. I owned it for a year and it is a wonderful little bike, Im never going to sell mine for the fact i'll always enjoy a run through some twisties.

RC 390 is a beautiful bike. I would take that one, I like the more aggressive, more powerful bikes like that. A little pricey, though.

So nice that you're back, keep it up!

You guys are awesome! I really feel to be in your vicinity while watching your content since one and half decade. 👍" real life fast and furious " Very well balanced, relevant, spot on, valuable content which gives great feel. Kudos🎉keep up the good work.

The look of the Ninja 300 is pretty damn decent. You needed to get it in green maybe? I went to every dealership in SoCal before I got my Ninja and everyone gravitated towards the rows of Ninja 300s at these dealerships. The Ninja 300 "trying too hard" is what I like about it. It makes me feel like I don't need to upgrade to a bigger bike when ever I see an R6 for example. It blends in well. After 4000 Miles put into it I can say that it is a marvelous bike. It is comfortable, looks sexy, great millage, you can whip the bike around easily, forgiving to new riders, and it is extremely fun. Great beginner bike essentially. Edit: And the mods you can do to this thing are endless. Take Spacep0d's Ninja 300 for example (He's a motovlogger, check him out).

I totally disagree with the "logic" in their conclusion. I don't see the KTM selling well in the US anyway but what they said about it seems accurate. However, "if you want a high-revving twin you get an R3...if you want easy beginner life you get a CBR300." So the Ninja has a higher redline than the R3 and handles better, but you get the R3? The CBR and Ninja seem equally suited to beginners, with the R3 not being much different. I see the Ninja as superior to the CBR in every way, which was a disappointment because I am a huge Honda fan and long-time CBR600RR and 1000RR owner. I can't see ANY reason to buy the CBR300R over the Ninja 300. They also talk about looks as if they are facts not opinions. Most people I have talked to think the Ninja is the best looking of these bikes, and I feel the same. I like the R3s looks, but not as much as the Ninja, and I feel the CBR is very plain looking. No consideration given to the R3s lack of ABS? ABS is huge for preventing new riders from going down from a panic brake grab or braking on any loose surface. Also, the R3 carries less fuel than the Ninja 300. Less fuel = lower wet weight to advertise, as well as reduced range. I just don't see a lower revving R3 with a shorter range, worse handling, more aggressive position, and no ABS being better than the Ninja 300, which is unfortunate because if it handled better and was significantly faster than the Ninja 300 I would pick one up in a heartbeat. I think what this class needs is slightly more powerful small displacement I4, like a CBR250RR, or Kawi could make a ZX3R. This "R3" should probably be called an FZ3 or something and they could throw in a 250 or 300cc R3 I4. Higher redlines, smoother power, that would make for the perfect small bike for me while still being beginner friendly.

Hands down, best in depth review for next era in entry level sports bikes!!!! Awesome vid!!!

Very informative!! Thank you for the upload. Im heading for the R3 :)

why is it every other review says the r3 handles great?

The problem is that all these bikes are built for European/Asian/Australian etc. power restricted learner laws. I actually really think that there would be a gap in the market for something like a 400cc 4cyl with a 20,000rpm redline (like the old mc22 cbr250rr) and say 60 horse. Something super light and nimble with decent suspension and breaks that fills the gap between these and a real 600 that has all the aggressive qualities of a real street bike. I love my gsx-r600 but I ride some really really tight twisty stuff where I live and my old ninja 250 and later cbr250r used to eat it up where as it's a little more push and shove with the gsx-r. If you really want sport bike handling and breaks there's nothing really between the ktm and a cbr600 say, the intermediate bikes like the ninja 650 don't really do it since they are as heavy or heavier than the 600s, without the handling and position and power. Even a 4cyl free revving 300 in a slightly more aggressive and upgraded chasis of the ktm with say 50hp would be great. The small bore 4's that rev to high heaven are brilliant fun, particularly on the street where you cash unwind them without doing some crazy speed and you get all the fun benefits of a tiny super handling flickable bike. They used to do it, so why not now?

Keep it up, dudes! I'm loving the content!

love your reviews guys , great talent and you make sense and say it like it is

Well you guys forgot to mention the torque figures where the RC blows away the competition with 36nm torque !!!! And also the stock Metzler sportec m5 tyres *.* I think the rc390 eats away it's competition with a gel seat and tall fit rider. Loved the review !

original 90s CBR 250 put 45 HP and went nearly 120mph, inline 4 cylinder. That 250 was another level compared to these bikes...I think because of emission

Always enjoy Zack and Ari I read Motorcyclist frequently I'm 63 been riding for 3years started on '84 Honda 650 now on my "new" '97 Honda Black bird would not trade it for anything. Got to have some power! These smaller bikes are great but too small for me

Francois here - from HOW IT'S MADE fame. Glad you are back! I really enjoyed this cause I love small bikes - Remember I own a rare NINJA 400! Well done to all - great footage... drone shot ! Awesome!

Just picked up 2016 KTM RC390 :) Its as good as the review Planning to keep this for a long time

if the rc390 had a 4 gallon gas tank it would be sitting in my garage right now, but i dont want to fill up every 120 miles if im lucky.

Thank you for this awesome test ride video!

Your guys reviews are awesome and the MC garage has great practical information every rider should know.

i wish there was a video about the possible mods you could put on each bike and then reevaluating them with their gross cost. that way its not like which bike was born better, but which bike can be better (and affordable)

Very nice review! I think Julia was the one in the black helmet and the ponytail hanging out the back of the helmet? :D Hey Julia! Zack and Ari, I always enjoy your articles and am a long-time reader of Motorcyclist (and other bike mags). Loved the combo of track and street footage and your candid commentary. I am so glad that this is such a competitive, active market now. Gone are the days when all we had was a venerable (and carbureted) Ninja 250! I owned one of those around 2000, but sold my GSX-R to get a 2013 Ninja 300. I'm enjoying my 300...erhm....ZX-3R, immensely. :) Yes, I actually made a ZX-3R sticker set for my bike and even showed it to Kawasaki at one of their Kawasaki and Koffee events in Irvine. They got a kick out of it. I also mentioned to them that I'd love to see a lightweight sportbike in a triple, between 300-500cc. Imagine a Triumph 375R triple with available top-shelf parts, e.g., Öhlins, Brembo, quickshifter, etc. Let me know if you want to try my bike with its numerous and tasteful performance mods, including a full exhaust and the first-ever Flash-Tune custom ECU and quickshifter for this model. FT dyno'd it at 40.2 HP. I live in Santa Clarita right near Bouquet Canyon/San Francisquito. Everyone who's ridden it ranks it highly, and it kinda shows what you can do with one of these bikes as a starting-platform. In fact, the reason I added so much to it was precisely to see what was possible with a lightweight sportbike. While I sometimes still want more power on the freeway, the thing is a gem in the canyons. You may want to mod a lightweight sportbike of your own (as you've done in the past with a Ninja 250)-but the offer stands anyway. Here's a big ol' thumbs-up!

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!! new "on two wheels" i love these vids, keep making them!!!

thank you for the nice and quick overlook to this bikes, great:)

for the price of the rc390 you can almost get an mt-07 with nearly double the power, still being an amazing beguiner bike

I personally really like the ninja's looks but the yamahas just look so dope

Excellent review! Very precise points & very well explained!!

Fantastic review guys !!!!! Best regards from the Harz Mountains Germany :)

Rc 390 costs even less than 4000$ in India Yes, It's the cheapest here.

Here in India, the KTM is the least expensive of the group cuz it's manufactured here and comes to around $4000 (2.5 Lakh Rs). I guess the honda is also around the same ballpark. But the Metzellers do great in wet and slightly cold conditions. However, I've heard some people say it's clutch is a bit hard, but haven't compared to the Ninja 300 (previously owned a 250, which was pretty smooth) or the Yamaha. CBR300R seems like a good all-rounder and might be more comfortable than the KTM in the city.

thank you I've been trying to find this video!

Good Job Guys! Keep the videos coming !

In this class of bike, your not really trying to get amazing performance,,real performance is at the next level up in motorcycles..It should be about what style you like, and cost. Thats why I bought the cbr300r,, i wanted the R3 but in thailand it was almost 1500 dollars more... CBR has been a joy to ride to work everyday, although it does feel a bit underpowered at times, at least you can rev the shit out of it, shift gears a lot and have some fun

I really wana get the R3 for next year, and then trade it in for a Ducati 848 evo. imo the panigale isnt as good looking, no matter how you look at it, and the 848 is just spectacular in every way.

I love smaller bikes more and more, so much fun to flick around

You guys helped me make my decision ❤️

What? You said KTM RC is ugly? Ohh cmon

Thats right, CBR is CBR

very professional i really liked it:) Keep it up

Great video, guys. Thank-you !

You guys pretty much bashed the ninja? The ninja is if you want a mix off all 3 it's the best looking bike there just not in white... Green is best for ninja's

Your reviews are fantastic! Sad to see you don't have as much views you are supposed to get.

Zack, in what gear did you pop that wheelie and what RPM. Great video, I have the KTM RC90. A few mins ago i placed my order for the Bridgestone s20 eve rubber. Can wait to try them on.

As soon as one guy said the Ninja 300 was ugly...I stopped listening. They all look fantastic, especially compared to the older models.

R3 or RC the end

Not a sport bike guy (owned everything but) my friend sold me a 15' CBR300R for a deal and I really enjoy short trips around town and occasional canyon riding (LA area). It's made me start to like sport bikes and will probably eventually upgrade to a 600. The small size of the 300 makes it fantastic for splitting lanes in SoCal too.

this video was necessary (Y) nailed it buddyz :)

Me watching this in 2021😐😐😐

the 300 ninja is trying to hard???? what kind of comment is that? its a sharp looking bike, excellent engine, sized just right for a fledgling rider or a seasoned pilot, & i'll ad tough, my wife uses hers for sport touring & has road hers to hell & back & that thing hasn't missed a beat.

great, informative review. thanks guys!

nice comparison and fair review. great job.

Yamaha Always Best. Love Yamaha

Ninja 300 for the WIN!!!

Thrilled to be seeing you guys again! You ought to pair up with MotoGeo sometime, two of my favorite bike channels! :D

Incredible video. I'll also add that with an Akra the CBR300R sounds the nicest and loudest.

what about the R3 vs the CBR500R.. Any thoughts?

In India you get KTM RC390 in 3500 us dollar

Great Review Guys !!

Nice episode guys

kawasaki Ninja 300 The best !!!!!! that´s it!

Ktm rc 390 is cheap in india.....compare to others bike that you mentioned.

Bought an 2017 R3 ABS, couldn’t be happier, only gripe is the squishy front end. Was able to adjust and stiffen rear.

Loved this episode, ty guys

ktm exhaust note is so bad that I won't buy it just because of that .. not sport bike like sound

Terrible microphones! I cant even continue to listen to this review. How is it that people doing 150mph on sportbikes and talking via go pro micrphone video blogging come through perfectly clear.

Fantastic work gentleman. It shows great quality and thought with a great conclusion highlighting the bikes strong points without discrimination. I hope the tech from the 1000's comes to the 600 class soon because there is a big gap there.

GREAT review! Thanks! I'm sure the KTM would be my choice, girlfriend likes it as well, so we might end up getting one for her to start riding. I'd also like to see the Hyosung GT250R on this test and listen to your opinions about it, you seem to do a well educated and thorough test and review on bikes.

in India, KTM is the cheapest of that lot.

I love my ninja 300 on the street.

nice review,better than other channel.

As always, great reviews guys! I know the ktm rc is totally a sport version of the duke 390, but how do you think they compare? I'm an experienced rider but I am still thinking about buying a ktm 390 duke for more of just a fun bike to play with .

No ABS availiable on the R3.. Major FAIL. Also a fail on the FZ07. One i would consider for myself. Brakes and tires are easily changed, honestly so is supsension parts. Honda is an awesome machine too. But little low on power, and sounds like a lawnmower. I'd take the Ninja 300. Most support, been around a long time.. Looks awesome to me.