Which 300cc-400cc Bike Gives The Most Bang For The Least Buck?
Published On Jun 6, 2020 12:52 PM By Zaran Modyfor Bajaj Dominar 400
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We compare everything from the Classic 350 to the 390 Duke
The 300cc to 400cc segment is one where buyers are quite spoilt for choice. There’s everything from modern classics like the Royal Enfields to cutting-edge powerhouses like the KTM 390s, singles, twins, it’s all available. If you’re looking to buy a bike in this displacement range, obviously performance and power are important considerations. But which bike in the segment gives you the best bang for your buck? We find out, using our metric of price per PS.
Even in its more affordable single-channel ABS form, and despite being the most affordable bike on this list, the Royal Enfield Classic 350 presents the least value for money proposition here. That’s because it’s also by far the least powerful motorcycle of this bunch, meaning that each PS will cost you a significant Rs 7,965.
The Honda CB300R is actually rather reasonable by CBU standards, and at Rs 2,41,000 for the BS4 version, it even undercuts the KTM 390 Duke. But with just 30.45PS on tap, each pony will set you back by a hefty Rs 7,915.
With the temporary demise of the Yamaha R3 and no news about an updated TNT 300, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 is the only twin-cylinder bike in this segment that’s sure to get a BS6 update. We hope that it arrives soon, but based on BS4 specs and pricing, Kawasaki is charging you Rs 7,641 per PS on the little Ninja.
The Apache RR310 received quite a few new features as part of its recent update, but no extra power. This, coupled with the significant price hike that came along with it, means that the current bike now charges you Rs 7,059 per PS.
Value for money takes a huge jump when we come to the bike that embodies the term ‘bang for your buck’: the KTM 390 Duke. It may be among the more expensive motorcycles here, but with an explosive 43.5PS on tap, it manages a price per PS of just Rs 5,929.
But nobody beats Bajaj at the game of value for money (except Hero, of course; read here to know more about how it beat Bajaj in a recent similar comparison). It took the very capable foundation of the 390 Duke's motor and used it to create the Dominar 400, which does produce 3.5PS less but also costs over Rs 60,000 less, making each PS worth just Rs 4,869! Even in BS6 form, it offers better price per PS than the BS4 Hero Xtreme 200R (Rs 4,995/PS), so maybe Bajaj is the king of value after all.