Keeway K300 N Road Test Review: Likes And Dislikes

Should you pick this Chinese streetfighter over the likes of the BMW G 310 R and the KTM 250 Duke?

Adishwar Auto Rides’ brought a slew of motorcycles to the Indian market this year, targeting the established players in their segments. One such bike is the Keeway K300 N, which goes straight up against the likes of the BMW G 310 R and the KTM 250 Duke. But should you be betting your hard-earned Rs 2.65 lakhs for a lesser known Hungarian (*cough*Chinese*cough*) brand? We spent a few days with the bike to find that out, and here’s what we liked and disliked about the motorcycle:

LIKES:

Sporty Yet Friendly Ergonomics

The Keeway K300 N’s riding triangle is on the sporty side, with rear set footpegs and your upper body inclined forward. But thanks to its accessible 795mm seat height, getting your feet on the ground even if you are on the shorter side. Furthermore, the narrower profile of the tank allows you to grip the bike well.

Handling

As you would desire from a streetfighter, the Keeway K300 N is an absolute hoot in the city. Its small wheelbase of 1360mm combined with a kerb weight of just 151kg make it a perfect bike to tackle the rush hour traffic. You can switch directions without any hesitation or protest from the chassis.

Grippy Tyres

A big credit for its agile handling also goes to its China-made CST tyres. Be it quick direction changes or going hard through corners, these tyres stick to the tarmac, inspiring you to push harder every time. 

Suspension

The Keeway K300 N’s suspension seems to be tailor-made for the Indian riding conditions. The USD fork and monoshock suspension setup is firm enough to take on corners, it is pliant enough to take on bad roads. Except for sharp potholes and rumbler strips, the suspension soaks up almost everything. 

Usable Performance

A 292cc liquid-cooled engine dishing out performance that’s on par with some 200cc bikes seems underwhelming, but look beyond the spec sheet and you’ll be impressed. The Keeway K300 N’s engine is tractable, allowing you to effortlessly crawl through the city traffic without working the gearbox much. At the same time, you can do triple digit speeds all day on the highway.

Roll-on Acceleration Test

DISLIKES:

Poor Brakes

The performance and the chassis are let down by the poor brakes. Not only do the brakes have minimal stopping power, there is no feedback at the lever. And making things worse is the intrusive ABS system which kicks in at the slightest hint of hard braking.

Shoddy Build Quality

For a bike that’s priced exactly the same as the BMW G 310 R, the build quality is quite shoddy. The rear panel of our test bike was already coming loose and even if that was an isolated incident, the overall quality is unimpressive.

Gimmicky Features

Currently, the K300 N is the only bike amongst its immediate competitors to sport riding modes, but they did seem to be just a gimmick. The Eco and Sport modes offered no difference in performance. So, if that’s one of your reasons to consider this Keeway, strike it out.

VERDICT

The Keeway K300 N lures you with good handling, an easy-to-live-with engine and quirky styling. But is that enough to justify the Rs 2.65 lakh price tag? Not really. For Rs 2.65 lakh, you can get yourself much better motorcycles like BMW G 310 R or even the KTM 250 Duke, which not only have better performance but also an established service network and better brand recall. 

But even if you are willing to look beyond this, the poor brakes and overall build quality of the motorcycle will hamper your everyday experience with the motorcycle.