The Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Ninja 400 are two of the most popular models within the greater Kawasaki Ninja family.
The Ninja 300 was built as a natural evolution of the Ninja 250, and the Ninja 400 was built as an evolution of the 300, but as a group.
They form independent motorcycle models that riders love for different reasons.
This article answers the question: “How tall do you have to be to ride a Kawasaki Ninja 300 & 400”?…
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How Tall Do You Have To Be To Ride A Kawasaki Ninja 300?
Any adult of just about any height could technically ride the Kawasaki Ninja 300.
The question is what height do you have to be to ride the Ninja 300 safely?
The Kawasaki Ninja 300 has a seat height of 30.9 inches (78.4cm). Riders with at least 32 inches of leg inseam, handle to put their feet comfortably flat on the floor with the bike stopped. Typically, if you are at least 5’8” (175cm), you should be able to ride a Ninja 300 safely with no adjustment.
That’s a minimum for safety.
If you are shorter, you might need a further adjustment on the bike.
When sitting upright on the bike, you should also be able to reach both handlebars with your arms bent and relaxed. Having to stretch your arms to reach either handlebar would make your ride dangerous.
How Tall Do You Have To Be To Ride a Kawasaki Ninja 400?
Kawasaki Ninja 400 has a seat height the same as the Ninja 400 of 30.9 inches (78.4cm). A rider would therefore need at least 32-33 inches of leg inseam in order to ride the Kawasaki Ninja 400 safely. That would place their height at roughly 5’8” or 5’9” (175-177cm) for an ideal safe riding height.
Does that mean if you are shorter than that you cannot ride the Ninja 400 safely? Or the Ninja 300 safely?
In fact, no.
Like many sport bikes, the Kawasaki Ninja has quite a flexible suspension that would lower the bike somewhat when you sat on it.
You can also change the suspension to lower the bike a little, or even change the seat to make it work.
In its standard configuration, however, the standard has to be based on seat height and the rider having sufficient leg inseam to reach the floor comfortably.
As with the Ninja 300, the position of your arms on the handlebars is also important in determining whether your height and size is suitable for a bike.
If you can’t place your arms on the handlebars while they’re bent and relaxed, then the bike is too big.
What Is The Best Way To Measure The Correct Size?
The best way to check that a motorcycle such as the Kawasaki Ninja 300, Ninja 400 or any other motorcycle is the right size for you is to sit on that bike and check it.
At the most basic minimum level of safety, you should be able to sit on the bike and lay at least one foot down flat on the floor when the bike is stationary.
This is a similar rule to choosing the right size of road bicycle or mountain bike.
The two-wheel design of the motorcycle means that when you are stationary on the road, in the absence of the kickstand, the bike won’t stand up and balance by itself.
You would need at least a trike to do that.
That being the case, you have to know that if you are forced to stop the bike in traffic or at a red light at the intersection, you’ll be able to stay safe and balanced.
Contrary to popular belief, you can’t just keep the bike going and weaving through traffic, nor can you run red lights.
Besides seat height, there are other things to consider.
Your upper body height is also important, as is your arm length.
If you have a short upper body and arms, and you can’t reach the motorcycle handlebars comfortably, then that bike is too big, even if it happens you can reach the floor with your foot.
The combination of size ratios is important here.
You have to meet both criteria: one foot flat on the ground and comfortable, and arms resting bent on the handlebars with no trouble.
Are The Details of Seat Height Published Anywhere?
Yes, you can easily find seat height details published in multiple locations.
Besides the many fan websites and forums, you can find on Kawasaki Ninjas and other bike brands, the best place to look at first is the official OEM website.
Your local Kawasaki Motorcycles homepage has full details and specifications on all the new bikes they have for sale.
If you click on model specs, and then “details” you will find the seat height listed, along with every other figure on the bike’s dimensions.
However, that’s only for new bikes.
What if you want to buy a used Kawasaki Ninja or another bike, or a bike no longer carried by a certain brand?
How and where will you find the seat height published?
One good place to look is on Wikipedia.
All famous bike brands and their main models typically have their own listing and article on Wikipedia, and it’s quite normal to find the bike seat height listed in the essential information on the right-hand side of the article.
You should also be able to see the seat height of any bike you are interested in published as part of its basic information.
The seat height will rarely (if ever at all) be left out of the bike’s information because it’s so relevant to so many riders.
Motorcycle enthusiasts of differing heights will need to know the seat height – be they tall or short – so that they know for sure if they will suit the bike both safely and comfortably.
What Is Considered A Short/Medium/Tall Rider?
Obviously, whether someone counts as a short, medium, or tall rider depends on their height versus the kind of bike that they want to ride.
For example, cruisers normally have a lower seat height of 26-28 inches, so are suitable for riders or below average height in general.
In this case, a so-called “short rider” might not appear so short on that type of bike. Having said that, there are some general rules of thumb that we can consider.
A “short” rider would be a rider that is 5’2” or less in height (157cm). To ride sportbikes would be hard for this height of rider.
A “medium” rider would be someone between 5’3” at the low end (160cm) and 5’9” at the higher end (175cm). A medium could ride a sportbike like a Kawasaki Ninja but would struggle a little the closer they are to the lower end of that height range.
A “tall rider” would be someone between 5’10” (178cm) at the low end and 6’5” (195cm) at the high end, and then possibly even taller than that.
Tall riders at the low end will be the most comfortable on sportbikes like the Ninja.
The tallest riders often feel too cramped on sportbikes, feeling more comfortable instead on larger cruisers where they can recline with their long legs forward.
How Tall Is A Kawasaki Ninja 250 Vs 300 Vs 400 Vs 650?
| Model | Seat Height (inches) | Total Height (inches) |
| Kawasaki Ninja 250 | 30.5 | 43.7 |
| Kawasaki Ninja 300 | 30.9 | 44 |
| Kawasaki Ninja 400 | 30.9 | 44.1 |
| Kawasaki Ninja 650 | 31.1 | 45.1 |
While the seat heights and total height of the bikes all seem very close, even these small differences can be a game-changer on a sportbike.
It’s most important that the rider feels both safe and comfortable when riding the Kawasaki Ninja or any other bike.
The primary two parameters are one foot being able to lie flat on the ground, and both arms laying relaxed and bent on the handlebars while sitting upright.
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