Does Kawasaki Ninja 300 Have ABS? (Beginner Question Solved)

The Kawasaki Ninja is one of the Japanese automakers’ most popular and more successful lines of motorcycles.

The Ninja 300 is in their range of smaller-cc cycles and is often used by beginner bikers as a first motorcycle to learn skills and develop confidence on the road.

It is still a very capable bike despite its small size and is highly regarded by motorcycle enthusiasts everywhere.

This article answers the question: “Does Kawasaki Ninja 300 Have ABS?”…

Does Kawasaki Ninja 300 Have ABS?

Any model of Kawasaki Ninja 300 from 2014 came with ABS as an optional feature, and as a standard feature on the Special Edition Ninja 300. If you own one of the earlier models from 2012-2013, then there’s a chance that you don’t have ABS already installed.

It should be noted therefore that ABS was an optional feature and was still not standard on most Ninja 300 bikes.

How To See If A Used Ninja 300 Has ABS?

If the bike received the ABS option, then you should be able to see “ABS” written on the front wheel fender.

That’s the easiest way to know for sure if it has ABS.

Should you not be able to see the ABS and you’re looking at a Kawasaki Ninja 300 for purchase, first confirm the model year.

If it’s 2014 or later, then there’s a chance that it has ABS and you can check with the seller.

If the bike you have or are looking at is the Special Edition Ninja 300, then you can also be sure that it came with ABS as standard.

Where Is The Sensor Ring?

The sensor rings are attached to the wheels of your motorcycle, front and rear, and are working constantly to detect your wheel speed to determine if and when you need ABS assistance.

What Year Did ABS Start On Kawasaki?

Though ABS has been around for motorcycles for more than two and a half decades, it’s only in the last 10 years or so that more companies have been adopting it in earnest to meet increasingly strict requirements in markets around the world.

The EU and Australia are especially strict on requiring ABS.

Most Kawasaki Ninja and other models started getting ABS between 2012 and 2014.

It started as an optional feature.

In the current Kawasaki range, there are ABS options in just about every road bike model now available.

Do All Ninja 300 Have ABS?

Model & YearABS?
2012-2013No
2014-2019Yes, optional
2019-PresentYes
2014-Present Special EditionsYes

It should be noted that the Ninja in some markets – e.g., UK and US – have already been replaced by the Kawasaki Ninja 400, which currently does offer ABS as a standard option on the bike.

ABS Vs. Non-ABS

How Safe Is It To Drive a Motorcycle Without ABS?

In certain markets, ABS is already mandated such as in the EU. This is why all motorcycles on public roads need to have them installed.

This is seen as an issue of paramount safety.

Motorcycles disproportionately account for many of the road accident fatalities that occur around the world.

The chief cause of these accidents is a rider losing control of the bike, especially when encountering emergency braking situations.

Riders of motorcycles are not like car drivers, they are completely exposed to the environment around them, and thus if they have an accident they are far more vulnerable.


ABS helps them to retain control in difficult situations and thus reduce the risk of accidents.

Riding a motorcycle is always riskier and more dangerous than driving in a car, especially a large car like an SUV or GMC Hummer.

ABS helps mitigate the risks by allowing the biker more control to safely maneuver when braking hard on the road.

If you are riding an off-road motorcycle, then ABS can sometimes work against you.

In the wilder off-road world, you need total freedom to make the bike do what you want without other components ever “taking over.”

ABS is not conducive to that kind of bike use.

The ABS Test

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted research in California as early as 2006 that clearly showed how much benefit a rider can get from having ABS installed on their bike.

To make the research more interesting and the results all the more impacting, the study compared top bike models with ABS installed to those bikes of the same brand and/or model that boasted the absolute best stopping distances without ABS.

The test was conducted on both dry and wet surfaces and used bikes of different categories to offer a real cross-section of the segment and how ABS can help all bikes, not just a few.

The bikes that had ABS installed were able to beat the overall stopping distance of the best non-ABS bikes by at least 5 percent.

That margin was increased to 7 percent when the ABS bikes were loaded up.

How Does ABS Work? (Easy Explained)

Put simply, an anti-lock braking system works by detecting wheel speeds and then altering brake actions in such a way that allows the vehicle wheel to keep rolling.

In other words, it prevents the wheels from locking up still, hence the name “anti-lock” brakes.

In allowing the wheel to at least partially keep moving, motorcycle riders can retain a strong level of control over their bike.

This allows them to keep maneuvering the bike even when braking.

This in turn helps them avoid obstacles ahead, thus keeping the rider much safer.

Detailed Explanation of ABS

Motorcycle ABS works through one of two systems:

Piston-based systems use a spring-tensioned piston to help release pressure.

A linear motor system pulls the piston back like a plunger, which in turn opens up space for the brake fluid to work.

This is the earliest iteration of ABS for motorcycles, and it was updated in the 1990s to work with an electronically controlled friction clutch on the shaft instead of the previous plunger design.

This updated system has been widely favored by Honda touring bikes and sportbikes.

Valve and pump systems use a solenoid inlet and outlet valves, a pump, a motor, and accumulators to form a system of pressure modulation.

Different models of bikes have different numbers of valves depending on how many brake channels they have.

The bike’s ECU sends signals to allow coils to operate the inlet and outlet valves.

When pressure is released, brake fluid moves to the accumulator for storage.

The liquid is brought back into the motor via a pump that is activated through pulsing on the brake lever.

There is a third system, too, known as a Combined Braking System (CBS), which bypasses the traditional single-wheel braking control of a normal bike and allows braking force to be applied to both wheels as though both brakes had been applied.

Smaller cycles use a single-disc version of this, but larger and newer models use a dual CBS system.

Does ABS Need Maintenance or Liquid Refill?

Yes, the ABS will need regular servicing and maintenance.

If things have gone wrong between regular services, your motorcycle will warn you with a dash light.

There is a dedicated one for ABS, usually.

The most common maintenance requirements for motorcycle ABS include:

  • Fuses – replacing blown fuses when they are gone
  • Cleaning – ensuring all components, especially exposed components, are clean and free of contaminants so that they can work properly
  • Brake lining repair
  • Brake fluid levels, which need to be maintained at optimum level and the health of the brake fluid needs to be checked
  • Brake fluid may need flushing and replacing roughly every two years

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