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Day 1 - General Oil Change and Initial Observations


The front brake felt weak and spongy. The headlights were poorly adjusted, with the beam scattered all over the place. On closer inspection, we found that the previous owner had attempted a headlight bulb swap very haphazardly, cutting open the dust covers. As a result, the headlight assembly was filled with dust. The rubber dust covers needed replacement, and we also needed better headlight bulbs.

The air filter was completely choked and needed replacement. I decided to go with a BMC filter.

The tyres were recently replaced, so they were good for now. The chain and sprocket were also in decent condition and should easily last another 5,000 km.

We started with a general oil change before touching anything else. We figured that the oil filter used on the Hyundai Santro (PI 718900) fits the Ninja 300. Picked up a couple of those and went with Motul 7100 10W-40 for the oil.

The recommended oil quantity with a filter change is 2.4 L. Since the Santro filter is slightly larger, we added an extra 100–200 ml. During the oil change, we noticed that the crush washer on the drain bolt was not in spec, so we replaced it with a proper stainless steel washer.

Ordered EBC Double-H sintered pads (FA197HH) for the front and DP100 Sport SDP MX SDP412 pads (SDP412) for the rear.

The rear brake fluid reservoir had almost disintegrated and there was no fluid in it. I decided to visit the Triumph service centre and ordered the rear brake fluid reservoir used on the Speed 400. While at it, I also placed an order for the Thruxton 400 front master cylinder kit. It looked like a good match for the Ninja.



​The oil filter we got

Day 2 - Brake Pads, Fluid Reservoir & Air Filter


The brake pads and BMC air filter arrived. We noticed that the front pads were not a direct fit for the Endurance calipers used on the localised Ninja 300. We had to shave off a small portion of the retaining tab and increase the size of the pin holes to make them fit properly.

We’ll be exploring other options for the front brake calipers in the future, since this isn’t something we want to repeat every time the pads are changed. The Endurance calipers aren’t particularly great anyway.

Swapped in the BMC air filter and it breathes much better now.

We also installed the Speed 400 brake reservoir and bled out the old fluid with a standard DOT4 for now until RBF arrives.

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Went for a short ride after this to test the brakes. Still felt a bit lacking. Looks like we may need some further changes for it.

Day 3 - Headlights

Got new HJG H7 bulbs for the headlights, but they weren’t a direct fit. The cooling fins interfered with the locking clip on the headlamp assembly. Used a Dremel to trim some of the fins, and they fit perfectly after that.

For the headlight dust caps, we found that the dust caps used on the Bajaj AS200 fit the Ninja 300 perfectly. Since the bike has twin headlights, we ordered two of them from 99rpm.

Even after swapping the pads, the brakes still felt underwhelming. Looks like the front rotor also needed replacement. The coneset bearings also seemed due for a change, so we decided to upgrade to tapered bearings. My friend got them machined through his contacts.

We stripped down the headlight assembly completely for a thorough clean.

During the strip-down, I made a few observations:

• ​The battery is relatively new, a good sign
• Mild rust near the edge of the fuel tank; this will need repainting.
• The bend pipes had significant rusting. Ordered straight pipes from Motopunk. Plan is to reuse the stock end can with them.

There was a lot of dust under the panels. We cleaned everything, sprayed WD40 near the terminals, and did a mild water wash.

The headlight units were washed thoroughly inside, dried using a hair dryer, and the lenses wiped down with isopropyl alcohol. They look as good as new now.

Wires were routed through the new dust caps and secured with tape.

A minor oil leak was observed near the starter motor and right cylinder head, nothing alarming. We’ll revisit this later.

Day 4 - Coneset, Front Wheel bearings and Rotor


Swapped to tapered coneset bearings and SKF Explorer bearings for the front wheel. The stock wheel bearings came sealed on only one side, which could lead to faster wear. We decided to replace both front and rear wheel bearings with fully dual-sealed SKF Explorer units.

Managed to source a front brake rotor through a friend. Braking improved significantly after this. Waiting for the Thruxton master cylinder and Maxima RBF brake fluid to finish the setup.

SKF Explorer bearings vs stock bearings for reference

Day 5 - Lights


Reinstalled the headlight assembly and properly adjusted the beam. I can finally ride at night without visibility issues.


​ Day 6 - Coolant

Did a coolant flush and refill using Honda blue coolant. It took a while for the radiator fan to kick in during the process, but everything checked out fine.
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Day 7 - Exhaust Bend Pipe

Swapped the stock bend pipe for the straight pipes from Motopunk. The quality is excellent.

The stock end can was completely rusted inside and beyond salvage. For now, we installed a first-copy Akrapovic replica slip-on.

Fabricated a stainless steel clamp to mount the slip-on. It’s quiet at idle but really comes alive when you open the throttle.

Top-end performance improved noticeably after the pipe and end-can swap. The ECU is relearning and adapting to the freer flow, and throttle response and idling are improving day by day. A proper fueling remap is planned later.



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Day 8 - Front master cylinder and RBF

The Thruxton master cylinder finally arrived. We got to work immediately. It’s a direct fit. We just had to reroute the brake line slightly and fabricate a clamp to hold the reservoir. We then bled the system and switched to Maxima RBF brake fluid. With this, the front brakes are about as sharp as they can get. The only upgrade left is steel-braided brake lines.

The rear master cylinder was in terrible shape, completely rusted. We noticed that the R15 V3 rear master cylinder uses a very similar mounting design, so we decided to try it out.

Picked up the R15 V3 rear master cylinder from Yamaha. While the mounting was similar, the pushrod was shorter than the Ninja’s. We reused the original pushrod to maintain proper brake pedal height.

With that sorted, the rear brakes now work flawlessly. Most of the work is completed and its ready to hit the track. Total cost for all these came to around 60k.







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Nice write up and looking forward to the experiences. I think the brakes have always been an Achilles' Heel with the Ninja. I'd recommend you to upgrade your brakes to a HEL or steel braided ones as they reduce swell and improve the braking feedback along with DOT 5.1 they make a difference. The bike seems to be in sorry condition for the most part, considering the corrosion it has accumulated. I guess with the Mano taking care of TLC, the project should be satisfying at the end.

Keep it coming.

Cheers!
VJ