Hi

It’s been a while since I’ve been on here as I’ve had Vespa GTS 300s for the last few years. I’m now looking to return to maxis. I’ve been looking at the J300 and like the look of it. Do any of you own one or have an opinion on them? Looking to ride two up for no more than a fifty mile round trip.

Cheers Buff

Hi Buff and welcome back .

not had one .but from what i hear they are not bad , but the leg position is a little cramped. an the fact you don't see many on the road, leads to say not as popular.. the xmax is by far more popular , an depending on budget the forza 300 is quite common. even the older shape forza is a great scooter, i can vouch for the older version. it's comfy an very nice to ride.

this me being followed by a yamaha tracer900... ok he's a little hard on me. but it just shows how good they are. if you want to have a little fun aswell.

I've had my J300 for a few months, and regularly ride 2 up. Its a strong engine, pulls without issue 2 up, and handles extremely well given the budget suspension, in fact I rarely bother to even change the rear pre-load. I'm near 6' and had the seat reshaped and raised by Tony Archer and it now fits me perfectly, no leg room issues at all, and my pillion is very happy. If you want feet forward its a non starter, I didn't so not an issue. There is no security as standard and the Kawasaki servicing schedule makes diy the only sensible option. Fit and finish is as good as any of the other maxis I looked at. As far as accessories go there are passenger backrests, adapters to fit a top box to the useful oem rack, a nicely designed sat nav mount and several taller screen options. Don't go for an after market exhaust- tried it as the oem Napoleonic cannon fitted is ridiculously heavy, but the ecu was really unimpressed, so I'll put up with it. I paid 4k brand new and have no regrets.

AS mentioned elsewhere the J300 is a rebadged Kymco Downtown 300i with the advantage of a smarter colour scheme and the backup of Kawasaki dealerships to provide spares etc. My 300i performed very well and as above it is a little cramped but OK for me at 5'11". Very easy to get at the engine for servicing etc. and good performer up to 80 mph thanks to a variator characteristic which keeps the rpm high when accelerating hard. Suspension is on the oversprung side for rider only so would suit two-up riding very well. Excellent brakes and good roadholding by the standards of conventional scooter layouts.

roadster wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2019 3:56 am AS mentioned elsewhere the J300 is a rebadged Kymco Downtown 300i

The only puzzle being that when Kymco upgraded the Downtown to 350, the Kawa remained exactly the same, which suggests that Kawa's interest in scooters faded quickly. btw Do Kymco still do the Downtown?

MrGrumpy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2019 6:21 am

The only puzzle being that when Kymco upgraded the Downtown to 350, the Kawa remained exactly the same, which suggests that Kawa's interest in scooters faded quickly. btw Do Kymco still do the Downtown?

Kymco actively sell the X-Town 300i in many other European countries.

I have the J300 and am very pleased with it. I'm 6'1" and find it comfy enough. It has performed faultlessly, I've fitted a few extras, the Givi (Kawasaki) big screen & Puig visor, mirror extenders, Sat nav bracket, Shock covers, rad guard, mud flap, Givi topbox etc. We tow ours behind a motorhome and use it for trips out every day. I find the underseat storage plus top box to be adequate for two of us when we go out for the day on it, my missus says the pillion seat is the comfiest she has been on. As said above the bizarre servicing frequency means I do it myself, but a transmission oil change, engine oil & filter change takes less than an hour all in and costs peanuts. The overall quality feels good to me, I can only compare to Honda motorbikes cos that's all I ever ride(!) currently the NC750... I would say if you are happy with the deal and a test ride then go for it..

I ran an SE ABS for 3 years and was really pleased with it. Only reason I did not get the same again was because the bike on offer in 2017 (and now) was unchanged from the 2014. Others for much the same money have traction control and better economy.

But to ride. It's easily the nicest, sharpest and most fun I've had. In my opinion, the SE is also the best looking scooter I've ever seen.

Thanks everyone, much appreciated. Think I might invest in one or the new Forza.