Are 300cc bikes good enough for highway driving nowadays? If not, help me choose a bike!

I rode a 2017 NINJA 300 from the Missouri Ozarks to Tail of the Dragon. It's certainly doable, but I did have issues when I encountered any serious hills and/or head or crosswinds; the best I could get WOT was 75mph. Sure, that's enough to keep up most places, but I had nothing left to get away from an idiot. Bear in mind that I'm only 5'2" and probably 155-160lbs ATGATT. The other issue I had is that I couldn't get hard sidebags for it, just "semi-hard" . They came with a rain cover that you absolutely had to mess with if there was any more than a sprinkle.

On the upside, it was light and flickable and IRRC, I got around 58mpg around home, but managed 60+mpg in the higher elevations during my trip. I traded it for a 2018 NINJA 650 which gives me MORE than enough power for what I need and I was able to get real sidebags for it. I get around 53-55mpg.


But given that you're a Honda fan--and with good reason!!!--, you might see if you can score a nice low mileage NT700V. It's the little brother to the ST1100 and 1300. Integrated sidebags (bigger clamshell lids are out there; I bought mine new from the UK back in the day, as well as a lower fairing). The topcase was optional. Great sport tourer, more tourer than sport. It begs for a sixth gear, but other than that it performs well, plenty of power. My biggest issue was that it was always a little tall, wide, and top heavy for me (and it didn't come in green). But I put around 35,000 miles on it before I sold it. I think I got in the low 50's mpg.

They have an awesome forum, so feel free to talk with the experts. Good luck!
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I'd be more inclined towards the CB300F or CB500F over the CB300R for the more upright ergonomics, which tends to be more comfortable over the long haul. A 300cc will get you on the freeway and will happily hum along, but it's nearing capacity of its performance, so you can't as easily flick the throttle to get around someone or out of trouble. Slowly passing a semi on a light weight motorcycle is not particularly fun. If you buy a lighter motorcycle it'll be great around town, but less so on the freeway. A more capable bike will be better on the freeway, but more ponderous a slower speeds. I guess it's all about what you're willing to accept.

I believe Yamaha is regularly cited as the top brand in terms of reliability. All Japanese brands are near the top, so perhaps widening your pool will open up more options. Something the Yamaha MT-03/MT-07 or Kawasaki Ninja400/Z400 might be worth a look too. Having more choices is a good thing these days when buying a motorcycle these days as there's little downward pressure on prices.