Nine motorcycles, one licence category, and a lot more personality than “starter bike” usually implies. If you’re 18 or over and holding (or about to sit) an A2 licence in Europe, every 300-400cc motorcycle currently on sale fits under its 35 kW ceiling — and in 2026 that list runs from a Royal Enfield single that barely clears 15 kW to a Kawasaki twin built right up to the legal line. Here’s what’s actually on dealer floors, what each one costs in EUR, and which one fits which kind of rider.

Why “300-400cc” Basically Means “A2 Licence” in Europe

The EU doesn’t licence motorcycles by engine size — it licences them by power. A1 covers bikes up to 125cc and 11 kW from age 16; A2 covers anything up to 35 kW (47 hp) from age 18, with a power-to-weight ceiling of 0.2 kW/kg so nobody skirts the limit on a featherweight chassis; full A removes both caps at 24, or at 20 after two years on an A2 bike.

Nothing in the 286-399cc range sold today comes anywhere near 35 kW natively, so every bike on this list qualifies for A2 without a restrictor kit, a dealer remap, or an asterisk. That’s a genuinely new situation — five years ago plenty of “A2 bikes” were de-tuned 600s and 700s wearing a sticker. These are built to the number from the factory. I’ve written the full breakdown of how the A1/A2/A ladder actually works, with the maths behind the power-to-weight rule if you want the regulation itself rather than the shopping list — this piece is the shopping list.

Model Segment Engine Power Torque Seat height Price (EUR, from)
KTM 390 Duke Naked 398.7cc single 45 PS (33 kW) 39 Nm 820 mm €5,999
Yamaha MT-03 Naked 321cc twin 42 PS (30.9 kW) 29.5 Nm 780 mm €6,599
Kawasaki Z400 Naked 398cc twin 48 PS (35.0 kW) 37 Nm 785 mm €6,745
Triumph Speed 400 Naked/roadster 398cc single 40 PS (29.4 kW) 37.5 Nm 790 mm €5,645
Honda CB300R Naked 286cc single 31 PS (22.8 kW) 27.5 Nm ~800 mm ~€4,450 (est.)
KTM 390 Adventure R Small ADV 398.7cc single 45 PS (33 kW) 39 Nm 870 mm €6,990
TVS Apache RTX 300 Small ADV 299cc single 36 PS (26.5 kW) 28.5 Nm n/a €4,890
Royal Enfield Classic 350 Retro/classic 349cc single 20.2 hp (15 kW) 27 Nm 805 mm €4,401
Triumph Bonneville T40 Retro/classic 398cc single 32 hp (23.5 kW) 36 Nm 790 mm TBA (2027)

Prices move with VAT and registration fees from one EU market to the next — the KTM 390 Duke’s German MSRP is €5,999 plus roughly €495 in delivery and registration, but the same bike lists closer to €7,800 in Finland once local taxes land on it. Treat the table as a floor, not a universal number. The Honda figure is an estimate converted from its UK price, since Honda hasn’t published a fresh continental price list for 2026 — everything else is a direct EUR quote from an official source.

The Naked and Roadster Options

Five bikes, one job: be the first “real” motorcycle somebody owns, and not embarrass itself doing it. The KTM 390 Duke is the one with the most attitude for the money — 45 PS from a 398.7cc single, launch control as standard for 2026, and an 820mm seat height that still lets most riders flat-foot at a stop. The Kawasaki Z400 is the one built to the exact edge of the rulebook: 48 PS works out to precisely 35.0 kW, which means Kawasaki’s engineers sat down with a calculator and the A2 regulation open in the next tab and didn’t leave a single watt on the table.

The Yamaha MT-03 and Triumph Speed 400 both trade a bit of that edge for manners — the MT-03’s 321cc twin is the smoothest-revving engine of the five, and the Speed 400 pairs 37.5 Nm of torque (the most in this group) with a 790mm seat that’s friendlier to shorter riders than the KTM. The Honda CB300R is the odd one out on displacement — at 286cc and 31 PS it’s the smallest and least powerful bike here — but it’s also the lightest to throw around a car park, and Honda’s neo-retro styling means it doesn’t read as “the cheap one” the way the spec sheet suggests it should.

The Small Adventure Bikes

If you want the upright seating position and the option of a gravel road without stepping outside A2, there are now two genuinely different answers. KTM’s 390 Adventure R shares its 398.7cc single and 45 PS with the Duke, bolts on 230mm of adjustable suspension travel and a 21/18-inch wheel combination, and asks €6,990 for the privilege — proper off-road geometry, on-road power.

TVS’s Apache RTX 300, which I covered when it landed in Italy at €4,890 for the Essential trim, undercuts the KTM by over €2,000 and still shows up with a TFT dash with Google Maps mirroring, a bi-directional quick-shifter, and adjustable suspension at both ends — electronics that used to be reserved for bikes twice the price. It’s the clearer case for someone who wants adventure-bike looks and genuinely doesn’t need the KTM’s extra suspension travel. Either one is a meaningful step down in both price and intimidation from the bikes in the full-size A2-legal adventure lineup — worth a look once this segment stops feeling small enough.

The Retro and Classic Options

This is the one segment where two bikes are built to fight each other directly. Royal Enfield’s Classic 350 has owned this space for years on the strength of being cheap, simple, and visually a motorcycle in the way a kid draws one — 349cc, a 5-speed gearbox, and EU pricing that starts around €4,401 depending on market. Triumph’s answer, the Bonneville T40, is the bike I wrote about the day it was revealed as a direct shot at the Classic 350 — same 398cc-class single-cylinder family Triumph already uses in the Speed 400, tuned down to 32 hp and 36 Nm specifically to sit in this bracket, with cornering ABS and cruise control as standard. Triumph hasn’t published European pricing yet; deliveries aren’t expected before spring 2027, so for right now the Enfield wins by simply existing on a showroom floor today.

Which One Actually Fits You

If you want the most power for the money and don’t mind an aggressive riding position, the KTM 390 Duke or Kawasaki Z400 are the two to test ride back to back. If comfort and a smoother engine matter more than outright edge, the Yamaha MT-03 or Triumph Speed 400 are the better daily companions. If you want to go off the asphalt occasionally, decide between the KTM 390 Adventure R’s extra suspension travel and the TVS Apache RTX 300’s much lower price and surprisingly generous electronics. And if what you actually want is something that looks like it rolled out of 1967, the Royal Enfield Classic 350 is buyable today, while the Triumph Bonneville T40 is the one to wait for.

I say this as someone who bought his first real bike on an A2 licence and immediately started planning a trip down the Transfăgărășan that still, four years later, hasn’t happened — pick based on what gets you out of the garage, not what looks best standing still. The spec sheet only tells you so much; the rest is finding out which one you don’t want to put back on its stand.

FAQ

Do I need a special licence category for a 300-400cc motorcycle in Europe?

No extra category exists for this engine size specifically — every bike in this range produces well under the A2 licence’s 35 kW ceiling, so a standard A2 licence (available from age 18) covers all nine bikes here without a restrictor or remap.

Can I ride any of these bikes on an A1 licence at 16?

No. A1 is capped at 125cc and 11 kW, and none of these bikes come close on either number — the smallest here, the Honda CB300R, is already more than double A1’s power limit.

Which of these motorcycles has the most power?

The Kawasaki Z400 and the KTM 390 Duke / 390 Adventure R are tied at the top on paper, but the Kawasaki’s 48 PS works out to exactly 35.0 kW — the precise ceiling the A2 licence allows.

Is the Royal Enfield Classic 350 or the Triumph Bonneville T40 the better buy?

The Classic 350 is on sale now from roughly €4,401 and has years of parts and dealer support behind it; the T40 isn’t priced for Europe yet and won’t ship before spring 2027, so right now the choice is really “buy today” versus “wait and see.”

Do I keep riding these bikes once I upgrade to a full A licence?

Yes — nothing changes about the bike itself. A full A licence just removes the restriction on what you’re allowed to buy next; it doesn’t force you off anything you already own.