Kawasaki Ninja 500: All You Need to Know

Kawasaki has launched the Ninja 500 in India. It has been priced at Rs 5.24 lakh (ex-showroom). The same amount was the last recorded price of the Ninja 400. It is worth noting that the Ninja 500 and the Ninja 400 had a lot in common. However, the latter is discontinued in India after the launch of the former.  

For example, the suspension setup is the same on both bikes, except for the engines. So, without wasting time, let’s delve into the offerings of this bike.

Features

The Japanese bike manufacturer has given the Ninja 500 a unique identity. That said, the new design language makes the bike look even more imposing and sharp, making it in sync with the new-age Kawasaki sport bikes. 

Kawasaki brought the ‘Standard’ variant of the Ninja 500 to India, except for the top-spec variant ‘SE’ (sold overseas). We doubt if Kawasaki will bring the 'SE' variant to India, as it will be positioned above the standard variant, thereby more expensive. 

The India-spec Kawasaki Ninja 500 is equipped with a negative LCD instrument cluster, which also supports Bluetooth connectivity.

The seat height is accessible to all sorts of riders at 785mm. In case, you like a higher seating position then there is an optional accessory to increase the seat height by 30mm.

Specifications

The Kawasaki Ninja 500 produces the same power as the Ninja 400, but the torque output has gone up. In addition, this engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with slip and assist clutch. Further, Kawasaki has given the Ninja 500 a 451cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine, which produces 43hp at 9,000rpm and 42.6Nm at 6,000rpm. This parallel-twin mill is borrowed from the Kawasaki Eliminator 500 with the same engine output. 

This 500cc bike has 17-inch alloy wheels on both ends with a 110-section tyre at the front and a 150-section tyre at the rear. Handling the suspension duties are telescopic forks at the front and a mid-mounted mono-shock at the rear. For braking, this bike gets a 310mm disc at the front and a 220mm disc at the rear with dual-channel ABS.

The Ninja 500 weighs 171kgs which is a little heavier than the Ninja 400 (168kg) and Yamaha R3 (169kg), but lighter than the KTM RC 390 (172kg) and the Aprilia RS 457 (175kg).

Market Positioning

The Ninja 500 has been brought to India via the CBU route making it the most expensive bike in its segment at 5.24 lakh (ex-showroom). The rivals like Yamaha R3, Aprilia RS457, and KTM RC390 are priced at Rs 4.65 lakh, Rs 4.18 lakh, and Rs 3.16 lakh, respectively. All are ex-showroom prices. 

It’ll be interesting to see how people are liking the new avatar of the Ninja over its rivals.