After being unveiled at EICMA 2023, the Kawasaki Ninja 500 has reached our shores as a CBU, priced at 5.24 lakh ( ex-showroom). We can assume the Ninja 400 will be discontinued as its last known price is exactly the same.
It is powered by the 451-cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine also found on the Eliminator sport cruiser and pumps out 45 hp at 9,000 rpm and 42.6 Nm at 6,000 rpm. By comparison, the older Ninja 400 had the exact same 45-hp but at a higher 10,000 rpm and less torque–37.0 Nm at 8,000 rpm. As the 500 is heavier than the 400 by only three kilograms, tipping the scales at 171 kg (kerb).
The chassis sports slightly different geometry than the Ninja 400, with an ever-so-slightly steeper rake and an identical trail: 24.7° and 92 mm on the Ninja 400 with 24.5° and 92 mm, respectively, on the Ninja 500, to be precise. As the difference is minuscule, the change in handling should be all but imperceptible, which is a good thing as the Ninja 400 is already a sweet-handling motorcycle.
Unfortunately, the Kawasaki Ninja 500 will not be offered in the signature Candy Green shade, instead being offered in the other shade preferred by the Japanese marque: Black. In some overseas markets it is available in a black-and-red combo as well, but that hasn’t made the cut for India yet. We expect the KRT Edition available abroad to offer the signature green associated with Kawasaki on the Ninja 500.
The Ninja 500 is mostly unrivalled in the Indian market save for the Aprilia RS 457, and the Yamaha R3 to some extent. Globally, the closest rival to the Ninja 500 is the Honda CBR500R, a motorcycle that has never been sold in India thus far.
