In early 2024, the Kawasaki Ninja 500 replaced the Kawasaki Ninja 400 but with the same price tag as the 400cc sports bike. So, what is it like to ride the Ninja 500 in the real world? Let’s take a look:
Design
The styling and the bodywork of the Ninja 500 is slightly sharper and more muscular than that of the Kawasaki Ninja 400 and has a great overall road presence. The LED headlight’s design is similar to the ones seen on the 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R and the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and from the rear three-fourth angle, the bike looks similar to the Ninja 400. If you are a Kawasaki enthusiast, you might be disappointed with the fact that the Lime Green/Ebony colour option, which is available in international markets, is not available in India. But you can be rest assured that the Metallic Spark Black colour scheme actually looks really good in the flesh and matches the overall styling of the bike very well.
Engine, Performance and Mileage
The Kawasaki Ninja 500 is powered by an updated 451cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine producing 45PS at 9000rpm and 42.6Nm at 6000rpm. The motor has excellent mid-range grunt and is quite tractable, meaning you can easily do speeds of 45kmph in sixth gear. This makes the bike quite easy to ride in the city and the smooth gearbox and the light clutch action complements that very well.
The rev-happy nature of the engine also makes the bike quite fun to ride when you open the taps. It accelerated from 0-80kmph in 3.73 seconds and 0-100kmph in 5.44 seconds during our tests. If you find yourself in a higher gear when entering a corner on a twisty mountain road, you’ll have enough power on tap to complete the corner without needing to downshift. Also, the motor is reasonably efficient for a sub-500cc bike, as it gave about an indicated 23kmpl mileage out during our tests.
Handling And Ride Quality
The suspension setup of the telescopic fork and the monoshock is on the stiffer side but still manages to offer a very good ride quality and soak up bumps and potholes quite well. For a nearly 500cc bike, you might think that the bike should have had an inverted fork, but the telescopic fork does the job very well. While taking a corner, the telescopic fork does a very good job of maintaining stability and inspiring confidence to control the bike through the bends comfortably. Also, the 171kg kerb weight makes the bike quite agile and easy to tip into corners. The brakes provide good progressive feedback and stopping power and you know exactly how much braking force you’ll get every time you get on the brake levers.
Comfort
The Ninja’s riding posture is surprisingly upright for a sports bike and it’s actually very comfortable. While the footpegs are a bit rear-set, they’re still very comfortably placed, even for taller riders. These ergonomics along with the well-padded seat means one can comfortably spend long hours in the saddle. The 785mm seat height makes the bike accessible to riders of all heights. The 140mm ground clearance might sound a bit low on paper but it’s just enough in the real world and the bike did not scrape its belly anywhere.
Features
The 500cc sports bike comes equipped with all-LED lighting and an LCD instrument console with smartphone connectivity. But as a bike in this segment, it misses out on features like adjustable levers and various other rider aids available as standard in its rivals. Also, the switchgear quality could have been better.
Should You Buy The Kawasaki Ninja 500?
The Kawasaki Ninja 500 has the perfect blend of good styling and road presence, smooth performance and great handling characteristics. Whether you are an experienced rider or a newbie looking to learn the art of cornering, the versatility of the Ninja 500 will make everyone happy. But the lack of features, which are normally found in other bikes in this segment, is quite hard to overlook especially since the bike comes with a Rs 5.24 (ex-showroom Delhi) price tag.
