BREAKING: Kawasaki Ninja 500 Launched In India

The new Ninja 500 will soon replace the outgoing Ninja 400 and will compete with the Aprilia RS 457

Kawasaki after teasing the Ninja 500 recently has now finally launched the bike in India, starting at an introductory price of Rs 5,24,000 ex-showroom. The outgoing Kawasaki Ninja 400 was sold at the same ex-showroom price of Rs 5,24,000, but now the brand has offered a Rs 40,000 discount on the model. The Ninja 400 will be sold till stocks last, after which the Ninja 500 will replace it. Bookings for the Kawasaki Ninja 500 have begun and the deliveries will commence from the end of February. 

The Kawasaki Ninja 500 comes with a typical supersport design, featuring a aggressive look with a newly designed split headlight setup with twin spoilers below it and a small windscreen at front. It is combined with a sharp fairing with floating body work in the middle. It also comes with full LED lighting as well.

The bike is powered by a 451cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine which produces 45PS at 9000rpm (same as the Ninja 400 and 1.7PS less than the Aprilia RS 457) and 42.6Nm at 6000rpm (5.6Nm more than the Ninja 400 and 1.1Nm less than the RS 457) . The engine is the same one used on the 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator 500. The Ninja 400 for perspective produces 45.4PS and 37Nm and the Aprilia RS 457 offers 46.7PS and 43.5Nm.

In terms of underpinnings, the new Ninja 500 is built on a trellis frame. The bike is suspended on a telescopic fork at front, which is a bit disappointing considering the premium nature of the motorcycle, and a gas-charged preload-adjustable monoshock in the rear. The bike has 120mm wheel travel at front and 130mm wheel travel in the rear with a ground clearance of 145mm. It has a kerb weight of 175kg.

The bike rolls on 17-inch alloy wheels at both ends, wrapped around in 110-section front and 150-section rear Dunlop Sportmax GPR-300 tyres. Braking is taken care of by a 310mm front and 240mm rear disc, with dual-channel ABS. The brakes are circular discs and not petal ones like in the Ninja 400. 

Features wise, the Ninja 500 comes with a fully-digital 5-inch LCD instrument console with smartphone connectivity via Kawasaki’s Rideology app. The SE variant of the Ninja 500 will get a 5-TFT, but this variant is not sold in India currently. Other features include a slip and assist clutch. The bike overall misses out a few important features like the riding modes and traction control which is standard on the Aprilia RS 457.

In terms of accessories the Ninja 500 gets a Large (Clear/Smoke) Windshield, USB-C Type outlet, a 30mm higher seat  along with tank bag, tank pad, U-lock and rider accessories like helmet lock and knee pads. Other accessories include a radiator screen, frame sliders, a pillion seat covert and wheel rim tape.

The Kawasaki Ninja’s closest rival is the Aprilia RS 457, which is made in India and comes at an ex-showroom Maharashtra price of Rs 4,10,000. Which is a massive price cut of Rs 1,14,000 when compared to the Ninja 500's price of Rs 5,24,000, and it also offers a slightly higher performance while also packing more features. It isn’t all that surprising considering the Ninja 500 is a full import whereas the Aprilia RS 457 is completely made in India. The Yamaha R3, on the other hand comes at an ex-showroom price of Rs 4,64,900 (ex-showroom Delhi).