Kawasaki has announced the launch of the Ninja 500 in India. The new middle-weight sports bike is priced at Rs 5.24 lakh (ex-showroom) and is expected to replace the Ninja 400 in the brand’s line-up.
The new Ninja 500 was unveiled at EICMA 2023 last November.
However, the Indian-spec model gets a single standard variant; the other markets get an additional SE variant as well. The Japanese middleweight inherits a larger displacement, which is already featured in the 2024 Eliminator, and is available in a single metallic spark black colour scheme.
The Ninja 500 is powered by a 451cc, parallel-twin engine. This liquid-cooled unit produces 44.38 BHP @ 9,000 rpm and 42.6 Nm @ 6,000 rpm.
The bike is based on a lightweight trellis frame suspended by a telescopic fork at the front and a monoshock at the rear. Braking is handled by discs at the front and rear supported by dual-channel ABS.
The bike weighs 171 kg and measures 1995 mm in length, 730 mm in width, and 1120 mm in height, with a fuel tank capacity of 14 litres.
In India, Kawasaki is offering the base-spec Ninja 500. It means the bike does not get keyless ignition. That being said, the Ninja 500 comes equipped with a digital instrument console with Bluetooth connectivity.
Competing against models like the Aprilia RS 457, and Yamaha YZF- R3, and also falling in the ballpark of the KTM RC390, the new Kawasaki Ninja 500 enters the competitive sub-500 cc segment.