The Kawasaki Ninja 500 is a sports motorcycle from Kawasaki. It is currently on sale. Sports bikes put performance first, usually with a sportier riding position and sharper handling than everyday bikes. With a 451 cc engine it sits in the middleweight 450–800 cc class.
Power comes from a 451 cc twin-cylinder liquid-cooled fuel-injected engine that makes 45.4 PS at 9,000 rpm and 42.6 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. Its bore is wider than its stroke (70 mm x 58.6 mm), a short-stroke layout that generally favours higher revs. Divide power by kerb weight and it has about 265 PS per tonne; by that measure, it is genuinely fast, well beyond everyday traffic speeds. The claimed top speed is 190 km/h. It has electric start.
It has a 6-speed manual gearbox with a 1-down, 5-up shift pattern, and a chain carries drive to the rear wheel. It uses a wet multi-plate clutch.
Its frame is trellis, High-tensile steel. At the front, the suspension is Ø41 mm telescopic fork, wheel travel - 120 mm. At the rear, it is bottom link Uni-Trak, gas charged shock, and spring preload adjustability, wheel travel - 130 mm. Braking is by a 310 mm disc at the front and a 220 mm disc at the rear, with dual-channel ABS. ABS on both wheels keeps either tyre from locking under hard braking. It rides on 17-inch alloy wheels with tubeless tyres — 110/70-17 at the front and 150/60-17 at the rear.
The seat is 785 mm off the ground, which is about average and suits most riders. It weighs 171 kg ready to ride, which is on the heavy side, so moving it by hand takes some effort. Ground clearance is 145 mm — adequate, though tall speed breakers need care. It is 1,995 mm long, with 1,375 mm between the axles. It carries 14 L of fuel.
Equipment includes a digital instrument console, an LED headlamp, turn-by-turn navigation, USB charging port, call and SMS alerts, distance-to-empty readout, gear position indicator, mobile app connectivity, daytime running lamps and real-time mileage indicator, among others. Safety equipment includes engine kill switch, hazard light switch, low fuel indicator and malfunction indicator.
The manufacturer's warranty is 3 years or 36,000 km. For the Kawasaki Ninja 500, Mechiee offers a fixed ₹8,499 doorstep service.
It is best suited to riders who want performance and sharp handling. Its low seat also makes it approachable for shorter and newer riders. With this much performance, it is better as a step-up bike than a first bike.
Recommended tyre pressures are 28 psi front and 32 psi rear, solo or with a pillion. Its chain drive needs regular cleaning, lubrication and slack adjustment.
