The new Kawasaki Ninja 500 has been launched in India at Rs 5.24 lakh, ex-showroom. This makes it the third sub-500cc Ninja to go on sale in the country, joining the Ninja 400 and the aging Ninja 300.
The Ninja 500 is powered by a brand new 451cc, parallel-twin engine. It makes 45bhp at 9000rpm and churns out 42.6Nm at 6000rpm. The engine is paired with a six-speed gearbox that has a slip and assist function. The design of the Ninja 500 is inspired by the current crop of bikes in the Kawasaki Ninja family, like the ZX-6R. It looks sharper, sleeker and more purposeful than the Ninja 400. However, Kawasaki has launched the Ninja 500 in India in the standard trim, and in one colour only - Metallic Spark Black.
In terms of features it gets an LCD instrument cluster with Bluetooth connectivity as standard and pairing a phone gives access to a range of information. Under the bodywork lies a trellis frame and you’ve got a telescopic fork at one end and a monoshock at the rear. The bike rides on 17-inch wheels while braking duties are taken care of by a 310mm disc at the front and a 220mm disc at the rear. The front disc brake is larger in diameter than that of the Ninja 400.
Since the Ninja 500 is a CBU import it is significantly more expensive than its made-in-India competitors like the Aprilia RS457. Even the Yamaha R3 while being a CBU import undercuts the Ninja’s price.