Motorcycle specifications KawasakiNinja 500 2024 Ninjette turns a corner

The Ninja family has become the one with the most iterations on the market. Depending on desires and budgets, enthusiasts can discover the 125, get a taste of SuperSport with the ZX-6R, propel themselves into space with the supercharged H2R, dare to gohybrid with the Ninja 7, dodge the stopwatch with the ZX-10R - there's something for everyone, and even a little more for A2s with the arrival of the 500 Ninja.

Let's get straight to one of the key points: the engine. After all, you'd expect to see a big gap between the 400 and the Ninja. It is, but it's not easy to see at first glance. Let's start with the bitter side. The Nina has not grown by a hundred cm3 as its name suggests, but by 52 cm3. No big deal, you might say; the twin 451 must spit out a few more horsepower. But in reality, nothing! It's still 45 horses at the engine's output. So where's the interest? All over the place.

First, there's the gain in torque, of around 1/2 mkg. Then there's the greater muscular availability of the powertrain. Power and torque are available much sooner, and at all engine speeds, the rider will always have more hp and mkg than with the 400. The engine is more robust, fuller and more enthusiastic.
To achieve this, Kawasaki has redesigned the compression ratio, piston stroke, pistons, connecting rods, airbox and crankshaft.

The chassis, on the other hand, has not been updated. No desire or no need? Let's not forget that this is an entry-level model. Like the Ninja 400 and its Z roadster cousin, the 500 starts with a 41mm inverted fork, followed by a minimalist tubular steel trellis frame, a preload-adjustable shock absorber only, and 17-inch wheels, each with its own brake disc. 310 mm at the front and 220 mm at the rear, both gripped by 2-piston calipers. Note that the discs are no longer in petal format.

But this technical reproduction doesn't give you a taste of déjà-vu, as the reworked design allows you to feel the freshness of the new. A little more aggressive, with two more prominent fangs and a ZX-6R 636-style scowl, redesigned flanks, a more tapered taillight, a flatter seat - the Ninja 500 doesn't transcend style, but evolves it.

it's in the cockpit that the changes make the most impact. The new instrumentation looks much more serious than that of the 400. More modern? Not quite. We would have thought of a TFT panel to be in with the times, but Kawa has reserved it for the SE version. The Ninja's half-liter meter uses liquid crystals, in a rather cool layout and very tech' angular shapes. And, as with the SE, it can be paired with a Smartphone via Bluetooth and the Rideology app - providing information on the machine's internal data, ride tracking, interaction with phone calls and messages, maintenance info and a few other goodies.

Long gone are the days of the little Ninja, with only 250 cm3 in the belly. Fragile, almost fragile, it gradually grew in confidence and style, from generation 300 to generation 400, culminating in the 500. It now offers a more convincing proposition, in the face of a well-established Honda CBR 500 R and competition that is quietly gaining strength.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos