2024 Kawasaki Ninja 500 teased for India. Launch soon

India Kawasaki Motor has released a teaser for the upcoming Ninja 500 motorcycle across its social media handles, hinting at an imminent launch. The 2024 Kawasaki Ninja 500 made its global debut at EICMA 2023 and has been replacing the Ninja 400 in multiple markets ever since. The bike is all set to arrive in India as a replacement to the Ninja 400 on sale and will bring a host of updates as well.

The new Kawasaki Ninja 500 will now draw power from the 451 cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine replacing the 399 cc twin-cylinder motor. The engine now gets a bigger 58.6 mm stroke as against the 51.8 mm stroke seen in the 399 cc mill, while the 70 mm bore remains the same. The bigger stroke allows for the motor to produce more torque, which stands at 42. 6 Nm at 6,000 rpm, up from 37 Nm at 8,000 rpm. Power output stays the same at 45 bhp but comes in earlier at 9,000 rpm instead of 10,000 rpm. The motor continues to be paired with a 6-speed gearbox and gets a slip-and-assist clutch.

The design language remains familiar on the 2024 Kawasaki Ninja 500 that borrows cues from the Ninja ZX-6R and Ninja ZX-10R, complete with the twin LED headlamps, sharp side fairing and split seats. The bike continues to get the steel trellis frame albeit with a larger capacity engine as a stressed member.

Other mechanicals include telescopic forks at the front and a monoshock at the rear, while braking performance comes from a 310 mm front disc and a 220 mm rear disc with dual-channel ABS. The bike also gets a TFT digital instrument console, Kawasaki Intelligent Proximity Activation Start System (KIPASS), a Type-C charging port, and more.

The Kawasaki Ninja 500 is expected to be priced around ₹5.4 lakh (ex-showroom) and is likely to arrive as a Completely Built Unit (CBU). The motorcycle will take on the new Aprilia RS 457, Yamaha R3, KTM RC 390, and more in the segment.