Login

Kawasaki Ninja 500 vs Rivals: Specifications Comparison

The Kawasaki Ninja 500 is likely to replace the Ninja 400 in India and it has legitimate rivals in the Aprilia RS 457, Yamaha YZF R3 and the KTM RC 390. Here’s a quick specifications check to see how the Ninja 500 fares against its rivals on paper.
Calendar-icon

By car&bike Team

clock-icon

3 mins read

Calendar-icon

Published on February 23, 2024

Follow us on

google-news-icon
Story

Highlights

  • The Kawasaki Ninja 500 has tough competition in the Aprilia RS 457, KTM RC 390 & Yamaha YZF R3
  • The Aprilia RS 457 and the Yamaha R3 also get parallel-twin engines
  • The Ninja 500 is the most expensive bike, priced at Rs. 5.24 lakh (ex-showroom)

The Kawasaki Ninja 500 is now on sale in India and is priced at Rs. 5.24 lakh (ex-showroom) which is the same as the current Ninja 400. There is speculation that the 500 may replace the 400 in India but that is yet to be confirmed. The Kawasaki Ninja 400 has three strong rivals to contend with in the segment, two of which are fairly new, and one has been around for a while now. Yes, we are talking about the Aprilia RS 457 and the Yamaha YZF R3 along with the KTM RC 390. Here’s how the Ninja 500 fares against its three rivals on paper. 

 

Also Read: Kawasaki Ninja 500 Launched In India

Kawasaki Ninja 500 4

The Ninja 500 is of course the most expensive motorcycle, the R3 is priced at Rs. 4.60 lakh while the Aprilia RS 457 is priced at Rs. 4.10 lakh. The KTM RC 390 is the most affordable model at Rs. 3.18 lakh, but then it also gets a single-cylinder engine and gets maximum features in terms of electronics such as a bi-directional quick-shifter, full-colour TFT display, traction control, cornering ABS and supermoto ABS. All bikes get dual-channel ABS and standard but the RC 390 outshines them all.

Aprilia RS 457 37

Kawasaki Ninja 500 vs Rivals: Specifications

SpecificationsKawasaki Ninja 500Kawasaki Ninja 500Kawasaki Ninja 500Yamaha YZF R3
Displacement451 cc373 cc457 cc321 cc
Engine Liquid-cooled parallel-twinSingle-cylinder, liquid-cooledLiquid-cooled parallel-twinLiquid-cooled parallel-twin
Max Power44.8 bhp at 9,000 rpm43 bhp at 9,000 rpm47 bhp at 9,400 rpm41 bhp at 10,750 rpm
Peak Torque42.6 Nm at 6,000 rpm37 Nm at 7,000 rpm43.5 Nm at 6,700 rpm29.5 Nm at 9,000 rpm
Gearbox6-speed 6-speed6-speed6-speed
KTM RC 390 2022 07 18 T05 27 32 622 Z

The KTM RC 390 is the only motorcycle which gets a single-cylinder engine, rest all others get a parallel-twin engine. The Aprilia RS 457 makes maximum power and maximum torque while the Ninja 500 comes second. The Yamaha R3 has the lowest power and torque output among all four motorcycles here. Also, it has the lowest displacement at 321 cc. The R3 also has the highest-revving motor, with both power and torque coming in at high RPMs. 

 

Kawasaki Ninja 500 vs Rivals: Chassis & Dimensions

SpecificationsKawasaki Ninja 500KTM RC 390Aprilia RS 457Yamaha YZF R3
Chassis TypeSteel TrellisSplit Trellis frameTwin-spar Aluminium FrameDiamond frame
Seat Height 785 mm835 mm800 mm780 mm
Ground Clearance 145 mm153 mm150 mm160 mm
Front Suspension41 mm telescopic fork | 120 mm travelWP Apex 43 mm 41 mm USD fork | 120 mm travel37 mm USD fork | 130 mm travel
Rear SuspensionMonoshock | 130 mm travelWP Apex MonoshockMonoshock | 130 mm travelMonoshock | 125 mm travel
Fuel Capacity14 litres13.7 litres13 litres14 litres
Kerb Weight171 kg172 kg175 kg169 kg
2023 Yamaha R3 m3

The R3 is the lightest bike here with a kerb weight of 169 kg. Although the heaviest bike, which is the Aprilia RS 457, is just 6 kg heavier. Surprisingly, the Ninja 500 gets telescopic fork while the rest of them get USD fork. The suspension travel is more or less similar for all motorcycles. The Japanese bikes have the lowest seat height and have a fuel tank capacity of 14 litres. The Europeans have taller seat height, particularly the RC 390, whose seat height is more than that of the Himalayan and is the same as that of the Scrambler 400 X. The Aprilia has the smallest fuel tank here. The R3 has the best ground clearance while the Ninja 500 has the lowest ground clearance.

 

Kawasaki Ninja 500 vs Rivals: Brakes and Tyres

SpecificationsKawasaki Ninja 500KTM RC 390Aprilia RS 457Yamaha YZF R3
Front Brake310 mm disc - two piston calliper320 mm disc with radially mounted calliper320 mm disc with 4-piston radial calliper298 mm disc 
Rear Brake220 mm disc - two piston calliper230 mm disc with floating calliper220 mm disc with single-piston calliper220 mm disc
Front Tyre110/70-R17M110/70-R17110/70-R17110/70-R17
Rear Tyre150/60-R17M150/60-R17150/60-R17140/70-R17

The European motorcycles have a bigger 320 mm disc up front, while the Japanese models get smaller discs up front. The R3 gets the smallest front disc. All four motorcycles get a 220 mm disc at the rear. Again, the Yamaha gets skinnier tyres than the rest of the motorcycles.  

Stay updated with automotive news and reviews right at your fingertips through carandbike.com's Google News

Related Articles

Latest News

Popular Kawasaki Models