Kawasaki Motors, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer, has launched the 2026 Kawasaki Ninja 500, a sport motorcycle, in the Indian market by importing it from Japan as a completely built unit, with the ex-showroom price of 5.76 lakh rupees. It comes with two upgrades: E20 fuel-compliant and signature Kawasaki green coloured. Let’s have a closer look at this motorcycle.
Upfront, it gets LED headlights in the front fairing that improve visibility for nighttime driving and also add a modern touch; the windscreen above the instrument cluster deflects the wind away from the driver’s chest to ensure riding comfort; and there are turn indicators on the front fairing sides to give a turn signal for the traffic ahead.
A large fuel tank is visible exactly above the engine housing from both sides that gives it a tough look; it has a two-piece seat so the rider can get a comfortable riding position and the pillion also sits comfortably; it features two footpegs below the seat on both sides to support the rider’s and passenger’s feet; and it has a single exhaust visible on the right that starts from under the engine and extends toward the rear.
The centre of the tail section gets an LED taillight to enhance rear visibility. The rear-side indicators are visible on both sides of the number plate bracket so the traffic behind can know the next move if the rider and passenger are grabbing the rail mounted with the tail section behind the passenger seat for the passenger’s handhold.
In front of the rider’s line of sight, there is a 5-inch LCD instrument cluster with brightness control, which shows a digital speedometer, digital tachometer, gear position indicator, fuel gauge, odometer, dual trip meters, and much more. It supports wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and the Kawasaki Rideology mobile application, giving notifications for calls, SMS and others.
This motorcycle is built on a high-tensile steel trellis frame, which isn’t only strong but also durable. It gets a 41 mm telescopic fork as front suspension with 120 mm travel, which improves steering stability and enhances ride comfort, and a monoshock as rear with 130 mm travel that improves ride comfort and also enhances stability during cornering.
It is equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels with 110/70 front and 150/60 rear Dunlop Sportmax tyres. The 310 mm disc and 220 mm disc manage the braking for the front and rear wheels, respectively; it also features a dual-channel anti-locking braking system, but it is non-switchable.
The length, width and height of the motorcycle are 1,995 mm, 730 mm and 1,120 mm, respectively. The wheelbase is 1,375 mm, ground clearance is 145 mm, seat height is 785 mm, kerb weight is 171 kg and fuel tank capacity is 14 litres. Notably, the seat height is low but gives a comfortable riding position for riders of all heights, and the wheelbase is moderate and good enough to ensure stability at high speed.
It gets a 451cc liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, parallel-twin DOHC, 8-valve internal combustion engine featuring electronic fuel injection (EFI) and liquid cooling. It is mated with a 6-speed manual transmission gearbox featuring an assist & slip clutch and chain drive. Its bore and stroke are 70.0 mm × 58.6 mm, and its compression ratio is 11.3:1.
The ICE produces 45 hp at 10,000 rpm and a peak torque of 42.6 Nm at 7,500 rpm. To accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph, it takes only 5.5 seconds and goes up to a maximum speed of 190 kmph. It has a fuel efficiency of 23.6 km/l; with a fuel tank of 14 litres, it gives the ARAI-certified range of 330.4 kilometres, which is good for long highway drives.