Cutting-edge performance from one of Japan's most well-known marques

The Japanese are masters in the performance bike category, and there have been some pretty iconic nameplates by them in this segment. The Ninja from Kawasaki is actually revered the world over for its speed and handling. Everyone is aware of the Ninja legacy and this time, Kawasaki India has decided to enter the highly competitive 400cc segment with a bike that is well, a 500cc! But does this give the bike an unfair advantage? Read more to find out.

The design of the Ninja has always been distinctive and instantly recognisable. A few concessions to modernity like the design of the new twin LED headlamps with distinctive spoilers do make a significant change, and that low and sleek profile does make this fully-faired bike stand out amongst the competition. The chunky tail section, the heavy looking exhaust and the metallic carbon gray colour on our test bike did give the machine a mean and meaningful look. Overall, the old-school Japanese sportsbike looks remain, in a positive manifestation. The instrument cluster is a bit basic with a small screen compared to what many competitors offer lets you go through fuel parameters and gear indicator. It does offer smartphone connectivity through Bluetooth though and offers display notifications, riding logs, and community features. The switchgear is high quality as would be expected and has the right tactile feel even with gloves. The seat is exceptionally comfortable well suited for both weekend rides and daily commutes.

The engine is a 451cc liquid-cooled parallel twin, delivering about 45 bhp and 43 Nm of torque. Riding in congested city traffic is a breeze, and never once did she heat up. The slipper clutch really eases your efforts and the gear ratios are well spaced out to give you a comfortable ride. The motor is very smooth, though vibrations do kick in around the 12,000 rpm redline. The performance just puts a smile on your face and the powerful exhaust note gives you goosebumps. Low end torque really makes riding easy in stop-go city traffic and the fuel efficiency figures of 25 km/l in the city and 34 km/l on the highway is pretty decent. The handling feels stable in corners, and confident in a straight line.  Although the ride quality is brilliant and handled bad roads quite well, the low ground clearance needs to be kept in mind. The 310 mm disc up front and the 220mm disc at the rear offer confident stopping power, aided by ABS.

The Ninja 500 offers an old school mechanical feel in the performance department, but do note that it lacks many features, electronic or otherwise compared to its competition. But what it lacks in terms of equipment, it makes up totally in the performance department. It is a forgiving machine and even amateur riders will enjoy riding this potent machine. It is a keeper and with its famed mechanical reliability will be a great companion to you for years to come.

Priced at INR 5.29 lakhs, ex-showroom

Story by Mohit Soni