Kawasaki Ninja 500

There is only one Ninja 500 to buy, priced at ₹5,76,000 ex-showroom in Delhi. The only decisions left are colour and whether to finance it.

That makes it priced 88th lowest among the 137 sports bikes we have reviewed. Its closest price rivals are the Crossfire 500 X (₹69,435 less) and the KLX230RS [2023- (₹94,974 less).

On the road in Delhi the base Ninja 500 comes to ₹6.55 Lakh: ₹5,76,000 ex-showroom, ₹51,080 in Delhi road tax and registration (8.9%), ₹28,000 for first-year insurance. Dealers add handling and accessory packs on top; both are negotiable.

Ninja 500's claimed mileage is 21 kmpl, and unusually, owners and our own riding land right on it: expect 20–22 kmpl in everyday use. Few bikes get this close to their brochure figure.

Among the 114 sports bikes we have reviewed it ranks 83th for mileage, 12 kmpl below the group average of 33 kmpl.

Power comes from a 451cc single producing 44.7 bhp and 42.6 Nm, paired with a 6 Speed. At 171 kg the power-to-weight figure is 261 bhp per tonne, which ranks 54 of 135 in its class here.

The torque and power figures are well balanced, so it neither needs to be revved hard nor feels lazy when you do.

Chassis hardware includes a rear monoshock, dual-channel ABS and a slipper clutch, with a disc, 310 mm, 2 piston caliper up front and disc, 220 mm, 2 piston caliper at the rear.

Seat height is a low 785 mm, so riders around 5'2" and above can plant both feet at a stop.

On safety kit the Ninja 500 has dual-channel abs, front disc brake, rear disc brake, tubeless tyres, side-stand engine cut-off and hazard lamps. Dual-channel ABS is the one item on this list worth paying for if it is variant-dependent.

Against Ninja ZX-6R, Ninja 650 or RS 457, it gets projector headlamp and usb charging port that most rivals skip.

What it lacks: traction control, usd front forks, colour tft console and turn-by-turn navigation, which rivals at this price offer. The safety items in that list matter more than the console.

It is offered in 1 colours: Lime Green. Colour availability varies by variant and dealer stock.

Standard warranty is 3 years or 36,000 km.

Service reach is the weak point: Kawasaki has about 60 dealer and workshop touchpoints across the country. Confirm there is one within reach before you sign.

The Ninja 500 launched in 2026, so long-term reliability and resale data are still thin. That is not a mark against it, just a reason to prefer the standard warranty and keep service records.