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.

By Carandbike Team

3 mins read

Published on February 23, 2024

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

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.

Kawasaki Ninja 500 vs Rivals: Specifications

Specifications	Kawasaki Ninja 500	Kawasaki Ninja 500	Kawasaki Ninja 500	Yamaha YZF R3
Displacement	451 cc	373 cc	457 cc	321 cc
Engine	Liquid-cooled parallel-twin	Single-cylinder, liquid-cooled	Liquid-cooled parallel-twin	Liquid-cooled parallel-twin
Max Power	44.8 bhp at 9,000 rpm	43 bhp at 9,000 rpm	47 bhp at 9,400 rpm	41 bhp at 10,750 rpm
Peak Torque	42.6 Nm at 6,000 rpm	37 Nm at 7,000 rpm	43.5 Nm at 6,700 rpm	29.5 Nm at 9,000 rpm
Gearbox	6-speed	6-speed	6-speed	6-speed

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

Specifications	Kawasaki Ninja 500	KTM RC 390	Aprilia RS 457	Yamaha YZF R3
Chassis Type	Steel Trellis	Split Trellis frame	Twin-spar Aluminium Frame	Diamond frame
Seat Height	785 mm	835 mm	800 mm	780 mm
Ground Clearance	145 mm	153 mm	150 mm	160 mm
Front Suspension	41 mm telescopic fork \| 120 mm travel	WP Apex 43 mm	41 mm USD fork \| 120 mm travel	37 mm USD fork \| 130 mm travel
Rear Suspension	Monoshock \| 130 mm travel	WP Apex Monoshock	Monoshock \| 130 mm travel	Monoshock \| 125 mm travel
Fuel Capacity	14 litres	13.7 litres	13 litres	14 litres
Kerb Weight	171 kg	172 kg	175 kg	169 kg

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

Specifications	Kawasaki Ninja 500	KTM RC 390	Aprilia RS 457	Yamaha YZF R3
Front Brake	310 mm disc - two piston calliper	320 mm disc with radially mounted calliper	320 mm disc with 4-piston radial calliper	298 mm disc
Rear Brake	220 mm disc - two piston calliper	230 mm disc with floating calliper	220 mm disc with single-piston calliper	220 mm disc
Front Tyre	110/70-R17M	110/70-R17	110/70-R17	110/70-R17
Rear Tyre	150/60-R17M	150/60-R17	150/60-R17	140/70-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.