Kawasaki’s Ninja 500 sportbike offers the same accessibility as the Ninja 400 but with a larger engine. For 2024, Kawasaki bumped up the engine displacement of its tried-and-true 399cc mill to 451cc by increasing the stroke by 8.6mm. Along with the larger engine, the Ninja 500 also receives updated styling and a new dash—other than that, the Ninja 500 is extremely similar to the Ninja 400.
The 2024 Kawasaki Ninja 500 features a 451cc DOHC liquid-cooled parallel twin making a claimed 51 hp at 10,000 rpm and 31.7 lb.-ft. of torque at 7,500 rpm. Bore measurement remains the same as the 400 at 70.0mm, but this larger engine (utilized in the Ninja 500, Z500, and Eliminator) now features a 58.6mm stroke.
At its core, the Ninja 500 chassis is the Ninja 400 chassis. The 500 utilizes the same steel-trellis frame, 41mm telescopic fork, horizontal back-link shock, and braking system with a dual-piston caliper and 310mm rotor up front and a single 220mm rotor and single-piston caliper at the rear.
The 2024 Kawasaki Ninja 500 receives an updated LCD display. But for those who want even more premium features, check out the 2024 Kawasaki Ninja 500 SE ABS which features a full-color TFT display with a range of Kawasaki Genuine Accessories including special-edition graphics, Intelligent Proximity Activation Start System, LED turn signals, large windshield, pillion seat cover, frame sliders, USB-C outlet, tank pad, knee pads, radiator screen.
The 2024 Kawasaki Ninja 500 is available in five variants: Ninja 500 non-ABS ($5,299) and Ninja 500 ABS ($5,699–$5,899); Ninja 500 KRT Edition ($5,499); Ninja 500 SE ABS ($6,399); Ninja 500 KRT Edition SE ABS ($6,399); Ninja 500 SE 40th Anniversary Edition ABS ($6,599).
