Coming in just under the 170 kilo mark, the Yamaha is the lightest machine here, although none of these bikes are heavy in absolute terms. This, despite carrying the most fuel in this company. To its credit, the Ninja 500 packs in 150 more cubes and still weighs just 2 kg more than the R3.
If you’re of shorter stature and looking for an approachable machine, then the Japanese machines have the lowest perches here. None of these bikes have worryingly low ground clearance figures but the Ninja 500 has the least amount available.Â
The Ninja 500 is the only one to use a telescopic fork, in comparison to the USD units found on the others. Except for the preload-adjustable fork on the Aprilia RS 457, all other bikes have non-adjustable units. The Japanese bikes use axially mounted Nissin calipers while the made-in-India Europeans use radially mounted ByBre calipers.Â
While tyre sizes are near-identical, the compounds used are quite different. Both the Japanese bikes run Dunlop tyres, which we’ve found to be quite average in our tests, while the Metzeler rubber on the RC and the TVS Eurogrip hoops on the Aprilia are quite grippy.
Kawasaki Ninja 500 vs rivals: features
Since the Ninja 500’s standard variant is the only one to be launched in India, the bike gets a LCD dash with Bluetooth connectivity. Features like riding modes and traction control are only found on the Aprilia RS 457 and the Yamaha R3 even misses out on a slipper clutch. The KTM and the Aprilia also allow you to turn off ABS at the rear and are the only two bikes to have a TFT dash. The RC 390 gets a bidirectional quickshifter as standard while on the Aprilia it’s an optional extra.Â
Kawasaki Ninja 500 vs rivals: price
| Price | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawasaki Ninja 500 | Aprilia RS 457 | Yamaha R3 | KTM RC 390 | |
| Price (ex-showroom, India) | Rs 5.24 lakh (introductory) | Rs 4.10 lakh | Rs 4.65 lakh | Rs 3.18 lakh |
Since the Yamaha R3 and the Kawasaki Ninja 500 come to India via the CBU route, they’re priced rather high in comparison to the made in India KTM and Aprilia. With the Aprilia now offering a twin-cylinder experience at a much more digestible price, it remains to be seen how many people still opt for the simpler yet pricier Japanese offerings.
