The 2024 Kawasaki Ninja 500 is set to makes its Australian debut at Phillip Island this weekend at the opening rounds of the Superbike World Championship and the Australian Superbike Championship.

The LAMS-compliant Kawasaki Ninja 500 features a 451cc parallel twin engine housed in a light chassis with aggressive sportsbike styling. Claimed peak output is 33.4kW (45hp) at 9000rpm and 42.6Nm at 6000rpm, which is seriously close to the figures claimed by CFMoto for its 450SR sportsbike. The Ninja also runs a six-speed gearbox and an assist and slipper clutch.

The Ninja 500 features a steel trellis frame and runs a 41mm fork up front with 120mm of travel and a monoshock at the rear with 130mm of travel. Rake angle is 24.5°, trail is 92mm and the wheelbase is 1375mm. The compact Ninja 500 has a light kerb weight of just 171kg. The ABS braking package is a basic setup, with a single 310mm disc up front with a twin piston caliper and a 220mm disc at the rear with a twin-piston caliper.

As is the norm these days, the Ninja 500 has Bluetooth connectivity, and using the ‘Rideology The App’, riders can access various bits of info on their phones including odo, fuel level and maintenance schedule, as well as GPS route, gear position and rpm.

A comprehensive range of genuine accessories will be available including luggage, ergo seat, tall windshield, seat cowl, radiator guard, frame sliders and more.

The Ninja 500 will be available in Metallic Spark Black/Metallic Flat Raw Graystone or Metallic Matte Whitish Silver/Metallic Moondust Gray, as well as a 40th Anniversary Edition, with more details to come closer to the launch date. It will hit showrooms in late-March priced at $7544 plus ORC.