#ninja500

Kawasaki has been dominating the realm of entry-level motorcycles, especially with the introduction of the Ninja 400 in 2018. In fact, they were so capable and enjoyable to ride that I bought one myself and it has become one of my favorite motorcycles in my stable. The Ninja 400 wasn't perfect, and I had my gripes about it. So, of course, I was very intrigued by the unveiling of the new Ninja 500. As luck would have it, I was fortunate enough to find myself invited to a press launch for the new Kawasaki in Malibu, California, to see what this new machine is all about. The Malibu area hosts some of the best canyon roads in the United States – a perfect proving ground for testing the new, larger displacement Ninja 500.

From the moment we learned the Eliminator would be equipped with a 451cc Twin, we started anticipating when Kawasaki would put the engine on its entry-level Ninja and Z models. To no surprise, the answer is “right away,” with the announcement of the new 2024 Ninja 500 and Z500.