The reason why these bikes don't make more power is because they're built to be compliant with A2 licenses, which allow a maximum of 35KW (47HP), aswell as a maximum power to weight ratio of 0.2KW/kg. These bikes are light enough that having even a few more HP would put their power to weight ratio over the limit. Either you make the bike slightly heavier, or you lose a few HP. Manufacturers seem to favor having a slightly lower weight since these are bikes made for beginners.

@johncarlson8029

4 ай бұрын

Then why 260hp 1000cc sportbikes. They are WAAAAAY over power to weight. And i guess you didn't know but most older riders step down from the big bikes because its more fun to go fast on a slow bike than slow on a fast bike. Bazooka to a knife fight ... just stupid

@LNVACVAC

4 ай бұрын

​@@johncarlson8029other markets and license classes

@HeroRR

4 ай бұрын

Ah good point, here in the US you can buy a ninja H2 with a learner's permit which is crazy I know.

@corvette_jake7225

4 ай бұрын

​@johncarlson8029 which 1000cc bike is 260hp?? 😂 and I don't think you understand what OP was talking about. He's talking about the EU motorcycle license classes and how the smaller cc bikes are made for the lower license classes. In EU, you move up in motorcycle licenses every few years to be able to ride larger cc bikes

@unclefista

4 ай бұрын

*licences (in the UK "license" is the verb and "licence" is the noun)

I think its a CC bump to keep power up with the Euro emission regs.

@HeroRR

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, that's exactly what this is. A little extra displacement to keep horsepower the same amidst the extra regulations. It's important to note that also the MSRP didn't increase either which I thought was a nice gesture from Kawi.

@MenderSlen579

4 ай бұрын

@@HeroRR i dont get it.are engines going to keep getting smaller until we are back to 50cc single cylinders?

@destroyedsoul1791

4 ай бұрын

It actually grow from 399 to around 450​@@MenderSlen579

@SendPizzas

4 ай бұрын

@@MenderSlen579 They actually are getting bigger. I don't remember exactly but something to do with the long stroke puts out less emissions I believe. Same with 4 cylinders vs twins. Porsche brought back six cylinders over terrible sounding fours due to regs. Rare Win. I heard they will get bigger. It's the 1970s all over again with 500 CI (8.2L) Cadillacs.

In Europe there are 3 motorcycle licenses, actually there are 4, but let's leave aside 50cc bikes (AM). The 3 are, from lowest to highest, A1 - A2 - A. With the A license you can ride whaterever bike you want. The A1 is meant for scooters or motorcycles with less than 15HP. In the middle there is the A2, a license you have to go through for at least 2 years before you can obtain the A. This A2 license allows you to ride bikes up to 35Kw or 47.5HP, that's why all these new bikes, "small" bikes, have all up to around 50hp, because otherwise new riders wouldn't buy them, and veteran riders would look for bigger bikes. pd. New riders could also buy bikes up to 70Kw or 95HP and restrict them to 35Kw or 47.5HP, and this is indeed what we do with older bikes that were not designed for a specific license. Brands want to cut prices and maximize benefits, that's why they do it, driven by of the emissions normatives that come from the EU.

@pleasedontwatchthese9593

4 ай бұрын

I wonder why they don't tune the bike differently for other markets.

Hey HeroRR, I used to follow you & went thru a change of computer & lost lots of my, "hero's".... that said when I listed/watched it seems like you had a " Daytona 675 " but I might have that wrong as well? You either had 1 or talked about it but I digress. I'm back to research what's available & your channel is one that holds value to me. Thank's for being "All That".... peace man

In 2001 Kwak made a bike called the Kawasaki GPZ500S. This had 60hp output, approx 55hp at the back wheel. It was a great bike with twin exhausts, comfortable to ride and was very light to steer.

@caveyful

4 ай бұрын

Actually it was available from the late 80s in Australia. It was also classed as a budget twin commuter/sport tourer at the time, go figure. Modern bikes are a scam, they make us pay a weight penalty to have stuff added to the bike that robs horsepower, which we pay the R&D for.

@christiancosa9290

4 ай бұрын

in 1979 the gpz500 was the first iteration of the ninja 500 i have one and restored it and is a very smooth and fun beginner bike and i still recommend it to anyone to this day

It honestly looks way better than the 400 the new headlights make it look like the 2023 Zx6r and zx4rr

@adeelrahman

4 ай бұрын

Nah

@LSB44446

4 ай бұрын

The small cc and 636 almost always share headlights

@Lalmamakam

3 ай бұрын

I agree looks like a low cost zx6r 😂

Love your content as always... Long time sub of yours from india if you remember

It makes 51 HP in the USA, says so on kawasaki’s website. Pretty significant bump in power and should be a little bit faster for sure

@IrnMaiden304

4 ай бұрын

Wouldn't be the first time a motorcycle manufacturer " Claimed " something, that the Dyno has either proved or disproved.

@Matt18001

4 ай бұрын

US number is at the crank. EU number has to be at the wheel for power to weight calculation. It's likely exactly the same.

@joshgts9675

4 ай бұрын

Kawasaki is usually conservative with their power figures. I'm betting dynos will show the bike with 52Hp at the wheels in unrestricted markets. @@IrnMaiden304

@IrnMaiden304

4 ай бұрын

@@Matt18001 Out of curiosity, could there be other factors ?, I'm not sure the fuel is the same grade across the globe, plus you have altitudes / barometric pressures and climates no ?. I'm sure the ECU depending the programming makes it basically a non issue, but if it was carbureted it could be significantly different, plus it depends on the Dyno itself.

@AdeptusAmogus

4 ай бұрын

I highly doubt we're getting a more powerful version of the bike, considering we already got a castrated version of the ZX-4R compared to EU and AUS.

Hi, I had a question for your S1000RR, are you happy with your LED headlights? do you recommend them? Thank you

I love you. You’re such a genuine dude. I hate that terrible people’s channels blow up and you’re over here deserving that and more And we are failing to deliver for you. I want to do KZread occasionally then I see how poorly this system works

@alidanial888

4 ай бұрын

finally, we have a yt channel about motorcycles that doesn't use ai generated voices.

Absolutely love my old ninja 300, perfect for a first bike. Quick, light, fun, cool, cheap, easy to work on, sits at 70 on the highway no problem. Great bike.

Dope video my g

There's something in your audio track going click click click and I think it's a drip inside my house somewhere so instead of having a nice "watch the motorcycle and be jealous" interlude I'm having another "oh fuck my house is falling apart moment."

What is the song at the end of your videos ?

Most markets did get fuel injection with the 2008 Ninja 250. In the U.S. we got EX250J but Europe and most of the world got EX250K.

one thing im not happy about is the change in riding dynamic, the bike will most likely be heavier to accomodate the displacement increase which at the same time will reduce the redline also meaning the bike may be less fun to ride than the 400 which was peppy and had character.

Love your channel 🤓

My first bike was an 1989 Ninja 250, aka EX250. Then I jumped onto a 1994 CBR 900RR (that has 93 colors of White Blue & Red)....that was 29 years ago and I still have it.

What happened to the VFR? Where are you at with the bike.

great video HeroRR ~ any reason you know why Kawasaki refuses to update the Versys X300? now TWO gens behind..puzzled.

@HeroRR

4 ай бұрын

I'm not sure, it is similar to the DRZ 400 and the XR 650 where they just don't get updates and are able to pass emissions because they are grandfathered in and because of that they don't get updated. It *could* be because of that. But it could also be that Kawi has either low sales and doesn't want to spend the R&D. The fact that they still sell it brand new makes me think they are selling them just fine so my guess would be that eventually we will see a major update but it's just low priority for kawasaki. Strange though.

@geraldburmeister9637

2 ай бұрын

I've read somewhere that they would have to do a complete revamp because the 400 motor won't fit in the frame. I still think it would be worth it though the small adv market would buy it I believe.

With an ECU flash, along with a few other mods, the n500 will probably see 60-65hp range. That's pretty good for a bike this small.

Superbe vidéo merci ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

I had a 2007 Ninja 500r. It was a great bike. 498cc and 58 hp

@uthantdillon3896

4 ай бұрын

My starter bike was a 2009 ninja 500r 😎

Its getting complicated buy a yamaha r3 & stay happy guys

The ninja 500 was always a fantastic bike, and I'm glad they're continuing such an amazing legacy, and I'm perfectly fine with a 452cc 500. Makes perfect sense to me. I'd rather it have decent power and be a touch lighter than to be the same displacement and similar weight as the preveious 500 but only have a few extra horsepower.... so yeah... I think this is a perfect bike, and that price tag is obscene.

when you compared the cbr 500 and the ninja 500 stating that they are pretty much the same, you forgot to mention that the ninja 500 has about a 40 pound weight advantage over it.

The limited power bump is more about keeping the bike within the power limits for restricted license holders in Australia & Europe. Australia has LAMS & Europe has A2 license restrictions that both limit the capacity & power of motorcycles that you can legally ride. Also, the use of the 451cc engine is just economics. They already had the engine designed for the Eliminator, and it's being used in the new hybrid bikes as well. t just makes economic sense to use the same engine in as many bikes as possible.

I’ve had the Ninja 400 for 4 years. It’s been a great beginner bike. My BF has a Gsxr 750 and I keep up just fine. At this point I want to upgrade, but not considering the 500. Im looking at the Ninja 650 now.

Say around 1991ish my friend taught me the basics. He got the lend of a Ninja 250 for me. The great beginner bike. Try as he did, he could not get me to get that thing in gear. Eventually he just said "Here, use my Suzuki GS700." No problem. Eventually I got an EX500, pre "It's a Ninja, too!" Had no trouble getting that in gear.

@petermgruhn

4 ай бұрын

This one looks like a sport bike. My old one was a sporty standard. More my style.

yea... but what about the cfmoto 450 sr?

It's 46 in Hyannis today. You'd better be out for a ride.

You're the only YTber i know who still hasn't done a video on a cfmoto

@efremendez

2 ай бұрын

Cf sucks I had 2 electrical issues after 1 month new 300SS. Dealership support few and very far in-between parts may take longer to get also

Like you said a track rider or a guy that just knows what to do to extract more power by deleting emissions, air filter, stacks and exhaust with a proper tune can extract some decent power out of this . Especially for its stock weight, which will drop with some modifications. This can be a really fun bike. Well said, Hero I really like to hear your perspective on the Fireblade. While I ride a 17 Zx10r when I look at the RR version vs the RRR Fireblade, it’s damn near no competition in favor of the Blade. While that maybe blasphemy as a Kawi rider, when you dig into it, the RR just isn’t worth 30k. Especially when you learn things like the Marchesini wheels that come with the RR are actually heavier than the tri spikes on the base model. Or that even with the titanium diamond coated internals on the motor, output vs the base is almost identical. Now you look the Fireblade RRR vs the base Double RR with Honda and their damn near 2 completely different bikes, even the rider triangle is very different. The motor is a monster, a work of art that your getting the closest to a full on race bike. I like the way you break things down and I’m just curious to your thoughts.

The bike to beat in the segment is the CFMoto 450SS, with its combination of tech and speed all at a low price point.

@English_MoFo

4 ай бұрын

No thanks 👍🏻

i hope they fixed the cylinder head coolant O-ring that deforms over time and caused leak

Kawasaki did good by adding just 36cc to the 600 class. Sold well. They are a smart company. They will sell.

I felt the same way about naming it a 450, but think about how much more marketable a 500 is to a beginner than a 450, regardless of the actual engine size. Hard to resist even for Kawi, who normally would give you more, unlike Honda which seems to does this regularly.

I think the best bike in this segment is the RC390. The RC390 costs $5,799 which is competitive with the ninja but it has SO MANY FEATURES. The all RC390's come with abs which is a good feature for beginners. But it also has a traction control system! Which are both toggle-able via it's TFT display! It also has damping and compression 30 clicks adjustability in the forks, as well as compression and rebound in the rear shock! AND A LEAN SENSITIVE IMU!!! Personally if you get one of these bikes make sure to throw a FuelxLite auto tuner on it and it makes a world of difference!

@pgk500

4 ай бұрын

Its one cylinder, less hp, less torque and enormous seat height not suited for short riders. For these reason I picked ninja SE ABS only few100 bucks more and a much better bike overall including looks.

No ones going to talk about the fact after CFMoto 450Ss came into the picture, Kawasaki had to answer back with a $6,000+ price tag vs the $5700 CFMoto with similar features 😂😂😂

So you can do a few mods to the 500 that will push it up quite a bit over the stock 400, what the narrator forgot to mention is, you can also do the same thing to the 400!

@pleasedontwatchthese9593

4 ай бұрын

I think what your forgetting is if you do them to both the 500 will still be ahead

WIll Yamaha every update their R3?

Great review and analysis, I really am shocked at the comments… I tend to believe Kawasaki has a better handle on mass manufacturing motorcycles for the world market than that angry guy in his mom’s basement.

Didn't think I'd hear metric for the outro

What happened to the VFR? That's your best content currently.

@HeroRR

3 ай бұрын

It's coming back, been a long winter. Work has been done to it though, stay tuned for the next update. Sorry it's taking a while.

I've seen so many videos on this bike similar to this where the story is told from the ninja 250 to the 300 then the 400 and so on. But none mention the ninja 500r. SO many people owned the ninja 500 including myself that it would have been nice to see it at least mentioned in the story line. I get it's a discontinued model but many of Kawasaki's customers buying this bike have probably owned the 500 also and will purchase as a nostalgia buy. At least give it an honorable mention.

@pleasedontwatchthese9593

4 ай бұрын

I think they where just covering the "beginner" ninjas. There have been other bigger ones like today

Has anyone else noticed the trend of these manufacturers increasing the CC's of these smaller bikes only to leave holes or gaps at the bottom for the beginner ones and then sometime later they circle back around? They had the Ninja 250 for years, then became the 300, 400, etc.... they already had the 500 which was a very good seller for them but then they released the 650 and dropped it, all they had to do was a light refresh and updated it to fuel injection. This bike is not a 500, it is a 450 so they are trying to make it sound like it's a lot more than what it really is. I ride a '13 Ninja 650 but the vibrations from that engine are horrible and wears you down but overall it really has been a great bike for me. I haven't had the chance to test a new one but did on the z650rs and the vibes are still there, seemed mostly the same just slightly more refined is all, granted we weren't really riding on the best of roads that day but you could definitely feel it.

It’s a 450 so that parts fraud. Probably a knee jerk reaction to a loss in sales to the cfmoto 450

As far as I m aware Kawasaki never really attended to the issues that the Ninja 400 had with its clutch? Hope they’ve done something much better in that regard for the 500

The Ninja 400 already meets euro 5, and the upcoming euro 5+ doesn't reduce maximum emissions, it instead demands the bikes to keep track of emissions better and for more years, to ensure they still hit the standards years down the line. I think the bump in displacement and especially calling it a 500 is more to keep up with all the new rivals that are entering the market, like the aprilia and cfmoto 450. Also, those power numbers are for the European model that has to stick to the A2 limit, the American model boasts about having 51 horsepower. Really clever move since all the other manufacturers just bring their unaltered A2 bikes to NA.

its dope. its hella dope. kawasaki is fighting to stay on top of the segment. nobody is gonna step up from 400 to a 500. this new 500 is the new 400. not in the sense that the 400 will be eliminated (probably it will) buttttt in the small bike segment they are keeping themselves interesting. mad competitive beginer friendly...yet fast enough... comuter champ... low price and those sophisticated features

NEED...MOREE...954RR....CONTENTTTTTTT 😩😂

I too am bothered by the bike being called a 'Kawasaki 500'. The original is a LEGEND !

Temember the zx 636 only 36cc more and everybody on the earth took it over the 600. It takes more skill to fly on a lesser bike, smaller is more fun. Have you ever gone riding a 125cc 4 stroke with some buddies? Full throttle all day, and that is better than squaring off a corner and pulling the trigger

I started on a Gen 1 250 too. The single disc brake is a thing I'll never allow again. That's uncalled for. The engine is the engine, but that front brake is just cheapassery.

I'm glad they discontinued the 400. Now my 23 krt will start going up in value

I will pass on the 451 ninja 500 and keep my tuned ninja 400. No sense in upgrading.

Redline is 11,5000rpm, 2,000rpm less than the 400, that makes this motor much more like the 650 motor…which is to say junk :/

One crucial detail of this bike shouldn’t be overlooked, its weight.

All is good in regards to the bike, what is not so good is the pricing...Too many choices at that price range.

Ill stick with my cfmoto 450ss it has a tracker, winglets, light illumination, and its 270 crank but i do fit better on a kawasaki.

@pleasedontwatchthese9593

4 ай бұрын

kawasaki has better resell value

The 500 retains A2 license compatibility, meaning no power increase but,thanks to a longer stroke, serves a good extra dose of torque. So it's just better, especially in the "real world", where you're not redlining the bike 24/7. I've seen a lot of hate towards this engine upgrade by a lot of people, I don't understand it, nor do I understand where they're coming from, just know they're coming from somewhere, probably the US that has a different licensing system. You get the extra torque of a bigger engine with no appreciable weight increase, what are you complaining about. Can't seriously judge the bike on "what's the top speed" afficionados.

The CB 500 F is only 471 cc and that’s Heavily restricted to to keep an A2 license category

Honestly I think they bumped it to the 500 name to differentiate it from the new ZX4R. I may be wrong but that’s just my thought.

now what will happen to the EX-650 a.k.a Ninja 650, still no inverted fork for the new 500, so maybe we will get a new 650 in inline 3 trim....... or maybe new inverted forks and new body work.

This isn't a new bike it's the 400 body with the engine out of the eliminator on it which is a cruiser bike. I highly doubt this bike will pick up the track following the 400 has with where the power band is aimed for street riding and it's losing a couple thousand rpms vs the 400s 13k limit. Surprised this video didn't mention that in importance to track riding. Also adding to that that I doubt tuning will make the 500 any better than the 400

Why are people still calling the 1988-2007 EX250F “pregen” when it hasn’t been the previous generation Ninja 250 since 2012? I prefer F-bike, 250F, EX250F, etc. There have been 4 generations of EX250 since then. Though they are only sold in some countries they align perfectly with the EX300, EX400, and new EX500 (essentially the same bikes). The “pregen” Ninjette is the pre, pre, pre, pregen now.

Ahead of them with my Ninja 650!

Looks better than the 400 but still not a looker, I don’t understand the Ninja design language at all. I’d rather take the new Aprilia 457 which looks so much more stylish and produces more power and torque!

Kawasaki usually round DOWN their names: Z900, Z1000, ZX-14R, and ZX-7R have more displacement than their name suggest Edit: forgot that certain ZX-6R has 636 engine in it

Made to compete with Aprilia 457 I guess.

the 500 is LITERALLY a bored out 400 that's why everything is so similar. just like the gsxr600 and 750

Bruh, spawn kill ?

I think they should have kept the ninja 400 name. It is legendary. It’s only a 450 and the frame is the same.

SE all day. You can’t beat the value

Ill keep my zx4rr, smal bore fours have a place on my heart

I think I'll wait till Team Green comes out with the Z500, because you know they will.

@HeroRR

4 ай бұрын

Looks like you won't have to wait that long :) www.kawasaki.com/en-us/motorcycle/z/supernaked/z500

I’ll keep my ninja 400, I want the gsxr 750 or gsxr 1000 as my next motorcycle!! Gsxr life bro!!

It is easy to understand the reason behhind the name. They have had a Ninja 500 before, the already own the copyright to the name in all their markets. To copyright a new name in ALL it markets takes up time & reasorces and is not always successful. I worked in Gloabal Marketing/Innovation for around 15 years and Copyright is pain to work through amoung multiple global markets. I like what they have done here, you wont have much extra HP but it will have a lot more torque, making it even more felxible than it was...along with developing the power lower in the revs and should benefit low speed acceleration. However I have concerns that the longer stroke engine will not be as fun and rev happy as the 400, and it adds a bit more weight that the suspension now has to deal with... Potentially losing some of its sure footedness in the corners. I would have test ride one to see, but I have my heart already set on a ZX4R as the next toy to add to my other bikes.

@121080hulk

4 ай бұрын

I want it but a little pricey that zx4r 😢

I agree with you they should have called it a Ninja 450.

I just preordered my ninja 500

Parallel twins for the win

I had to stop when you suggested that the CB 500R was competitive with the ninja 400. Don’t get me wrong I own a CB 500 X, and I love that little bike, But ninja 400 revs much more freely and is lighter. If you’re taking one to the track, you should be taking the ninja 400. Hell if you’re riding one on the street, I would say get the ninja 400. I would’ve gotten a ninja 400 except I’m 6 foot three and will just say I’m not a young man anymore. The 500 X has significantly better ergonomics. Sadly, Kawasaki has not chosen to update their Versys 300 with their 400 or now 450 cc engine.

This reminds me of the cf moto 450ss😂

lol I really thought it was just a name change for the 400 to compete with the cbr 500 grabbing people that just assume bigger number means more, type to think r7 faster than an r6. zx4rr so cute they are forgiven for the rest.

I think there's nothing wrong with the bike itself, its aimed for Euro norms compliance and to match A2 regulations for starter bikes. It makes perfect sense to increase capacity to add to low end and midrange, when top end can't go up. A 6.8mm increase in stroke was good move this way. What's wrong from a consumer rights perspective is use of the word "500" for a 451cc engine.. Do you realise its a 10% deficit from the name? Like a 1000 bike with a 900cc engine, this big gap. In my knowledge, a 10% deficit never happened before, correct me if wrong. KTM 390's being 373cc's was a 4~% deficit, for example. Unsuspecting customer will get it over something like RS457, even though the Aprilia is more of everything in the engine. Its unethical branding.

I just got this bike for my first bike and I hate it and I gotta pay 60months at a 20% interest rate bike went from like 5500 to 11,000 because this is the first time me using my credit smh I wish to God I would’ve got at least 650 if you’re looking at Kawasaki ZX6r is where I wish I would’ve started

Did you forget the Aprilia rs457 i will take that over the ninja 500

The Only thing I'd LOVE to see on smaller c.c.'d bikes from Kawi (or ANY bike-manufacturer),is by Adding a "ram-air" system to this!!! Kawi has ALWAYS marveled in their design of "ram-air" systems for their bigger ninja's,YET..........have NEVER ONCE even attempted to do the very same with their SMALLER Ninja's!?!?! WHY??? Makes ZERO sense to me!!! Oh well.........

@xorbe2

4 ай бұрын

Zx4rr 399cc has ram air

@menom7

4 ай бұрын

Awesome! That's good to know! Thanks for your input on this! @@xorbe2

@xorbe2

4 ай бұрын

@@menom7 but ... ram air really only comes into play at top speed ... and the zx4rr top speed is barely getting into the ram air effect ... it makes more sense on liter bikes with high speeds and strong ram air effect.

@menom7

4 ай бұрын

Oh,of course! I'm quite certain smaller c.c.'d bikes have to maintain a much higher rpm speed to make use of any significant airflow stream into the airbox,as in normal to low rpm's,the ram-air system is practically useless! @@xorbe2

Unless it's a different size, it doesn't make a lick of sense

A better alternative is the royal Enfield GT 650 as a beginner bike and then the Kawasaki z900

they're gonna confuse ppl, Ninja 400, Z400, Ninja ZX-4RR, etc...now the 500. I just want a decent power to WEIGHT ratio, this ain't it!

@HeroRR

4 ай бұрын

This is the successor to the ninja 400 so after a year or two once they sell out all their 400's it will just be the Ninja 500 and ZX4R... I hope kawasaki isn't tempted to bump their ZX4R to a 5R or 450R.

Bigger aftermarket gains.

Increase the hp power of ninja haay

These bikes are aimed at me a young person with a restricted licence... Yet I have absolutely no interest in buying them. I don't understand why u would by this over any used higher end bike.

Should have called it the Ninja 450, and it about 3 years time, bumped it to a true 500 with USD forks and twin discs.

@HeroRR

4 ай бұрын

I think the reason kawasaki isn't doing that is because they have their ZX4R which is priced at ~$9,500 which has all those things and competes with the CBR500R. Makes more sense to keep this more basic and allow it to have a lower entry cost for new riders and track guys that just plan on trashing and upgrading their own.

@cirian75

4 ай бұрын

@@HeroRR I see, and we all know everyone is going to put a pipe and remap on the ZX4R to get the full 75hp +, happy days :)

Hondas prices never translate to performance

still the 400rr is better than the 500 or 400 is a inline4 and tuned can go to 70hp out a 400rr is crazy

its a fraud, 450cc but they marketed as 500cc😂😂

So the "ninja 500" has no more power than the "ninja ex500" from the 80s... Disappointing.

The engine is a bit of a fraud but appart from that it's a needed refresh for the 400.