2024 Kawasaki Ninja 500 Vs Aprilia RS 457

• 2024 Kawasaki Ninja 500

  The new Ninja 500 replaces the popular Ninja 400 in Kawasaki’s sports bike lineup. It boasts a handful of upgrades over its predecessor, headlined by a new 451cc parallel engine. The mill is good for 51 horses and 31.7 pound-feet. Apart from this, you also get new features and design.

  Pros

  • Powerful engine
  • Trust package
  • Strong MSRP

  cons

  • Average feature list
  • Basic basics

• 

  Aprilia RS 457

  The RS 457 is Aprilia’s new competition in the crowded 400-500cc sports bike segment. It boasts a new 457cc twin-cylinder engine, housed in an aluminum perimeter chassis. The design is heavily inspired by the RS 660, evident by the triple-element LED headlight and integrated turn signals.

  Pros

  • Cute design
  • Torque loads
  • Long list of features

If you’re into entry-level sport bikes, the 2024 should make you feel like a kid in a toy store. The segment under 500cc has never had so many options, and it will not be wrong to say that you are spoiled for choice. But among the crowd, two motorcycles have made most of the headlines in the last six months: the Aprilia RS 457 and the Kawasaki Ninja 500.

The RS is a long-awaited, all-new creation from Aprilia, which aims to widen the company’s target audience and give a premium touch to the segment. Meanwhile, the Ninja 500 is a replacement for the super-popular and reliable Ninja 400, which aims to replicate the same success as its predecessor.

So with both bikes available in the US right now, there’s no denying that you’ll be torn between them if you’re looking for a small-capacity sport bike. What do you choose then? That’s where we come in, as we’ve curated an in-depth comparison between the RS 457 and the Ninja 500 to make your life easier.

To bring the most up-to-date and accurate comparison possible, we have relied on information coming directly from the manufacturers (Aprilia and Kawasaki). For information on our classification and classification procedures, please refer to our methodology policy.

Design and Technology

The RS 457 takes strong aesthetic inspiration from the Aprilia RS 660 bigger and RSV4 1100 to flaunt a premium big bike design. Up top, there’s a three-element LED headlight, complete with integrated turn signals. This is housed in a sports body that includes aerodynamic fairings and Inspired by MotoGP assumptions. Outback, you get an inverted “W” taillight like the RS 660, joined by spoilers near the passenger seat for extra sportiness.

As for the Ninja 500, it looks simpler than the RS 660. Its fascia included a Ninja ZX-6R inspired multi-projector headlight, flanked by segmented fairings with turn signals incorporated into them. Meanwhile, the tail is largely reminiscent of the Ninja 400 – the only exception being the new tail lamp on the 500.

Both the motorcycles come in a host of color options. tea RS 457 is available in Racing Stripes, Prismatic Dark and Opalescent White options (the latter two come with red alloy wheels). Meanwhile, you can have the Ninja 500 in Metallic Spark Black, Metallic Matte Whiteish Silver, and Passion Red. Apart from this, there is also a Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) livery and a 40th Anniversary Edition. These cost a little more than the standard trio of colors. Overall, we feel the RS 457 does a better job here as the Ninja 500 doesn’t feel as awesome as its rival.

Coming to the technology, it is the RS 457 that strikes again. Aprilia has equipped the sports bike with a five-inch TFT instrument cluster, complete with traction control, driving modes, switchable ABS, and smartphone connectivity. Meanwhile, the Ninja only has a simple LCD with no electronics. Heck, it’s even missing all the LED lights. See the table below for more details.

Engine performance and capacity

The Ninja 500 employs Kawasaki’s 451cc powerplant based on the Ninja 400 engine, while the RS 457 has a new 457cc mill from the ground up. Both have a few similarities, such as the parallel-twin layout, liquid cooling, and six-speed transmission, but there are also a few notable differences.

Powertrain Comparison

The notion of “no replacement for displacement” takes a hit here. Even with a lower cubic capacity, the Ninja 500 produces 51 horsepower from its twin-cylinder engine—four more ponies than the RS 457’s 47 horsepower. However, the RS hits with its 32.1 pound-feet near the class To make things smoother, the RS’s torque and power kicks in well before the Ninja’s. All of this means that the Aprilia would be the more towable option between the two, while the Ninja would have it in a straight line.

As for efficiency, Aprilia America says that the RS can return 57 miles to the gallon. Kawasaki hasn’t revealed a figure for the US version, but the European model is good for 61 miles per gallon. Considering the Ninja has a bigger tank, the 500 will take you farther on a full tank of gas.

Laughter and Manipulation

This is where the two motorcycles are poles apart. On the one hand, the RS 457 brings a premium touch to the segment. It has a first segment aluminum perimeter chassis, complete with an aluminum swingarm. This is mainly due to 41mm upside down forks and monoshock – both adjustable for preload. On the other hand, the Ninja 500 carries over the same (and dated) underpinnings from the 400. You get non-adjustable 41mm telescopic forks and a preload-adjustable monoshock attached to a steel trellis chassis. Similarly, the RS also has a 320mm front disc and four-piston radial caliper, as opposed to the Ninja’s two-piston caliper and 310mm rotor.

It’s not a clean sweep, though. The Ninja 500 boasts a 0.6-inch lower seat height than the RS, while being 10 pounds lighter in terms of curb weight. These should make it easier for the elderly to live and maneuver in tight spaces. Aprilia hasn’t revealed the wheelbase or ground clearance, so we can’t comment on that yet.

Pricing and Availability

From the information above, we can deduce that the RS 457 is the more premium and capable offering between the two. It spoils you with a lot of features, boasts a market suspension, and also promises better handling. However, all this comes at a cost. $6,799, to be exact. At this MSRP, the Aprilia costs a considerable $1,100 more than the Ninja 500 ABS version. So if you’re on a budget and don’t mind missing out on modern components, just pick the Ninja 500. can also get the top-of-the-line SE versionand also save $400. For reference, the SE tag carries with it:

• 4.3 inch TFT instrument cluster
• Larger windows
• LED turn signals
• Keyless ignition
• Passenger seat cover
• Frame sliders
• Radiator guard
• Tank bearings
• USB Type-C port