Ninja 500
Before you buy
- Learner legal
- LAMS Yes, every version sold here is LAMS approved.
- On the registers as
EX500G- Watch for
- No high- or medium-severity faults are listed for this bike.
- Running cost
- Valve check every 24,000kmunverified · $6.5k–$7.8k used est. Sep 2026
Overview
Replaced the Ninja 400 for 2024 with a larger-bore, longer-stroke 451cc version of the same parallel-twin family — a new engine, not a restricted 500 and not a carried-over 399cc unit. Do not read the Ninja 400's specs, service intervals or fault history onto this bike; it is a genuinely different engine in an updated chassis. Sold alongside the naked Z500, which NSW's LAMS register files under the same compliance code and description ("Ninja 500 and Z500"). Too new in Australia to have an established used-market fault pattern.
Engines & variants
451cc Parallel Twin (LAMS) LAMS approved
Under the caps as standard, the same way the Ninja 400 it replaced was: no ECU or mechanical restriction. Listed on the NSW and VIC registers by its EX500G code.
Compliance-plate model code:
EX500G
- NSW files it under code EX500G with the description "Ninja 500 and Z500", 2024-on, 451cc — the same code also covers the naked Z500 sibling.
- A separate EX500J row on the same NSW list covers the "Ninja 500 SE / KRT Edition" special-edition colours, also 451cc, 2025-on — same bike, same approval, different paint.
- Victoria lists the same codes: "EX500G (2023)" and "EX500J (2023)", 451cc.
- Queensland's learner table (last updated 7 September 2026) doesn't list it yet. Riders in QLD should confirm with TMR before buying.
Pros
- More midrange torque than the Ninja 400 it replaces, from the larger 451cc engine
- New LCD dash with phone connectivity that the Ninja 400 lacked
- Sits on the same well-regarded trellis-frame platform lineage as the Ninja 400
- Sharp launch pricing kept it competitive against the Ninja 400's used prices when new
Cons
- Too new locally for an established used-market fault pattern
- Service and valve intervals below are carried over from the Ninja 400 family, not confirmed for this specific engine — don't take them as settled
- Smaller dealer stock of genuine used examples than the Ninja 400 simply because it hasn't been on sale as long
Known problems
unverified marks a figure we could not confirm against a manufacturer source. It is our best reading of what is published, not a checked fact — confirm it yourself before you spend money on the strength of it.
Also worth looking at
Closest in class and capacity to the Kawasaki Ninja 500.