The Kawasaki Z500 is a mid-weight supernaked built to turn heads well beyond its class, wearing the aggressive, muscular Sugomi styling that defines Kawasaki’s Z streetfighter family in a package that suits riders moving up from their first bike. Its crouching stance and upswept tail give it presence that belies its genuinely approachable nature, and it looks every inch the smaller sibling of Kawasaki’s bigger supernakeds, sharing the same aggressive family face and decades of naked bike pedigree behind it.
A 451cc liquid-cooled parallel twin sits at its heart, a DOHC eight-valve engine with a 70mm bore and 58.6mm stroke producing 45.4PS at 9,000rpm and 42.6Nm of torque, fed by twin 32mm throttle bodies and running an 11.3:1 compression ratio. Drive goes through a six-speed gearbox and wet multi-disc clutch to a sealed chain, giving strong, usable acceleration that never overwhelms newer riders, and a 14 litre tank keeps fuel stops genuinely infrequent, with electric start and forced wet-sump lubrication built in for easy daily use and low running costs.
A trellis, high-tensile steel frame keeps the Z500 light and agile, suspended on a 41mm telescopic fork with 120mm of travel and a Bottom-Link Uni-Trak shock with adjustable preload and 130mm of travel. A large 310mm front brake disc, the same size fitted to Kawasaki’s bigger Z1000, is gripped by a balanced actuation dual-piston caliper for genuinely reassuring stopping power, backed by a 220mm rear disc, with 110-section front and 150-section rear tyres providing plenty of grip through corners. At 172kg with a 1,995mm overall length, a 785mm seat height and 1,375mm wheelbase, it stays manageable in traffic and composed once the road opens up, helped by 145mm of ground clearance over poorer surfaces.
It suits riders stepping up from a smaller machine who still want a bike with genuine road presence and character, without the intimidation of a full-size supernaked, and it comes with Kawasaki’s four-year manufacturer warranty as standard, backed by GT Motorcycles’ own servicing and genuine parts support long after the sale. Arrange a test ride at GT Motorcycles, your Kawasaki dealer in Plymouth, serving customers across Devon and Cornwall with finance available.
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