Kawasaki’s new Z500 SE brings a 451cc liquid-cooled parallel twin, trellis frame and full TFT display to the value-oriented LAMS naked segment at $9933 rideaway. On paper it’s sensible. On the road it’s more than that.
Kawasaki developed the Z500 SE alongside its sporty Ninja 500, and the brief was clear; create a light, fun and easy Jack of All Trades. That is usually a euphemism for boring as bat shit, it must be said. Not in this case.
Now… How to put this so I’m not damning a good motorcycle with faint praise…
The Z500 SE is a practical tool with a bit of class. Kinda sporty, but not at the expense of useability. What it will do, and does with a kind of blue-collar, utilitarian determination that I genuinely respect, is hit the brief Kawasaki set for it.
How’d I go?
It’s futuristic-ish with nice radiator shrouds and a batman-esque treatment for the ducktail, with sharp edges and dramatic shaping the order of the day. I like that the bike is unmistakeably Kwaka, but in the Ebony livery we see here, the signature green is not a major player.
But, cop those wheels. On first sight, I thought they were a little too much. Kinda hi-vis overload. Following a touch of quiet introspection (come on, we can all improve), I realised that it’s the Kawasaki trademark hue, but used differently. You’ll see clearly in the photos, the bike comes off a little sexy for it. Agreed? Sexy. A 500 parallel twin? Yeah. I said it.
At the heart of the thing is a newly designed 451cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin making 33.4kW at 9000rpm and 42.6Nm of torque at 6000rpm.
Now, before you start yawning into your flat white, agreed, the performance numbers are hardly startling. But here’s the thing about real-world operations, a linear power delivery and useable torque neatly spread across a daily-runner’s rev range will improve your traffic temperament far more often than peak horsepower ever will. Christ, I am getting old.
On the road, the bike pulls cleanly and predictably from the bottom, keeps building through the mid-range, and has enough puff up top to keep you in the game on an open road, though you’re not going to win your local Twisty TT, let’s be honest.
There’s a noticeable intake note when you’re on the gas, although there’s not a whole lot happening at the end-can. Muted is the word here. On the donk, Kawasaki’s engineers have borrowed cylinder bore technology directly from the ZX-10R and ZX-6R with sleeveless, plated bores which is an impressive piece of trickle-down for a bike at this level.
One thing worth noting: first gear is short. Like, short short. If you’re looking to open the taps from the lights, you’ll be very busy at the left thong. On that front, the gearbox, felt a little rigid and clunky. Nothing alarming, just the kind of mechanical stiffness that a few thousand kilometres tends to sort out.
The clutch-pull is beautifully light at the lever with a wide, progressive engagement range. In stop-start commuting this is an absolute gift, and when you need a cheeky downshift mid-corner, the slipper function will keep the rear tyre behaving itself.
At 167kg the bike is genuinely easy to toss around in the jungle of commuter madness. Aiding this light setup is a trellis frame, which Kawasaki is quick to point out, is similar in concept to the one on the brand’s fire-breathing hero Ninja H2, with the engine rigid-mounted as a stressed member.
Further design detail sees the swingarm mount directly to the back of the engine eliminating the need for frame cross-members. The result is a package that’s slim, narrow, and easy to manoeuvre.
The 1375mm wheelbase and sporty geometry at the front deliver the bike of a nice compromise in steering dynamics. Indeed, this is a little pointy dart, and in the right hands on a tight, technical course, it’s a genuinely entertaining stealth bomber. Aaah, there I am, I’m not dead yet it seems.
The rear suspension is, let’s say, appropriate for the category and built to a price. and it shows, though it’s not the worst I’ve struck.
Up front is a rigid 41mm conventional telescopic fork, and the front end is honestly competent when weighed against its rudimentary nature. The wheel feels planted, direction changes happen with minimal effort, and there’s a suppleness that punches above its class.
As mentioned, the rear calls for a different conversation. The monoshock offers preload adjustability, which is handy, but at low speeds over broken urban bitumen it can all come off kinda harsh. My gentleman’s region had cause to give off a plaintive 65-year-old yelp at one particularly severe potholed moment. Nice to hear from it, really, but not optimum.
While you try and erase that mental picture, I’ll get back to the spec sheet. Stopping duties fall to a 310mm semi-floating front disc which interestingly is the same diameter as that gracing the big brother Z1000, gripped by a dual-piston caliper backed up by a 220mm rear rotor. ABS is, as required, standard.
The brakes are adequate, in that they stop the thing without drama, there’s nice feel and not a great deal of front-end dive. Competent and tactile.
Ergonomically, it’s clear Kawasaki had user-friendliness written in capital letters on the design room whiteboard. The bars are wide and flattish, allowing a small forward cant that’s sporty without being punishing.
At 785mm the seat is accessible for a wide range of riders, and the slim waist means feet find the ground without bother.
I found the peg-to-seat legroom a little on the tight side and at 178cm, I’m not trying out for the San Antonio Spurs. If you’re big, well that’s your problem Stretch.
The standard model (Z500) gets a full LCD panel with Bluetooth connectivity via Kawasaki’s Rideology the App phone notifications, GPS riding logs, maintenance tracking, the lot.
Step up to the SE you see here, and you get a full TFT colour display, USB-C outlet, frame sliders (which are small outrigger bars to protect the bike in an oopsy but are flimsy), tank pad, radiator screen and knee pads at standard. The SE wears the Ebony/Metallic Carbon Gray clothing.
So, who’s this bike for? Writ large is the learner market, followed closely by wobbling returning riders who want something light and flickable without a giant financial commitment.
And there’s a third group. Smaller-capacity enthusiasts, a cohort of which I’m proud to be a member. What’s better than wringing every ounce of go out of a light and nimble littlie? It demands a touch of effort, you gotta ride it; there’s no hefty bags of lazy horsepower making you look good.
What’s pleasantly surprising is the fact that the Z500 loves every minute of a bit of rough and ready operation and will reward an enthusiastic rider far more than its spec sheet suggests.
Yep. This one has been given a brief and hits its marks. Blue collar brawler. Reliable. Tough. With a touch of swish.
A bit like me, really.
What we like:
- Lovely front end geometry
- Fun agility
- Smack bang in the hot market segment
Room for improvement:
- Rear suspension harsh
- More legroom please
- Gearchange stiffness
Snag’s career in motoring journalism spans 30 years with stints at major bike mags Australian Road Rider, Motorcycle Trader and AMCN along with contributions to just about every other outlet worth a hill of beans. He was editor of Unique Cars magazine and hosts his legendary podcast ‘Snag Says’ when he gets off his date.
Lovely work, Snag.