Kawasaki Ninja 500 vs KTM RC 390 on track
One standing-start lap of the Ref Ring, our 3.4 km circuit with no home-crowd corners. Every braking point, apex speed and straight is computed from the published specs, so the stopwatch has no favourites.
One lap of the Ref Ring
3.4 km, nine corners. Simulated from published specs, played back 3.5x faster than real time.
0:00.0
Kawasaki Ninja 500
0 km/h / 45.4 hp / 171 kg wet
Gap
+0.00 s
KTM RC 390
0 km/h / 44 hp / 172 kg wet
Speed through the lap
0 to 180 km/h, shaded zones are cornersRace notes
The Kawasaki Ninja 500 laps the Ref Ring in 1:50.29 on paper, 0.30 seconds quicker than the KTM RC 390 at 1:50.59. That gap is worth about 12 metres at the flag, and the biggest single chunk of it, 0.14 s, comes at Spec Sheet Straight.
Through the corners there is nothing between them on paper; this one is decided by power and braking. Top speed goes 170 km/h to 168 km/h. A faster lap is not the same thing as the better buy, which is why the full comparison scores value, practicality and ownership too.
Simulated lap times from published specs with stated assumptions, not measured track data. The circuit is fictional and the physics are listed under the race. Read about both bikes: Kawasaki Ninja 500 and KTM RC 390.