Ninja 500

Kawasaki stretched the old 399cc twin to 451cc with a longer stroke, which is the right call for a learner: the extra swept volume arrives as mid-range torque rather than a peakier top end. The trellis frame is shared with the Z500 and weighs almost nothing, and the 41 mm telescopic fork is basic but well damped for the bike's mass.

The assist and slipper clutch is the quiet hero. It cuts lever effort by roughly a fifth and lets a nervous downshift slide rather than lock the rear. Brakes are a single 310 mm disc up front with a two-piston caliper, which is adequate rather than inspiring, and ABS is standard.

Under 6,000 rpm it feels like a sensible commuter. Above that it wakes up and rewards you for holding a gear, which is exactly the lesson a new rider needs: revs are not scary, they are information. The chassis is neutral to the point of being invisible. You steer, it goes.

At 171 kg wet and with a 785 mm seat, most riders can flat-foot it, and that confidence at a stop is worth more than any horsepower figure in your first year.

Valve checks are every 12,000 km and are a genuinely approachable shim-under-bucket job for a first-timer with a feeler gauge and patience. Oil and filter are a twenty-minute ritual. The chain is a standard 520 and the consumables are cheap because Kawasaki has sold hundreds of thousands of these twins.

The only irritation is fairing removal for anything deeper than an oil change, so keep a tray for the plastic rivets.

The rider who wants a faired sport bike on their licence but has the humility to learn in the right order. Also a fine second bike for a commuter who does not want to wear out a big machine on short trips.