[1] Included was the liquid cooling, the bore and stroke, the double overhead camshafts, and four valves per cylinder, although the cam chain was relocated from the left side of the engine to the middle, running between the two cylinders.

Nevertheless, the engine top end design of the Ninja gave the LTD a great deal of power for its size, redlining at 10,000 RPM while delivering 50 horsepower.

The Kawasaki 454 is well known for its acceleration, having raced against a 454 LS big block Chevrolet Corvette and beating it to both 0-60 and the quarter mile by more than a second.

[2] Despite the 440 being its predecessor in the sale of middle-size-displacement motorcycles designed by Kawasaki, the two shared almost nothing in design, as the Kawasaki 440 had a single overhead camshaft and had only two valves per cylinder, and was air-cooled, producing 41 horsepower to the 454's 50 horsepower.

The Vulcan 500 was designed very similarly to the 454, with the basis again being from a Ninja counterpart, but the engine was taken straight from the 500 Ninja, and still de-tuned slightly compared to the 454 to give it more cruiser-like characteristics, with other changes such as a chain drive (implemented in later models), and no tachometer on the Vulcan 500 being implemented in the changeover, along with a bicycle spoke look for the wheels.