1991 Kawasaki EX500

[jspringator]

I must quote some car writer that drove a BMW Isetta (Steve Urkel's egg-shaped microcar) and quipped that he "raced everyone on the road on his way to work.  They just didn't know it."

That reminds me of my 10 years with a 1990 Mazda Miata!  I gave it to my son after he got his license.

[leakyfaucet]

That's funny! Have you ridden either? Um-NO!!!

I've ridden both and they are certainly comparable.  The 500s don't respond well to jet kits, even with aftermarket exhausts.  They are tuned just about perfectly from the factory (excluding idle mix), so a jet kit only makes them slower, which may be why yours didn't seem to run very well.

[coffee_brake]

You would be super lucky to pull any 12's on a 500, they are weak! I had jet kit, filters, etc, only lacked gears, and still was weak as s???. On the vulcan, you have to run full throttle to get anywear period. Like I said, beginer bikes in both classes.

It's bad manners to insult other people's motorcycles basically to their face.

Yes we all dig on the Harleys now and again, but I'm not going to get on this forum and tell you that your bike is slow as $hit. I'll tell Hondo that I had a bad experience with BMW but I'm not going to tell him his BMW is a piece of $hit, nor will I tell the guys on the 250 Nighthawks that their bikes are only for beginners.

We are all entitled to share our opinions but using good manners is what makes this place better than most. When I criticized your build, I did it respectfully and kindly, and in your best interests, not to make myself heard. Perhaps you could imitate this manner when you think a bike is no good.

And I do have something to say about coming from a 700S to a Ninja 500.

After 12 years of riding I'm re-learning some important things on my admittedly slow CX500. I am riding that bike often precisely because it is slower than anything I've owned before. When I ride that bike in my city's traffic, I can no longer rely on roll-on speed to get out of trouble. I am forced to think about my surroundings much more than with a fast bike. Getting through traffic on this machine requires agility and skill and forethought, not horsepower or torque. I like that.
I can't just squirt out the way, I have to use the attributes of the motorcycle and my own brain to stay safe. I'm learning a lot. Or re-learning, I should say. I feel positively fortunate that this old heap of a CX500 is mine, it is making me remember how to save my own life in traffic without relying on speed.

I have ridden several Ninja 500s and the 250 as well. I have owned a 700S as well as the 750. I have ridden two Nighthawk 650s. I have ridden and worked on my mother's Vulcan 500 quite a bit.
When I compare them, power isn't all that matters. The frame and steering matter just as much to me, a curve-lover and aggressive city commuter. And the 650 has the slowest steering of them all. The trade-off, is that it has amazing straight-line stability and long-distance comfort. But the Ninja 500 handles the best of them all.
I don't think the Ninja 500 can touch the 700S for speed, but I know the 700 frame flexes a lot and the front end tucks under on the tight stuff in a way that the Ninja 500 handles with aplomb.

And the most fun? That Ninja 250. It really is more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than to ride a fast bike slow. My Bandit 1200 is a hoot on an empty country road, but it bores me in city traffic. Those 500cc models, though, they're a blast for both the city and the mountain curves.

So it makes sense if HC is getting good use from his Ninja 500, in my experience it really is a better bike for commuting.

[Option13]

It's bad manners to insult other people's motorcycles basically to their face.

+10,000

The frame and steering matter just as much to me, a curve-lover and aggressive city commuter. And the 650 has the slowest steering of them all. The trade-off, is that it has amazing straight-line stability

This is very true, and while it sounds like a bad thing for the twisties, I've grown to appreciate it somewhat. Compared to an SV650, when I turn into a curve and take a set, the bike stays there and makes one beautiful, sweeping arc with no adjustments or twitches. The upright seating position keeps all your weight off your hands, and it feels like I can hold the bike steady through a fast sweeper with just a feathers weight on the bars. On the SV, this requires a lot more concentration and focus with the quicker steering and more aggressive riding position.

[FearThis SC]

I usually make it a practice not to respond to TROLLS and their comments!   Enuff Said!

Ride Safe...

[RobbieAG]

I have ridden and worked on my mother's Vulcan 500 quite a bit.

It sounds like you have a really cool family

[Brittles]

Sitting here browsing through the February issue of Cycle World. They feature a bike every month as "Best Used Bike" and this months bike is, you guessed it, the EX500. It also made their "Ten Best" awards for 4 consecutive years, '87-'90.

[coffee_brake]

I have ridden and worked on my mother's Vulcan 500 quite a bit.

It sounds like you have a really cool family

I think so...most times. It wasn't always that way, but these seem to be the good years....

[Hawks_Nest]

And the most fun? That Ninja 250. It really is more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than to ride a fast bike slow.

CB, couldn't agree with you more on this. I just got '03 EX250 for my daughter. Oh boy, it is fun.

HC, congrats on your EX500. I heard so much good things about the bike. Let's ride together when the weather gets better.

[Stitch919]

I have ridden and worked on my mother's Vulcan 500 quite a bit.

It sounds like you have a really cool family

I think so...most times. It wasn't always that way, but these seem to be the good years....

well they do say families are like fudge mostly sweet with a few nuts  and i dont see why size should really matter i mean i have a nighthawk 750 nighthawk 250 and my dad has a 1100 shadow ace tourer and they are all good bikes and i enjoy them all. i mean isnt riding about the freedom, the fun, the friends/family, and the ride rather than the size or age of a bike no matter if its viewed as a sport bike, beginner bike, crusier, and dual sport?  but thats just my 2 cents

[Stitch919]

and i guess to update the thread on its original post. how you liking your new bike so far HC?

[happycommuter]

Yeah, I am discovering that it can feel just a hair sluggish at times, but it's quite capable.  I put a cheapo blind spot mirror on today.  I'm also getting amazingly bad fuel economy if I'm keeping track correctly.  2.8 gallons to go 110 miles?  I mean, yeah, a lot of that was at 90mph or pretty darn aggressive stop and go, but still... 
The forks are filled with 20w oil for someone that weighed 50% more than me, so that's rough when the road is.  Otherwise, pretty good little machine.

[Stitch919]

i was lookin at one of those a while back before i got my 750....personally i donno if i would ever trade my 750 for one of those but they seem like they would be a really good 2nd bike. and i saw one on craigslist a little bit ago that was this cool lookin purple colour.

[SirSeanSean]

Yeah, I am discovering that it can feel just a hair sluggish at times, but it's quite capable.  I put a cheapo blind spot mirror on today.  I'm also getting amazingly bad fuel economy if I'm keeping track correctly.  2.8 gallons to go 110 miles?  I mean, yeah, a lot of that was at 90mph or pretty darn aggressive stop and go, but still... 
The forks are filled with 20w oil for someone that weighed 50% more than me, so that's rough when the road is.  Otherwise, pretty good little machine.

Air filter maybe? Sounds like the milage you get on a 650.

[Stitch919]

really an air filter could cause that??

[coffee_brake]

Dirty air filter can have amazing effects on certain models. My Concours will idle so much better after cleaning the air filter, and the fuel mileage will improve by 5 mpg. It does matter a lot....

And yeah my family's mostly nuts with a little sweetness holding them all together. I'm very grateful that we get to ride together sometimes.

I really like the IDEA of a Ninja 500, and I love the bikes for what they are...but they just don't fit me! My knees don't even fit in the divots on the tank, and stick way out on either side. I also don't fit the KLR650, and I'm jealous of those that do. Cause I want one.

[Stitch919]

me, my dad, my bro, uncle, cousin, aunt and even my grandfather will ride all together sometimes. my grandfather is 90 and has a yamaha virago 535(that i want sooooo bad) and a yamaha vstar 650 and he is still goin strong on them both!! have you looked into like a sahara tank for the KLR650's? i mean they are a bigger tank like 5-6.6 gal(somewhere in there) and they may allow you clearance for your knees? i have never seen a sahara tank in person and by model it can vary but just an idea.

[hppants]

my grandfather is 90 and has a yamaha virago 535

Now THAT guy is my hero.   

[Stitch919]

its pretty funny when we all stop and take off our helmets and get looks towards my grandfather for ridin still. when i grow up i wanna be just like him and ride into old age and beyond

[RobbieAG]

my grandfather is 90 and has a yamaha virago 535

Now THAT guy is my hero.   

+1

[happycommuter]

CB, couldn't agree with you more on this. I just got '03 EX250 for my daughter. Oh boy, it is fun.
...Let's ride together when the weather gets better.

Yeah, you really get to flog on the thing without getting in too much trouble.  I think I read something about the crank position being more even on the 250.  I should be up for more riding this year. 

I'm also getting amazingly bad fuel economy if I'm keeping track correctly.

Yeah, apparently I was not keeping track correctly.  This tank was 135 miles from just under two gallons.  The anemic bottom end constantly has me thinking I'm running out of gas when I roll of the throttle, so I still have no idea what the range really is.

[MikesHawk]

Looks goood!