Kawasaki ER-5 Reviews

Nothing.

Brakes a bit spongy and leaky front forks.. Not the end of the world stuff.

What a cracking little bike! No, it won't set your backside on fire. Not the most economical bike in the world either. Not the best bike in the world.

That said, it is, perhaps, a modern day Superdream! No. The Superdream sounded much, much better.

The ER500 is a reliable and worthy bike. If you work on it, it'll 'go' really quite well, provided you keep it in the right gear.. An excellent bike for those who have just passed their test and want something with a bit of 'poke'... It has a 'bit' of poke and will cruise at 80-90 all day!

The ER is not a bike you 'love' it is a bike you respect. A reliable workhorse that won't turn heads. The rear brake is feeble, especially two up, but if you're honest about it, it's a very good bike!

In the hands of someone that knows what they're about, it'll 'go' very well indeed!

Rust! Watch out for that stuff. The swing arm is vulnerable. Indicators could be bigger.

Water pump new seals at 8000 miles.

Clutch thrust bearing at 8400 miles.

Regulator rectifier at 8999 miles.

Starter motor bush at 8999 miles.

Nice bike for commuting, handles fantastic.

The seat is terrible for long journeys.

Very expensive for spare parts.

Nothing.

My first bigger bike, and it's great. I tried about 4 or 5 different bikes of mid-sized engines from the dealer, and this one was the best. Single cylinder bikes tend to vibrate a lot, whereas this is very smooth.

It starts on the button every time, and the mpg is good. I get 55mpg in town, and 65+ mpg using faster roads (50mph+).

It's very stable and easily manoeuvred in town, and given I'm a new rider, it gave me confidence at speed. Not pushed it beyond 75mph, as it gets very windy, but it's great at that speed.

Only negatives, the seat gets a bit uncomfortable after an hour, and though I got a top box for it, there are very few pannier systems out there. Givi stopped selling their's, so I ended up having to fabricate brackets for an old Krauser one.

Its also OK for pillion, but again, not long distance. My wife says the seat is quite hard, and there is little room to move around.

Glad I got it!

Choke cable snapped after 4 years.

The weight of the ER5 seems to be quite low down, so it is very easy to manoeuvre, I am only 5ft 2" and had no problems moving it around.

It also has a low seat, making it easier for me to touch the ground!

I generally garaged the bike from November until March, unless I had problems with my car, but it would start every Spring without fail. Initially I used an fuel additive as unless you drain all the petrol before garaging it, the petrol becomes a bit lumpy.

I used a 'Scottoiler' to keep the chain lubricated and in good condition.

I also had a headlamp fairing fitted as this cut down the strain on my neck on the motorway!

The fastest I went on the bike was 110mph, though not with sportsbike acceleration, however it managed fairly easily. Legal speed limits are easy and the acceleration is very smooth.