gs500 vs kawasaki ninja 500r

[dabenz7898]

i will be buying my first bike before the next riding season.  i'm looking at either the new gs500 or the new kawi ninja 500.  i've been doing some research and have found a lot of aftermarket support for the ninja.  on the other hand, the gs500 doesn't seem to have as much support.  but i gotta admit, i am loving the full fairing look of the new gs over the ninja's half fairing.  can you guys point out some positive things i should consider of the new gs vs. the ninja?  specifically performance??

[bcutrufelli]

strictly performance you may like the ninja better

[vtlion]

Both bikes are great.

Having owned and ridden both models, I would say that if you want performance right off the showroom floor, go with the Ninja.  I rode my un-modified 97 GS and an unmodified 01 Ninja and the difference in pep is easily detectable between the two.  If looks are your thing, I watch my GF practice on the ninja and I have to say that the bike looks 10 times better in motion than sitting on the side-stand.

On the other hand, the GS is easier to work on and you will never find as good of a web community for support with your wrenching endeavors if you go with the Ninja.  (this is not to say that there aren't any communities (try www.ex500riders.com) ... they just aren't as active and knowledgable as this board).

with respect to mods and aftermarket... give the GS some time.  The full fairing upgrade will likely generate more sales and a better prospect for after-market goodies in the near future.

[se7enty7]

I was in the exact same position as you.  I'm fairly mechanically-able; and wanted a bike that was easy to work on (they both aren't too difficult), looked good, and would be usable for at least a couple years.

the ninja 500 fit all those.... until I looked at prices.  I dunno about new; but on the used market ninja 500's were, imo, way overpriced for what you're getting.  

However; the final line came to these forums.  I checked out a couple of the ninja forums and they were full of rude inknowledgable or unwilling to help people..  while this forum has, for the most part, very nice people.


So.... I decided on a gs500... based on these forums.

[The Buddha]

I have the cruiser version of the 2 X EX500... and the intake valves kawasaki put in it are shaZam!... BTW ninja 9/10's and concourses... all of which share the head from ine are all the same crap. Kawasaki knew that intakes are going to run colder than exhausts, and hence made ntake valves out of cheap ass shaZam!, the result... intake valves wear into the head, rapidly... 5k miles and the intake edges are polished into razor blades, exhausts... prefectly fine. Marvelous piece of shaZam!... If I meet any of the kawi designers I'd like to run them over with the shitty bikes they made. I have seen GS heads that have had mondo miles... and no significant difference between intake and exhaust...
Cool.
Srinath.

[dabenz7898]

thanks everyone for the quick and thoughtful replies.  i do get the feeling from reading the other posts and the replies here that this board is made up of good people who are willing to help others, unlike other boards i've visited.  i'm still gonna be doing more research before i make a decesion.....you guys are helping a lot!

these are the factors that i'm researching.....
price: both the gs and the ninja(brand new) are around the same price....$5k
performance: ninja has the upper hand
aftermarket support: again, ninja is better imo
looks: gs wins hands down, but i've found that the ninja has aftermarket full fairings that make the bike look much better

.....so far i'm leaning towards the ninja.....just a few specific questions:

1. what is everyone's opinion on the air cooled gs vs. liquid cooled ninja.....does it really effect the bike.  is there a difference between short rides and long highway rides?  i'll be using my bike 50/50 local/highway

2.  how much does the regular maintenance costs for the gs?  although i'm pretty capable when it comes to my car maintenance/modifications, i'm not 100% on bikes yet and i wouldn't wanna mess around with it just yet.....until i understand bikes a little better.

3. are there any known manufacturing/factory defects that plague the gs that i should be aware of?

thanks again for all the replies.

-raj

[geekonabike]

I'm joining this discussion late, and can't really answer your latest questions.  I just thought I'd add a few things.

A friend of mine just bought a new Ninja a month ago.  He's still trying to get used to the ergos, and will tell you he's disappointedly long to "fall in love" with it.  FYI I'm 6'2" 215lbs and he's about 6'1" 175lbs.  He likes relaxed riding.  He (and I) loved the CB250 for its ergos and fuel efficiency but wanted something more interstate-worthy.  Unfortunately he's still not used to "touring" on the Ninja, though he's put almost 1000 miles on it in that one month.  He describes the move from CB250 to Ninja 500 as a "latteral move" fun/happiness-wise.  One thing that IS interesting is that he's getting 60-ish mpg's with his "relaxed" riding, which coincidentally means keeping the revs low like prescribed for break-in anyways, but he seems to think that's how he's going to ride it anyways.

My main point here is that if one were to ride coast to coast, I'd think the GS500 is a much better platform for comfort, not to mention luggage.  Sans fairing, if you go that way, you also have less spendy stuff to go wrong if dropped.

That said, I think the Ninja is a very fine bike mechanically, and great to ride when you're in the mood.  Again I wouldn't want it for utilitarian or longer transportation.  Still I think liquid cooling, while a complication, should make for a healthier engine all else being equal (though read Srinath's valve discussion above).  But I'd caution you to sit on one, imagining what it will be like for the rides you are going to do on it.  Do the same with a GS500.  Then buy a VStrom.  (Just kidding.)

--Mike D.

[The Buddha]

<Snippage>
aftermarket support: again, ninja is better imo
looks: gs wins hands down, but i've found that the ninja has aftermarket full fairings that make the bike look much better

<snippage>

3. are there any known manufacturing/factory defects that plague the gs that i should be aware of?

thanks again for all the replies.

-raj

1. Aftermarket support better on ninja... where did you get that from???
2. Fairings make the ninja look better, but they add to the price... and BTW it still looks boxy, not really slick - baby GSXR like the GS.
3. Manufacturing defect on the GS.... I'd say lack of oil tightness, however the ninja that my friend had, and the eliminator I have are all far from oil tight. The eli uses far less oil than the GS did at that stage in its mileage... but I dont rev the eli past 5K... cos 5K is 80 mph+ and commuting never needs more than that. rev up and they all use oil... BTW a EX is also a good bit heavier than a GS, and it has those funky ass vibrations that seem to be high soemwhere and low else where just to shoot back up 100 rpm up... weird... cos its engine spins backwards relative to wheel rotation, making for weird crap... like my KZ 440... however thye brilliant arseholes at kawasaki made their bigger bikes the eli's, concourses, ninja's... with motors that spin forwards... hence they are buttery smooth, rubber mounted and counterbalanced.
Cool.
Srinath.

[dabenz7898]

. Aftermarket support better on ninja... where did you get that from???

well, from the searching around i've done on the internet, i've found that the ninja has more mods available than the gs (e.g. exhaust, sprockets, etc.)  keep in mind i'm talking about the new gs (w/fairing).  also, i will admit, that i haven't found that much on the the gs doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.  its just an opinion, and hopefully this board can change that.

[pprider]

Glad you found the site da benz, im the one that IMed ya this place. As for my opinion i dont know who told you that there isnt a after-market market for this bike but they were wrong. There are tons of aftermarket mods you can get, just look around. exhaust, clip-ons, lowered bars, rear sets, i mean the list just goes on and on.

dont forget the aftermarket fairing for a ex will be expensive. i think in the long run you will be happier witht the gs.  its lighter, and better looking what more could a guy ask for  :dunno:

as for this site, you wont find a better group of guys to help ya out we are VERY lucky to have guys like srin, and vt, and kerry, and of course fred hehe

[dabenz7898]

Glad you found the site da benz, im the one that IMed ya this place. As for my opinion i dont know who told you that there isnt a after-market market for this bike but they were wrong. There are tons of aftermarket mods you can get, just look around. exhaust, clip-ons, lowered bars, rear sets, i mean the list just goes on and on.

thanks pprider.  no one told me anything about aftermarket availibility for the gs's.  i just never came across it in my research.  but now that i've been pointed to this site, my opinion will probably change.

[cozy]

I was in your position about a year ago and also was thinking about the EX500. I went with the GS because of the abundance of knowledge here and cool modification artciles and threads.  I also thought i would probably drop it at some point and would save money on parts. I haven't.  It was that easy to ride from the get go.  
If this is your first bike:
1. you might not notice/care about  the difference in Hp
2. Consider getting a used bike, less than two years old. You could probably even find an 04 with really low miles and let someone else take the depreciation hit.  Spend the money you save on upgrades.
Good luck with your  decision!

[The Buddha]

There are tons of aftermarket mods you can get, just look around. exhaust, clip-ons, lowered bars, rear sets, i mean the list just goes on and on.

<snippage>

And that was just the stuff I make...  :lol:
Cool.
Srinath.

[cajrovd]

It is a tough choice between the ex500 and gs500.

When i started looking I was torn between HP (ex500) and looks (gs500). I went for looks, I mean if I really wanted HP I would get a SV650 as a first bike or a R6 after learning on my first bike. Besides that, this forum is awesome and there are some excellent socal rides...  

[Stephen072774]

There are tons of aftermarket mods you can get, just look around. exhaust, clip-ons, lowered bars, rear sets, i mean the list just goes on and on.

<snippage>

And that was just the stuff I make...  :lol:
Cool.
Srinath.

You make rear sets too?