88-93 ex500 vs 90 and 92 gs500, both good starter bikes?

[seanathin48]

Ok, first off I just got into bikes, Im 22, been into snowmobiles and cars mostly, I've been a mechanic in the army for 4 years now.  My dad has a Yamaha 1980 rd400, a rare 2 stroke beast but a lil out of my skill and energy to do a restore. I've always liked Ninjas, didnt know or care to know much about bikes till 3 months ago, its gets boring here in Iraq so I started researching.  I dislike drum (expanding) brakes, and like most naked bikes, and usually something newer than a 80, I almost bought a 83 kz750 and a 86 yamaha radian 600, but got beat to the chase and dont see the need for 2 more cylinders anyway.

Ok so I came to this:

I've found two nice ninjas, one an original '88 with 12k for $500 and a 93 with 30k for $600 both with some fairing damage, there are parts to fix them, I like the fact that they are light and make a good deal of horsepower and that parts are pretty interchangeable.

Then I found this ad :

2 bikes. one with title, the other as parts bike. 1990 and 1992.
both motors need rebuilt. one needs bearings, the other needs head work. I was going to combine the 2 to make them running. basically 2 complete parts bikes, with 1 titled frame.
new tires, new brakes (less than 200 miles since tune-up before bearing spun)
I've totally lost interest. I rode something bigger and got hooked...
$650 firm. (would make triple this parting out)   

I think he said one is blue and one is black, and one has 25k and the other 12k I belive, both are almost disasembled, which will make it harder on me since I wont know exactly how to put it back together (but I like a challenge and I could say that I built the bike) but he does have a manual. I was wondering if I could actually take the good top end and take the good bottom end and make one good engine or just get the parts to redo both engines, I know no one knows the extent of the damage to both engines yet but what typically would need to be replaced? And hey $650 for two bikes, why the hell not, just need to find a place to store and get on my brothers ass to get them.

What do you guys think?
 
Oh and money isn't really an issue so Im open to w/e mods and parts they have for the gs500, what are the mods and parts available? Yes I have been to the homepage and read around.

[TonyKZ1]

Just buy them all, sell me one of the Ninjas, fix the other Ninja, and then fix the GS-500s. Ride them both, figure out which one you like best and sell the other one. Simple!

[Jackstand Johnny]

First off welcome to the forum! I don't know much about Ninja's other than what it was like sitting on one in relation to a GS500. Ninja's sit lower in the seat than a GS does. You'll get more power out of a GS with those years I think. TonyK21 has a good point. If you have the money, buy em both! I don't know how the support for Ninja's are online, but it's probably nowhere near as good as here. Thats not really a valid reason to buy a GS I know, but I've been on plenty of other forums for cars and bikes and whatnot and everyone here is very cool about your "newbie" questions. I'm very much into naked bikes too, that's why I got my "89. If you're into going fast which I'm sure you are, you might find it easier to modify a Ninja for speed. Hope that helps any.

[TonyKZ1]

Sorry, I forgot the welcome to the site message! Here's another site you'll want to goto for more info on the Ninja 500s, http://www.ex-500.com/. I didn't realize the GS500 had a higher seat height, that's a plus in my book with me having a 32" inseam. Here's the wiki-links for both bikes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_GS500, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_Ninja_500R just to give you a little more info.

[seanathin48]

If I was home and not deployed and had my truck running or someone I could borrow one from, Id get both ninjas and both gs500's but Id prolly have to get a storage unit, I mean hell that'd still only set me back less than $2000 even with NY gas prices. Oh and btw Im from Buffalo NY, but stationed in either Iraq or TN/KY. Thanx 4 the support guys!

[ohgood]

If I was home and not deployed and had my truck running or someone I could borrow one from, Id get both ninjas and both gs500's but Id prolly have to get a storage unit, I mean hell that'd still only set me back less than $2000 even with NY gas prices. Oh and btw Im from Buffalo NY, but stationed in either Iraq or TN/KY. Thanx 4 the support guys!

the ninja and the gs are so similar, hard decision. i wanted a ninja 500 and finding one that wasn't worn out was difficult. they're fine machines... BUT-

there are two excellent forums for either machine. this one is my favorite for the gs, and http://www.ex-500.com is the other. please visit it, watch for posts from FOG there, and take his advice. gsjack, kerry, buddha, dguyver, and tons of others on this forum are all very knowledgable folks also.


as far as choosing a bike, since you've stated money isn't the main motivator, and you don't mind getting your hands dirty-

go for the best condition machine (mechanically) for around $1500 or so. lower milage is a good thing, but not paramount. the gs can be toast by 24,000 or 80,000, DEPENDING ON THE OWNER.

put good tires on it, (whichever you buy) and call on us for HOWTO's and hints to odd problems/noises.

welcome back to the us of a ahead of time, and welcome to the board.

[bikejunkie223]

The good news is both baikes are inexpensive enough and common enough I would find a newer GS with low miles- it will still be really inexpensive and then it will be a lot more reliable. As to which, either would be an excellent first choice