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jkv45 · May 21st, 2018, 07:10 AM

I raced an EX-500 back in the day, and it was OK, but it never made me want to buy one as a street bike.

We have had 2 Ninja 250s and 1 Ninja 500 as street bikes. While they were not my primary bikes (my boys owned them), I did ride them on occasion.

The Ninja 500 (2009) was clean and ran well. It felt rather low to me, but had decent wind protection. It didn't feel heavy to me, compared to my SV650. With new tires it handled predictably. Power in the mid to upper range was not bad. Overall, if you were planning to go longer distances and do more highway (with occasional backroads) riding it would a decent choice. It is a bit boring in some ways though. If you are taller (6'+) or heavier (200#+) the torque and overall size of the 500 might suit you better.

More EX500 info - www.ex-500.com

The 250s are definitely more fun. Do the proper maintenance and let 'er rip. Both of ours spent most of their time over 10,000 RPMs without a hickup. With new tires and some basic suspension mods it was a good handler that liked the corners. Downside is extended cruising at highway speeds. You can change a few things (gearing, windscreen) to help make it better on the highway, but it lacks the wind protection and stability of the 500 - mostly because it's a lot lighter. So if you are running around in-town or doing more backroads and cornering, you would most likely prefer the 250.

May 21st, 2018, 07:10 AM	#8
jkv45 Rev Limiter Name: Jay Location: WI Join Date: Jul 2013 Motorcycle(s): '06 SV650n, '00 Derbi GPR, '64 CA77 Dream 305, '70 CL450 Scrambler, numerous dirt bikes Posts: A lot. MOTM - Jun '18, Oct '16	I raced an EX-500 back in the day, and it was OK, but it never made me want to buy one as a street bike. We have had 2 Ninja 250s and 1 Ninja 500 as street bikes. While they were not my primary bikes (my boys owned them), I did ride them on occasion. The Ninja 500 (2009) was clean and ran well. It felt rather low to me, but had decent wind protection. It didn't feel heavy to me, compared to my SV650. With new tires it handled predictably. Power in the mid to upper range was not bad. Overall, if you were planning to go longer distances and do more highway (with occasional backroads) riding it would a decent choice. It is a bit boring in some ways though. If you are taller (6'+) or heavier (200#+) the torque and overall size of the 500 might suit you better. More EX500 info - www.ex-500.com The 250s are definitely more fun. Do the proper maintenance and let 'er rip. Both of ours spent most of their time over 10,000 RPMs without a hickup. With new tires and some basic suspension mods it was a good handler that liked the corners. Downside is extended cruising at highway speeds. You can change a few things (gearing, windscreen) to help make it better on the highway, but it lacks the wind protection and stability of the 500 - mostly because it's a lot lighter. So if you are running around in-town or doing more backroads and cornering, you would most likely prefer the 250. Last futzed with by jkv45; May 21st, 2018 at 11:04 AM.