2009 Ninja 500

[jkv45]

Added a 2009 Ninja 500 to the collection last week. It's actually my youngest (16 y/o) son's. We were looking for a good 250 for him, but looking at him on my other son's 250 we decided he was a bit too cramped. He's currently 6'3" 165# and I don't think he's done yet.

We were also looking at GS500Es, but there weren't many available, and the ones we looked at were over-priced junk. I convinced him save up a bit more (the 500Es were around $1000 - but not even worth that) and buy something better. We looked at a few older Ninja 500s, but they were still in the $2000 range. Finally found a 2009 locally with 2500 mi in excellent condition that we got for $2000.

As usual, any new addition gets disassembled for a good cleaning and checking over before hitting the road -





Bled the brakes, changed the coolant, cleaned the air filter, and will change the oil this week after we pick-up a new filter. New tires are also going on this week. It's been garaged all of it life, and was just a bit dusty from sitting. The owner bought a Ninja 650 last year and hadn't ridden the 500 for a season or 2. It cleaned up nicely, and my son was happy he listened to me and passed on the others that were only a few hundred less.

Almost all of the Ninja 500s were in the $2000 range - from crashed 2004s without fairings to his 2009. Book value on a 2009 is $3000, with the older ones in the $1500 range. Didn't really make sense, but whatever...

I'll post another photo of it after we have it all back together.

[choneofakind]

Great find! Very clean.

[CaliGrrl]

Nice! I hope he enjoys it!

[InvisiBill]

Nice bike for a good price. If I had money to burn, I'd get a set of blue plastics/tank to toss on mine. I like my black, but blue is my favorite color. A lot of the 250 knowledge is applicable to the 500 as well.

It uses a very common canister oil filter. http://www.ex-500.com/wiki/index.php...ross_Reference

I'd say the worst thing about them is the suspension. The rear is a little soft for his weight, and the fork springs are really soft. http://www.ex-500.com/wiki/index.php...the_Suspension The stock mirrors aren't very good for actually seeing behind you, but there are a number of bolt-on options (I'm using NewGen mirrors).

I'm not sure how the 250 compares, but I actually fit better on the 300/R3 than I do on the 500. There's no way I can get my legs locked under the lip on the tank.

http://www.ex-500.com/garage/1 if you need ideas for other mods. =)

[Ghostt]

Having owned both the 500 & 250 I really can't say one is more comfortable than the other, then again I have a Corbin Gunfighter single seat on my 500, and I've modified the 250.

As far as riding positions go, about the same. The biggest improvement I did was to get a set of drop footpegs for the 250, a lot more comfortable now.

[jkv45]

Almost done -





We took the tribal flames off of the sidecovers and the lower fairing. Lower fairing is off until we do the oil change. I'd leave it off, but he'll probably want it on.

[Hellmutt]

Good find on that clean 500, and good Daddiness on your part. My Dad got me started in the dirt when I was 11, but my folks didn't want me on the street - so once I hit 18, I did it anyway and have loved every mile of it since. A family trackday would be the next best gift along with good leathers.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by Hellmutt

Good find on that clean 500, and good Daddiness on your part. My Dad got me started in the dirt when I was 11, but my folks didn't want me on the street - so once I hit 18, I did it anyway and have loved every mile of it since. A family trackday would be the next best gift along with good leathers.

Thanks.

I started my boys (16 and 19) riding dirt bikes when they were about 4 because I knew that they would most likely want to ride street bikes at some point.

I'm a big believer that it's best to learn the basics of operating a cycle on a small bike, and not in traffic. We have 3 dirt bikes that we play around with. All the sliding and constant correction improves your riding skills and helps keep you sharp.

[sharky nrk]

Originally Posted by jkv45

Thanks.

I started my boys (16 and 19) riding dirt bikes when they were about 4 because I knew that they would most likely want to ride street bikes at some point.

I'm a big believer that it's best to learn the basics of operating a cycle on a small bike, and not in traffic. We have 3 dirt bikes that we play around with. All the sliding and constant correction improves your riding skills and helps keep you sharp.

Quoted for awesomeness. So true.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by InvisiBill

http://www.ex-500.com/garage/1 if you need ideas for other mods. =)

That's quite a nicely-modded 500 you got there Bill!

I haven't spent much time on this one yet, but overall I was surprised at how comfortable it was and how light it felt. It felt lighter than my SV650 - but I'm pretty sure it's the same or heavier.

I rode it home from the purchaser's house because it was only about 10 miles away, but the roads were wet, I knew the tires were old and under-inflated, and the chain needed adjustment, so I was being pretty cautious and not really getting into the power at all. It ran well down low and pulled better than I expected (or remembered).

I raced an EX500 back in the 80s when they first came out, but wasn't really in love with it. Wasn't bad on the track with a few mods, but never really got me excited. I actually like it better now.

[mgentz]

Nice find!

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by jkv45

We took the tribal flames off of the sidecovers and the lower fairing. Lower fairing is off until we do the oil change. I'd leave it off, but he'll probably want it on.

I'm not a huge fan of the tribal flames, but the back looks too plain to me without them. If you take the decal off the front to match, then you're left with the mismatched one under the clearcoat on the tank. Mine being black, the engine and frame and everything blend together a lot more, so I think it needs something for some accents.

I think it looks a lot less sporty without the lower fairing. But I also don't like how a lot of new bikes look like a huge sheet of plastic, so the split fairings do it pretty well for me. If you ride it hard, even the exhaust will scrape, so obviously the fairing will come before that.

Originally Posted by jkv45

That's quite a nicely-modded 500 you got there Bill!

I haven't spent much time on this one yet, but overall I was surprised at how comfortable it was and how light it felt. It felt lighter than my SV650 - but I'm pretty sure it's the same or heavier.

I rode it home from the purchaser's house because it was only about 10 miles away, but the roads were wet, I knew the tires were old and under-inflated, and the chain needed adjustment, so I was being pretty cautious and not really getting into the power at all. It ran well down low and pulled better than I expected (or remembered).

I raced an EX500 back in the 80s when they first came out, but wasn't really in love with it. Wasn't bad on the track with a few mods, but never really got me excited. I actually like it better now.

Thanks. I've probably "spent too much on a cheap little bike" but I like it. I made it my own and addressed a number of its weak spots (and some not-so-weak spots, just because). I think internal engine work is about the only area you won't find covered by something on my list - not that I expect everyone to copy what I did, but it might give you some ideas or spark something you hadn't thought about. For comparison, this is when I bought it (minus the mismatched tank) and this is how it looks now.

I don't have much experience on other bikes. I'm not really sure where the 500 falls. People here have mentioned that it seems a lot bigger and heavier like a 650, but people over on http://www.ex-500.com/ have mentioned how much bigger and heavier their 650 replacement feels. It looks like it's about the same wet weight as the SV650, but the design has a lot in common with the 250, obviously. I'd love to hear more opinions from people who've ridden a wider variety of bikes. Raising the rear a bit will also quicken the steering, making it feel a little sportier too.

Like the PreGen/NewGen, the Gen1/Gen2 switched to 17" wheels and got 37mm forks. I'm not sure how much that affects the feel, but it at least gives you better tire options. I assume your old one ran well, but I wonder how many used ones have crapped up carbs or other problems that cause them to under-perform, giving people a bad reference for how much power they have. The FOG airbox mod did seem to smooth out the 5-7k range for me. After upgrading the exhaust cans, I had a lean spot in the middle, which I handled with adjustable needles (still on the stock jets).

[jkv45]

I agree about the side panels without any graphics - they do look a bit bare.

The lower fairing will be going back on.

New tires are on order. After we get them on I'll see if I can get some more time on it. It felt more stable and not as sensitive as a 250, but very manageable. Even with under-inflated tires it still felt lighter than the SV, both on my brief ride home and pushing it around the garage. The SV carries more fuel, up higher, which makes it feel top-heavy until you are moving along.

I'll probably see if I can remove the caps on the idle mixture screws and make some adjustments. On the way home there was a noticeable lag when shifting, but we have since adjusted the chain, changed the fuel, and adjusted the throttle cable play. I haven't ridden it after that, but chances are it could use a little richening down low.