Suzuki GS500F or Kawasaki Ninja Ex500?? UPDATED-Ninja 650R

[RideN]

Hello all. I am a former rider, with about 15 yrs riding experience, but last rode about 12 years ago. So, I consider myself a "new" rider until I get many miles under my seat again....

I am in the market for a bike that will be used to commute to work (150 miles round trip). I would love to get a nice sport touring like a Yamaha FJR1300A, but the budget won't allow it (and I'm not ready to jump on that large a bike just yet)

Because I will be riding long distance, I'd like to have a comfortable riding position, rather than laid out like a super sport bike. Plus, I'm 49 and can't see me riding a rocket like that

So, I've found two bikes that I like and will be looking closely at:
1) Suzuki GS500F; I found a dealer that has two 2009s left for $3750. Seems like a very good deal.
2) Kawasaki Ninja 500R: Best deal I could find is $4599.

Now, the only real difference that I could find is that the Ninja has liquid cooling and Suzuki is air. Neither are fuel injected.

Questions:
1) Are there any significant differences between the two? Is one better, etc?

2) Is there a big difference between the liguid cooling and aid cooling? Should that be a "deal breaker" as to which one I choose?

3) Should I pony up the money and get a little bigger bike so that I can get fuel injection? Is it a difference that I will notice? I would rather have it, but I will probably move up to a bigger touring in a few years anyway (assuming the wife will ride with me

Thanks for any input!!

[fireguzzi]

1) The ninja is just a little better at braking and a little more powerful and some say a little better handling too. But not by too much. The GS looks way better and is not so much less of a bike that you would be unhappy with it. ( I had the naked version)
2) No I don't think it should be a deal breaker. But yeah there is an advantage to liquid over air cooled. It is more effeiciant at cooling especially in a stop and go type of situation, though I never had my GS overheat. Not a deal breaker IMO the GS is very reliable.
3) If you feel it's wise to start out small then maybe you should go with that for now. No need to shoot for fuel injection just for the sake of fuel injection. Carbs have been reliable for ever. And still are. Not to mention easy and cheap to squeeze a little more out of em.

I don' think you can go wrong with either bike. Go see which one fits you better and which one puts a bigger stupider grin on your face.

[Wrider]

Yeah like FireGuzzi said...

The GS500 and the EX500 are both very reliable.
As far as the liquid versus air, in this case it's basically a non-issue. I knew a guy who rode in stop and go traffic while commuting in Phoenix during the summer (115 air temps) and his GS never had a problem.
As far as carbs vs FI. FI is very nice, but not a necessary thing. Just make sure you don't leave it over the winter with fuel in the carbs and you'll be perfectly fine on either of those.

[shane-o]

Hey there,

At last, a sensible poster in the new riders section


Firstly, welcome back to the world of riding, although Im surprised your lasted off a bike as long as you have once bitten by riding its damn hard to resist.

Your choices of re-entry bike could not be better, I totally agree with the 2 above me, both bikes are good choices.

As for water or air, the way I see it air cooled is one less thing to worry about and to be honest the same applies for EFI vs natural asp.

The only possible negative that I could think of is the GS500F can be a bit "buzzy" in the bars at 60+mph, its not always but it can be, there are ways around it if you were to find it annoying. If ya go the suzuki make sure ya get the "F" version as you will appreciate it more with a 150mile per day commute.

Good luck with it, let s know what you end up doing.


Shane

[JC Viper]

Spent some quality time on an acquaintance's Ninja 500 and having owned a cruiser that used the same engine I gotta say that the Kawasaki is really smooth at most speeds. The liquid cooling on the bike helps them squeeze out some more power from that small twin but can need a bit more maintenance as the miles rack up. Carbs do need some more looking after compared to EFI but nothing too serious. Try not to leave the fuel tap on PRI as it will flood the engine, have them cleaned and balanced once in a while and try installing a fuel filter or just keep the inside of the gas tank clean and the float needles should be good for a long time. My bike has carbs and is 26 years old and still works fine and every bike I owned stays outside in the elements (covered if possible).

You can try Craigslist and see if anyone near by is selling either bike for cheap.

[RideN]

Thanks for all the responses everyone. Shane-o, I remember reading other reviews about the GS500 getting squirmy above 60. Since my commute is so far and all highway, I plan on being 60-65 most of the trip so that was a concern.

So, it's been busy day. Last night I worked a really good deal on the 2009 GS500F ($3799). Nice price, but the thing that was holding me up was the dealer wouldn't budge on his $995 freight/prep fee. Adding tax, license, and some other fees I couldn't really make sense of, I was at $5300 out the door. Decided to think things over and see if he would waiver if I walked out. So, since I had the day off today, I continued my research and visited 5 other dealers. The 2008 EX500 was rough looking so I passed. On my way home, I drove past a smaller Kawasaki dealer that I didn't find online. He had a beautiful 2209 Ninja 650R in Black. I liked the riding position as it's similar to the GS500....more upright and not a "crotch rocket". Off I went to do some reading on this bike.

All the reviews and articles I found said the same thing, this bike is not too much to handle for a newer rider and doesn't have the torque "explosion" that will get me in trouble. Went back to see the dealer and got down to work on the numbers. Got him down to $5199 for the bike, and they only charge what they pay for freight....$250. So, out the door cost was $5999!!!!!!

Wanna guess which one I ended up buying?????? Yup, for about $700 more I'm a very excited owner of a 2009 Kawasaki 650R!!!

So, time comes for me to strap'em on and drive her home. Heart was pounding......started her up, released the clutch and off I went. Within a few miles things started coming back to me. She really is easy to drive and responsive, but not overly eager!! I'm in love...AGAIN!!!

[fireguzzi]

Sweet! I hear those 650's are nice. Glad your back in the game and enjoying it. Be careful and have fun.

[Wrider]

Awesome "first bike" to have to learn to ride again!!!

Those are fantastic bikes, you'll find it has plenty of power and handling for even when you get more experienced and want to go canyon carving and all that.

Congrats and happy bike day!

[pchast]

Good choice,
Congrats on the new bike....

Stay safe.
Pete

[HYPERR]

Yeah that's a great bike since you actually have 15 years of experience.