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The Kawasaki Vulcan 500 uses the same engine as the Ninja with different tuning. Coming from a 250cc cruiser the Vulcan gave me a bit of a scare at first due to the increase in acceleration but mostly it was the bobbing front fork (way too soft). I got used to the acceleration later that day.

During the summer someone on a Ninja 250 managed to out accelerate me but not by much and he wrung the throttle. So on the Ninja 500R expect quite a rush for a bit but it'll still be tame, especially if you're coming from a small cruiser with limited power. I think the Ninja 500 makes 40 - 55 HP but it's still a good beginners bike since it has a pretty flat powerband, it is in no way twitchy as a sports bike in the 600cc range.

I tuned my engine as close as possible to the Ninja, it's quite powerful for its intended purpose.

Just as a bit of a follow-up.....I finished the MSF Course on New Years Eve and stopped at the dealer on my way home....The sales guy gave me the keys and told me to drive it around the block for a few minutes....just to get the feel for it. The power is there if you are not paying attention or if you panic and grab the throttle, but balance wise and handling it is a far superior bike over the 125cc eliminators that we were using for MSF course....The bike did everything that I asked of it on our maden voyage and was a very user friendly getting both of us home safely with no trouble other than my not being able to get onto the road that I wanted to and ended up having to drive across a metal grate draw bridge....but we got through it with no problems...Can't wait until I get an opportunity to get out and ride again. Thanks for all the comments I appreciate them all very much. Stay safe and happy riding....

Congrats! Good Luck and have Fun!

RhadamYgg