A few months in to Er-5 ownership and I have to say, what a great bike.
I wasn’t sure on the looks at first but it’s really grown on me over time. At first the exposed frame looked a bit like scaffolding, but now it’s integrated itself into my mental “picture”. It pretty much looks like the kind of bike I enjoy looking at. I’m not 100% on the after-market Givi front screen. I’ve noticed that it causes quite a lot of vibration and for oncoming traffic it might even seem like my headlight is vibrating heavily. Can’t confirm that though, as I haven’t been in a position to see my bike coming. I’d like to get a front shield that’s a bit “cooler” - like a 2013 Striples. Then again, it’s functional, so, it’s not a big issue.
It’s been a hassle-free ownership experience. I was right about the rear brake, it was underwhelming, but the team at Motorad sorted that out for me and it has much improved response. I’ve noticed that the front brake feels stronger when cold so perhaps there’s a little rubbing going on which it heating up the fluid and effecting the brake. I had Motorad take a look at the accelerator as the throttle appeared to “stick-on” at times, I haven’t had that problem since the service, so maybe they fixed it.
Performance-wise, the engine pulls well, not mind-blowing (straight off the GN it was…), but enough to get me into trouble. It feels on par with a mid-80s Porsche 911. I have to restrain myself on the motorway as it pulls from 90 to naughty quickly. It’s wonderful to have the extra power over a GN250 and it keeps me well in front of traffic. Back to the brakes, it pulls up pretty well but a sudden motorway braking episode in the wet I’m not looking forward to. The tyres start to feel pretty skinny when braking heavily and there’s mild chassis-shake. I have noticed engine vibration at greater than 5000rpm – maybe something’s loose down below? The fuel tank’s nice and large, you can get a good grip with your thighs for braking and cornering. The handling feels good and it changes direction sharply. Low-speed, tight corners are so-so, as under 3000rpm there’s not a lot of torque. It was a revelation doing the Ride Forever course and learning about the bike’s limits. It gave me a lot more confidence about the bike’s capabilities.
I commute 200ks a week, and regardless of how hard I ride it, it only ever seems to need 9.5 litres of 91. If I buy all my gas around the time I buy groceries I can run it for about $60 a month. I’m very pleased with the fuel economy and curious how far I can get on a tank. I’m guessing on a long trip I might get 350-400kms? Insurance is a very reasonable $240 fully comprehensive from State per year. A gripe, not the bike’s fault, is the registration cost. Can’t understand the Government’s stance on motorcycles considering they’re kind to the roads, produce less emissions, economical, ease traffic congestion and are far cheaper to maintain and manufacture. If it were me, I’d subsidise motorcycles to encourage more people onto them.
It’s a bit more involved when cleaning, the engine in particular gathers stones and tar in nooks and crannies that can be challenging to get at. It’s a pleasure to clean and it responds well to a bit of elbow-grease. The side-guard has a nasty scratch on it that I can’t seem to polish out. I looked at a replacement part, but baulked at the $250 price – I can live with a scratch. Around the fuel tank the paint is starting to rub away and (come to think of it) around the radiator, handlebar mounts and grips the paint is starting to flake too. I took care of any surface rust and have kept a keen eye out for any more. I live very close to the beach (if you can say Wellington has a beach) so rust is at the forefront of my mind but it hasn’t appeared again - yet. I look after my cars and bike very well, they tend to leave my custody in better condition than I inherit them. The seat has a small tear, the side guard is scratched and the front rim has slight curbing. None of these thing I did, and probably not worth taking care of. We’ll see…
It uses almost no oil and the tyres never seem to need any air. It’s very comfortable to ride – far nicer than revving the nuts off an under-powered 250. I’ve yet to take it on a long journey and am thinking of taking it around the South Island this summer. I didn’t pay much for it and will keep it well serviced, so I couldn’t give a rats-arse about mileage (it stands at 31K). This bike is more about learning and enjoying motorcycling than residual values. I figure if I get three years out of it and sell it for $2k I’ll have done well. I still plan to get a brand new bike in about 2 years. I figure it’s not worth it while I’m still learning and, though experience is no greater guarantee, I don’t want to bin a new bike.
Without question, Kawasaki ER-5 ownership has been great experience to date. I look forward to many more happy miles on it.
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Originally Posted by 240
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