Ex-500.com - The home of the Kawasaki EX500 / Ninja 500R banner

Ex500 talk.

2K views 20 replies 13 participants last post by  po18guy 
#1 ·
My stock ex with my tuning and ingenuity will push 125 anytime 130+ when its cool out, and it honestly tears ass. I run and beat 250 300 2strokes, a zx9 barely and a gsxr750. Should i let it be. i seen some wear on the exhuast lobe of then left side. Worry? I only really have issues with the frame wobbling sometimes.... the factory carbs are abt the only thing junk on it. In the past year i have had to replace all electrical concerning the ignition and cdi ignitor. I love it tho its been good. Had 4600 miles when i got it now its got 15000 at least. Speedocable broke last week. I hope to get many more out of it
 
#13 ·
That I'd have to see to believe.
I love my old EX. Enough that I built up another one out of a basket of parts for my brother. But a speed demon, it is not. Mine is a touch lighter than stock, with a few modifications to the powertrain, so it's not slouch, but my Ducati 900SS will beat the pants off of it, both in the straights and in the curves. I've raced it against my actual EX. I had to move last year, so my brother helped out by riding my EX while I was on the Duc. Off a traffic light out on the edge of town, it was the two of us on a 4 lane highway. I stayed behind while he full throttled it up until about 50mph to see how the exhaust looked (see if it smoked), then I punched it and walked away from him.
A zx10 easily has the same amount of torque and double the hp, so if you say you can keep up with one on the straights, no way I say.

HOWEVER, if you are trying to say you can keep up in the twisties, I can believe that all day, because that's based far more largely on skill instead of outright power ratings. I rode up a favorite twisty road with a friend, me on the EX, him on his Ducati 750 SSie. Big swooping 70mph curves and I dusted him off like he was on a bicycle. Had that bike been in the hands of a more skilled rider, I would have been eating his exhaust all morning.

If you take the throttle grip off and grind out the stop so that it twists further, you get the throttle plate to open from about 90 degrees to 100 degrees. This extra 10 degrees is the key. I know this is the secret because right after I did it, I too broke the speedo cable.
That doesn't make any sense at all. 90 degree means the throttle plate is exactly parallel with the flow of air, allowing the maximum possible amount of air to flow. 10 degrees more "open" actually means it is 10 degrees more closed. It is turning back into an obstruction.
Also, I'm still running the stock speedo cable at 130,000 miles. I've been up to about 130 indicated and up to 125 indicated a few times, all with this same speedo cable. Speed does not kill these cables. Lack of maintenance does.
This reminds me that it's been a while since I last lubed my speedo cable.
 
#18 ·
Maybe for brain-wave activity? Seriously, that is pretty much how I ride the limited access roads. Freeway/motorway/interstate riding is about the only place you are safer alone. So, I weave my way through the somnolent 4 wheelers and make some space.

80 MPH/120 KPH is a great, natural speed for the EX. The motor's happy and we're making time. A blast up to the ton every so often clears the mental cobwebs out. I am sure that mine will do 120, but probably no more. If it would do 121, I'd tell you!
 
#10 · (Edited)
Murderninja seems like the kind of rider who will be keeping his secrets close to his chest, but I'm an old racer with dwindling testosterone, a whopper of a prostate and no reason to hide, so read on...
If you take the throttle grip off and grind out the stop so that it twists further, you get the throttle plate to open from about 90 degrees to 100 degrees. This extra 10 degrees is the key. I know this is the secret because right after I did it, I too broke the speedo cable. FYI I replaced it with a heavy duty industrial guitar string sourced from Dick Dale and no more cable problems.



 
#11 ·
Murderninja seems like the kind of rider who will be keeping his secrets close to his chest, but I'm an old racer with dwindling testosterone, a whopper of a prostate and no reason to hide, so read on...
If you take the throttle grip off and grind out the stop so that it twists further, you get the throttle plate to open from about 90 degrees to 100 degrees. This extra 10 degrees is the key. I know this is the secret because right after I did it, I too broke the speedo cable. FYI I replaced it with a heavy duty industrial guitar string sourced from Dick Dale and no more cable problems.
I nominate this for Post of the Day. :laugh:

Bonus points for the Dick Dale reference.
 
#16 ·
The thing with the EX is that it is so well balanced - Its a nice bike for around town traffic and just general ease of riding. You could take it from one side of the country to the other if someone held a gun to your head. Steering head bearings are a must, I generally go with OEM but since they are un-captured balls, I did the All Balls which turned out very good. Peace
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top