[Ahhhhxel]

So I've recently got started on the journey of motorcycling, I picked up this 2004 ninja ex500 for probably a little more than what the bike was honestly worth, what can I say it was a mile down the road don't own a truck or car with a tow so I went for it. After rebuilding the carbs, installing new tires fixing whatever I broke from dropping it like 3 times. I am ready to get frustrated learning how light electrical works on it. I would like to make my bike the silver one, naked like the orange one in the picture provided by Reddit user u/germann12346.

What I need help with
I have no idea how to install electrical parts. I think the lights won't be too hard but the speedo and tac from what I've read about some other posts here need to be a specific ratio think?
Also, I've been trying to see where I can buy affordable parts for the bike and would like to know where to get a cool classic round headlight and gauges that won't fall apart.

 

[yorkie]

IMHO turning the the silver one into the orange one would be the biggest mistake you could make on many fronts.
you will devalue it by about 70%, you will spend many months playing around with it to make it rideable, instead of actually riding it, by the time you have gone through the mountain of maintenance it will need. you will have spent more than you really want to, and if the goal is to have a bike like the orange one. (which isn't very well done) all you will have achieved is turning a butterfly into a termite by pulling it's wings off.

think very carefully before proceeding. these bikes are more than you expect them to be they only turn into streetfighters when they have been trashed, neglected, or spent many years abandoned in a shed somewhere.
a decent EX it worth preserving. as your is, probably the reason you think you paid too much for it in the first place.

 

[ducatiman]

agreed, LITFA

LITFA= leave it the F alone

 

[Ex500D-Can]

It's sooo depressing seeing young people embrace "the Apocalypse" by trashing the past to make apocalyptic bikes.
A bike liike that really deserves a zombie riding it...

 

[auburn]

haha people don't take too kindly to naked builds around here. it can seem discouraging, but try not to let it get to you, they speak from decades of experience. that being said do whatever you want bro, if you decide to do it i'm sure you'll learn quite a bit. maybe save everything in case you want to revert it to stock? anyways, welcome to the forum. let's see some pictures of your bike!!

 

[FlipFlop]

I have taken a bike and turned it into Naked and regretted it. However still a place in my lil broken heart for them. If you want a Naked bike buy one that has been already trashed and fix it as a naked. That was what originally were the naked came from (IMO, I think) people wrecking them and putting them back together just enough to be able to ride them.

If you really want to make it a naked you will need to think, like you are broke and your bike is broken and you need to fix it enough to be able to ride it. That is how you will source them items. For my naked project I sourced an older Honda speedo, and cb 250 turn signals the rest was stripping it of it body work and moving part from the outside to the inside under the seat and tank.

 

[Ahhhhxel]

thanks for the replies people, I think you guys are right about keeping the fairing, it's no longer super rainy in southern California so I should probably just f-ing ride it huh, I will sit on the idea till the weather get bad again. when I bought the bike I didn't really intend on ever selling it kinda just wanna ride it till it can't, it has 13,000 miles I don't know if that's a lot or a little and what problems I should expect soon.

 

[bpe]

13,000 miles is barely broken in, as long as it wasn't abused.

 

[yorkie]

thanks for the replies people, I think you guys are right about keeping the fairing, it's no longer super rainy in southern California so I should probably just f-ing ride it huh,

good call, just ride it enjoy the sunshine it will put a huge smile on your face when you have learned to ride it. 13k is nothing, almost new would be a shame to spoil it.
buy a workshop manual for it learn how to do your own servicing and maintenance. basically just enjoy the bike as it is you won't regret it.

 

[ducatiman]

thanks for the replies people, I think you guys are right about keeping the fairing, it's no longer super rainy in southern California so I should probably just f-ing ride it huh, I will sit on the idea till the weather get bad again. when I bought the bike I didn't really intend on ever selling it kinda just wanna ride it till it can't, it has 13,000 miles I don't know if that's a lot or a little and what problems I should expect soon.

Yaay! But be advised at 15,000 miles its 2nd major service (valve adjustment) is due. Don't blow it off!

 

[Ex500D-Can]

or ride it on the beach a few times- It's Japanese and it'll corrode overnight. A few drops on the pavement and throwing rocks at it will polish the effect ...imo these 90's bikes with their plastic coolant reserves and hoses don't make great rat bikes anyways...the 70's and 80's are better candidates especially if you can find one with spokes and a kickstart...

Ride this one until you find a better candidate

 

[[email protected]]

Well, I understand the desire. We all love to mod our bikes because its fun to play with them and change their looks to suit our personal taste. My own, self-imposed, rule (assuming I care about resale value) is to never do anything that isn't totally reversible. Take all the removed parts, pack them up in labeled boxes, and put them on a shelf so that if/when you want to sell the bike, its easy to put it back to stock.

But this one, I'd leave alone. No offense, but to me, the streetfighter look says "I crashed the bike and smashed all the bodywork, but I'm broke and can't afford to properly fix it". I'd vote for giving the bike a good detail but otherwise leave it alone. They went out of production in 2009 and yours is a pretty good looking, almost twenty-year-old survivor. They are only original once.