[AvoidRoy]

Hey what’s up Riders! Just got myself an 07 ninja, things great ish, I just want a simple guidance with the common issues on these things, it has 9,500 miles on it so any help I would much appreciate it,currently my issues are stalling randomly at 6th gear cruising 75, trying to clutch ride (cruise the bike whatever you call it) the bike through my yard to park it it stalls as soon as it feels any sort of grab I have to give it throttle but I’m only trying to travel 20-30 feet and swerve through my drive way I don’t need to go 15 miles an hour, anyways you get what I mean I hope, and lastly I need help with how the bike should be set up, fueling,idle,how it should sound
Also speedo stopped working but there’s some threads on how to fix it

 

[bpe]

A good chance your high speed stalling is due to the fuel cap not venting. Look into this.
Servicing your gas cap

The driveway stalling sounds more like operator error. You always need to give at least some throttle, even if it means slipping the clutch for low speed riding.

Good odds that the bike is over due for a valve adjustment. Look into this.
Valve Adjustment (bpe version)

I encourage you to browse through our How-To and Maintenance forums.
How-To's / FYI
Basic Maintenance

 

[yorkie]

Ah wow. so here is a hay stack go look for some red straws ??. yes that's is a joke but you get my point. it all depends on the history of the bike. how much do you know. how long was it stood how much maintenance has been done and when, all these are important for instance.

the bike is a 2007 (so 14yo) but has only 9500 miles on it so it has spend a considerable amount of it's life stood idle.
how was it stored and for how long was the old fuel left in (without stabiliser) or drained. when was the last time it ran perfectly. has the valve clearances been done (every 7k) is there rust in the tank has the carbs been cleaned out, when were the plugs. caps. and leads checked or changed. all important information.

in general (to answer your question usual issues). faulty petcock. tank vents gummed up. dirty carbs. non maintained plugs. and leads. clutch and side stand switches sticking. electrical issues with batteries, RR, or dirty corroded connections. take your pick.

you may need to go through the whole bike checking every part. (get a manual and read it) isolate any possible issues from what is good. then tackle them in detail.

how should it be set up and sound well stock is best idle around 1200rpm mixtures set carbs balanced.
sound well it's no Honda for sure. some say it sounds like a well oiled sewing machine but most are lumpy rattle a lot and vibrate like a jack hammer. the engine is only happy above 6k when it takes off like a screaming banshee. oh and before I go check the dates on the tyres they could be 14 yo and lethal in the wet.

 

[CaptBanana]

With regards to highway fuel starvation, I recommend picking up a cheap ($10 or so) non-vacuum petcock to rule out issues with the factory petcock and screens. The screens on my factory petcock were obstructed, leading to the highway fuel starvation you describe. While you're in there, go ahead and add an in-rail fuel filter, as the EX500 doesn't come factory with a fuel filter beyond the minimal filtration the petcock screens provide. This lack of fuel filter can cause issues down the road...

You'll find the valve adjustment procedure on this bike to be very straightforward. The hardest part in my experience is getting the coolant pipes out from between the sparkplugs. Long nose pliers, elbow grease, and a beer for courage are highly recommended. I also recommend having extra O-rings of the correct size for those coolant pipes on hand before you get into it. Coolant seepage from the blowout holes on the sides of the engine is the telltale sign that an o-ring isn't seated right.

As for how it's supposed to be set up, check and see if your idle air screws have been messed with. 2.5 turns out from fully seated is the accepted amount. Carbs that are set much different from each other or aren't anywhere near this amount can display the poor low-end condition you describe. As others mentioned, it could also be user error - if everything checks out either get used to it or find someone local with a Ninja 500 to compare to

 

[ducatiman]

For sure, I'd address (actually remove) both flapper valves in the fuel cap....which vent the tank, common to all EX's.

 

[AvoidRoy]

With regards to highway fuel starvation, I recommend picking up a cheap ($10 or so) non-vacuum petcock to rule out issues with the factory petcock and screens. The screens on my factory petcock were obstructed, leading to the highway fuel starvation you describe. While you're in there, go ahead and add an in-rail fuel filter, as the EX500 doesn't come factory with a fuel filter beyond the minimal filtration the petcock screens provide. This lack of fuel filter can cause issues down the road...

You'll find the valve adjustment procedure on this bike to be very straightforward. The hardest part in my experience is getting the coolant pipes out from between the sparkplugs. Long nose pliers, elbow grease, and a beer for courage are highly recommended. I also recommend having extra O-rings of the correct size for those coolant pipes on hand before you get into it. Coolant seepage from the blowout holes on the sides of the engine is the telltale sign that an o-ring isn't seated right.

As for how it's supposed to be set up, check and see if your idle air screws have been messed with. 2.5 turns out from fully seated is the accepted amount. Carbs that are set much different from each other or aren't anywhere near this amount can display the poor low-end condition you describe. As others mentioned, it could also be user error - if everything checks out either get used to it or find someone local with a Ninja 500 to compare to

Very helpful thank you!!!