Kawasaki ER5 / Suzuki gs 500 ?!

[Leon80]

Mai oameni buni! Vreau sa stiu si eu ce e cu motorul ER5 ?

Ca incepator vreau sa-mi iau un motor fiabil, nu prea nervos,... in sfarsit mi s-a recomandat calduros un GS 500.

Dar parca imi place mai mult un Kawa ER5.

Daca stie cineva cam cu ce se mananca asa ceva sa ma traga si pe mine de maneca!

 

[Leon80]

Aici cateva date:

 

- kawa er5 : naked, 500 cmc, 58 cp , consum 4.5 la 100 de km, vit max 190km/h

- suzuki gs 500: naked, 500 cmc, 48cp, cosum 4-5 la 100 de km, vit max 180 km/h

[Leon80]

de nervos se vede clar ca e mai nervos Kawasaki ER5

 

piese de suzuki gs 500 se mai gasesec, si inca bine.

piese de kawa ER5 ........... nu stiu. Daca e destul de fiabil? si in sfarsit, orice parere conteaza?

Va rog spuneti-mi si mie ceva despre modelul asta?

 

una peste alta salutare si asfalt uscat!

[tga]

nu pot sa-ti vorbesc decat despre Suzuki si sa-ti spun ca e ideala pt. un incepator si extraordinar de fiabila

[Fester]

Si mie imi place mai mult er5-ul.

Despre piese nu-ti fa probleme atat timp cat e model european.

Motorul lui er5 e derivat din cel al lui gpz 500 care e deosebit de fiabil si nepretentios.

Bafta!

[Leon80]

Fester multam mult!

Deci ER 5 e model euro, dar sunt foarte putini care au ER 5 in tara, cu toate ca e mai ieftin (second hand) decat altele din aceeasi clasa cum ar fi Banditul de 400cmc sau Honda cb de 500cmc sau Suzuki GS 500.

Un ER 5 DIN '96 cu vreo 20.000 km e 2.900 euro, fata de un bandit de 400 sau un gs 500 din '92-'95 care e vreo 2.900-3.400 euro ambele cu cel putin 25.000 km pana la 35.000 km.

Ma rog, hai sa zicem ca diferenta e discutabila dar cred ca merita mai mult un ER5.

 

Salutare si sper sa ne vedem pe asfalt curand!

[bogdan.marinescu]

Preferata personala: ER5. N-am argumente clare, pur si simplu imi place mai mult decat GS500. Dar oricare din ele e excelenta pentru inceput. La un GPZ500s te-ai uitat? Si asta e un motor excelent, lasat "in umbra" pe nedrept de suratele GS500/CB500

[graurcristi]

De departe er-5 este motoru pe care trebuie sa-l alegi.

 

Vorbesc in cunostinta de cauza,am avut si m-am dat cu el peste 2000 de km.

Arata mai bine si decat gs si decat cb iar ca si fiabilitate nu ai treaba.

 

Deci nu fa porcaria sa-ti iei un gs doar pentru ca toata lumea-si ia gs sau c.

numa bine

[Leon80]

Merci mult de sfat!

Fara sa am ceva cu Gs 500, motorul in sine sau cu proprietarii, dar toata lumea ii da cu gs 500 in jos gs 500 in sus. E totul ok dar vreau sa am parte de o priveliste cat mai larga asupra motoarelor de 500 cmc naked.

Oricum multam de sfaturi, fiindca n-ati facut decat sa ma distrugeti financiar...

ER5 ma cheama!

Tuturor posesorilor de ER5 sau GS 500 .... Asfalt uscat!!!si sa ne vedem din mers.

[vadergrd]

salutare la totzi ... mai Leonard dat fiind topicul tau a inceput sa ma bata si pe mine gandul de un er5... chiar ca e marpha si e peste gs si cb .mi se pare optim cam pentru ce gandesc io.. daca asupra fiabilitatii toata lumea e de acord ca e super ce se poate spune despre piesele de schimb!!!???

Editat Mai 13, 2005 de vadergrd

[Fester]

daca asupra fiabilitatii toata lumea e de acord ca e super ce se poate spune despre piesele de schimb!!!???

pai daca e fiabila nu mai ai nevoie de piese Piesele pot fi procurate de la cei care bat germania sau alte tari UE, sau de la firmele de profil. Mult noroc!

[vadergrd]

acuma daca vreau sa vin cu o er5 din strainatate cine stie de la modelele incepand cu ce an se poate lua certificare EU1!!!???

[Leon80]

Kawasaki ER - 5 ¡

cateva pareri de pe un forum englez

 

 

Performance: 3 Reliability: 5

Parts Availability: 4 Overall Value for Money: 5

 

Hi,

Bought my ER-5 on 08/03/01 and have

only had 1 problem with it. Snapped

clutch cable. I have also completed

22,534 Miles since I bought the bike!

I think this is an excellent bike for

the money and I would recomend it to

anyone who wants a very cheep reliable

bike to run.

 

Shaun.

 

Submitted by: Preloved Visitor 5 June 2001. Owned for 3 months. - http://members.tripod.co.uk/basmaf/index.htm

 

Performance: 3 Reliability: 5

Parts Availability: 3 Overall Value for Money: 4

 

Used through winter and most parts now

rusty!!

 

Submitted by: Preloved Visitor 22 April 2001. Owned for 6 months.

 

Performance: 3 Reliability: 3

Parts Availability: 2 Overall Value for Money: 4

 

Original tyres are not avaliable in

Spain.

 

Its price has increased 17.33%, since I

bought it

 

It has not an outstanding hangliding

 

Ir requires more power.

 

We need more accesories

 

Submitted by: Preloved Visitor 2 November 2000. Owned for 1 year.

 

Performance: 3 Reliability: 4

Parts Availability: 0 Overall Value for Money: 5

 

Bland and reliable but has little character compared with my old BSA A65L.

I dont like the six gears. I always seem to be notching up or down compared to the A65 which grunts on regardless in top, but then again its not broke down yet in the rain on the way to work.

 

Submitted by: Preloved Visitor 15 October 2000. Owned for 6 months.

 

Performance: 4 Reliability: 4

Parts Availability: 0 Overall Value for Money: 3

 

Kawasaki's ER-5 is somewhat of a forgotten bike - certainly the conventional press don't go out of their way to write about it. Whilst Suzuki's GS500E was greeted with joy when it was launched, and the Honda CB500 is regularly shown due to the one-make race series, the little 500 twin from big K has rarely even been tested (as far as we can recall).

 

Nevertheless the ER-5 has sold very well, and is, at the time of writing, top of the UK sales charts in its class. So maybe the ER-5 is one of biking best-kept secrets? We took a look.

 

Sweet memories

Takes me back, you know. The first "big" bike I ever owned (and bought new) was an eight-valve, 500cc, vertical twin. 17 years ago, I was one of the few who bought a Yamaha XS500 twin - at the time the very pinnacle of engine development for a twin. 105mph, 55mpg, disk brakes front and rear, took me and the missus to Le Mans for the first time, and was sold with a tear in the eye three years later.

 

Anyway, enough of the rose-tinted sentimentality - how have things progressed in 17 years? Well actually not very much - if the ER-5 is anything to go by. It's got eight valves, 500cc, two rear shocks, clocks with chrome surrounds, a real seat - and even a drum brake on the rear! OK the engine is liquid-cooled, and the styling's more up to date, but other than that there's not a lot to surprise the average time-traveller from the 80s.

 

Personally, I think the ER is the prettiest of the 500 twins around today - certainly it looks more "modern" and purposeful than Honda's CB500, for instance. The tubular cradle frame wraps around the engine, but as it's a twin it doesn't actually make the bike any wider. The tank and sidepanels have waisted shaping, which suits your knees when riding, and makes the ground easier to reach for the shorter riders. Pushing the bike around it felt light, and yet when examining the specs it was surprising to find that it was only 2kg lighter than Hondas Hornet!

 

As already mentioned, it has a "proper" seat - a rare luxury these days - and a passenger grab rail, so pillions are well catered for. The switchgear is in the strange khaki/green colour that all Kwacker switches seem to come in, and the ignition switch/idiot light arrangement is perfect for a key fob to obscure the lights - just like the Hornet, in fact. However it does have a fuel gauge, and there's a centre stand (another rare feature these days).

 

The forks and shocks are very basic - 37mm conventional and unadjustable forks, and twin shocks with just preload adjustment. The disk front brake is a twin-pot sliding-caliper design, while (as already mentioned) there's a genuine drum brake at the rear. Clutch and brake levers, as with all Kawasaki's, are span-adjustable, which is great for those with smaller hands.

 

Overall the quality of finish seemed high - Kawasaki claim to have given the engine case screws an anti-rust coating to help keep the bike looking good - let's hope the rest of the bike lives up to that.

 

Whirring away

Wot no kickstart? Well OK, that would be going back a bit. The bike fired up easily with a bit of choke, yet didn't really give any hints that it was running - it's certainly no Triumph Bonnie, either in vibration or sound! Clunk into first (the only clunk you'll hear - usual Kawasaki gearbox) and away we go...

 

Coming from mega-powered four-cylinder sports bikes, the ER-5 doesn't take your breath away, but nevertheless it was capable of reasonable acceleration, and with a good stirring of the box and handlful of revs, was surprisingly quick. The engine was slightly lumpy down low, just to remind you that it is a twin, before it really smoothed out - probably due to the heavy flywheel which Kawasaki have given the bike over it's ancestor, the EN500, from which the engine is derived. It's certainly a very well developed powerplant, with no carburation glitches are any real power bands to speak of.

 

Of course with only 50PS to play with, and a broad power band, you can be deceived into thinking that it's a bit flat (or in the Deputy Ed's case "boring"). I disagree here - perhaps because of my fond memories - but I actually thouroughly enjoyed riding the ER. Wind 'er up, and I saw 115mph on the clock, and that with the engine barely run in - not bad at all. Furthermore the engine seemed so understressed that 90-100mph cruising would not be out of the question. Naturally a pillion or some hills knocks this down a bit - but what do you want from a 500 twin?

 

Where the ER really deceived was in the handling, which on the standard Dunlop GT401FG tyres was amazingly quick and nimble. You didn't have to make any effort to turn corners - just think and it was there. In fact it was so quick that initially I oversteered and cut corners! The way that it was possible to change direction was also ahead of any four cylinder bike - the centre of gravity is concentrated so low and close to the axis of the bike that it just flicked from left to right as fast as you could manage it.

 

Surprisingly the engine actually contributed to the bike's handling. Perhaps due to the heavy flywheel, it seemed that engine braking was less violent that a four - there was less chance of locking the rear wheel changing down into a corner, for instance, which meant some fairly serious liberties could be taken.

 

On the down side, the basic suspension and brakes are not really up to being pushed hard. The forks and shocks worked smoothly over bumpy roads at steady speeds (miles ahead of my old XS) but start to up the ante a bit and they got all hot and bothered - initially there was not enough damping, and then the forks started to bottom out under hard braking, and the shocks started to pogo. And "hard braking" is relative too - the front disk is barely up to the job and takes a good strong squeeze to make an impression - no single-finger stoppies here.

 

Those Dunlops aren't the grippiest tyres around, but in the dry it was possible to drag the footrests, so there's not too much wrong there, and we are talking about a bike that will primarily be used for commuting, not tearing round a race track.

 

Economy? Yes, plenty thanks. Oh - you want to know how much? Well frankly we've lost the receipts because it was so far between fill-ups - around 200 miles per tankful is possible, which for the 16 litre tank is 56mpg, and that was with all the knee-down, 100mph plus stuff too. One reader/owner we know gets around 65mpg!

 

The Verdict

I liked the ER-5, and as Editor I have the final say. The Deputy Ed on the other hand, didn't like it much, but that's probably because he had to run it in (Kawasaki didn't have time before the bike was booked out) - 4000 rpm on a bike with 50 PS and a redline at 10,500 is a little tedious.

 

The ER is a capable, sorted, lightweight twin. It handles really well, and around twisty smooth roads I reckon you could give 600 four-cylinder bikes a run for their money. If I had to commute daily in traffic, or dispatch, it's the sort of bike I'd get - it'd grow handlebar muffs in the winter, possibly a half fairing, some throwover panniers in the summer for camping and I would potter about happily knowing I was using very little fuel and little effort to get around. I suspect ER-5 owners get to love their bikes too - we've had more mail about why this test was late than any other!

 

On the other hand, being used to so much more, it doesn't have enough performance for me, so I wouldn't have one as an only bike.

 

What it won't do is improve your street cred, pose, or increase the size of your balls compared with the average Fireblade owner - but then if you're thinking about buying an ER-5 I'm sure that's of little consequence...

 

Engine:Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, Parallel Twin,8 valves

Bore x Stroke:74 x 58mm

Displacement:498cc

Compression ratio:9.8:1

Carbs:Keihin CVK34 x 2

Max. Power:50ps

Ignition:Digital

Starter:Electric

Transmission:Six-speed

Final Drive:Chain

Wheelbase: 1,430mm

Seat Height:780mm

Fuel Capacity:16 litres

Wheels:3-spoke cast

 

Tyres:

 

Front - 110/70 l7 54H

Rear - 130/70 17 62H

Suspension:

Front - 37mm telescopic fork

Rear - Dual Shock with preload adjustment

Brakes:

Front - Single 280mm disk with slidingdual-piston caliper

Rear - 160mm Drum

Dry Weight:174kg

[David]

O comparatie intre cele doua: http://home.clara.net/survivalskills/er5_vs_gs500.htm

[123kid]

Si eu merg tot pe ER5...

Putin offtopic: ce ziceti de ER6? Daca apare la 5000 CIP o sa sparga piata naked. Super motor!

[Thomas]

Suzuki a spart piata insa cu ofertele de 5000 E

 

GS500 E - 5.472 Euro (toate taxele incluse)

GS500 F - 5.879 Euro (toate taxele incluse)

Editat August 16, 2005 de Thomas

[123kid]

Nu cred ca se poate face comparatie intre GS500 si ER6.

ER6 e la nivelul lui SV650.

Eu nu stiu cum mai poate sa se vanda GS500. In afara de fiabilitate nu poti spune nimic bun despre ea. La cateva sute de euro in plus poti lua motociclete adevarate: ex Bandit 650.

[Thomas]

Eu nu stiu cum mai poate sa se vanda GS500. In afara de fiabilitate nu poti spune nimic bun despre ea. La cateva sute de euro in plus poti lua motociclete adevarate: ex Bandit 650.

225140[/snapback]

Poate ma lamuresti si pe mine ce e rau la GS si ce intelegi tu prin "motociclete adevarate". Sincer acum si fara nici o suparare. Punctual. Chiar m-ai facut curios.

[123kid]

Pai sa vedem:

Motocicleta adevarata: -concept, tehnologie si design cat de cat actual. Cum poti sa vinzi GS-ul care este de peste 10 ani(sau chiar mai mult) neschimbat. Asa ca simti "fiorul" motociclismului este de ajuns si un (m)IJ, dar nu poti sa zici ca e motocicleta dupa standardele actuale.

[Hellryder]

Posesori de GS: nu va simtiti jigniti!

 

Sunt doar pareri personale! Si eu unul recomand ER5. Ma batea gandul sa imi iau in Italia si am fost la un service Kawasaki sa vb cu mecanicii despre el. Mi-au spus doar lucruri bune, au zis ca e usor de intretinut, nu necesita multa atentie, e fiabil, etc. Daca il poti lua la acelasi pret cu un GS 500 sau chiar 2-300 de gauroi mai mult as zice: "IA-L!"

 

Succes!

Ry.

[rmg]

Parerea mea vizavi de GS este ca nu exista motocicleta mai simpla, de aici rezulta si fiabilitatea: nu tu pompe de benzina, nu tu pompe de apa. 2 bujii, un carb. si ceva benzina si merge de n-ai aer. Plus frane disc fata/spate, consum nesimtit, ff manevrabila, comoda in oras. Asta-i GS-ul!!!!

Nu zic ca GPZ-ul de 500, ER5 sau sau CB500 nu sunt fiabile sau nu sunt bune insa eu v-am dat o groaza de argumente in favoarea GS-ului. Iar ca incepatori, putin probabil sa putem face diferenta intre una si alta!

[Thomas]

Pai sa vedem:

Motocicleta adevarata: -concept, tehnologie si design cat de cat actual. Cum poti sa vinzi GS-ul care este de peste 10 ani(sau chiar mai mult) neschimbat. Asa ca simti "fiorul" motociclismului este de ajuns si un (m)IJ, dar nu poti sa zici ca e motocicleta dupa standardele actuale.

225774[/snapback]

 

@hellryder, am precizat doar ca e fara suparare, doar am vrut sa aflu concret ce si cum

 

Concept: moto care se vinde de vreo 14 ani si care a cucerit prin simplitate. Ca (,) concept consider ca s-a impus, mai ales ca e recomandat in toata lumea incepatorilor.

Tehnologie: carburator, motor, racire pe aer. Toate astea rezulta o moto simpla, care merge pana pe la 180 daca vrei sa-i dai, simplu de intretinut, fara batai de cap sau alte belele.

Design: daca ii pun niste carene custom sau iau un GS500F il fac sa pice fetele pe strada. Asta inseamna design actual ? Sa fim seriosi... discutam de fitze daca ajungem sa consideram o moto cu design "shmecher" o moto "mai adevarata" decat una de XX ani.

 

P.S. Sa stii ca motocicleta sa numeste orice depaseste 50 cmc si merge pe rotile ei (exceptie facand maxi-scuterele) deci nu e normal sa ajungi sa consideri un IJ (de exemplu) ca fiind o "ne-motocicleta" dupa standardele actuale. Care, apropos, care sunt ? Ca iti plac tie e una, dar asta nu inseamna ca se numesc standarde actuale

 

P.P.S. Ce am scris mai sus nu am scris din subiectivism (ca-s si eu posesor) ci din testate si traite. Ca daca era nashpa, nu o mai luam sau o vindeam imediat. Asa ca dupa ce imi fac mana si sezonul asta o s-o marit sa trec pe ceva mai mare. Nu din dorinta de epatare ci din dorinta de a putea face cu moto o excursie de X zile cu fata si cu bagaje sport/touring, here I come

[Leon80]

Una peste alta daca tot a reinviat topicul vreau sa tip si eu!!!

 

ER 5 este una tot simpla, tot fiabila, poate chiar putin mai buna decat GS 500.

Imi place mult cum arata si are putini cai in plus. ER 6 deja e alta poveste...

 

Thomas nu te agita ca omuletului ii place alta (mai adevarata, bestiala si alte epitete, hiperbole... ). E ok. IJ-ul mi se pare extraordinara atunci cand n-ai nimic. Este toata averea ta!!! Ce n-as da sa am unul. Mi-as fi luat ca e ieftin dar nu am timp de stat si sub el

 

GS 500 chiar a spart piata ca se face in Spania din 2004. E chiar super caliate/pret.

Dar daca as avea banuti in plus mi-as lua ER5. Eu deocamdata am in minus.

 

Concluzia e destul de simpla. Ai bani de GS ia-l. Ai inca cativa banuti in plus (cam vreo 500 euro maxim la second hand) ia-ti ER5. Eu unul asa as face. Dar deocamdata strang pt un GS, fiindca ii strang banut cu banut, iar 500 de euro nu-s de gasit la colt de strada

 

 

OFF TOPIC:

 

123kid ai grija ca motociclete "adevarate" de 600ccm sau peste cum am vazut ca te-ai mai interesat pe un alt topic, nu sunt pentru incepatori!!! Nu stiu ce experienta ai? Ai postat destule despre moto pe care ai vrea sa le ai, ia spune si ce experienta ai.

Daca nu ai experienta, uite eu iti propun ceva. Roaga-l frumos pe Thomas sa te dea o tura ca pasager sa-ti arate cat de "adevarata" este un GS500!

Thomas ...

[123kid]

Experienta: Am calarit un Suzuki GZ250 vreo 200 de km. Si cam atat...

Din pacate nu am reusit sa-mi iau motocicleta anul asta, dar la anul sa va intampla. Va fi un ER6, SV650 sau FZ6. Eu nu zic ca GS500 nu este o motocicleta buna. Dar daca ati fi pusi in situatia de a alege intre un GS500 si un Bandit650, iar diferenta ar fi de 20E/luna(rata la leasing) ce ati alege? Chiar as vrea un raspuns....

[Thomas]

Chiar nu intelegeti ca nu m-am agitat ci doar discutam aici. Nu am nevoie sa conving pe nimeni de nimic, doar am explicat din ce stiu si din experientele pe propria-mi piele. Atata tot. Ca de altfel la achizitionarea fiecarei moto, sunt mai ulti factori decizionali, nu ? Ce vrei sa faci cu ea, drumuri lungi vs oras, singur vs 2 persoane, sportiva vs touring vs naked vs enduro vs comunista vs chopper, ce te atrage vs ce te scarbeste... si povestea continua. Toate adunate si gandite te conduc (impreuna cu banii dispusi) spre ceva ce poti sa iti iei.

 

Mai ales ca @123kid a calarit doar 200 km o moto de 250 cmc, recomandarea era de un motor mai linistit un sezon/doua, sa-si faca mana. Cum a spus si @Leon80 deja cand sari la o nervoasa de > 600 cmc (Banditul de exemplu) ca inceptor...s-ar putea (statistic vorbind) sa dai cu ea de pamant si sa nu se rupa doar plasticul/fierul ci si un picior sau o mana. Acum depinde si de sofer si de cat se poate abtine, cat talent are... s.a.m.d. Asta face din orice motocicleta "mai adevarata" sau "mai putin adevarata". Nu doar cmc ci si omul si iscusinta lui