SHOPPING > Cars > Motorcycles > Kawasaki > Streetbikes > Kawasaki ER5

Kawasaki ER5

Kawasaki ER5

The Best Motorbike (Ciao Hitlist)

... I had always fancied an off-road/trial bike that I could paint matt-black and live out all my Mad Max fantasies (yes really!) but trying to find a decent off road bike for this sort of money proved near-impossible, so I realised I had to give up on my Mad Max dream… at least, for the meantime! ... Read review

Offers for Kawasaki ER5
 

Choose from our great phone, SIM, Laptop and Mobile Broadband deals from 3. From just £15 a month.
 

Reviews of Kawasaki ER5 »

1-5 of 17 reviews of Kawasaki ER5 Show all reviews

ERr...not bad at all, actually!

Advantages: Economy, handling, reliability
Disadvantages: lack of Wow factor, power

...I noticed a scruffy little Kawasaki stuffed into the part-ex corner looking pretty sorry for itself. I casually asked the salesman how much they were asking for it. I was pleasantly surprised when told it was advertised at £895.

Upon further examination, the bike did look to be a bit of a state. The chain and sprockets were well knackered, one indicator wasn't working, the handlebar grips were torn and loose, one fork seal was leaking ...
...and cracks all over. Pointing all this out to the salesman, I offered £750 for it, and after he had a brief chat with his manager, I was handed the key to my new bike under the strict understanding that I would not be riding the bike away as it had no MOT or tax! 1-0 to me!

As I got kitted up and prepared to ride off, I gave the salesman a cheery wave, which he duly ignored.
First impressions as I rode the bike home were not ... more

DarkDave 31.08.2005 (31.08.2005)
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Kawasaki ER5

Performance

Reliability

Comfort

Handling

Customer service

Looks

Features

Fuel consumption

Good first bike but can be a challenge

Advantages: Lightweight, economical, good in town, Only OK for ripping!
Disadvantages: Handling gets spacey at high speed.

My friend runs a motorcycle school and we often road test bikes. At present the ER makes up 70% of the school bikes. My experience of the ER is somewhat mixed. As a first bike it can be a really good bike. It depends on your weight. If you are small or under 11 stone, the bike tends to handle erratically. It dives over into corners and is quite easy to drop (Exhausts always hitting the deck). This is good for a new rider because it means less work, ...
...you gently draw it down and it shoots to the floor. It also seems to have problems with traction. If you hit a corner with and adverse camber, you have to force the rear down to ensure bite. These problems do seem to be weight-related. If you are heavier(or got a pillion) the ER handles like a dream. Acceleration is pretty good and it keeps on giving at the top of the gearbox (I have had more than the spec top speed out of it). The lower gears ...

FruitBatInShades 26.10.2001 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Kawasaki ER5

Comfort

Handling

Looks

Features

Fuel consumption

Kawasaki ER-5 Not a bad bike at all !!

Advantages: Very cheap to run easy to maintain loads to choose from comfortable good handling
Disadvantages: Poor spongy brakes build quality a bit shoddy in places lumpy constant gear changes

I bought my Er-5 in March 2008. So far it has been a great bike! I bought it second hand with just 11,500 miles on the clock at a very reasonable cost of £1300.00. To date this bike has been a real money saver it is very economical about 65 miles per gallon with tax and insurance prices being incredibly low! It is perfect for everyday commuting and not bad on motorways and long journeys. All the power is midrange and shortlived. Don't expect much ...
...gear ALOT! Take off from a standstill start is ok and will beat average family cars off the mark. Handling is surprisingly agile with no dramas. Confidence in riding this bike grows quickly! The engine & exhaust has a nice thumping note that sounds better than the actual performance! Basic servicing is really easy on the ER-5 with most servicing parts available in Halfords although getting to the spark plugs and removing the fuel tank is a pig. These ...

Heights 07.08.2008 (08.08.2008) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Kawasaki ER5

Comfort

Handling

Looks

Features

Fuel consumption

Good fun and practical, on a budget.

Advantages: Great commuter and fun to ride
Disadvantages: Drops into corners a bit too quick if u are light!

Motorcycle: Kawasaki ER5 (2001 model) For: Good commuter bike and fun to ride Against: Gets a bit windy at speed Value: No doubt that you are getting quite a bit of bike for the money! Costs: Parts are pretty cheap and servicing can easily be done at home in the garage. Fuel consumption is very frugal even when the bike is pushed hard and insurance is next to nothing, even for riders under 25. Reliability: Bomb proof Driving: The bike is fun ...
...sports. It turns in quick enough if you counter steer but would benefit from a stickier set of tyres than the standard tourers supplied if you want to push the bike harder. Lighter riders may have some trouble as this bike weighs in at 170kg so may drop into corners a little quick unless you are over 12 stone! Performance: Pretty good. It will leave most cars standing at the lights but it is not so fast that it will scare the living daylights out ...

RogerBVH 24.07.2003 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Kawasaki ER5

Comfort

Handling

Looks

Features

Fuel consumption

My Saviour

Advantages: Great confidence booster, nippy, good for touring, great for short riders
Disadvantages: Get worse the better the rider gets

My little ER5 has been my saving grace. I passed my motorbike test on this great little bike, despite falling off it 10 minutes before my test (hit a curb on my practice -u-turn). After passing my test i went to purchase my first motorcycle, i was dead excited and explained what i wanted to my local yamaha dealer, and they showed my the fazer 600. I sat on the bike and being 5"3 could just reach the floor. I asked if not having flat feet on the floor ...
...be fine and i stupidly bought the bike. After falling off three times in 6 months i had, had enough and wanted to change the bike and i was advised to get an ER5 because i knew the bike and was comfortable on it. I lost around £1500 pounds on the fazer and am still begrudgingly paying it back now. I picked up my ER5, a little black number, and was immediatley more comfortable. With the low seat option making the bike seat height 50mm lower it is ...

mogsie83 23.08.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Kawasaki ER5

Comfort

Handling

Looks

Features

Fuel consumption

Honest riding on a budget

Advantages: Cheap to run,reliable. Low insurance, easy self maintenance. Low wear rate on tyres/sprockets
Disadvantages: Unexciting. Clunky gearbox. Minimal wind protection. Poor front brake.

I bought a second hand er-5 A3 with 9500 miles on the clock. This bike is like a Ronseal advert, does exactly what it says on the tin. Its a simple machine thats perfect for the daily commute or the simple fun of a ride. The engine is out of the ark but it starts every time and if you look after it will go on forever. The gearbox is a bit clonky and expect a good clunk between 1st and 2nd, otherwise its ok but make sure you move down the box as you ...
...to smooth things out. If you stop while still in say 5th then you could find yourself embarrassed trying to work down the gears. Handling is adequate allthough you will need to use the rear brake a bit, the front braking is a bit naff and needs a good handful. You will be hard pushed to lock up the front wheel and I changed my brakes for EBC with a braided hose...helped a bit. I have never needed choke to start it but use a bit once running to hold ...

raisebeck 19.05.2007 (04.10.2009) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Kawasaki ER5

Comfort

Handling

Looks

Features

Fuel consumption

Similar reviews »

Reviews which might be of interest for "Kawasaki ER5"

Honda Rebel CA125 - 125cc (Learner Legal !)

Advantages: Economic, easy to ride, cheap to buy
Disadvantages: Don't make 'em anymore ! 2nd hand only

I should pre-empt this review with the comment that I have just, today, sold my Rebel on e-Bay. I have a new Kawasaki ER-5 on order from a local dealer. Time to move on up, and my Rebel is looking a little long in the tooth after 23000 miles on the road, 6 learner drivers hacking away between 1st and 2nd gears, and 3 drops that I know of - there must have been countless more before hand. The following is the text I used to sell the bike. I tried to inspire the reader with the same psychology I had when I bought it - e.g. I was looking for a cheap, safe run around that had a little more street cred than a CG125. And that's what I got........ " This beautiful baby cruiser is a big step up in appearance from the Honda CG125 but with similar performance and running costs. The cruiser styling means it's easily mistaken for a 'bigger ...

electronic_jim 21.05.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Honda Rebel

Too scared to life the front!

Advantages: Acceleration, reliability, all-round capability, V-twin character
Disadvantages: Limited range, paint quality, rear suspension not brilliant

My black Honda VTR-1000 Firestorm is my second motorcycle. My first was a (relatively) mild-mannered Kawasaki ER-5, in the opinion of many, a perfect "beginner's" machine. I was about to buy a Suzuki SV650S, but Motorcycle City Greenford were doing a fantastic deal on pre-registered VTRs. I picked up mine for £5500 - a truly amazing price at the time, considering my bike, as it turned out, wasn't even pre-registered! At first, I thought I'd made a big mistake. Like many, I bought my bike off the back of magazine reviews and without a road test. It's irritating that getting a test-ride of a new machine is so difficult, especially considering the size of the investment that a purchaser has to make. Why did I feel like I'd made a mistake? Well, compared to the easy, upright seating position of the ER-5 with its traffic-busting high ...

montana 08.08.2000 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Honda VTR1000

Its different on two wheels .

Advantages: traffic jams? what traffic jams
Disadvantages: bad weather, and it hurts if you fall off

you may be there all day. If you turn the wrong way, don't worry (unless its the wrong way down a one way street). Simply turning left instead of right is not a cause to fail, and will be put down to nerves, as long as the turn was done safely and correctly, the examiner will simply adjust your route to take the wrong turn into account. Another thing to note is what type of machine your are riding. When traing many of my pupils on larger machines (such as the 500cc Kawasaki ER-5). They were suprised at how they were supposed to make use of the machines power. Without being excessive I would have to remind them now and again that they need to show the examiner they are capable of riding a 500cc motorcylcle, as opposed to a 125. This may mean overtaking slower traffic on faster roads where a 125 may not have the power to do so ...

exup35 26.02.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Member advice on Passing your Practical Driving Test



Are you the manufacturer / provider of Kawasaki ER5? Click here