Kawasaki ER5 > Reviews (18)

Ive had the er5 for 2 years now and she has never let me down, she was the first big bike ive had and she has helped me gain the experience i needed when i moved up from my honda nsr 125r.
ive been restricted to 33bhp but my restrictions up in march and i intend on getting a new bike , i will never forget my first love but sadly its time for someone else to have her.
I paid £900 2 years ago for a 99 model with 13000 miles and have looked after her myself with the aid of a haynes manual , only thing ive spent money on was exhaust, £20 repair at a local welders shop when i gained a small hole at the bottom of the exhaus quite commen im led to believe, or you could always get a second hand one on ebay for as little as £60, £55 for new chain and sprocket, and £12.99 for new front brake pads i service her myself cost me around £ 40 - £50 for oil filter, air filter, new spark plugs and new oil, i clean her often but a few new rust patches have appeared here and there as i ride in all weathers.
for the first 12 months i kept the crash bars on what came with her, one afternoon i took them off while i was cleaning and preferred her without them so there in my garage.
insurance cheap as chips £95 for the year including leagal, but thats only 3rd party fire and theft and im 36 years old.road tax is £49 for the year
i wasnt expecting a massive difference in power from my honda nsr 125 but i was sure wrong she had plenty more, she was delivered late due to the guy having a flat tyre on the way to mine after he finished work, but i just couldnt wait to get out on her,so at 9pm after the paperwork was all done i took her for a spin and noticed the power right away was much more, it started to drizzle and i bottled it having not rode a big bike before now and went home untill the day after when it was dry, next morning i took her out and loved every minute proud as you like my first big bike.
Overall great first bike new riders will get used very quickly, very forgiving cheap as chips very reliable and a real work horse, but dont expect more than that after some time on the er5. cost a tenner to fill up and u get around 120 to 140 miles, but ride hard and she drops to around 90 to 110 mark.
2 years down the line im bored with her and want something with a little more grunt and better looking so my affair is about to end, i can honestly say she has helped me gain experience and will never forget her, im not stupid jumping on an R1 or a fireblade from her as i still have much experience to gain but so far on my biking path she has guided me well and there will always be a little spot on my heart for the kawasaki er5.
hope this helps :-)