well, obviously the condition and location and a whole bunch of other things have an effect on every part of a bike. i was just wondering how long these engines typically run for under good condition and maintenance.

 

I read a book before I ever bought a bike that said, and I am quoting this, not my idea,

"If the engine oil is properly maintained and changed every 1,000 miles there isnt any reason for the engine not to make it up to 100,000 miles."

I would once again like to point out this is not my thought, seeing how Im on my first bike and have only reached over 6800 miles on it.

 

So true NS, but that of course as you and I know it are untrue.

 

Ordinarily the best place to look at the hard numbers of a particular model is the registry on Micapeak.com: http://www.micapeak.com/reg/view2/GPZ, but sadly, they do not have a registry dedicated to our bike. You have to scan through the above link to find the EX500 with the highest number of miles.

And as far as the general perception of these bikes being worn out @18,000 miles, I would generally regard that as true, not through any design or material-fault of this bike, but because of its typical owners.
These bikes are often bought by people new to motorcycling, or to those who are giving it a try. These bikes are typically abused and neglected worse than say Yamaha R1's for several reasons:
~New riders treat this as their learner bike, and haven't yet developed the mechanical empathy every rider should have
~They don't have extreme amounts of power. (Any rider who persistently redlines an R1 on public roads is going to die soon)
~Because they are affordable, people assume they are disposabikes. (They're certainly not, but if you treat a bike like it's garbage, it will fulfill your expectations.)

I also have an '00 W650, which is an air-cooled parallel twin also made by Kawasaki. Due to my own error, I'm now having to replace the lower half of the cam's bevel-drive. Other than that, the bike has strong compression, doesn't burn oil and is still quite beautiful at 56,000 miles. Since the EX500/Ninja 500R is water-cooled, I would expect a well-maintained example of this bike to last at least that long, and probably longer.
-CCinC

 

right on calamarichrisyou got the gist of things. congrats.

 

Hey Chris, I change my oil every 1,000 miles and the filter every 2,000 miles. I keep everything in order and dont ride the bike too hard. I rarely red line but I do like to ride hard once my bike is warmed up. Lets say I keep riding hard, but not redlining too often-I honestly think I have only once or twice.

What do you think the life of my motor will be? Please keep in mind that I do plan on having the valves adjusted by the dealer, I do keep my air filter and spark plugs checked out. I try to keep it in tip top shape so I can ride it hard.

Any guess is appreciated, even a harsh one I might not like to hear.

I have never laid it down or dropped it either.

 

Easy 100k with what you mentioned. But maybe not the best performance.