My brother gave me his '97 EX500, which makes me the fourth owner of a bike that's taught quite a few people (and had quite a few wrecks). I recently finished changing most of the replaceable parts: Chain, both sprockets, oil, plugs, front and rear rotors, brake fluid, coolant, rear tire, done a fair amount of repaint and fairing repair, and last but not least, a valve job. Along the way I asked for a fair amount of advice, and was shocked to find out that most people haven't done much, if any, of their own work.

 

I'm impressed. And nice of your brother to give you his old bike. I just got my motorcycle license in late August/early September and bought a used '05 Ninja 500R with a little cosmetic damage to the left front fairing but very low miles. I'm figuring the basic maintenance(e.g., oil change, cleaning and lubing the chain, etc.) out as I go along and hoping to learn more the longer I have the bike. There's some really helpful people in this forum, some of whom seem to know what they're talking about, but it sounds like you're probably one of them already. Some people, like me, just don't have endless hours to devote to learning all this stuff but I like to understand at least the basics, and I've found there really have been some helpful people in this forum who are more than glad to share their knowledge. They're the people who make this world work as opposed to the idiots who run around destroying and breaking things and making trouble and problems for us all.

Good Luck.

Chris

 

All this has gone on during free afternoons over the past 2 months. I encourage you to do everything you can, I know that it has made me appreciate all the engineering that goes into the bike, as well as feel more confidant that I'll be able to fix my bike on the side of the road some day.

PS - I got the bike because my brother got a Z1000, and the 500 sat in his backyard for a few months. Apparently nobody was willing to put the effort into going to pick it up (for free).

 

I like your attitude. I don't have that much free time so I try to learn these things step-by-step. One week I figure out how to change the oil and oil filter and spend my Saturday morning doing that, the next how to clean and lube the chain, etc. and I figure I'll try to understand how some of the engine works too, though with the weather here on the East Coast it'll be too cold to ride in a few weeks with snow on the ground come another month or so.

What a deal on getting the bike -- that's really cool.

Take care.

Chris

 

I have messed around with my sprockets thus far, but because I have a new bike I havent had anything serious yet, and thank God no wrecks or anything like that. I did buy the supplement service manual so I should be able to do some things myself, other than just basic oil and air filter and brake stuff. Good luck with that bike, it should hold up if you are sweet to it.

 

I started (but haven't finished) a how-to guide to adjust the valves on the 500R: http://www.calamarichris.com/ex500/valveadj1.htm
You can at least take a look at the photos and see what the valve gear cylinder head's internals look like.

Riding is already fun, but riding after adjusting your valves or performing a major rebuild feels a little like shaking hands with the genie or the magic-physics god that opens and closes your valves hundreds of times per second and thrusts you through our gooey atmosphere at an astronomical rate. It boggles the mind to consider the magic going on in there!
-CCinC

 

Wow, calamarichris! great job on your page there! Did you just start your web page? Looks awesome.

BTW: I like the Homer Simpson sock in one of your pics!

 

(D'oh!) I didn't know that was in the picture when I took it. [&:]

 

It's nice to see that Kawasaki used the adjustable screw and nut tappets on the 500 instead of using shims. That really simplifies the valve job big time!

 

It does, BUT fewer moving parts in the valvetrain = less weight, less wear, and more precise valve operation as the engine gets older and the rocker arms, cams, followers and rocker arm shafts all wear.
It's a lot more work to adjust the shim-under bucket valves on the ZX9R, but that bike still sounds smooth and quiet after more than 44,000 miles. After only 20,000 miles, my former 500 was beginning to sound slightly clankier by comparison.