Let me start off by saying hello to all. 1st post (been reading alot here though)

Im a newer rider (June 07). I started out smart and got an 07 Aprilia Sportcity 250 scooter as my very 1st bike.
Already put 4500 miles on it. Fun as hell to ride.

I was quite sure my next bike was going to be an 08 GS500, but im not sure anymore.
I need your honest advice and input.

Since we know i have a scooter with almost 5k miles on it in less than 1 season, let me add more info.
My only other exp was in August of 07. I lent my scooter to a friend so he could pass his License test, and...I...borrowed his Vulcan 1500. Heavy *** bike. I picked up how to shift gears pretty quickly in his driveway. I drove it home 15 miles away...almost. Turning down my street (5 blocks away) I dont know what happened. Over-throttled it or i leaned it too far (like i lean my scoot) or i leaned it into his armor-all covered sidewalls, i dont know. I dropped it at 15 mph. no real dmg to me or the bike cept a snapped off front brake lever, no other scratches thanks to his saddle bags. All that aside i still havent dropped my scooter. :knock on wood:

Now to where ya'll come in.
Obviously im not ready for that caliber of bike.
Which is why i was looking at the Gs500 and ninja 500r.
I dont want this to become a Ninja bashing but I want input from the other side of the road.

I feel like im ready for the next level.

08 Ninja 500 is supposed to have more power, costs less, and my insurance will be 420 for a year (full coverage)

08 Gs500 looks great to me, but is there something im missing besides the higher price and insurance at 640 a year?

Cost to maintain ninja seems to cost less too.
These 2 bikes have been around for ages, and yall have more exp with them than anyone i know.

Hope i dont offend anyone droppingGS500 in here.I know this isNinja500 forum, i posted this in ags500 forum also, i just want a view from all sides.

My other concern is power with a rider. Alone on the scoot it gets up pretty good, but I'm 6'4 190, and when i add my wife, another 140 lbs. The scoot still moves but not as well, and tops out at 75 going 2up.

Are the 500 cc bikes too big of a step up from a 250cc scoot?


Thanks guys.

 

No, the 500 will not be too big of a step up from your 250. I believe you will be entirely pleased, especially in how much better a 500 performs at freeway speeds. Twice as many cc's does not necessarily mean it will have twice as much horsepower, or half as much controllability.
And you won't offend anyone in here just for bringing up the GS500. The GS500 is a nice bike too, but not (IMO) as nice as the Ninja 500R. Motorcycle Consumer News did a comparison between the Suzuki and the Kawasaki about two years ago and the 500R mopped the floor with the GS500. More power, better handling, better suspension--the Suzuki had better brakes, according to MCN though.
Of course everyone loves the GS500, because Suzuki updated the plastic to more resemble Suzuki's larger GSXR's. And these same people point to some magazine articles that call the Ninja 500R's looks "dated". (It hasn't been changed since 1994.)
BUT the engine is still aircooled and that is the major difference between the two bikes. Kawasaki's liquid-cooled engine, strangely enough, has more power at all rpm ranges, gets better fuel economy (?!), a higher redline AND longer lasting.

It's a mystery to me why your insurance company would charge more to cover a slower bike.
That MCN comparo is probably around the internet somewhere in PDF form, but I was unable to find it. Since Kawasaki just gave the Ninja 250R a major update this year, so the 500 will almost certainly be completely changed in '09.

You won't break any hearts in here if you get a GS500. Good luck and let us know how it goes when you get your 500. And let us know if any more questions come up.
Peace!
-CCinC
P.S. The best modification you can make to the 500R is to put on the stock mirrors from an '00-'02 ZX6R / ZX9R. They are both wider (giving you a better rear view) and better looking:

 

ex500 is my first bike. im not too sure abotu the GS500 but everyone tells me the EX500 is better all around then any other 500 out there and i love my 500. A bike isnt fast unless u MAKE IT!!!! A bike isnt difficult to control unless u make it. period.

 

insurance may be more on the gs500 because it looks more like the gxrs, looked at the gs500 but went ninja instead mostly for the liquid cooled motor I feel better knowing that there is some more control to try to get the motor warmed up when cold out and kept cool in the heat. I rode last year between about 38 and over 100 degree temps

 

April 2008 Motor Cyclist magazine had them both in the smart money column. The Ninja 500 was the favorite, the GS500 was an honerable mention.

 

or phased out and replaced by the 650R maybe... but i hope not.

 

Great reply, well thought out and very helpful. Thank you.

One thing i notice on both bikes (Ninja and gs500) is the skinny *** tires...
Whats that do? My scooter has a front tire thats a 15 in but its wider than the back tires on both bikes.I believe i have 120/70 15 in front and 140/70 15 in the back or somethin like that.

Am i going to notice and real difference in traction, handling?
Also how prone to headshake are these bikes? I know i get it in my scoot pretty often, sometimes to the point if i let go of the bars i know itll wipe out.

How about wind protection. How does it compare on the ninja vs the scooter? Obviously its a different riding position, but i wanna know if i am going to feel like im being pushed off the bike at 70+mph.

thanks

 

couldnt tell ya about the wind... id say the best bet is to find someone with a 500 that will let you take it for a little spin.

although i removed my fairing and have no real problem at highway speeds... dont feel like im getting pushed off really.

i havent noticed any head shake either. the only time i did was due to misalignment of the rear wheel... youd never even notice until you took your hands off the bars. once i got that sorted out i can ride with no hands all day long...

as my mom would say "look ma, no brains!" lol

 

here is a nice comparo between the two bikes from 04

http://www.animalnetwork.com/mcn/mod...comparo07a.pdf

 

Ha! Thanks for posting that Drag. That's the MCN article to which I was referring. Here's page two:
http://www.animalnetwork.com/mcn/mod...comparo07b.pdf

If you've ridden your 250 at 75, you know what to expect from the wind. The wind is noisy and takes some getting used to, but I've never ridden a bike that made me feel like it was trying to blow me off, even at 160mph.

Some guys get gym-shower anxiety about their skinny rear tires, but believe me, the 500R's tires are certainly wide enough. I've dragged knee-pucks on either side of the 500R at speed and the traction never felt dodgy.

And narrower tires make a bike feel lighter and livelier. My 9R came stock with a 190 rear tire, and when I got a flat on a road trip and was forced to replace it with a 180--the bike immediately felt like it lost 30 pounds.

IMO, very few riders actually go fast enough to experience headshake. If you want to go fast enough to actually encounter headshake, you should probably buy a 600 supersport.
What you're describing sounds more like cupped tires. The 500 is indeed more prone to that wobble when the tires become unevenly worn. The 600 supersports are less prone to this, but this is because they have more weight on the front wheel, not because they have wider tires.

You won't have any problems with the 500R until you get to the point where you're regularly dragging kneepucks around corners and riding with no hands. (Not necessarily at the same time.)

Good luck.
Peace!
-CCinC