Hi,

Irecently purchased a 500R and have been using it to do a4 hour freeway commute each weekend (Fri, 2 hours, Sun 2hours). I'm putting about 1000 miles on the bike a month including local commutes.

My question is, I usually run the bike at 75 to 80 mph on the freeway consistently (on California freeways, you've got to keep moving) and the engine is running at 6000-6500 rpm during this time.

Talking witha friend of mine, he claims that I need a bigger bike to be doing this kind of riding long term. Hesays that running this size engine at 6500 rpms consistently will shorten it's life.

I know the 500r engine has a reputation for being bullet-proof but am I straining the engine? I'm half thinking of getting a bigger bike for the freeways and keeping the 500r for local commutes. The thing is, I love this bike and want to keep it for years. Am I insuring the early demise of this great little bike? Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

I salute your excellent taste. I’ve had several larger bikes, but really love this 500 too. Riding on the freeway at sustained, moderate rpm (anything under 7,000 is moderate for this bike) induces a lot less wear on the engine than riding at lower rpm from stop-light to stop-light. As long as you keep fresh oil in her and aren’t consistently accelerating hard at every green light, the bike will probably outlast you. I haven’t been able to wear one out yet, and the only ones I’ve ever heard of being worn out were trackbikes (which were naturally red-lined and abused.) High-RPM does not necessarily equal high-wear. I had a Honda Superhawk VTR1000F, which was a big V-twin that would lope along at about 4,000rpm at 75-80mph, but the bike was worn-out after only 47,000 miles. Higher-rpm DOES equal higher-oil pressure to prevent any wear. And 6500 rpm for several hours is certainly reasonable as long as you’re traveling at freeway speeds and the radiator is getting plenty of cooling air. I disagree with your friend, but even if he’s right, the money you will have saved in fuel costs by the time your 500 is worn out will make a fat down-payment on a new bike. (And getting replacement parts & engines on Ebay for this bike is a good deal easier than just about any other (larger) bike available.) Good luck and ride safely. Peace! -Chris in Carlsbad, CA

 

If you are concerned, you can change the spocket(s) to lower the RPMs for a given highway speed.
PQ

 

The use of anything shortens its life (not to sound cynical) as with use comes wear. Those RPMs are half of the redline. If it was detrimental to the life of the engine to run at that speed maybe Kawasaki should've set the redline at 6krpm. Your bike gives more than enough power for daily commuting. I believe as long as you keep proper maintenance of the bike, it will perform as it is designed to. You are already saving a bunch by commuting with a bike rather than a car.

You do realize that if you get a bigger bike the mileage will go down and a higher insurance premium will likely follow.

A greater concern would be the development of a flat spot on the tires since you are mainly riding highway.

 

I've been putting about 1,250 miles a month on my bike between commuting and long distance stuff, and really, even at 1250 a month, it's still going to take 3 and a third years driving at this constant pace to get the bike to 50k miles, which by no means is a death sentence. I know a guy who's Ninja zx6r track bike is into the 80-90k realm... with no major rebuilds. I agree with what everybody before has more or less concluded, you'll naturally wear the bike down, just like a car... and considering the meager price tag (5k new), plus, your monthly commute of 1k miles, at about 50 MPG, that's only 20 gallons of gas in a month..... my f++king car takes down 15 gallons a WEEK when I drive it regularly, and the maintenance on the car is $500 this, $800 that, the bike's scheduled maintenances are like $250 a pop, some more, some less, every couple thousand miles. Not to mention a fairly lightweight insurance. A bike is a great chance to save for something else... a car ties you down and robs you blind, and even when you've spent yourself dry, some new problem pops up!

If you want it to last, just follow your M.O.M., lube and clean the chain every 400 to 500 miles, check chain slack, check oil level and cleanliness, treadwear, and tire pressure at least once a week.

If you're really worried about beating the tar out of your bike, then maybe you should get another one, either to replace the 500, or a beater, just one that cost you a grand, and you can toss after a few years use, gets fair MPG, and commutes well, like an older cruiser or something, a virago, or LTD, An old GS, or whatever.