Just picked up a 07 Ninja 500/EX500

So I just bought a 07 Ninja 500/EX500 with 5200 km for $2100.  It is going to be the first bike for the wife and son.

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Everything seems pretty solid on it with the exception of some fairing damage around the mirrors.  

Seems like a solid little bike, comfy seats and rides really well.  Enough power to pull away on the highway, but not enough to wrap yourself around a telephone pole with your first mistake.

Anybody else start off on one?

I started on a Kawi 500 Ltd.  Basically the same parallel twin engine, but in a standard/cruiser type bike.  Was a great starter bike for me.

My wife started out on the same bike, it served her well until she upgraded to a pearl white 6th gen. The only complaint was the vibration in the bars, her hands would go numb after a few hours. I also installed longer mirrors to get a view of something other than your shoulders.

Those are good ones. There is A pretty big aftermarket for them too. I remember it being fairly quick for a 500 twin.

Not a bad starter bike at all if you don't mind a motorcycle that sounds like a lawnmower.

Rollin

I had a 92 as a first bike... put 20,000km on in the first year when I was 16 :) It was the perfect starter bike I would say

I bought a Ninja for my very short wife so she could move up to a 500 but she didn't like the seating position even after I put Speigler bars on it.  Now she has the Vulcan 500 LTD and loves it.  Same engine (as 2thdr said) just in a cruiser form.

I enjoyed driving the Ninja around and almost decided to keep it for a track bike but sold it and her 250 so I could pay off some student loans.  Easy to maintain and pretty bullet proof, has a center stand, peppy enough for fun, great gas mileage, and easy to drive.  I think they make great first bikes.  Your family should enjoy it unless they are vertically challenged and like sitting up right.

Go to http://www.ex-500.com to get the common mods taken care of and lots of great advice.

Oh...and for the buzzy handles just get some heavier bar ends.  Worked like a charm for me.  An the EX650 mirrors bolt right on to get much better visibility.

I had a 1996 that I bought for $2200, put on about 15,000km's, sold for $2500.

Very nimble and easy to ride but always trying to keep the carbs in sync and the power output became very buzzy very quickly if they weren't.

Fun doing a wheel alignment with my laser level as the markings on the swingarm are applied by orks with a broadaxe and as such, merely a starting point.

Every morning on the way to work, the carbs would ice up as there was no form of carb heat on mine.  This would especially happen at about 5Deg C if I remember correctly.  I think some models came with either coolant heated or electric heated carbs.  

For 65 hp, it goes quite nicely.

Great starter bike.

I would have been VERY happy to learn on that motorcycle.  Nice choice!  Trouble is, your wife and your son will be fighting each other to ride it!

Yeah, so far, the boy is still beaming that he has a bike to ride.  The wifey seems pretty indifferent so far.  Now, i just have to get them both into a bike course