Ninja 500 Aftermarket Parts?

Actually, quite a few people raced these in years past. If you search the road-race oriented websites and message board, you will find a lot of information.

This website is down right now, but apparently it is the place to go:

http://www.ex500riders.com/

I am just wondering why you didn't just buy a faster bike to begin with and then just ride it. Why buy a new 500R and then try to make it faster? Maybe you have a valid reason.

LMAO! At the end of a 13 hour shift with no breaks and a 10 minute lunch (if that's what midnight is to a night worker) that is the funniest thing I have heard in a long time. Seriously though, don't blow big money on mods, learn to ride it for what it is. . . very well. Good rubber, maybe a jet kit and slip on if you absolutely must. Get a little bling off ebay if you can't help yourself, then upgrade to your next bike in a year or three.



oh, maybe some plastic frame protectors, a repair manual and track days eventually.



have fun

Don't bother with the engine...

The engine isn't the greatest, but it is actually fast enough for the street: just run it at high RPM if you want the Go juice to flow...

If you want to improve it, focus on brakes and suspension.

The front suspension in particular might as well be two pogo-sticks: take it to a real suspension house (eg, aftershocks or evolution suspension in the bay area) and get the forks redone with new springs and ideally cartridge emulators.

Go with a steel brake line (Its cheap on the 500, single disk and all), and consider replacing the pads.

Together this will be the best improvement, and bang/$, you can do to a Ninja 500. Then see about a new rear shock or an adaptor to use a cast-off 600ss rear shock.

Too much to list. Starting serfing on line. Muzzy for the pipe. Step up the carb yourself. Ign advancer still available and loose the air box. It is fast - for a 500. Stock figures just below 50hp - should be able to get close to 60hp and under 400 lbs.

Maybe he was thinking of letting you ride it.

Just get out here to collect on the KPaul/Buell bet. I went cornfield touring without ya.

I had a Ninja EX250... that was a fun bike... Had a Muzzy full exhaust on it & that's it... I didn't see the point in messing with carbs for a few xtra HP... wouldn't have helped anyway...



I can only imagine how much more fun the ex500 might be. I would definitely only do the exhaust, not cause of power gains, but rather weight savings will likely have a bigger impact. Next the suspension upgrades will really help to if you plan on keeping it for a long time, but if the plan is to upgrade, just ride the ***** out of it.



My only gripe is that they didn't put 17x3.5 up front and at least a 17x4.5 in the rear so that premium rubber can be put on the bike... Maybe you can get some wheels off a salvage yard & have a shop put them on the bike if they fit...

Love is in the air, he means cornhole touring.

Well I'm in FL right now touring swamps. I collected the boy from the ex.



I'll be in Charleston in a few weeks. You can fly out and we can tour civil war monuments.

I guess you're the expert on that subject.

a lot of people race 'em now... both the 250 twins and 500 twins class in AFM are huge



it's a fun relatively cheap way to go racing

Nice bike. It was my first bike. Do a search on Ex500. You will find a lot of resources as they were a popular track and club racing bike.



Don't expect to get much more speed out of the thing...Just learn to ride it, and maintain it. Take it a few track days. You'd be surprised, but you may even pass a 600 or two.



Then, when you feel confident, upgrade to a 600 if you really want to scare yourself.

Some reasons why Ninja 500 is a good choice.

Hey if it is this guy's first bike then it's a good choice.. Maybe buying a used one would of been a better choice. However, in the Seattle market used 500s are hard to find... If you read some of the other posts it a great cheap racer as well... It is also cheap to insure and the people I have known that had them loved their Ninja 500s...

Re: Some reasons why Ninja 500 is a good choice.

Never said it was a bad choice. I just asked why he bought a new bike and wants it to be faster right out of the box. If he wanted a faster bike, then just buy a faster one and be done with it instead of messing around making a slow bike a little less slow.

Re: Some reasons why Ninja 500 is a good choice.

I think it's because that's just what we do. I'll bet most liter bike owners start looking for ways to get a few more horsepower out their bikes as soon as they get them home, even though they're already way faster than anyone needs them to be. It's a way of making it yours.

Newsflash: Ninja 500 is fast

I suspect the only reason it feels "slow" to you is you don't know how to ride it yet.

The more time you spend tuning the nut between the handlebars and the seat, the faster that little bike will become.

Rather than spend money on pipes and lighting kits, take some track days, maybe a riding school, and before you know it, you'll be riding around the outside of 600s.

I'm a noob and not lookin 2 kill myself with superbikes yet. I heard ninja 500s are good beginner bikes and I do like it. I'm not trying 2 beat a zx-14, I was just curious about getting a bit more juice out of what I have.

Re: Newsflash: Ninja 500 is fast

It doesn't feel slow. I was just wondering if it is possible to squeeze anything else out of it. I'm a noob/squid and haven't even tried anything stupid or maxing out yet. Just asking for some friendly advice...