ER5 anyone still running one?

[ocatoro]

what are they like?

I had one in 2013 if I remember right, and I remember loving it. I used it every day for a year or so no matter the weather or distance.

I also remember it being fast enough, and handling ok, it had upgraded rear shocks on when I bought it and a more aggressive riding position than standard.

but is this because it was one of my first bikes? do I have rose tinted specs or are they decent enough?

Saw a mint one in Brixham yesterday so just was thinking about them. looked online and apparently there's only about 300 left in the UK.
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CBT - 17/09/12 * Theory - 23/10/12 * Mod1 - 05/03/13 * Mod2 - 25/03/13 * BOSH!
Current - None but shed project H100 (first bike )
Past - ER5, '93 ZZR600, '92 CB400 SF, ZZR600 (again), yellow Monster 620, Blackbird - black Monster 620ie - '96 ZZR600

[kawakid]

I had one for a couple of years back in 2004/05, I bought it off Instigator an old forum member.

I really enjoyed it, it was a commute, it did have rear drum brakes and a single pot at the front.

It was also restricted to 33bhp (old bike test system), but I loved it.

I used to take it over the tops on the moors at lunchtime and I liked the way I really had to work it.

I replaced it with an ER6 from new, which I am still commuting on and will keep it until it goes.
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I've a twin and a 4.

[Bhud]

I had one too, a long time ago. I used to use it for commuting and leisure rides. I never maintained that thing properly but I did my best with the knowledge I had at the time (which wasn't much).

I think you might be wearing rose-tinted specs... Don't get one.
Three rides on the ER5 (unrestricted) stick out in my mind. The first, when I had just bought it. The second, a country ride when I was angry, on a very windy autumnal day with mixed weather. The third, when I topped 100mph, slowed down and stopped for a roundabout, turned into a side road and the bike died 30m down it. That was it for that bike.

Issues:
1) Poor build quality. I remember the battle against rust. As a commuter bike, that was its serious weakness. Poor paintwork and everything corroding everywhere.
2) Questionable design features, e.g. primary drive chain instead of primary drive gear, flimsy water pump, etc. all suggesting these bikes were built like Bic lighters (disposable) not Zippos (maintainable forever).
3) Built down to a price. The highest quality thing on the whole bike seemed to be the chrome instrument set (speedo, rev counter, idiot lights). Things like the tank and the levers seemed short on metal - too thin and light. This compromised the sort of experience the bike gave when it was ridden.
4) Boring to ride. You can't really improve the sound with an aftermarket exhaust system (I tried) - you will just make it much louder. A new set of bars is an improvement, but you'll get bored all over again. I seem to remember it would pick up with gusto up to about 30mph and then its acceleration would run out of steam as it screamed and laboured up to about 90, when it just felt slightly uncomfortable. Lacked a certain muscularity.
5) Owners (most but not all) are typically vehicle users rather than leisure enthusiasts, and busy people who are often bothered and tired, and the design of the bike discourages necessary maintenance items by being cumbersome and awkward, so the bikes are probably complete dogs by now. Rubbers might be rock-hard and prone to crack, the valves might be well overdue a service, the water cooling system could be filled with crud, etc.

On the plus side:
1) It's a good-looking design.
2) Corners and handles better than any unsuspecting sportsbike rider would expect.

[mentalboy]

[.Chris.]

I was surprised at that 300 on the road figure, but I'm not sure it's accurate. Presumably you got it from howmanyleft, as the figure for 'ER500 C5P'? If you look at the breakdown of that number, it would appear that none were licenced until 2004, which cannot be right as the ER-5 was launched in something like 1997. My guess is that the earlier ones have some obscure model code on the logbook, or simply don't have a model recorded - not uncommon on old vehicles.

They are quite a nice looking bike imo, in a classical sort of way. Certainly much nicer than the ER-6. They do sound fairly horrid though - for some reason that GPZ500 motor always makes a particularly unpleasant noise when wound up.

In their favour, these days they're one of the few 'big' bikes that you can still just about pick up for a few hundred quid in working order.
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Chris
1985 Kawasaki Z550F

[.Chris.]

Sure enough if you search for 'ER500' on howmanyleft, it brings up a total of 1970 on the road last year.
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Chris
1985 Kawasaki Z550F

[ThunderGuts]

I like my 2006 ER5. It’s a simple bike but enjoyable to ride, actually fairly easy to work on and returns nearly 60mpg. It’s hardly a sportsbike but as long as you operate it with reasonable expectations it’s a fine machine. Sound....awful below 3.5k but around the 5-7k range I actually like the growl it has.
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TG.

[Ebbs73]

I still have one and run it for all my Dirty long haul tours , I find it comfy , I can carry a lot and sit on it all day .

It's heavy , slow , handles ok ish but for what I want it's wonderful , I paid £650 4 years ago and I'm now having my first issue with the R/R , not bad after 3 elephant , dragon rally , wales , Scotland tour and the Stella alpina rally in Italy .

It's not my main fun bike , I have a duc 848 and zx6r so when I want to have fun I use those .

I'd definitely buy another .


If you do know about the R/R , you could assist , I posted in the workshop

Cheers

[ocatoro]

Cheers for the input dudes...

I doubt I'll be buying one anyway. Running the monster I do sort of miss a fairing a bit. Next bike will be faired again. Not sure what yet.

The one I saw was just blue, parked up by the toilets on the harbour.

Sorry don't know about R/R... Mine had a new one not long before I bought it. Only issue I had was the diaphragm in the automatic fuel tap failed flooding the engine. So I fitted a proper tap off a zx6
____________________
CBT - 17/09/12 * Theory - 23/10/12 * Mod1 - 05/03/13 * Mod2 - 25/03/13 * BOSH!
Current - None but shed project H100 (first bike )
Past - ER5, '93 ZZR600, '92 CB400 SF, ZZR600 (again), yellow Monster 620, Blackbird - black Monster 620ie - '96 ZZR600

[ThunderGuts]

Yeah I had to rebuild the fuel tap with new seals on mine. Oddly for a naked bike I find it quite tolerable at speed; the airflow seems very smooth and partly deflected, maybe it's the shape of the clocks or something. Compared to the Street Twin it's serene on the motorway.

I sometimes toy with a nicer "all purpose" bike, but the ER5 still does everything I want it to. Be nicer with better brakes, particularly the increasingly oval rear drum, but it's still basic and enjoyable biking.
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TG.

[stinkwheel]

I never understood why anyone would have one at all when they could have had a GPZ500s for roughly the same money. 20%-ish more horsepower. Roughly 200% more fun.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[andy_uk]

We've got a couple.
I have an ageing R reg with 64k on the clock and the wife has a sprightly 54 reg with about 43K on it.
We're more than happy with them...not a bike thief magnet, great on little twisty back roads (which is mainly what we ride).
Easy to work on and cheap to run.
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Aprilia Classic 125, GS500E, ER5-A1, ER5-C4, ER6 & an XJ6 project frame...

[Bhud]

[stinkwheel]

[LustyLew]

My ER5 certainly isn't on the road any more. Throwing it up the road just off the A2 on the junction for Bluewater soon saw the end of it!

Was OK for s first bike, don't think I'd want another. That rear drum brake was shit in the wet.

[andy_uk]

[Polarbear]