3. Kawasaki Ex500

3. KAWASAKI EX500

HANG IN THERE, BABY

TRUTH BE TOLD. WE FEEL BAD about ranking the EX500 third. A long-time favorite of the Cycle World staff, it's been voted the Best Under-500cc Streetbike four times in our annual Ten Best voting. But its loss of that title to the Suzuki Bandit last year was a precursor to the results of this comparison.

Introduced in 1987, the EX has had a long and, for Kawasaki, prosperous life. A perennial bestseller, the EX continues to make a good account of itself in a broad range of uses—as a commuter, a one-up sporttourer, a sportbike, even a club roadracer. That it does so is a measure of Kawasaki’s devotion to this model. That it does so virtually without change is a measure of how good a bike it was from the very beginning.

Powered by an enlarged version of the liquid-cooled, dohc, eight-valve parallel-Twin that originally appeared in the 454 LTD Cruiser—and which is, essentially, half of an old Ninja 900 motor—the EX is right in the running with the other bikes in this class. In fact, during our quartermile testing, the Seca II, the EX and the Bandit turned 13.07-, 13.09-and 13.10-second ETs, respectively, each with a terminal speed within tenths of 100 mph. It doesn’t get much closer than that. And old or not, the EX topped our top-speed testing, with 1 17 mph showing on the radar gun as it blasted past.

The EX’s motor is a bit rough-running at slow speeds, doing a fair impersonation of an air compressor. But it smoothes out at speed, and—with the exception of the Bandit’s engine at high-rpm—is the quickest-revving motor here. Though the Seca, with its displacement advantage, is the most powerful at all rpm, the EX is able to match it at the bottom end, and actually feels stronger thanks to the torquey power pulses of its twin-cylinder engine. The EX has lots of grunt right off of idle, and it intensifies once the tach needle swings past 6500 rpm, continuing to pull hard all the way to its peak at 9000. It's a great motor.

Sadly, we can't say the same thing about the EX’s chassis. Although it’s perfectly capable in day-to-day riding, it doesn’t quite measure up as a sportbike. When the EX was introduced, 16-inch wheels were cuttingedge technology, but today they impart the EX with an old-fashioned feel. True, the 16-inch front wheel gives the bike light steering, but compared to today’s fashionably wide, 1 7-inch hoops, the 16 feels less trustworthy. That, combined with the EX's relatively high center of gravity, gives the EX a tendency to fall into corners. And the narrow, high-profile front tire—a 100/90-16 Bridgestone Exedra—makes the front end feel vague during hard riding. Grabbing the brakes mid-corner requires a delicate touch and a keen sense of traction. Those brakes, incidentally— a single front disc and rear drum—are good, but not great.

Contributing to the front end’s problems is the spindly fork, which flexes during hard cornering or braking, and especially during quick, sideto-side transitions.

These complaints, however, should not dissuade you from purchasing the EX; they should only alert you to its peculiarities. Because once you've adapted to the EX and learned to ride it smoothly, you'll probably be able to go as fast on it as anything in this foursome. Light weight—403 pounds dry—means that it’s easy to flick from side to side, and combined with plentiful cornering clearance, makes the EX extremely quick through corners. And its upright riding position is comfortable for all but the tallest riders, its small fairing highly protective.

At $3549, the EX remains an excellent buy. If Kawasaki were to give it a makeover—a beefier fork, wider, 17-inch wheels and better brakes— yet still keep the price below $4000, it would be even better, perhaps the best in the class. Until then, the EX remains a capable, likable, affordable also-ran.

Kawasaki

EX500

$3549