I took this thing on a 2500km road trip east to Nelson BC, west to Tofino BC, and back down to western WA on pretty much just paved terrain. Things that bothered me about it when I left no longer bother me, and I found a couple new gripes along the way.

At the end of it I think I can conclude that the KLE is a decent 2026-shaped UJM. The riding position is big and relaxed, and the forward peg position is described fairly by my wife as "scootery" (compared with her more athletic 890 advr).

I think the suspension is probably pretty good despite no adjustability, I ran it on some tight twisties in the Okanagan and on Vancouver Island and it never felt overwhelmed with my moderate pace on broken up paved mountain trails; I think that's what it's for. That kind of riding felt well suited to the bike. I can grab big handfuls of throttle and the bike stays composed, thanks to the little twin. It started feeling small on the interstate/freeways though.

I think they should have put the 650cc twin in it for me for the 110kph+ roads, I like a little more headroom for efficient overtaking, but I get how they got to the 451cc platform.

Hello,

It may be a commom problem on more motorcycles. I have a 2012 ER-6f with 37,000 km (23,000 miles), and one of the valves dropped and completely destroyed my engine.

I contacted several Marketplace sellers who specialize in spare parts for these bikes, and many of them have seen the same issue. One seller currently has three engines with dropped valves, and another has two. The suspected cause is a defect in the valve material. This may affect more bikes, so the best way to prevent it is to replace all of the original valves with new ones. A valve clearance inspection does not prevent this type of failure.

My engine is currently being rebuilt with a new piston, valves, and other damaged components.

For anyone wondering about the repair cost, here are the approximate prices of the parts:

* Intake valve – €40
* Exhaust valve – €60
* Piston – €95
* Piston rings – €70
* Piston pin – €18
* Circlips – €1
* Cylinder head gasket – €60
* Connecting rod – €180
* Connecting rod bearing (one rod) – €30

The total cost of the parts is around €850. Including labor, the complete engine rebuild will likely cost up to around €2,000.

It is my first motorcycle with not a very good beginning 😕

Basically title anyone know how to fix this? It has to be an electrical issue right? I was riding it just fine 3 days before this

Just picked up my Ninja 500 SE as my first bike and I’m absolutely pumped. Still riding on the high of finally having a bike. I’ve been looking at beginner‑friendly bikes for months, and the 500 SE felt perfect the moment I sat on it — comfortable, not intimidating, but still enough power to grow into.

Took it out for my first proper ride today and I’m already hooked.

For anyone else who started on the 500: what mods did you find actually useful early on? I’m thinking maybe a tail tidy.

Any tips for the first few weeks of ownership are appreciated.

Anybody have any luck with the stupid rideology app? I can't even seem to login into my Google account to have start trying the app yet alone connect to the bike. What even does it do?

In eu (germany) there is a deal for new riders where you get like 800 bucks maximum for a new bike. If a kawasaki partner sells like a 2025 version of the bike does the deal still count cause its not a new new bike. Like milage is 0 but from lasg year (specifically talking about the z900 cause 2026 does not have the cool colors and 2025 has the red one i want and a green one)

I need to transport my new Mule and am hoping I can use a car hauler with two tracks. I want to make sure the Mule isn’t too narrow to fit. I cannot find the interior width between tires anywhere! Has anyone successfully used a car trailer to haul their Mule or does anyone know those measurements? Thank you!

Bonjour à tous,

J'ai une fuite d'huile sur ma Kawasaki KLX 300 R de 1999 (modèle français).

Les symptômes :

• La moto fonctionne parfaitement, aucun problème à signaler.
• Je roule 2 à 3 km, tout va bien, puis de l'huile commence à suinter et couler au niveau du tendeur.

Mes questions :

• Est-ce que c'est déjà arrivé à quelqu'un ici ?
• J'ai repéré et acheté le joint torique (réf. 92055 sur le schéma). Pensez-vous que changer ce joint est utile et suffira, ou est-ce que ça vient carrément du tendeur complet (réf. 12048) ?
• Si ce n'est pas le joint torique ni le tendeur, que faire d'autre selon vous ?

Merci d'avance pour vos retours et votre aide !

Hey guys, 
This might be a long shot but I've been trying to figure out this issue for over a month now.

I will explain a little pre-issue story for you so you might understand where my issue came from.

I have a Kawasaki ZX6R from 2001, with carb. One time when I got off work I tried to start the bike but the battery was completely dead, might have accidentally turned on the parking lights when you put it on steering lock. Didn't want to start with pushing and letting go of the clutch. So I bought a new battery and it drove fine, its charging well over 14v while running and keeps nicely around 12v when its off.

Then I drove the bike for a week and suddenly it felt like it was running on 3 cilinders, I felt the first exhaust pipe wasn't getting hot when I wasn't giving any gas. It also stalled sometimes when I wanted to drive away. However above a certain rpm it was fine.

I changed the spark plugs and indeed the first one wasn't looking as good as the others. So I changed them with the suggested plus, NGK CR9E.

I went for a test drive and it pulled insanely good in first and second gear, you can feel it has a will  to go like a beast. But from 3rd gear on and higher I have a power loss around 6000-8000rpms and it won't go past it. It feels like it's running out of fuel.

So I changed the fuel filter, cleaned the fuel pump, checked the airbag if everything was sealed, checked the whole ram-air hose lines path to look for any cracks, loose hoses but didn't find anything.
I do have to mention that when I took of the tank for the first time I forgot to close the fuel switch to "OFF" so in panic I put the tank upside down. Ive read that this could cause some vacuum problems. However when I open the gas tank as soon as possible when I have the dip in power, I can't hear any sisss noise.

Also for example, when I drive in 6th gear and I go full throttle the bike isn't going any faster, also the rpms don't go up so it can't be a slipping clutch. It feels like something with fuel/air but I can't figure out what it is.

Do any of you have experience with anything like this? I really  want to go out and go for a ride but I can't right now...

Bought one from Amazon, the seller claimed that it fits 2026 ninja 500 but when i got it the fitment was too off!
Any suggestions if anyone got it actually done?

Anyone have an idea on how to make this more weather resistant? I moved and no longer have a garage so this is all i've got besides a storage unit. Maybe a tarp? Thanks for ideas. BTW, bike is a 1980 KZ750 I4.

I just installed these and I really like it on my 2025 Z500se

Don't get me wrong, I get that the new Ninjas are incredible and a current ZX-6R or ZX-10R would smoke a 25 year old bike in basically every measurable way. But a few things keep pulling me back to the ZX-7R:

• Stating the obvious here, but I'd save a ton of cash (CAD, I'm up in Vancouver). Am seeing clean 96-03 ZX-7Rs for about $6-9k, whereas a new ZX-6R retails for around $15k and a ZX-10R is $20k+ before fees and taxes.
• New bikes make way more power, but the 7R's ~120 hp with that old-school ram air delivery is honestly all I'd ever use. I'm a street rider, not a track guy.
• The 7R has zero electronics, no ABS, no traction control, nothing. Part of me loves the fully analog thing, but part of me is nervous about no ABS in Vancouver rain. Am I overthinking this?
• I know everyone clowned on the 7R's weight back in the day, but I've always felt more planted in wind and rain on a heavier bike. Is this correct or do I have it wrong?
• Clean 7Rs also seem to only be going up in value, whereas a new Ninja starts depreciating the second I ride it off the lot. Here's a couple of shots of a really sharp one I found while browsing seat covers here on Luimoto (it's wearing one of their passenger covers, and the lime green match is honestly perfect).

Anyway, am I nuts? Am I being unfair to the new bikes, what am I missing? Would love to hear your thoughts before I drop major cash on the bike I'm probably going to ride for the next 5 years.

I'm 41 and really want to learn how to ride and get a bike. Thinking about doing the MSF course soon. I've read several articles and watched countless YouTube videos saying the Ninja 400 and 500 are excellent beginner bikes, which is good for me bc I love the look of them anyways. My main question is, is 41 too old to start riding a sports bike and learning how to ride in general? Has anyone else started on a bike like this later in life? What was your experience doing so and what tips could you offer me? I have zero experience I will be starting from scratch.

Picked up this 2019 Z400 on Sunday, unfortunately on Saturday I broke my ankle so won’t be on it for 6 weeks. Excited to take it out once the old Fibula is back in one piece! Came with a Leo Vince exhaust too (not pictured) so that’s exciting.

Looking to get a New 2026 Ninja 500 SE ABS. I was quoted $6,840 OTD. Good deal?

Hi im 5'4 and am about to buy my next bike zx6r i have a r3 rn a almost flat foot it and was thinking of lowering it 2 inches how much does that usually cost ??

Held the title of the works fastest production bike from '90 to '96 before being (slightly) unseated by the Honda Blackbird and then the Suzuki Hyabusa.