Kawasaki GPZ500S (1987-2004)

I have been on the geep now for a year. I convinced myself I needed something faster/sleeker/more fashionable but to be honest, if you spend £1500 on a GPZ you will get a bike that will keep up with the majority of 600/650s on the road, costs pennies to run, and will last until it falls apart in many years time. Compare that to your more modern sports bike which will comprehensively outclass it, but will melt the first time you get it wet! The bike is 120mph fast, but you can still redline it around town if that's your thing without getting nicked. Dirt cheap insurance. 70MPG if you take it steady. 5-7000 rpm will see you 200 miles to a tank and will still get you to 85mph fairly briskly...give it a handful and the bike will reach 100mph in a few seconds. Watch your tyre tread and head bearings for tightness/wear (not too serious) and the handling will stay true right up to the top speed. To be honest, this bike is frowned upon by the power-ranger-suit brigade, but if you actually ride all year round, not just pose at the weekend, you cannot go wrong. Plus, I actually like the retro styling...there are few bikes on the market that have a 25 year production run and are still being sold now pretty much unchanged...there must be something right there!

I have owned a 1998 model for 3 years and I have loved it. I think it looks pretty good compared to other 500s and bloody hell does it have a kick once you reach 6000rpm. I have managed to get it to reach 110mph (private road obviously) and its 30mph-50mph around town acceleration is brilliant. I cut my riding teeth chucking this bike around london rush hour traffic and I must say it is faultless. Nimble and quick. Plenty of bungee hooks and an ample pillion seat make it suitable for short range touring and commuting. The fairing works well at speed so motorways are no problem. You can pick them up pretty cheap and spare parts, including OEM, are easy to come by. They need looking after if you want to keep them looking smart though, and over the three years I have forked out quite a lot of money getting it through MOTs. (age related issues though such as bearing replacements). The engine is solid and although sounds like a bag of nails at idle speed, picks up to a satisfying howl once you get it going. To conclude, as a first 'big bike' or for someone looking for a cheap commuter and general traffic beater, you can't go wrong with a GPZ500S. Looks good, goes fast and is very very versatile.

tis a great bike but watch out for the electrics blowing on them mines a 1993 model and all the electrics are blowing one after the other (luckily its under warranty :))

My early bike is a bit twitchy, due to the 16" front wheel, but once you're used to it, its fine. I've owned it for nearly three years and had no problems apart from replacing a rusty exhaust. Rides well, starts easy. The gpz500 is big enough to be interesting, yet small enough to be convenient. After years of too-ing and fro-ing between big capacity bikes and tiddlers I have settled with this bike as it covers all the bases. Economy is good and parts cheap. It's easy to work on and easy to fix if anything goes wrong. I have no complaints about this bike.

Great bike to ride, really easy to control and cheap to maintain.

only just got my 500s, finding it very easy to ride, can chuck it into corners and the extra 7000rpm boost feels really nice, im 28 and just passed my test but insurance came out at £200, well impressed so far, would recomend for a first big bike

Had mine for 5 years ( 30,000 miles )now and absolutely love it. The ride and handling won't thrill you, its bog basic and the build quality is average. What it has in spades is character, reliability & versility. It's pitifully cheap to run and, for me at least, has proved to be the best everyday communter bike that money could buy. Keep meaning to change to a newer model but when it comes to it I can't bear to part with her. What can I say. Love is!!!

i had the last model before face lift, just like the blue/white/pink one above with a nexus system. It was a nice step up from my gpx250 and handled exactly the same, i used to keep up with everything other than in a straight line, although, give it a hand full and didnt half go for a twin. I thought the engine was indestructable but i was going down the motorway, lost most oil and that was that, the bike had only done 31k miles and a full srvice history and i'd stayed on top of them while i had bike as i clocked up 8000 miles in 10 months. the 16 inch wheels meant handled well but tyres were a pain to get and the drum brake at rear although worked, had no feel and was nothing like discs i had been used to. definately one of the best looking and fastest 500s money can buy. If you want you want a economical commuter for fun aswell it really is good, i covered 300 miles in a day and no pain at all it is very comfortable. i'd recommend go for the the newer models tho as got 17 inch wheel and discs front and rear.

Ive got one of these. If anyone was ever thinking of getting into biking and looking for their first "big bike" this IS IT. Dont be a fool and read too magazines telling you to jump on a 600 Ninja, get yourself the most powerful 500, the GPZ and trust me you wont get bored of it for a long time. When you do however, you will be much the better rider for it. A bike that can do 0-60 in under four seconds is never slow though, no matter if there is faster bikes out there. If you like racing cars pretty much any car on the cheap side of 80 grand is gonna be in your rear view mirror below 100 mph. One thing I would say though I didnt like is the seat. Im a big guy with a big bum and I find the riding position and general seat lay out ok, but I find the seat a bit narrow so had it padded out with more foam. Problem sorted

I've had the bike a couple of weeks now and I think it's great. I am a short arsed bloke and the bike's size and geometry is perfect. It's suprisingly quick as stated above, especially when you hit 7000rpm. The handling is better than any bike I've ever ridden, so much so that you can take corners fast and get back on the gas earlier than some other bikes. I like speed as much as the next rider, however the GPZ feels fast and that is what matters to me, in that respect it reminds me of a mini cooper. Also they are v cheap to buy & insure, got a 6 year old model for under a grand.