Hey everyone, I just wanted to say thanks for all the information I have found on this site. I made the decision from reading many of your suggestions and experiences and want to buy a Ninja 500r. The one I was looking at is a 2003 Ninja 500r with 8000 miles and yoshimura custom slip on. I went to see it and noticed the whole exhaust pipe is rusted all the way up to the slip on exhaust. Is this going to be a big problem when running the bike and with inspections(both the rusted pipe and the slip on)? There is very little damage to one side of the fairing when the bike was dropped and a noticble scuff mark on the gas tank as well. What is a good price to offer for a bike in this condition? And also, please reassure me i'm making the right choice as opposed to a 250r or a faster bike! Thanks a lot for your time!

 

2003 was a great color.
Sounds like this one has had a tough life so far. Not just the crash, but the squid-pipe. Most dummies (excuse me) riders who put an aftermarket pipe on their bike make the mistake of thinking they are clever enough to alter the delicate fuel/air ratios that Mr. Kawasaki has worked so long and hard to perfect.
Rust = neglect.
Crash = abuse.
"Custom" exhaust = even more abuse.
And I'll bet the seller cannot produce the maitenance record or receipts.
Personally, I wouldn't buy it. If your money's burning a hole in your pocket, I'd go no higher than $1900.
The 250 and larger bikes are nice too. Try before you buy.
-CCinC

 

Hey thanks a lot for your post first of all. And i agree with you, im very careful with my products and a bike would be treated very highly. It seems like this one was bought from a dealer and then pipe was put on for about a season. The rust may have come from what looked like a leaky shed. It looks like he used it for one season and upgraded to a 600 thereafter. He wants 2000 for it which i think is reasonable checking with KBB and talkig to people. I think a little TLC will go far and should be far. I checked with the manufacturer and rejetting is not required with the yoshi pipe so that shouldn't be a problem. I'll have a mechanic take a look at it and see if theres any further problems. Are there any specifics you would know to check? I am only considering this bike becasue of price and value as the other 500's on sale are very highly priced and probably the same condition. The ninja's are hard to come by around here. I just want a decent starter to learn with, do you think this is the bike for me? Thanks for all the help!