“at the end of the day its a 500 twin,gets you from A to B.I do all my 40 miles a day riding on dual carrageways,it has enough power to keep me out of trouble but I am working it hard,reliablity is good as i would expect from this kind of bike which was the only reason for the purchase in the first place,has'nt let me down yet.It's as comfortable as a twin could be,if you want a smooth bike get a 4 cylinder bike not 2!!”
“Mine is a 2002 model on an 02 plate .Brought a year ago , with just 9500 miles on the clock and 12months MOT for £1200 , so a bargain was had.
With the Tyres being fitted around 9 years previous they were the 1st thing to be replaced and Michelin Pilot street radials transformed the handling , which is very good for a bike designed for commuting , the one fly in the ointment is the forks can make the front end feel vague ,especially if the 2 year service which includes a fork oil change has been neglected as it requires the forks to be removed .
On fast A roads it is great , but will never keep up with the latest generation sports bikes on the back roads but is better than many . I have replaced the original fork springs which are prone to sag with age with the excellent HAGON progressive springs which have tightened up the front end and made the bike feel more stable & predictable in the bends
The comfort is excellent for a naked bike , with 350 trips being possible e in one day , I've done this a number of times with minimal back ache , as the seat is wide ,supportive & comfortable .
The 17 litre tank gives a range of around 160 miles between fill ups and on long motorway runs this can reach 180 . The motor is a little buzzy at higher revs , but with 70 mph being 5600 rpm there is little need to thrash the engine once on the move .
The engine is a gem , requiring little more than regular servicing every 6000 miles to keep going , and being a twin a full service costs only around £150 which is nice .
The paint finish is long lasting and shows little sign of age , only the usual spots such as the swing arm showing any spots of rust , but this is easily remedied and fitting a PYRAMID plastics Hugger prevents this recurrence .
Overall an excellent bike , much underrated and plentiful on the preowned market since the change in the learner laws, so many bike training schools have dumped theirs into the market , so watch out for these 37HP models which are not as viable or reliable as the standard 50HP models .”
“Couldn't be happier with the er5. Great for the every day commute to work and great for a blast through the country in the evenings and weekends. Currently getting it kitted out to go touring in the summer. Highly recommended bike!”
“i love it,it's like two bikes in one keep the revs down and it's very easy going up the revs and it's plenty quick enough good economy and reliability.”
