I currently ride the Kawi 500 EX. Prior to purchasing my bike (only owned it for a couple of months) I did quite a bit of research. I was torn between either getting the 500, the Ninja 650 or possibly an SV 650. In the end, I ended up getting a 2003 EX 500. My reasoning was that I would rather have a smaller bike that I definitely could handle. My plan was to ride the ex 500 for 2-3 months and then upgrade to the 650r. Since I bought a 2003, most of the depreciation has already occurred and I figured I will be able to recoup most of my initial investment. Anyway, I have modified my plans slightly. I think I will be keeping the 500 for at least 1 or 2 years..instead of months. I ride 70 miles a day to and from work. I ride in all kinds of conditions including highway travel. The bike has no problem going highway speeds of 70 – 80 mph (never attempted to go faster than that – but I am sure it would hit 100+) The bike is extremely easy to ride and is very forgiving. My recommendation is to start with the 500 and then upgrade to the 650. My guess is that you will be pleasantly surprised at the amount of power available in the 500. Oh – and DO NOT BELIEVE THE SALES PERSON AT THE DEALERSHIP…they will always try to sell you a bigger bike as the markups are a lot higher….just today, I was in a dealership and acted like I was interested in a new motorcycle….I told him that I was interested in a 650r or SV 650…the guy actually tried to steer me towards a Busa (for those that don’t know…that would be like strapping a car engine on two wheels…the bike tops out at 185!) Anyway, I laughed at the guy and told him that I know my limits and that bike would be too much for me to handle (I even told him that I was a fairly new rider). The guy told me that if “you are going to be a bear…be a grizzly” I replied with “I would rather be an alive teddy bear than a dead grizzly!
