EX500
A FAVORITE GETS A MAKEOVER
THOUGH KAWASAKI’S ENGINEERS CLEARLY SPENT A good deal of time designing and developing the ZX-9, they also had the time and budget to do a fairly thorough makeover on a bike that is one of motorcycling’s long-time favorites-the EX500, which enters 1994 in a completely revised set of clothes, rolling on bigger, better wheels and tires, and stopped by better brakes.
The very attractive new bodywork is led by a droopsnoot half-fairing with very aggressive handlebar cutouts and a taller windscreen than used last year. The headlight and handlebar switchgear are the same used on the ZX-6, mirrors, taillight and turn signals are the same used on the ZX-7, and the instrument panel is completely upgraded.
Fork-tube diameter is 37mm-up from 36mm last year-and the swingarm is a new design, though the shock is the same as used last year. Front brake is composed of a single 11-inch caliper-mounted on the right this year for more efficient brake-line routing, Kawasaki says-and is gripped by a floating caliper with two differentially sized pistons. The rear brake is upgraded from the previous drum to a 9-inch disc. Last year’s 16-inch wheels are gone, replaced by 17-inchers that wear 110/70 front and 130/70 rear radial tires. The rest of the bike’s chassis dimensions were unavailable at presstime. Look for them to be very little changed from last year’s bike.
The EX’s liquid-cooled, eight-valve, dohc, inline-Twin is essentially unchanged-unless you want to count a digital ignition system in place of the previous analog system. Also, the silencer now gets chrome plating to complete the new look for one of motorcycling’s favorite all-around machines.
