Ninja 400-500, and CBR400-500 name? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Ninja 400-500, and CBR400-500 name?

A

Alderson

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Hey guys,
I'm searching autotrader for my first bike and I'm looking at getting a 400-500CC bike, but I'm not sure of the name that I'm suppose to be looking for.

I'd like to hopefully get a Ninja or CBR, but am open to other options, just as long as it's the sport model, and not touring/duel, ect.

I'm looking for the standard edition of those two bikes, not the RR versions.

Help would be appreciated, thanks!
 
I've ridden the Ninja 400 and have the CB500F (coincidentally for sale! - check for the for sale thread) and the 400 is plenty of bike for a beginner. Don't think there's much power difference in the 2, and the seating position is fairly similar. Personally I prefer the 500 as it just fits me better, but my buddy loves his 400R and he's had it for ages.

Both bikes are good starter/upgrade bikes, and they're both good on fuel, insurance, and are forgiving of errors.

Good luck!
 
mimico_polak said:
I've ridden the Ninja 400 and have the CB500F (coincidentally for sale! - check for the for sale thread) and the 400 is plenty of bike for a beginner. Don't think there's much power difference in the 2, and the seating position is fairly similar. Personally I prefer the 500 as it just fits me better, but my buddy loves his 400R and he's had it for ages.

Both bikes are good starter/upgrade bikes, and they're both good on fuel, insurance, and are forgiving of errors.

Good luck!
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Is that the Ninja 400R? I can't seem to find an option for just the 400 version of the ninja.
 
The Kawasaki ninja came in a 400 or 500cc variant in different years.
The Honda cb500r is newer as far a design goes and comes in a naked version the cb500f.
KTM rc390 is only 10cc smaller and arguably more sporty than others listed.

My advise if it's your first bike would be to find a couple at dealers and go sit on them even if they are new and you have no intentions of buying them instead of a used one or go to a show where you can sit on them and look in person to see which you prefer. performance differences will be negligible it really is about what turns your crank for an entry level bike. search around and see what you find.
 
vroombikes said:
The Kawasaki ninja came in a 400 or 500cc variant in different years.
The Honda cb500r is newer as far a design goes and comes in a naked version the cb500f.
KTM rc390 is only 10cc smaller and arguably more sporty than others listed.

My advise if it's your first bike would be to find a couple at dealers and go sit on them even if they are new and you have no intentions of buying them instead of a used one or go to a show where you can sit on them and look in person to see which you prefer. performance differences will be negligible it really is about what turns your crank for an entry level bike. search around and see what you find.
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I love the look of the KTM, but I'm 6'4'', so I feel like that bike would be a bit too small for me, based on how it looks in the google images.
 
Alderson said:
I love the look of the KTM, but I'm 6'4'', so I feel like that bike would be a bit too small for me, based on how it looks in the google images.
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yeah Possibly, i am around 6ft and sat on an acquaintances rc390 track bike and didn't feel cramped but you've got 4 inches on me and im built like a broom stick.
 
Isn't the ninja 400 the sleeved 650? If that's the case Honda 500 all the way. or either of the 300's as they are both great bikes for different reasons although they are rr looking.
 
Alderson said:
Wouldn't the R mean much higher insurance rates, even if it's lower cc?
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Not that simple. Insurance companies keep their own lists of bikes that have cost them too much money. 250 and 300 rr's have decent rates, some bigger bikes that don't look sporty make it to the surcharged list.
 
I'm not really sure. i know ins. is a mess and it likely depends on the ins. company and how they interpenetrate it. i believe the technical name for the bike (what you would likely find written on the manual etc) was ER4f or something. so they may not see an r... that being said i was shopping around for ins. this year and found quotes could literally triple from company to company with the same bike etc.
 
vroombikes said:
I'm not really sure. i know ins. is a mess and it likely depends on the ins. company and how they interpenetrate it. i believe the technical name for the bike (what you would likely find written on the manual etc) was ER4f or something. so they may not see an r... that being said i was shopping around for ins. this year and found quotes could literally triple from company to company with the same bike etc.
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Alright, thanks. I'll give my insurance company a call tomorrow and see what I get for quotes.
 
vroombikes said:
I'm not really sure. i know ins. is a mess and it likely depends on the ins. company and how they interpenetrate it. i believe the technical name for the bike (what you would likely find written on the manual etc) was ER4f or something. so they may not see an r... that being said i was shopping around for ins. this year and found quotes could literally triple from company to company with the same bike etc.
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The er4f was never available in North America. Have a look at the cb500f, it'll be what you're looking for.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk
 
Iceman said:
The er4f was never available in North America. Have a look at the cb500f, it'll be what you're looking for.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk
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Im aware the "er4n" was only produced for the Japanese market (cool bike) but i believe the ninja 400r was branded "er4f" . Not a Kawasaki expert though so i suppose i could be mistaken.
 
vroombikes said:
The Kawasaki ninja came in a 400 or 500cc variant in different years.
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Ninja 400 was a 2nd generation Ninja 650R with the cylinder sleeved to reduce the CC's. Ninja 500R was a completely different bike that remained nearly unchanged from I think the 90's or maybe even 80's. It was an old design but stuck around for decades because it was pretty good for what it was.
vroombikes said:
KTM rc390 is only 10cc smaller and arguably more sporty than others listed.
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The 390 engines are actually 373 cc while the Ninja 400 is 399cc so it's actually about 25cc's smaller but yes, the 390 is much more sporty and was designed from the ground up for that engine while the Ninja 400 is way overweight since it was originally designed as a 650. The CBR500 is actually 471cc.

GreyGhost said:
Isn't the ninja 400 the sleeved 650? If that's the case Honda 500 all the way. or either of the 300's as they are both great bikes for different reasons although they are rr looking.
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Yes and I agree that the Honda 500, designed as a 500 from the get go, is probably a better choice.

vroombikes said:
Im aware the "er4n" was only produced for the Japanese market (cool bike) but i believe the ninja 400r was branded "er4f" . Not a Kawasaki expert though so i suppose i could be mistaken.
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In general the non-supersport Ninja's do not carry the Ninja name in most of the rest of the world. They are the ER series. So the Ninja 650R was the ER6F almost everywhere else and that name likely holds for the 400 as well (ER4F). The F means it has fairings (faired). The naked version, on the other hand, they did not rename for North America so it is still ER6N (the N is for naked, no fairings). The two bikes are pretty much identical and parts can be easily swapped over. The exception being that it is hard to put fairings on a naked version because the frame is missing the mounting tabs. I actually replaced my 650R tank with an ER6N tank and it was a direct swap (mine was damaged as a dealer in Cali was clearing out the tanks on eBay for cheap). They never released the ER4N here.
 
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GreyGhost said:
Isn't the ninja 400 the sleeved 650? If that's the case Honda 500 all the way. or either of the 300's as they are both great bikes for different reasons although they are rr looking.
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@OP

I own a Yamaha R3 (sporty-faired bike, 320cc) and it's dirt cheap on insurance ($80/month for a new rider), it also has about only 7hp less then then Honda CBR500R.

Food for thought!
 
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The ninja 400 doesn't really make much sense. As unL33T said, its a sleeved down Ninja 650. The power to weight ratio would almost almost make it slower, or the same as a R3 or Ninja 300. If you are a smaller guy I'd test out the Yamaha R3...If you a taller/bigger I'd go for the CBR 500
 
Evoex said:
@OP

I own a Yamaha R3 (sporty-faired bike, 320cc) and it's dirt cheap on insurance ($80/month for a new rider), it also has about only 7hp less then then Honda CBR500R.

Food for thought!
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This is the bike I'd probably go with if I were in the market. Too many horror stories about the KTM's engine blowing.

If I wasn't after a sport bike I'd look at the Versys 300. ADV styled bike with the Ninja 300 engine (think it may be tuned a touch differently though). That one's on my short list for the future.
 
unL33T said:
This is the bike I'd probably go with if I were in the market. Too many horror stories about the KTM's engine blowing.

If I wasn't after a sport bike I'd look at the Versys 300. ADV styled bike with the Ninja 300 engine (think it may be tuned a touch differently though). That one's on my short list for the future.
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both the ktm390 and yamaha R3 have had engine issues, ditto for the earlier honda CBR300. The kawasaki ninja 300 is the reliability king of the 300's. imo
 
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boyoboy said:
both the ktm390 and yamaha R3 have had engine issues, ditto for the earlier honda CBR300. The kawasaki ninja 300 is the reliability king of the 300's. imo
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I think those are all more powerful than the Ninja. Perhaps related?
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