A very underrated bike

Back in 1997 when I was 17 (a long time ago, I know) I had a 1989 Kawasaki KH125. I passed my test in October that year and was restricted to 33bhp as was the norm back then (the category A licence has changed a few times since). Insurance was dear because of my age so for a while despite having passed my test, I stuck with small capacity machines. The instructor was ex army and a smashing guy. Another person on the course was training to be a motorcycle instructor and she had the ER5 in red that was a 1995 model. I sat on it and loved the comfort and build quality. Over the years I've owned many bikes and the only 500 I had was the GS500E back in 2011 and altthough it was not exciting and not as good as the ER5, it was robust enough. I sold the GS and bought a 2002 ZZR600E. The ZZR was one of tthe best bikes I had and was great fun. It had been dyno-jetted with high lift cams. My current bike is a 2002 Honda CG125M which I have owned for tthe last 10 years and is my only form of transport as I love the 100mpg fuel economy. I also had an early Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird (P-reg) until three years ago to use along side the CG. The Blackbird was a well made machine and still had the original exhaust system but around town it did less than 30mpg and the performance was amazing but still not as much fun as the ZZR. When I was 19, I was so keen to get the Kawasaki GPZ500S. I love both Kawasaki and Honda. I alos have a few classic bikes and one of them is a 1984 Kawasaki GPZ900R-A1.

ive got a 2006 ER5 in the same colour . I absolutely love it. Your bike really is in showroom condition . You got lucky with that.

I bought a "97  ER-5  in early march this year and  think its a cracking little bike,
very easy to ride and very capable on the road, plus its all analogue which i prefer,
easy to service and fix yourself,
My last bike  was sadly stolen back in "99 and i stuck on 4 wheels till my latest ride,
As for the brakes, front is greatly improved with a braided line kit, much more feel and bite on lever,
the rear drum is adequate for the speeds i ride,
Mine is looking good for its age and had just short of 21,000 miles on the clock when i picked it up.
I think it will see me good for a few more years,
Good video fella, have fun out there and stay safe.

Had a 2001 and 2007. A solid classic.

Thanks for taking the time to make this video and for explaining your background and the bikes. Appreciate it! 😀👍

My wife rides one.no nonsense bike.underrated in my opinion

Great choice of cg125 cool bike and easy to save money

Beautiful bike!!😊

I got a 99 last night.  21k miles.  It’s a nice bike.  Enough powa for what it is.  Vague handling, I have put that down to tyres but it might be the bike.  Adjustable levers will make it better for me, the span is just a bit of a reach.  Very kind on the butt over distance.  Will happily sit at 70 without any fuss.  Strong engine braking.

Nice new bike! I had a CG125 as my first bike too! What a bike, so sorry to hear yours was stolen :(

I have a 2000 model in Deep Blue Green, has 45,000 klms on it and runs like a dream.  Also have a 1998 KLE same engine different tune that is need of some tlc...

Best purpose built bike ever

I just picked up a 99 red ER5 with 21 thousand kilometers for 600$ Australian.
Been sitting for years in a shed. Cleaned out the tank and give it some fresh fuel, new battery and it kicked over no worries. Gonna do the fluids before I ride it. The only thing I need to fix is the front brake master. Stoked !!
👍🇦🇺🍺

Hey I've just bought a barn find er500cc original 430 miles from new never had its first mot lovely bike all original

This actual bike is now in my possession. It still looks this good and has 37 k on it now.

Although you say it’s not the most exciting bike….i passed my big bike test on one of these which was extremely exciting. Lovely bike and video . Sub and like from me.

Fantastic review 😊

Excellent video thankyou, just getting back into 2 wheels after 5 year break, been offered one of these, think its ideal for me after watching this. I've always had big cc fast bikes but I'm knocking on a bit now so need to think sensible.  Cheers again.👍

Yours is in amazing condition. Mine is a 2003 model which l used for commuting before I retired, I've had it 10 years. As you say - light, reliable, cheap and easy to ride. The original mild steel exhaust rusted and had to be replaced and also the vacuum fuel tap failed flooding the engine - a common problem apparently. The front brake is slightly improved on the 2003 model and, on mine, the fuel gauge works fine !.