The Kawasaki ER-5 is a

naked Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

commuter

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

produced in Japan by Kawasaki. The bike is powered by a

liquid cooled Liquid cooling refers to cooling by means of the convection or circulation of a liquid. Examples of liquid cooling technologies include: * Cooling by convection or circulation of coolant, including water cooling * Liquid cooling and ventilatio ...

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...

498 cc engine based on the design used in the GPZ500.

Engine

The Kawasaki ER5 is powered by a 498CC

liquid cooled, in-line, parallel twin engine which produces 49.6BHP or 37kW. The engine is fed by two carburetors, one for each cylinder.

Braking

The ER5 has a twin piston front

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and a rear

drum brake A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press outward against a rotating cylinder-shaped part called a brake drum. The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press on the inner surfac ...

. Unlike many modern motorcycles, with fixed caliper and floating disk, the ER5 has a fixed disk and floating caliper. 'A' models have a trailing piston which is smaller than the leading piston but the later 'C' models have identical leading and trailing pistons, dramatically improving front braking. 'A' model owners often fit caliper units from 'C' models. As for most motorcycles, another common braking upgrade is to reduce sponginess by replacing the

OEM An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

brake hose with a braided brake hose.

Suspension

The ER5 has a non-adjustable female slider front

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, with 36 mm diameter tubes on the A series and 37 mm on the C series. The rear has a dual-shock swingarm with adjustable pre-load.

Controls

The ER5 uses standard motorcycle controls; left hand clutch, right hand front brake and throttle, left foot gear stick, right foot rear brake.

References

ER-5 Standard motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 1997 {{motorcycle-stub