Kawasaki 500 GPZ 2003 — Specifications

When Kawasaki launched the GPZ 500 at the end of the 1980s, nobody suspected the machine would stay in the catalogue for so long. And yet, the Kawasaki 500 GPZ would span nearly two decades with remarkable discretion, accumulating miles in garages as much as in memories. The earliest versions, lacking belly pans and with a single front disc, were filled out as early as 1988. The real turning point came in 1994: the rear drum gave way to a disc, the wheels moved to 17 inches, and the fairing was revised. After that, Kawasaki settled for changing the colour schemes. The machine itself never changed again.

The Kawasaki 500 GPZ engine is the soul of the beast, and that's something you need to know before buying. This 498 cc vertical twin, bored to 74 x 58 mm with a compression ratio of 10.8:1 and four valves per cylinder, delivers its 60 horsepower at 9,800 rpm and its 46.1 Nm of torque at 8,500 rpm. The figures speak for themselves: this is an engine that lives at high revs, one that demands to be worked, that requires you to drop down through the 6-speed gearbox before tackling a tight corner. Low on the rev counter, it grumbles, hesitates, lacks response. That's its one real flaw, and you have to accept it as a condition of ownership.

In return, the GPZ rewards those who play along. 179 kg dry and 202 kg fully fuelled, a seat height of 775 mm accessible to a wide range of riders, and a steel double-cradle tubular frame that communicates honestly. The 37 mm fork with 130 mm of travel and the rear mono-shock do a solid job without excelling, in keeping with the tradition of a machine designed to balance sporting enjoyment with everyday practicality. With a top speed of 195 km/h and an 18-litre tank, it positions itself clearly as an accessible sport-tourer, halfway between the Honda CBR 500 and the entry-level sportbikes of the 600 class from years past.

The braking, however, deserves a word of caution. The two 270 mm front discs with twin-piston calipers and the 230 mm rear disc were adequate for their era, but feel modest against a machine that, once opened up on a good country road, builds real momentum. It's not dangerous — it's simply something to keep in mind, particularly for those considering fitting an aftermarket exhaust to free up a few extra horsepower.

Who is this bike for? For the A2 licence holder who wants a genuine sportbike without paying the premium of a 600, for the seasoned rider looking for a used Kawasaki 500 GPZ to maintain themselves, for the café racer enthusiast who sees its dated lines as a starting point for customisation. Servicing the Kawasaki 500 GPZ remains straightforward, parts still circulate on dedicated forums, and the twin's reliability is acknowledged by everyone who has pushed one beyond 100,000 km. Listed at €5,599 new, the GPZ asked little and offered much. Today on the used market, it remains an honest proposition for those who know what they're looking for.