A Legendary Superbike You Can Buy For Kawasaki Ninja 500 Money

The Kawasaki Ninja 500 is one of the most value-for-money sports bikes out there. It starts at just $5,399, undercutting all of its rivals by a fair chunk. But if you want maximum performance for this under $5,500 ballpark, you simply have to look at the used market. That’s when you’ll realize there’s a dearth of kickass superbikes for that kind of money.

You’ll have to be okay with not having any electronic aids or the edgiest of designs, however. Anyway, we’ll assume performance and a legendary status are what you’re aiming for, and with that in mind, here’s something mind-blowing you can buy for under $5,500 today.

You Can Get A Suzuki Hayabusa For Kawasaki Ninja 500 Money In 2025

Used Prices Start As Low As $3,000

Suzuki

As we said, that amount of moolah seems low when you’re in the market for a new bike. But in the used market, it opens a surprising number of doors for you. Out of those, it’s the first-generation Suzuki Hayabusa that truly takes the cake in our books. According to KBB and other used bike portals, you can find a used example for as low as $3,000. Understandably, this won’t be in tip-top condition.

For that kind of well-kept machine, you’ll need somewhere between $5,000 and $6,000 for a 2001 or 2002 model. This is the sweet spot for most buyers. If you aim for very few miles or one of the first-year bikes, the price can rise sharply and quickly. As an example, Iconic Motorbike Auctions sold off a first-year 1999 Hayabusa with just 32 miles for over $30,000. That goes to show how legendary the thing is, even 26 years later.

Honda 

There are other mighty machines you can buy, too. The Honda CB1100XX Blackbird is the second most legendary option, as it was the fastest motorcycle before the Hayabusa’s arrival. You can find examples under $5,500 with ease. Another option is the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R. The Ninja was the first of its kind to sport an aluminum monocoque chassis, bringing focus on handling rather than straight-line speed like the ‘Busa. There’s no shortage of clean examples out there, and most of these average around $5,000.

Yamaha

Finally, for some liter-class representation, we have the OG Yamaha YZF-R1. While you can get other liter bikes in this ballpark, this R1 is the most legendary of them all. Why? Because it essentially kick-started the liter-class superbike segment that we all drool over today. Innovations were aplenty with it, chief among them being the stacked gearbox (for a tighter wheelbase). Used prices hover in the $5,000 ballpark, but like the ‘Busa, super clean first-year models can fetch a big sum.

The First-Gen Suzuki Hayabusa Had A 1,298cc Inline-Four Engine

Power: 173 HP

Jumping into the deets, the OG Hayabusa featured a 1,298cc inline-four engine. This mill had an 81 mm bore, 63 mm stroke, and liquid cooling to churn out 175 horsepower. While the horsepower was impressive, it was the 101 pound-feet torque figure that made this a true beast. All that torque also kicked in at just 7,000 RPM—about 3,000 RPM lower than the usual liter-class bikes. The power reached the wheel via a six-speed transmission.

And if you kept it pinned in sixth long enough, you could see over 190 miles per hour. This figure helped the Hayabusa become the world’s fastest motorcycle at the time. In a way, it remains the fastest Hayabusa iteration over two decades later as well, considering Suzuki has followed the Gentleman’s Agreement ever since. Oh, and the first-gen Busa will still do these speeds if it’s well-maintained. This has proven to be a really reliable and consistent motorcycle, as reported by owners.

1999 Suzuki Hayabusa Engine Specs

A Twin-Spar Chassis And Long Wheelbase Helped The Hayabusa Remain Stable At Speed

Fully Adjustable Suspension Came As Standard

Suzuki

At speed, the Hayabusa’s stability is what hits the nail on the head. Credit for this went to its long and low stance, with a wheelbase of 58.5 inches and ground clearance of 4.7 inches. This came topped with 43 mm USD forks and a monoshock, both fully adjustable and attached to 17-inch wheels. These hoops housed dual 320 mm front discs and a single 240 mm rear disc. An interesting detail was the six-pot caliper for the front brakes. You’d need these, too, considering the 474-pound dry weight. Rounding things off was a twin-spar aluminum chassis and an aluminum double-sided swingarm.

1999 Suzuki Hayabusa Underpinnings And Dimensions

An Aerodynamic Design Gave The Suzuki Hayabusa Its Identity

And Some Helpful Features Sweetened The Pot

Suzuki

Last but not least, we have to talk about the first-gen Hayabusa’s ‘slippery’ design. Unlike today’s edgy machines, this focused heavily on reducing the drag coefficient to ensure you felt none of the wind at speed. That’s partly why the ‘Busa was so easy to ride fast, and it was so good that Suzuki hasn’t tried to change this approach much in the past 26 years. Even the latest model has hits of the OG.

Suzuki summed it up by saying:

Suzuki

Design aside, Suzuki paid attention to the details as well. There were clever features all around, including a hinged fuel tank, bungee mounts, storage space under the pillion saddle, and even a center stand. All this while, the cockpit comprised a quad-gauge instrument cluster with two needles showing you RPM and speed, while the other two showed temperature and fuel level. Again, this instrument cluster was so iconic, the company has tried replicating it in the newest generation as well.