Adventure Bike Rider Forum

Made in China, the VOGE 500 DS. Uses the old Kawasaki KLE 500 twin engine.
Nissin ABS brakes, Pirelli Angel tyres, KYB suspension, Bosch EFI.
Coming to the UK, but no price details yet. I'd think it would sell quite well for £4 or £5k

I's £5k and available now according to the adverts that keep popping up on my FB.

http://www.vogeuk.co.uk/models/LX500-J-E5

Wow, so that's got a KLE engine, which is basically a GPZ500 engine, which was designed in the mid 1980s. It's a 40 year old engine design !

Now does that mean that it's a time-served trusty reliable lump ? Or does it mean that absolutely no effort has gone into the motor and the bike is about as modern as a Ford Sierra?

But it is mighty cheap...

Years ago I did a paper comparison exercise on performance figures....and the much-derided Kawa 500 novice-friendly commuter twin did a standing 1/4 in about the same time as the 'fearsome' Kawa 750 two-stroke triple of the 1970s.
I seem to remember a KLE500 finishing very high up in the Dakar rally one year too.
So it would be interesting to see what that bike went like...I would think the boxes would slow it down a bit.

Might as well get the proven Honda CB500X or any other non Chinese bike, 2nd hand, as I think we are in enough trouble with Chinese imports as it is

Richard Simpson Mark II wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:12 pm Years ago I did a paper comparison exercise on performance figures....and the much-derided Kawa 500 novice-friendly commuter twin did a standing 1/4 in about the same time as the 'fearsome' Kawa 750 two-stroke triple of the 1970s.

Yeah very good point. There's lots of rose-tinted spectacle wearing about older bikes and their performance. I like reading old editions of Which Bike or Motorcycle Mechanics where they were reviewing the brand new CB750 or whatever. The journos describe how their stomach turned to jelly and they struggled for breath such was the mind-bending acceleration on a bike whose top speed can be comfortably matched today by an R1 or a Panigale in 2nd gear!

onslowe wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:16 pm I think we are in enough trouble with Chinese imports as it is

Care to cite examples/facts to substantiate that opinion?

Richard Simpson Mark II wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:12 pm the 'fearsome' Kawa 750 two-stroke triple of the 1970s.

It wasn't the power that made Kawa triples fearsome... more the lack of brakes and handling to get around that (relatively) fast approaching corner!

(and don't forget the excellent grip of 1970's tyres )

I guess it's all relative...when I got my Morini 350 in the late 1970s, it could easily keep ahead of motorway traffic...which consisted mostly of reps in 1.6L Ford Cortinas...a situation which prevailed until they all got Vauxhall Cavaliers with (hushed breath) 5-speed gearboxes. Suddenly the reps all cruised at 80 mph, not 65 mph. And I struggled to keep up with the traffic.

Crossrutted wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:46 pm

onslowe wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:16 pm I think we are in enough trouble with Chinese imports as it is

Care to cite examples/facts to substantiate that opinion?

I was being facetious.........Covid 19 !
However my MOT tester always slags off Chinese bikes for failing their 1st MOT due to poor build quality so I will ask him for a list. Would anyone on here chose Chinese built over Japanese built if price was the same ? Lack of dealers would be the initial problem followed by worries about part supply as the model run might not last long.