The staple of riding schools up and down the country the humble ER-5 has been the fist big bike for thousands of full Licence holders.

The liquid cooled, four stroke 498cc engine is a retuned version of Kawasaki’s other middleweight workhorse the GPZ500S. With an easy delivery the parallel twin, 50bhp lump won’t frighten newies, but it is still brisk enough to dispense with GTi’s at the traffic light Grand Prix.

The long production life of the engine means that reliability isn’t going to be a problem and the sweet six-speed gearbox helps you get the best from it. It revs cleanly and provides great fun for novices and the experienced alike.

Better looking than its rival in the first big-bike stakes Honda’s CB500, the ER-5 is a good all round bike. Ideal for commuting, the good ergonomics and comfy seat fit all shapes and sizes and combined with it’s low standover height, it is easy to see why the Kawasaki is the first choice for riding schools.

They operate on very simple economics; pick the most reliable, easy to use and intimidating piece of machinery that is cheap to repair and run. And then do tens of thousands of miles, both in town and on A-roads, in all weathers, all year long. You won’t find a better recommendation for any machine anywhere.

The suspension is just as capable as the engine. A simple chassis gives confident handling and the suspension can cope with 14 stones of thirtysomething bloke, and dainty size eight Miss, straight out of the crate. Combined with a low centre of gravity the ER-5 hides its 179kg (393.8 lbs) well, and this helps imbue new or nervous riders with the confidence to tackle corners.

R1 riders would have you believe the ER-5’s single front disc and rear drum brakes are hopeless, we rather prefer adequate, foolproof and you don’t see half as many ER-5s in breaker’s yards as R1s.

On the open road the Kawasaki is handy up to about 90mph, when aerodynamics call a halt to proceedings. Pillions are well catered for with a decent grabrail and decent padding to the seat.

Even though the tank seems small at 16litres (3.52gal), with a fuel economy of almost 60mpg you can probably squeeze a parsimonious 200miles from a tankful.

There are sexier bikes out there, no question about it but anyone considering an ER-5 is probably more concerned with value for money thank looks alone. Bought with the head not the heart the ER-5 is a sound bet for year round service and frugal fun. As a commuter or first big bike it excels and won’t leave you out of pocket when you come to trade up.