Why have a GS500?

[pnaberhaus]

Often, I've been asked "Why don't you get a 1)bigger bike, 2)a faster bike, 3)a more "fashionable" (huh?) bike, 4)a more expensive bike, 5)a more technologically sophisticated bike, 6)a newer bike, etc,etc. BTW, I ride an '89 GS that I really keep too clean.
Those who ask, include my wife, my riding friends, my associates at work and my neighbors. I've  had the opportunity recently to acquire a GSX 600 and a Kawasaki ZX-9R at real bargain prices, and I passed on both of them. My wife says "The house is paid off, you don't have a car payment for yourself and the kid is through college, married and no longer an expense. Go buy whatever you want, you've earned it!" (Is she great, or what!)

So why keep riding the ol' GS? For starters, I really like the way it looks. It's got a classic motorcycle "look" about it. You see the tank, the engine, the frame is visible, the wheels and brakes are simple affairs, their function easily grasped. The "clip-ons" (on my '89, at least) have an appearance, function and lineage that trace their roots to the roadracing era of the '50s and '60s. The semi-rearsets are not extreme to the point of being uncomfortable, but provide a nice visual and ergonomic companion to the "clip-ons". And in this day of faired-in bikes (sorry "F" riders), the "naked bike" look provides a nice counter-point to most other sport bikes out there.

But the primary reason for riding the GS?...... I'm certain that it makes me a better rider . When I ride with others, I usually have to compensate for a deficit of horsepower, brakes, and tire adhesion.....so I have to ride better, smarter, sharper. To wit, all the "big boys" blow by me, rattling fairings and cranking RPM down the straights. But get to the twisty bits, and they got all that speed to get hauled down and "wonder brakes" aside, most street riders just clamp on the binders and hang on. At that point, I usually start reeling them in, and by the turn's exit, I'm typically right on their tail. The big guys will sometime's give a quick glance over their shoulder and be amazed that I'm right on their heels. Then it's the next straight again, and the HP warriors are off in a wail of big horsepower RPM. They have too much power, brakes and tire to utilize safely and effectively in most street applications. So being underpowered, underbraked and undertired, I have to try harder, ride smarter, corner better, and look for every little nuance of road condition, corner geometry, street surface and traffic situation that present itself while I ride.

As the architect Mies van der Rohe had said "Less is more" That applies equally to the GS500's design and execution as well.

[starwalt]

... I ride an '89 GS that I really keep too clean..... So being underpowered, underbraked and undertired, I have to try harder, ride smarter, corner better, and look for every little nuance of road condition, corner geometry, street surface and traffic situation that present itself while I ride.

You have confirmed the central point of enjoying a motorsport. The sheer pleasure of the machine and its application.

I disaggree with your comments that the GS is "under anything" at all. If maintained correctly, it functions well as designed. The GS is not a GSX, Monster, F4, or anything other than what it is - a sporty, 487cc, 4-stroke, twin cylinder, air cooled motorcycle.

It could never be too clean. It could be too dirty. You obviously care about the machine and appreciate the simplicity of its design. Your skill development comments are echoed time and again by others here. You ride the GS to improve yourself, not to see how close to the edge you can go and still live.

If you are ever tired of your 89, let me know. I want an 89 to complement my 90 project. The E-Zuki project will be inserted in there somewhere. Then perhaps, after a while, another brand for the stable herd.

Man and machine, the love affair continues. :kiss:

[Stephen072774]

May you live to be 1000 years old, sir

I agree with you.  I just lost my beloved gs, but I'm sure it will end up being replaced by another GS.

[Susuki_Jah]

id have to say i love driving underdogs, and I call them underdogs because the minute you try to compete with a car or motorcycle that is made to go faster then you are automatically an underdog to the situation. the GS performse above what it was designed for I beleive!, but still an underdog in a competition. but thats not a bad thing. infact I use that to my advantage. It all started out with a 89 Nissan Sentra that I worked on and made it ride on rails. now all the guys with the big motors could blow me away on teh straight away but the car had a crazy torque ration and had more tq than HP so when it came to the turns this car would blow some people away. same with the SE-R I had. put me against some modefied mustang GT or some rice burning new celica and I would blow them away in the straight away and the turns!!. another car unexpected to mop up the bigger guys. third was this motorcycle. and 4th is a volvo 244 i picked up for 200$. i just spend some money on bilstien shox and a slew of other sus parts this car will mop up most anything at the auto x and on the turns and corners.

so I say that the big dogs should watch out. people who have learned to push underdog vehicles learn there machine 100x over more than a guy with just a fast machine.  so I agree the gs makes you a better rider and in the end can mop up a whole lot of cocky saps.

[jiggersplat]

the main reason...

everytime i think about getting a new bike, i check what would happen to my insurance and realize that it would go up by at least a factor of 10.  

other reasons...

everyone and his brother has a 600cc sport bike repli-racer.  i like the naked bikes.  

parts are plentiful and cheap.

don't have to worry about doing an accidental wheelie.

really easy to work on.

[sprint_9]

Its fun.

[scratch]

everyone and his brother has a 600cc sport bike repli-racer.

That's right, why would I want to look like everybody else.

[poormanracing]

coz i its simple enough (w/ this forums help ) to fiddle with it  

[cernunos]

Top ten reasons to own a GS500:

10) When you tell your insurance company "It's a crotch-rocket", they'll just say "sure".

9) When people ask how fast it is just point to the speedometer; 130 MPH...OOOOOOOH!

You're familiar with some guy called Srinath who happens to know more about those "crabs" than any of the Suzuki engineers.

7) If you need to sell your GS fast just go to the the GStwin forum.

6) If you need to buy a GS cheap just go to the GStwin forum.

5) If you love to fight, just ride down to the local HD hangout and announce in a loud voice "Harleys suck!".

4) If you hate to fight, just ride down to the local HD hangout and announce in a loud voice "This bike sucks!". (You'll get free beer)

3) If something breaks down on your GS just go the GStwin forum where you'll get 50 different opinions on how to fix it. Then when you fix it wrong you'll get 49 responses saying "I told you so.".

2) It's already noisy when new, just like a Jeep, so you need not worry about all that clattering and clanging.

And the number one reason to own a GS500: You don't have to worry about going to the local HD shop to spend all that money on a matching wardrobe!

I love my Baby GS500, Australia (I'll get there someday), and this forum.

C........

[Dr. Love]

It's already noisy when new, just like a Jeep, so you need not worry about all that clattering and clanging.

Hey!  My dad's TJ isn't noisy at all... and it's been 7 years .  Besides even if it is, the problem can easily be fix by driving faster with the softtop on... :lol:

[gsgord]

Lotsa reasons:
1/This forum....ever sat in on some of the other ones?
2/It's a hoot!
3/18 year olds ask you for a ride
4/30 year olds ask you for a ride
5/40 year olds ask you for a ride
6/Ask your buddy with the 636RR how much his insurance is?
7/There's no O2 sensor
8/There's no powerpoint
9/You don't have to worry about coolant level
10/It's quite quick.....if you're used to a turbo diesel Benz!

[ejl10]

Because I love my SV650S but wish I still had the GS.

[Kerry]

Srinath [...] know[s ...] about those "crabs"

You noticed that too?  :lol:

I fix as many of his transpo's as I can, but I guess a few still get past me.   :dunno:

[cernunos]

Oh no!!! What happened to the "cool face" substituting at number 8? It was not a "crab"...it was supposed to be intentional... . Love the Baby bike, Michigan (automotive engineer's heaven), and this forum.

C........

[RedShift]

... But the primary reason for riding the GS?...... I'm certain that it makes me a better rider . When I ride with others, I usually have to compensate for a deficit of horsepower, brakes, and tire adhesion.....so I have to ride better, smarter, sharper. ...

I like everything you said to answer your critics, but what I quoted you on above is really a key, under-mentioned point.

Having less is some times a good thing.  A new rider doesn't need the degree of amplification of error that today's 600cc sportbike can generate.  Better to gain skill and build habit/instinct with a less capable bike.  I don't believe in the "if you survive, it will make you stronger" principle.

That said, it is indeed possible for someone to quickly become skillful to the point where a GS500 may not teach you much more.  But frankly, this doesn't happen to a lot of folks (in my humble opinion).  They move up, and run the greater risk that a mistake causes a bad scene.  (It's that "if you survive" thing again.)

I say, "if you think you're bored with a GS500, you aren't riding it right".  Run a bit higher in the tach and you'll find the fun all over again.

It's my advice, and you can have it for free...  

[Kerry]

What happened to the "cool face" substituting at number 8? It was not a "crab"...it was supposed to be intentional... .

There ... anything else I can do for ya?    Like, enter "it was supposed to be intentional" in the Yogi Berra contest maybe?  (Or was he your source for that one?  :lol:)

As for why I (still) have a GS500....  What kind of a question is that?  

[The Buddha]

Oh no!!! What happened to the "cool face" substituting at number 8? It was not a "crab"...it was supposed to be intentional... . Love the Baby bike, Michigan (automotive engineer's heaven), and this forum.

C........

What's worse than the Lobster on your Piano ...
The Crabs on your organ ...  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:
Cool.
Srinath.

[cernunos]

No, it was because he always has "cool" at the end of his posts, so I thought it would be cute...awwwww. After I posted I really thought it should have said "You're familiar with people called Srinath, Kerry and Dgyver...". But yeh, Yogi...Ha Ha. Run with the money. Love the little GS, Great Lakes (now which one is biggest again?), and this forum.

C.......

[cernunos]

I've gotta meet this dude someday...crabs on your organ.  :lol:  Love the little GS, Lake Superior (damn deep lake!), and this forum.

C........

[LEVO]

Just be to the contrarian.  :lol:  I guess it is designed in the middle of 19th century.   It has carbs,  try buying a new car with carbs nowadays...  It is like the Thomas the tank engine .   :lol: