Funny review of 2001 GS500

[juno]

I found this on Powersports Network:

-- A Total Dud, Pathetic! --

This is my first bike and I am disappointed in its lethargic performance. I've been on mopeds with more pickup than this thing! I outgrew the GS500 in a day. The only good things about the GS are the seat height and the fuel mileage. For $1000 less, I could have bought the 250 Ninja. For $1000 more, I could have had the 500 Ninja. I have a deposit on a 2003 Yamaha R6 Oh well, you learn from your mistakes.  

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[bambams247]

I bought a 500CC carborated air cooled bike for under 5 thousand dollars and thought it was the fastest things on two wheels  

[juno]

Yeah, I'm diggin' my lethargic dud of a bike!

You know, older guys (30s up) who race are actually always interested in looking at my bike and encouraging me to mod it.  As opposed to the younger sports guys who think it's a waste to do anything to the bike other than dump it and move up.

[scratch]

Maybe because older guys know their abilities and the possibilities, and know how much fun that bike would be!

[cheesy]

I like to be able to ride, drive, or use whatever I own to it's limit. There's no way that someone with <4k on a GS is riding it to it's absolute limit.

[Roadstergal]

I outgrew the GS500 in a day.

:lol:  

[SeanG2]

the gs500 is my first bike also and i wish i would have went ahead and got the gsxr 600 instead because now i am stuck riding the 500 for a while. The 500 is a very capable bike but i am one of those young guys that wants to part with the bike and move up. What a great first bike though, just don't buy a brand new one and get stuck in financing.

[cheesy]

the gs500 is my first bike also and i wish i would have went ahead and got the gsxr 600 instead because now i am stuck riding the 500 for a while. The 500 is a very capable bike but i am one of those young guys that wants to part with the bike and move up. What a great first bike though, just don't buy a brand new one and get stuck in financing.

riiight...  I'm young too.  I don't want to die young.  gs500 goes 0-60 in under 5 seconds easily.  close to 4 with jetting, exhaust, igntion, and +1 in the rear (or front).  I just don't get why someone wants a sub 3 second bike/vehicle.

[pdg108]

Yeah, I'm diggin' my lethargic dud of a bike!

You know, older guys (30s up) .......

Oh crap!  I'm "older"... man,  hang out on one plane of existance for 30 years and you labled "older"..

[RVertigo]

I just don't get why someone wants a sub 3 second bike/vehicle.

I'm just so damn stoked not to be riding around town on a '68 Honda 90 any more...  Freeway speeds are enough for me...  I don't need to get there in 2.47 seconds.  (We'll see in a few years though).

But...  To each their own, I guess...  I'm not one of those guys that wants to do wheelies in front of a Semi going 70 MPH.  (Yes, I've witnessed that with my own eyes...)

[scratch]

But, isn't it fascinating that most GS'ers are at an average of 30.9 years old? I suddenly found that fascinating, that, while many consider this to be a beginner bike, it seems that a fair amount of mature riders choose to ride a GS.

Is it because the GS is air-cooled? That it has a technology that most of us understand and can work on ourselves (is that dating ourselves or what)?

[Jake D]

the gs500 is my first bike also and i wish i would have went ahead and got the gsxr 600 instead because now i am stuck riding the 500 for a while. The 500 is a very capable bike but i am one of those young guys that wants to part with the bike and move up. What a great first bike though, just don't buy a brand new one and get stuck in financing.

I don't mind having a 500 cc bike.  So what if some 18 year old kid thinks it is funny?  
I guess once you reach the age of 30, you realize that the size of your bike or how fast it can go leaving a stop light has nothing to do with the size of your organ.  

But having said that, I'll probably move up to a bigger bike next summer.  

Oh well.  I can't even figure out what the hell I'm trying to say.

[Michael]

I think fashion, peer pressure and the media have a lot to do with these young guys (and gals, but less so) wanting to be seen on the latest sex substitute.  That and the adolescent, testosterone-fuelled need to constantly feel like you're accelerating to warp speed (in everything you do).
I'm considering replacing the GS solely because I'm taller and my arthritic knees aren't coping with the position as well as they used to.

[cernunos]

And here I am trying to get a Savage 650 (S40...why change the name) cause the Baby GS is TOO sporty for me. Go figure. Love the little GS, USA (only in America), and this forum.

C.......

[bloodspider]

im 21 and this my first bike and so far i love it and how high gas is i love that i get good gas mils.

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of the "older" riders here rode as a kid and picked the GS to "come back to riding" to get their chops back on an easy to ride forgiving bike.  They're sporty, can move "pretty" quick, have a more upright riding position, and they're CHEAP used.  That's why I picked it.

Now, after 2 years riding again and 15,000 miles on the GS, I jumped ship to a Ninja and I'm happy as hell.  I LOVE that sensation from the I4 accelerating VERY quickly.

[crash]

i must be the only 20-something that wants to move from the gs to a cruiser...

go figure

[RVertigo]

i must be the only 20-something that wants to move from the gs to a cruiser...

go figure

I'd like to get a classic standard at some point...  60's BSA, Norton, Triumph, BMW...  Or 60s-70s Japanese bike... (GS550, CB750)

It's something about the toaster tank and the flat seat... :dunno: I just love the old ones.

[pantablo]

the gs500 is my first bike also and i wish i would have went ahead and got the gsxr 600 instead because now i am stuck riding the 500 for a while. The 500 is a very capable bike but i am one of those young guys that wants to part with the bike and move up. What a great first bike though, just don't buy a brand new one and get stuck in financing.

if you feel like you are stuck riding it you're not riding it hard enough. I took my gs500 out with my buddies on a weekly basis into the canyons and until we hit a straight they couldnt keep me away, and many times I would embarass them but leaving them behind.

I used the gs to learn to ride. when I was at the limits of what the bike could do I moved up. I wanted a sportbike and when I got one I knew how to ride it fast. I'm still one of the fastest riders in my group (that means nothing to you but you need to know they are a fast group).

if all you're interested in is Bike Nite then you should have bought the gixxer 1000. Why learn to ride anything besides city streets at slow speeds?

[Rema1000]

Is it because the GS is air-cooled? That it has a technology that most of us understand and can work on ourselves (is that dating ourselves or what)?

Actually, there's some truth to that.  In school, I did what I considered to be "real maintenance" to a number of beater cars: changing brakes, EGR pump, starter, timing belt, half axles... once replaced a strut tower from a rusted Volvo 264 by flashlight.

Anyways, fast-forward a decade, and I can barely find the engine in an Acura.

But the GS... yes, I can work on that!  It's as easy to work on as a 70's car.  This is actually a big attraction, and when I think of moving to a new bike, I consider that I won't be able to do as much maintenance myself.

i must be the only 20-something that wants to move from the gs to a cruiser...

I'd love to have a Vulcan 500 for longer rides, so I could have the inline-twin, and also have a cruiser riding position.    I have tried all-day rides on the GS, and even taking breaks, I can't do it.  It's painful for my knees.