GS500 too slow?

[Chris_B]

Hello,
I'll start out by saying that I've been riding dirtbikes for 8 years or so. Im 16 and have a 1975 CB360 Cafe'd out, its an ok bike and pulls hard until about 4th gear. My insurance is $1750 Canadian per year. I just got a 1999 GS500 for $400 CND, good deal eh? The motor was in pieces but after putting it back together and cleaning the carbs it was running, I took it for a ride around the block (no insurance) and it seemed...well...slow. I didnt take it above 4000 because i want to give it some time to work in the new rings and such. I know it probably wakes up a bit around 5000, but will it be any faster than the 360? I was wanting to take this bike to the track every once in a while, learn how to race. Is it a good bike for this? What I really want is a GSX-R 750, from reading other posts on this site, it seems like you guys dont like people to get sportbikes (not that I could afford the insurance...) and i would probably get way too many speeding tickets, but does anybody have experience with this bike vs. some other the other sport bikes? Im a Honda guy, but Honda doesnt have a 750. And, what kind of money are you guys/girls putting down for insurance, straight liability. Thanks, Chris

[Blazinjr]

hello and welcome.

My GS does not come alive until around 6,000 RPM.  Wait a couple hundred miles then venture into the upper rpms, you'll find more power.  I'm 6 ft tall and weigh 220 lbs I it gets me up and moving.  

And from people on here the gs is a pretty good bike to take to the track and ride.

My insurance cost $411 a year for full coverage for a 2004 GS500F.

Good luck with the GS and welcome to this site.

[ajgs500]

The people on this site advocate responsible riding, which has to do with your skill level and experience, among other things.  The last thing anyone wants is for someone with no experience to hop on a liter bike and kill themselves.  The gs will got faster but it is not going to accerate like an inline 4.  As for insurance, it varies but at this time(25 yrs old) if I chose just liability it would be $103 US dollars a year.  But you are 16 so it is going to be higher.  The gs is a great bike to learn on period.  It is lightweight, easy to handle, very forgiving, and repairs are generally cheap.  There is a lot of great advice on this site and not just about the gs but about motorcycles and riding in general.

[Phaedrus]

1. I don't think the GS is "too slow" at all. Too slow for what? It will do over 100mph, and accelerates faster than most street legal cars that I know of. As for track, I know some people take their GS500's to the track, like Ginoe for instance:  

http://gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19661&highlight=

2. I think I pay just under $600 (USD) for my 2004 GS500F, but I have full coverage, but $500 deductibles through Progressive.

3. I don't think anyone on the site has a problem with bikes like the GSX-R 750, but a lot seem to think it is a VERY BAD idea to start out on one! Make a wrong blip of the throttle on it and it'll buck you off like a mechanical bull. Atleast the GS5 is more forgiving when you do stupid things.  :mrgreen:

Besides, your only 16..whats the big rush to get such a rocket?  :dunno:

[calamari]

...
(28 now)

I remember when I was 16 too, back when death or a serious injury were an imposibility for my own self. those things happen to other people... not to me.

those were the days.

good thing I made it all the way to today in one piece.

[Chris_B]

I like fast things. I think it would be best for me to learn how to really ride on the street (get rid of those chicken strips) before getting any sport bike. Im so tired of seeing people with their R1's with brand new rubber on the outside of the tire. The bike has K&N filters and an exhaust, it felt a little flat in the mid range, people who have filters and an exhaust, did you raise the needle? what about the mains? I was very impressed when i looked in the box of parts I got and saw a pair a Mikuni flat slides sitting there. i guess the "slow"ness of something is all relative, so relative to a CB750 with race carbs, a cam, 11:1 pistons and a port and polish (which is the bike I really want) the GS500 is slow, but probly better for learning to race on?

[Chris_B]

I guess my real question is, what kind of things are you guys doing to speed these things up? Am I forever tainted after riding a Maxim 750?

[calamari]

...
maybe I will sound like my mom (and I hated when she said things like this to me when I was young  :x  ), but if you keep it up the way you are going (and you are only 16), there's a high probability that you will have a short life.  

ps: i have brand new rubber on the outside of my tires

[davipu]

it all depends on your wallet and imigination.

[ajgs500]

normally to speed it up I open the throttle :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen: .  Seriously though,  your insurance will suck, you're 16.  Get a big bike and get hurt.  I thought I knew everything when I was your age.  And where are your parents on this because mine after seeing the insurance quote on a 750 would have killed me.  Do what you want it is a free country and 16 yrs olds are the smartest ones here.

[mastrind]

listen.....there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a GSX-R 750.....actually I want one too.....and I plan to buy one.....in about 2 years.....right after I send in the final check on my SV.....

.....use the GS5 as a learning tool......if you've spent half your life on dirt bikes, and have ridden before, then you probably have a good idea what you're doin.....heck, you've already got a GS, so you're ahead of the game....

....most people don't like when someone comes in and asks whether he really needs the GS, or will an R1 work, cause he's got a smokin' deal already on the R1....it's all really about respecting what you do when you're out and about....

....now, the GS isn't a slow bike.....I wouldn't say it's a fast bike either (it will get up to speed fine -ok).....but if you've spent a lot of time in the woods on a DB, then it's kinda different riding a GS, or any streetbike for that matter...which could be some of the reason that it **feels** slow....either way....it's all relative.....

.....my advice, you're 16....enjoy the GS, cause if you get the 750, you won't be able to afford gas for it, and you'll actually ride less...JMO....

[Chris_B]

My dad is the one who brought the GS home for me. I know I cant afford a sport bike yet, I was more just asking if anybody had any experience with them, are they all they're cracked up to be? any problems? is the suzuki better than the honda or yamaha? etc.. etc.. insurance companies wouldnt even touch me on a sport bike yet. Or it would cost 7000 and i dont have that. Oh yes I almost forgot, IM INVINCIBLE!!! mwhahaha. seriously though, a GS500 is just as dangerous as a GSX-R600 if you're going fast enough. I can see if somebody has never ridden a bike before the GSX-R could be more dangerous, but even then I could only imagine rough starts and maybe a few accidental wheelies or stalling off the line. The bike will only go as fast as you ride it, right?

[ajgs500]

I have second-hand experience so take this as what it is.  My roommate has 2 bikes: a 600cc Ninja and a 1000cc Suzuki V-strom.  Both of us usually ride every day, everywhere weather permitting.  She works days and I work nights.  99% of the time when I pop open the garage door to leave for work the Ninja is still sitting in there staring at me.  Start on the GS it's a great bike.  Move up to something else when you have the experience and the money.  Oh, and take an MSF course!!!!  And be patient; you have plenty of years left to ride, own etc many types of bikes.  I am sure when I am old I'll want a Goldwing.................. not!!

[pantablo]

the gsxr 750 is probably the best overall bike to get. The newest ones are as light as a 600 and can run with 1000's right up to about 175mph. Best of both worlds. The slightly older 750's (2001-2003) are exceptionally good value for the money and most of the gsxr750's are great track bikes.

The gs500 is a great learning tool. Best to learn to be fast on a slow bike, then move up to a fast bike. Your skills will transfer over to the faster bike and you'll be much better (aka smoother) a rider.  That worked for me.

My friend has a 2001 750 and recently added a pcIII to it (had a slip on already). Blazingly fast. His is intended to be his race bike...

one thing about that gen 750-they're surprisingly comfortable. My friend tours on his, choosing it over the bandit 1200 he has.

Around here we're not anti-sportbike. We're anti-noob-on-sportbike.

[mastrind]

really there's no difference in what manufacturer you buy from.....Zook....Kawi....Honda.....Yamaha....BMW.....Aprilla.....MotoGuzi....etc....they're all quality bikes, and what it comes down to is personal preference....

.....are sportbikes fun??.....c'mon.....do ya really have to ask.....that's like asking if cheeseburgers taste good.....

[calamari]

...

...but even then I could only imagine rough starts and mabye a few accidental wheelies or stalling off the line.

accidental wheelies?  :lol:  :lol:  if you say so.

btw, the MSF course is good, only if you really take it... and by that I don't mean to be there and do what they tell you to do, but to actually un-learn what you thought you knew (if you have riding experience) and learn new skills.

now that I remember, when I took the MSF course, there were 2 guys who had riding experience and weren't paying attention much on classes or rolling the eyes whenever the instructor said how things should be done.  Good thing the instructor noticed right away and told the rest of the class about that, and how their 'own' experience was interfering with the learning process at the MSF course.

[Chris_B]

you couldnt see accidental wheelies? a slip of the throttle a pop of the clutch and it'll be up there....I did take the MSF course, more for the lower insurance rates, i didnt learn a whole lot while I was there. Paying attention and all it was pretty basic.

[Phaedrus]

Yeah I did an accidental wheelie the first day I had my GS500F. Was it a "good" one? No, it was basically just a jerk, little bit of squeal and the front tire come up a couple of inches and then right back down. But it can and did happen.

[Mk1inCali]

Chris, your desire for an older bike is, in my opinion, very admirable.  The new supersports will out-handle, out-accelerate, out-brake and generally smoke an old cafe racer, even if the SS is stock and the cafe bike has 10K dumped into it.

What would be more fun to ride?  Cafe, just because it's different, not as common, and you could do a lot of the work yourself to it, rather than just plugging in a chip and taking off 2 bolts for the exhaust.

Ride the GS, learn to feel how the chassis responds differently than the 360 you have, use some light front brake mid-corner and see what it does.  Try some different stuff, and see if you like the comparatively modern chassis on the GS, or you prefer the older style.

This, for me, would be a great test in whether or not I would want a new supersport (600, 750, 1K) or an older cafe bike hopped up.

I've got a GS5, and my parents have a YZF600.  What do I take to the local canyons when I want to go thrash for a bit?  The GS, because it keeps my speeds at a reasonable level, while still boosting my heartrate enough to make it worth the 30 min ride up to the foothills.  The YZF, I just end up hauling ass there, blowing through a few corners, and then pushing it too far and riding a bit over my 7/10ths limit will allow and go home.

[Blueknyt]

Chris, you setup that gs500 with progressive springs, katana or GSXR rear shock, and some nice rubber, you can spank some ass in the twisties.  There ain't nothing like the feeling of having a newer sportbike enter a turn the same time as you and you out-brake him, or better he beats you to the lean, and you putt right on by him on the outside.   Being as you have dirtbike exp, you would be more at home to "backing it in".  The GS is so forgiving it's wonderful.  I've over-braked going into a turn and had the front lock, swing to the steering stop, released the front brake and front wheel come right back and not once upset the bike past a jiggle.