GS info

[kaizenro]

Hi all. Newbie to the whole subject. Not only the bike but to biking in general. I'm working in San Diego and have encountered morning and afternoon "commutes" along the 5. So I was thinking of getting..and learning how to ride...a bike. I looked in the CycleTrader and found two GS500s, one a 93 and another a 01. I went to Suzuki website and can't find any info.
Is there a place or can anyone provide me a history on this? Is it still being made. I did look thru several posts here and can't find these basic answers.
Not to sound insulting, but is this considered a less masculine approach to biking?
All I'm looking for is a good looking bike(which I'm surprised by this one!) for a quick commute. Are there any alternative companies to look at too since I've only found 2 GS500s in my area?
Thanks a lot!

[pantablo]

K-
quite a few riders in San Diego on this board. Several up here in L.A. area as well.

The GS500 is an excellent commuter and also a great first bike. They were made from 89-02 (still being made, just not imported to US anymore). They were essentially the same from 89-00 but had a major facelift for the 01-02 models, including bigger capacity fuel tank (giving 180 miles instead of 130 before hitting reserve).

There are many links from the home page of this site, including one to a history of hte GS from it's origins before it was the gs500.

masculine approach to biking? You mean will people laugh because you don't have a 1000cc bike? They'll only laugh when you wad it up as a new rider.  Is it considered a girls bike? No. It is basic, small discplacment, low hp (relative to todays offerings) and these things make it a great commuter and a great first bike. Also, it's very light-that helps too.

The suzuki website should have a "past showrooms" link and that will show the gs500 in 02 and 01 showrooms.

An alternative is the kawasaki ex500. About the same but has more bodywork (not so good for a beginner since they're more prone to dropping bike at low speed, literally falling over. It happens!).

Look into taking the MSF course to start. They'll be full but you can wait (took me 8 weeks of waiting for my date to arrive), or you can show up and take a spot of a no-show as there are often a few. http://www.msf-usa.org/

Don't expect to start lanesplitting right away. You need to work up to being on the freeway first. Then work up to splitting-it's not for everyone and can be nervewracking. I get a little tense when I do it...and you're so focused it's a bit exhausting. But you can't beat it! Better than sitting in traffic. But if yo can find alternate curve roads then even better. In san diego yo uhave a whole assortment of fun roads to ride just for the enjoyment if you so choose.

The GS is a good looking bike and will teach you much about biking. Also some for sale on the for sale forum here. They're popular bikes and a bit hard to come by so patience is your friend.

Welcome!

[kaizenro]

Awesome. Thanks for the response. I guess these things are keepers since I see more CBRs and GSXRs for sale than them.
I guess I thought the hp figure might seem tame and I wasn't sure if this was approaching moped range.
I was wondering why these things were lower priced yet looked pretty sporty. Now I know!
I've got to do some more research then. Any other places besides Ebay and Cycletrader.com (both poor sites that won't allow you to custom search IMO)?
Thanks again.

[Bob Broussard]

I would suggest taking a motorcycle safety foundation (MSF) course as a first step. You don't need to own a bike for this.
Now to answer your questions.
The GS500 is being manufactured, but only for foreign markets.
2002 was the last year for the US.
The GS is an excellent all around bike. There are plenty of parts available, since these have been around for years (89-02).
They are economical and cheap to insure.
There are some bikers that look down the GS since it isn't the latest greatest thing. But the majority of them would get there ass kicked by a good rider on a GS.
I do it all the time
I don't know about more sources down in San Diego. There are others in that area that can help you there. I would check out the 01 you talked about. The styling was upgraded on the 01/02 models.
Any more questions can be answered on this site.

[pantablo]

Any other places besides Ebay and Cycletrader.com (both poor sites that won't allow you to custom search IMO)?
Thanks again.

Actually cycletrader allows you to search by price and by location (in different levels from regional to specifically local). I found mine on cycletrader after doing a regional search-found it in SD actually so I drove down to get it. House of Motorcycles had another 01 back then but I'm sure its gone. There was an 01 available in Ventura not too long ago. I'd be surprised if it was sold already...cal coast motorsports in ventura. Might be worth a call.

Also check www.recycler.com that lets you search by phone area code. Ebay sucks for this sort of thing IMO.

Heres one located in North Cal. http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2907

Also, since there are a few riders in your area you might be able to entice one of them to join you in looking at a specific bike. We've done that up here for someone and it helps tremendously to have someone that knows the bike along.

[pantablo]

heres one in pasadena (northern suburb of L.A.) from craigslist.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/cyc/11806738.html

too much asking price though..they sold for $4300 retail meaning they went out the door for no more than $3800 most likely...less if they were old stock sitting on the floor. Offer $3500.

[pantablo]

la jolla:
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/cyc/10799844.html
91 for under $1000, needs cosmetic tlc only from description.

la jolla again:
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/cyc/12585383.html
93 not running, no price. may be worth looking at to determine repairs needed.

[WAP]

I'll back up the MSF course topic. For newcomers to motorcycling it's importance can't be overstated. Speaking for myself, i had never even *sat* on a bike before i took the course. I think passing the course is one of the main reasons i was able to ride my GS home from the dealership and not kill myself. It's also great for eliminating bad habits, learning the right way to ride from the beginning, etc.

And of course go out and spend as much as you can on proper safety gear, but you knew that already right?  

[kaizenro]

Dang, it appears you guys really care! I didn't know that was the case anymore on this planet! I'm going to do some investigating and talk some more with my gf cuz...she cares too. Sometimes..too much! Thanks again.

[glenn9171]

On the Suzuki site, you should see "showroom" on the left side.  Click that.  Then "past showrooms".  Then "2001 showroom".

[Linh]

Hey there Kaizenro.  I'm in San Diego too.  Does seem to be quite a few of us GS riders here.  I just recently got my bike so I can't tell you that much about it, but I just looked on ebay and saw one for sale here.  It's starting at $800, don't know what the reserve is, if there is one...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6027&item=2421457570

Good luck to you.  PS My husband commutes the 15 and it's a great timesaver for him.

[maxwellf]

if you weren't so strapped for cash, you wouldn't bother riding this roided out version of a pocket bike

[pantablo]

... this roided out version of a pocket bike

you dredged out a 2 1/2 yr old thread to spew this kind of crap? Keep it to yourself next time and spare the rest of us your anger.

[Phaedrus]

Well, if he would have started a NEW thread to spew that kind of crap, someone would have told him to SEARCH instead.  

[pandy]

Personally(whether a thread is 2 years old or 2 days old), I find men who are into safety and staying alive to be VERY sexy!  

Newbie/beginner corpses on those "masculine" Gixxers just....aren't so sexy!   :lol: