Thinking of buying gs500, what do you think?

[Brian556]

Hey guys. I'm thinking about buying my very first bike and I know of a 1989 GS500 for sale. It's white with blue accents.

Its got 25k miles on it and has rebuilt carbs, new plugs, new tires, brakes, v&h pipe, and basic tune up in the fall last year.

The problem is that it doesn't run. He said it ran perfect and then one day he started it up and it died. I believe that it will still start but then die right away. He believes to think that it is the magneto but he doesn't know that much about bikes and neither do I.

He is asking $600 as is for this bike. Do you guys think this is a good deal and what do you think the problem could be?

Thanks,
Brian

[vegbiker]

Well, I don't know much about bikes either, so why am I replying? Hmm. Can you find out the circumstances of it dying? Was it starting and then dying, or dying when the throttle was twisted? Did it happen in neutral or in gear? The reason I'm asking is because I had a 1979 Yamaha that died when I twisted the throttle (it would idle fine). In that case, it was a carb float issue, but it could be a clogged fuel line, or something completely different.

Does the seller have service records for all the things you mentioned? If not, I'd be wary, since you can't test the bike, hear it run, etc. As someone who has to rely on mechanics (@$70/hr - doh!) I know first-hand that repairs can add up. Pretty much anything is fixable, but it might add up quickly.

[mrslush50]

We just bought an '89 with more miles on it than that.  It didn't run.  Needed tons of parts.  And would have been a complete basket case.  Luckily we only needed it as a parts bike.  We payed half of what the owner of the bike you're look at is asking.  Seems like a good deal to me.

[Brian556]

So youre saying that this doesnt sound like a bad deal? It doesnt sound like anything too serious to me even though i am not too familiar with bikes.

Do you guys think that even with 25k miles it will still last a long time as long as i take care of it? What kind of things should i ask him about the bike and what should i look out for on a GS500 when buying?

thanks,
Brian

[pantablo]

these bikes are notorious for rust in the gas tank. Look into tank with a flashlight and see if theres any surface rust inside. If do you'll have to replace or surface teh inside with a tank "Kreem". Rust in tank can get into timy fuel inlets in carbs and cause all kinds of havoc (maybe what is wrong with bike now but not likely if carbs recently rebuilt).

Otherwise these bikes are bulletproof. Most likely need top end rebuilt after 40K miles. Lots of spare parts available.

Seems like it should be something simple and either electrical or fuel related since it starts...could it be as simple as plugs fouled (seems llike worn rings from having 25K miles could do that) or dead battery.

Snatch it up...

and welcome to the site! make sure to check out the home page here at www.gstwin.com for lots of useful info and links.

[rhenter]

I purchased my '89 with 24K miles last fall.  It was completely stock but ran and still runs great.  It has 28k miles now and is no longer stock.  I added progressive springs, katana shock and girps and F-15 windscreen.
Anyway i paid $800 so I think your in the ballpark.   I'd buy it.

[The Buddha]

The 89 also has some good unique parts and some bad unique problems. Rust was one of the issues. The others are that the paint yellows with time. Very uniformly...not related to sun exposure just time. So if you are trying to color match just 1 part later they wont match...However There is always me dying to buy white 89 stuff for more than any other year/color so you'd be fine. The issue sounds like carburetion to me...Starts and dies might be a whole load of blocked carb passages and they easy to clean without taking them off. If it was crashed or will crash in the future you may break the clip on's and pieces. The frame dont have a hole to stick a wrench on the shock...so changing shocks is a bit more work. Other than that its got nice clip on's which feel great, and that alloy shock linkage that lets you fit any rear shock on it wihtout grinding etc. Offer less, say 400 or so and walk away if they dont agree...at 600 he'll not sell it for a month most likely.
Cool.
Srinath.

[javio1]

There are a few of us in Chicago that might be able to help you out!  
Why don't you take a look at my bike? Maybe you'd be interested.  :mrgreen:

http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2784

[Brian556]

There are a few of us in Chicago that might be able to help you out!  
Why don't you take a look at my bike? Maybe you'd be interested.  :mrgreen:

http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2784

I saw your bike and emailed you about it. I wanted to know how much you were asking.

Also, the guy emailed me back today and said that he would be willing to sell it to me for $500. So if I decide to get it I will try to get the price even lower.

Thanks guys,

Brian