Great bike, guys ... long-timer commends you on your taste!

[cruisedaddy]

Hey, I want to tell you how in love with your GS500e's I have become.   I've been riding for 26 years, mostly huge touring and sport/touring bikes.  I'm 6-2, 180 lbs.  My wife had a black '96 GS500 and it was a bit tatty so she had me buy her an SV650.  

Since (i) it wasn't worth much, (ii) I wanted a nice light bike to take to the store, etc. (no fun getting out the 700-pounder to just run for a quart of milk!), and (iii) I love to tinker with bikes like you read about, I hung onto it.  First, I took it apart and had the frame powdercoated.  Then I just cleaned things up, put on a Cobra pipe (steel wooled off the cheesy graphic), rejetted the carbs with the Dynojet Stage III kit, put on an ignition advancer and dropped in a set of Progressive front springs.  Then I had Sargent make me up a custom seat about an inch higher than the GS's OE unit, which I found a little low.  Lastly I put some short, clear turn signals on there and peeled of the GS500 stickers, which really cleans up the profile.

Well, all this results in a bike that is just a pure joy to ride.  With the black motor (was that only in '96?) if you squint really hard it looks like a low-discount Vincent Black Shadow!  I mean the SV650 is more powerful, but it doesn't have the sweetness of the GS and with the above simple mods the GS really goes.  I don't think the suspension on the SV is a whole lot better than the GS's thus modded, although I do think the rear is too soft for sure ... will no doubt change out the spring/shock out at some point.  

Plus I personally think air-cooled bikes are so much more likable ... for one thing that radiator on her SV is stunningly ugly!!!  It's like listening to an LP rather than a CD ... the regular carbureted setup is just less harsh than the digital fuel injection.  Having tried just about everything over the last two decades, I really, really, really like this bike.  You guys are on to something.  Why Suzuki would have discontinued this model is beyond me.  Simple (who wants to be out in the middle of nowhere and have their injection ECU crap out?), utterly good natured, plenty fast, and handles just superbly.

(One thing I'm puzzling about is, I thought your GS's had 6 speeds but I'm only finding 5!  Is this right?  Hmmm, maybe time to start tearing things down!)

[bbanjo]

Right on Daddy-O.

6 forwards it is though.

[can-can]

Well, thanks first off for admitting that you like a smaller bike! I was wanting to get rid of mine and upgrade to something a tad bigger but after finding this site and planning all the simple(and sometimes inexpensive)mods that are found/talked about here, I am falling in love with my first bike all over again. After some cosmetic mods and performance mods just around the corner, it's like previously dating a fat chick that has lost some weight and decided to put on some make-up! I plan on keeping this one while still upgrading to a bigger/sportier bike. The wife doesn't know it yet but she is going to inherit the GS. Well, thanks again for keeping your GS!!!

[JohNLA]

The GS is my 5th bike in 15 years and it is by faaaaarrrr my favorite. I will someday have a big tourer and a dirt bike but I believe there will always be a GS FOR 99% of my rides.
I am not a big fan of the new SV frame. I liked the old trellis frame much better.

[96gs]

no its six i have 1996 GS500e TO AND I HAVE A 6 SPEED GEARBOX. IF YOU LOOK RIGHT ABOVE THE SHIFTER AND LOOK REALLY CLOSE IT WILL SAY 1n23456 FOR THE GEARS.

[scratch]

Welcome to the site!

What kind of clear turnsignals did you get? And, where or what shop did you buy them from? How much? I'm asking for ScottWV in his thread 'Pics of his modded rear' http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3422.

Mines a '94 with six gears, one down, five up.

[vegbiker]

The changes you made to the GS sound great! Post a picture when you have a chance. I love my GS too - can't wait to keep modifying it!

[The Buddha]

That custom seat must have cost a bundle...You tried the suzuki gel seat and didn't like it??? I personally feel the Gel seat is fantastic in comfort but does look hideous. The corbin is less comfy but looks nearly 10000 times better. Anyway someone on the old GS mailing list complained back in 99 that their GS also only had 5 speeds... maybe they forgot to put one in on your bikes - Strange I didn't even think its possible to do...but you are the second person I have heard of this from.
The black motor came in many years. 89-94 for sure and somehow I thought 96 was silver but I could be wrong.
Cool.
Srinath.

[96gs]

yep. 96s engine is black i have a 96

[cruisedaddy]

Srinath, the seat was expensive but there's one way to do things and that is the RIGHT way!  Didn't care for the gel seat -- mine looks like a dirt bike seat now ... there's essentially no "shelf" between front and rear.  I think the seat cost me $200+ to have made up but it's very comfortable for me.

As far as the clear turn signals, they're something they had on the shelf at the local shop ... I sprayed the insides with silver paint and they're quite bright now.  This is easier than easy, and really cleans up the bike's profile.  Why they don't mirror the insides for you and save you fifteen minutes is beyond me (_do_ do it).

The bike goes perfectly well on the highway now ... I'm using one of those clip-on windshields let's say 14" wide at the base x 14" high ... helps tons, but doesn't look too cool.  I mean my touring bike is often more appropriate, but the GS is perfectly good for 85-mph blasts of a few miles.  It's turning some fairly high revs, but nothing that concerns me.

One mod I still need to do is to put an '89 Gixxer shock on there ... it's my understanding this will not alter the ride height of the GS one bit.  Gotta verify.   (The GS unit's spring stiffness is acceptable for this 180-pounder at setting #7, but there is insufficient damping at this setting and the shock itself must be uprated.)

(I don't know if I agree with you folks about the fenderectomy ... it doesn't look so bad with the stock unit, at least on an all-black bike, and at least it keeps errant spray off my back!)

I may upgrade the rear wheel width-wise but there are a number of problems that I foresee and it may be well enough to just leave alone.  Additionally, of course, the GS handles very sweetly with the narrow tires.

If I'm not missing my guess, I'd say the bike is developing 50-55 hp now and if I'm right that ain't too shabby.  The rejet/pipe thing is a must, and it will help you enjoy the bike more.  The stock jets are clearly too lean, but this is exacerbated by a pipe and K&N air cleaner so one must change 'em.  (For what it's worth, a GS is no Triumph Speed Triple but a pipe gives it a healthier sound too.)

Another mod I will do at some point is clean up that maze of tubing from the gas tank to the carbs.  What with the canister plumbing etc., it is a poorly conceived setup -- especially the petcock -- on an otherwise brilliant motorcycle.

[DrtRydr23]

I have a Cobra F1R muffler with a stage 3 dynojet kit, and I was having some problems with it.  I was wondering if you had any problems with yours?  What set-up are you using in the carbs (specifically main jet size and needle position)?  I've got 128 main and needle clip on the 2nd from the top.  I'm having some acceleration problems and figured your set-up would be very similar to mine seeing as we're using the same muffler (unless you're using a full Cobra system), air filter, and jet kit.

Thanks a lot.

John L.

[The Buddha]

The GSXR shock will raise the ride height quite a bit. The no load height will be 1.5+ inches higher and the height with rider will be more like 2.5 inch higher. A Kat shock is a bit more moderate but even that is 1 inch when non loaded and ~1.5+ when rider sits on it. The heavier you are the more that number becomes too cos the stock shock sinks down more and more with load. That is the effective ride height.
Post pics of the seat...I like to see what you mean by "no shelf". Sargent is a favorite among touring bikers...My neighbor had a V-max with one of those custom made ones on it and I am serious it had arm rest like things comming 1/2 way up to his waist literally ... Looked like crap but he totally liked that bucket like feel. When riding with werase I really saw him hang his ass out in the wind and with the stock seat that is so much easier. The corbin is a bit harder and the gel seat is near impossible. I guess the stock one has its advantages so a no shelf design might have the best of both aspects. BTW for me also GS'es were bike number 5, 9 and 18...I sold 11 back in 2000. So I only got 5 and 18 now.
Cool.
Srinath.

[cruisedaddy]

Sure, I'll try to post pix.  It's been a few weeks since I rejetted the carbs so I don't recall but I'll look.  I mean it accelerates just fine.  As far as the shock, sounds to me like the best answer is to just have the shock valving uprated.  The spring is, I think, fine and it holds the bike at the correct height.  Must be that the damper inside it isn't sufficiently stiff to deal with the spring.  Having owned several custom sports cars over the years, it's clear to me that one must not confuse spring rates with damping rates.  They're two different things altogether, even though in a coil-over setup they're basically accomplished by the same part.  I'll have to look in my files and see if there's a shop that could rebuild the shocks with stiffer damping.