Hi again, looking at another GS500!

[psychsurf]

Thanks everyone for the input on the last basket case gs500 I was considering.  I passed on it, largely because of the input I got here.  Much rather start with a runner to 'fighter out than a pile of parts I'll be feeding money to every week.

So, now I'm looking at another one, going to go see it tomorrow.  Sounds like a much better bike, here's what the owner has to say about it:

1990 GS500F.  The bike has just over 9000 miles one it. The bike has a stage 1 carb kit in it now giving it better response compared to the stock set up which was horrid. There is also a K&N air filter that eliminated the need for a air box. I have a set of stiffer racing springs that could be easily installed if wanted but the stock springs are fine unless one encounters gravel roads or unexpected exents. I bought the bike for the Yamaha dealer in Eagle River last summer and the bike couldnt even get home. The bike runs great now, I recently rode 1700 mile to Canada 3 weeks ago and no problems at all.  Asking Price is about 1500 and some negotiating is fine.  The bike has Avon Roadriders which I bought this season and the majority of tread is still there, maybe 3-4 thousand miles left. The bike is a gloss black with silver/grey accents on the sidepanel, the frame is silver too. I believe the "F" does stand for fairing because it is has one covering the light and cluster area then there is a second one that is behind the front tire. the bottom one is in fine shape and the top one got broke before I left for Canada, but it was fiberglass so I got it fixed by plastchem  and is being repainted. I should have it by today. And I forgot to mention there is a set of LED lights that I put in the brake light assembly under the stock lights so when braking it turns on the brake lights and flashes the red LED lights for 5 seconds or so.

I can't find a "F" model for 1990, and the fairing does sound like an add-on.  I'd probably ditch the upper, but the lower would be sweet streetfighter style.    I don't see any red flags here, anyone else?   Any other particular gs500 quirks I should be watching for on a test-ride?

Thanks again, and if I wind up getting this bike you can expect to see a lot of me here!

[Jay_wolf]

The F models are also Oil cooled , and they have Full fairings ,

there isnt a 1990 F model

[psychsurf]

Yeah, judging by the way it was described, I figured it was probably an aftermarket fairing.  It'll make it easy to take off the upper though!  I'll probably see if anyone here wants the upper if I get the bike.

So, what about the price?  I'm guessing from his openness to negotiation that I could probably get it for 1200 or so, that sound worth it?

[Jay_wolf]

Well , make sure u look at it well , bring someone along who knows bikes , if u dont , if u do then no worrys , theres a few threads about what u look for , if it is what he says it is , sounds like a deal!

[psychsurf]

I do know bikes, but it seems like every bike I've ever had has come with some "model-specific" quirk that I only find out about after bringing the bike home. 

For example, I had a Yamaha 550 Vision.  Wouldn't charge the battery.  Turns out the stator connector very commonly burns out, just needs to have the leads hard-wire soldered together.    Of course, I didn't learn about that common issue (and fix) until after cracking it open and replacing the stator.  Lots of work, not cheap.

So, I was kind of fishing for any specific problems that are typical of this particular model, hopefully catching it before finding myself on the side of the road somewhere.    I'll dig a little deeper here, see if I can find anything more in the FAQs.

[CndnMax]

squeaky rear brake  .

[manofthefield]

Yeah, judging by the way it was described, I figured it was probably an aftermarket fairing.  It'll make it easy to take off the upper though!  I'll probably see if anyone here wants the upper if I get the bike.

Yeah, sounds like aftermarket fairings (Targa) or even Suzuki accessory fairings.  The "F" part is I don't know where he came up with "GS500F", it's still a GS500E if it's a 1990, so he probably doesn't know a lot about the model.  Not a red flag or anything, just something I thought I'd put out there. 

Biggest concern I can think of on an older GS500 is rust in the gas tank, otherwise check it over like any other bike.  Ask if the valves have been checked every 4000 miles, or when they were last checked.  I think the price will be very dependent on the condition of all the maintenance items... chain, sprockets, tires, clean carbs/runs well, and paint/overall condition

[Jay_wolf]

Is there no pics of the bike?

[manofthefield]

oh yeah, he mentions Eagle River... is that Eagle River, WI?

[psychsurf]

I'm thinking he saw 500E and just misread it as F.

no pics, too many folks on craigslist seem to have trouble emailing photos.   Better for me, because unlike a lot of people, I'll actually check something out even if there aren't any.   I'll definitely post pics if I buy it though.

He said he got it from a stealership a year ago, so I would think they'd go over the maintenance components pretty carefully just for liability...  Or maybe not.    Come to think of it, they're probably the ones who told him it was an F. 

Yeah, I'm a big stickler for checking gas tanks ever since I had one decide to spray rusty gas on my leg at 60 MPH.  Another lesson learned!


There's an Eagle River, WI?   I'm a little further north than that.  Eagle River, AK is just north of Anchorage where I am.

[Reddog787]

Dealerships don't do much maintenance per to keep their cost down.  They just look for safety issues like tire condition.  I lived in Tok and rust in the gas is by far your biggest concern.  They just said F because it has common aftermarket headlight fairing and the "chin spoiler."  Eagle River is a good place though, only they're more for 4wheelers.