gs500 or gs400?

[pjm204]

SO I already have a '99 gs500 but I've been wanting a second bike for myself and so that my brother could ride with me. I am going to look at a 93 gs500 and a 78 gs400 today. Both are supposed to be in good running condition. the 500 has  14,000 miles and the 400 has 5,000 miles. The 500 is $700 and the 400 is 450. I am sure both prices could go down a little. Anyway, assuming both are as described, which would you go with and why?

[cd]

500

[jp]

Go with the 500. I have a couple of older GS's, and it's harder getting parts for them. The 400 will be harder than average in this respect. Also, the 500 will give you a wider choice of tires you can use.

[pjm204]

The parts issue was my main concern. When I look at the 500, is there anything I should pay specific attention to? I mean I have had my other one for about 6 months but obviously a lot of you guys know way more than me about them. The guy said the starter switch which I assume he meant the run/kill switch shorted and he has a separate one under the seat, this seems like a pretty easy fix. 14,000 doesn't seem like a ton of miles but it is twice as many as the one I have. Anyway, any pointers would be appreciated.

[cd]

show up 30 minutes + early without letting him know you are going to. sometimes its fairly enlightening.

[pjm204]

haha, what should I expect to see if I do?

[The Buddha]

If you're buying it from me, you see it sitting as is, with nothing happening around it.
I however know of people who desparately try to fix stuff last minute to make the sale. Like WTF, if you haven't fixed it in months what makes you believe you can in the last 10 mins before selling it.
Cool.
Srinath.

[pjm204]

gotcha, the guy seemed pretty honest on the phone to note all the flaws the bike had.
Minor road rash on the exhaust, kill switch, front tire will need replacement soon...
he was asking 1,000. I got him down to 700 on the phone and the plan is to get him down to 600-650. I do think the 500 is a better idea than the 400, especially for my brother who isn't very mechanical. I'd be okay doing timing, points, valves when needed. Sadly I missed out on a mint cb500 last night, hopefully this GS is as good as it looks in the pictures.

[ben2go]

Where is this at?I might buy the one you don't, if it's in the right area.

[ballyhoo]

I rode a 1977 GS 400 for 27 years, and the ONLY parts problem I ever had was $60. for a freakin' set of points. So I ground the points very carefully on a bench grinder, polished them and rode another 10 years.

Seriously, the engine of the GS400 is practically identical to the GS500, except for the old mechanical points. The engine was called "bulletproof" in the 1978 article in Cycle World. It was also one of the ten best buys that year-and best in its class.

I finally bought my 2001 GS500 used from Two Jacks cycles in PA, mainly after I realized how similar the engines were, plus the old 400 was getting rusty and sad. I was worried the old rusty spokes would pop. But basically it's a very good bike and one that would be good for easy riding.

[pjm204]

I wasn't happy with the condition of the GS500 so I went and looked at the GS400. It was in MINT!! condition. I am not joking, i looked hard to find an imperfection and was unable to. I bought it for $400 bucks and they guy drove it 20 miles to my house since I didn't have a truck. I am very very very pleased with the purchase.


As for the GS500 I passed up, rear wheel had a sizeable dent, starter button did not work, a new one was rigged under the seat, exhaust had road rash, front tire was worn, engine felt pretty weak compared to my '99. I figured while at 700 it was cheap, I would likely spend another 700 to get it in the condition I wanted it in. if anyone wants it though, it is on craigslist in the lancaster PA section.

[cd]

i woulda done the same thing if i was in your position.

another reason its good to show up early is you dont give people an oppurtunity to jump the bike or prestart it and warm it up.

[pjm204]

yea, I made sure to touch the sides of the engine and they were warm. The bike had been running for awhile before I got there and it still ran like shaZam!.....

As for the GS400, the guy had it sitting in the garage, he was in the house. He said the batter was dead, it put it on the charger for 5 minutes, disconnected it, and it started second kick. He then proceeded to take fifty bucks off for the price of a new battery. He also said he was embarassed for having the bike in such dirty condition....it was possibly the cleanest bike outside of a showroom I have ever seen. I'll post pics in the next day or two.

[pjm204]

Here are a couple pics of the new GS. I took these quick, I will post more later. Let me know what you think of the new ride.

[galahs]

Nice find!

[ballyhoo]

You are truly, truly fortunate. If I had seen this before I bought by GS500, I would be tempted to give you double what you paid for it. It is an outstanding motorcycle, and you should get lots of good riding from it. Congratulations!

AND, slobber slobber, you have the X-model with the drum brake on the front! Same as mine that I bought 30 years ago!
Totally bulletproof. And I really miss the kick starter. The old GS400X came without an electric starter, no center stand, and a drum brake. This made the selling price $995 which is what I paid the dealer. Such a deal!

[pjm204]

thanks, I let my brother have it so I would have someone to ride with. He put about 100 miles on it this weekend and I put about 150 on mine. We switched a couple times and I definitely love the GS400. He keeps talking about how it is a great bike to learn on but if/when he decides to sell, I will be buying it back from him.

I like that the forks on the X model still have the mounts for the disk brake. He kind of wishes it had an electric start but I like the simplicity. There is very little that will go wrong other than routine stuff and the points. I'd have to say the bike might be a bit more agile around the turns than my GS500, it just feels like it floats around them, very different to ride. It sounds great when you get up around 7k rpms.

[Susuki_Jah]

you got that bike for $40o?

freeken steal !

I am envious  

[pjm204]

yea, the guy was asking $450 but it needed a new battery so he took $50 off, he even delivered it 20 miles to my house. Really nice guy, and all of his belongings were in equal condition. He had a 79 xs650 that was beautiful as well, basically he just took care of his stuff. I have to say, after riding the GS500 all day, the GS400 is like riding a nice soft couch, perfectly upright, comfy seat and suspension. I think the whole GS era is a great line of bikes....I'd love to get my hands on a GS1150...

[ohgood]

that's really pretty. could you get a few shots outside, in some grass, nothing in the background ?

yep, it's gonna be a rotating wallpaper for the laptop.

nice find, enjoy the ride !