Almost bought a GSX650F today

[Jon The Buddha]

Went to my local Suzuki dealer (Performance Cycle in OKC) with the intention of picking up some fork oil for the spring replacement I am going to do.  It was pretty busy in the parts department, so I took a moment to check out all the bikes.  Since the GSX650 is pretty new, I hadn't seen one in person or heard anything about them.  Once I had a chance to check it out, I found myself really drawn to the bike.  They had one new one (black) and one used (blue) with only 1400 miles.  Some older guy (older than me) bought it, but decided it wasn't right.  He brought it back and traded it in on a Bandit 1250.  The salesman 'insisted' I take the blue one for a spin, and not wanting to dissapoint him, I did. 

Man...really smooth bike.  Nice power and you can bearly hear the engine at all.  Very good ergonomics for my 5'10'', 37 year-old body.  I kept it out for a good 30 minutes (as I told them I would) and took it around a nearby lake that has 3 or 4 semi-decent twists.  It was amazing how much more stable that thing felt, and I found myself running the stretch faster and further over than I normally do on the GS.  Those bigger and wider tires just gave me SO much more confidence.  I live about a mile from the lake, so I swung by my house to show my 4 year-old twins (Boy and Girl...they both love motorcycles).  They loved it and they both said they liked it better than my GS, and that I sould buy it.  Good kids! 

Once back at the dealer, I was ready to talk price.  They offered $2500 for my '04 GS500F, but I know a guy who has already said he would be interested if I decided to sell it.  I can get about $3000 to $3200 from him, I know.  So it all came down to the price of the GSX.  They tag on the used one was $6200. The new one was marked at the MSRP of $6999.  Now realize, I have bought two other brand new bikes from them over the years...A SV650S and a VStrom 650.  Both times I got a really good deal OTD.  However, this time they would not come of the MSRP of the new one at all!  I was shocked.  While I know they are probably selling a good number of bikes each month since gas prices are so high, and can afford to sell the bikes closer to MSRP since I'm sure demand is high, I was still dissapointed that they wouldn't work, at least a little bit, with a good repeat customer.  I told the guy he was crazy, and happily rode the good 'ole GS home.  End of story.

But wait...when I got home, I called a dealership in a little town that is about 50 miles away.  I didn't expect much, but when I asked the salesman what they could do on a GSX650, he surprised me by replying "6300 OTD".  So the story might not be over after all...

[SeqArtMark]

Good to hear the story isn't over yet.  I was actually just reading a thread on another forum about the GSX650F.  There was a guy who reviewed it and his sentiment was much the same as yours.  The only problem that I see on the bike is the weight.  What did you think about that in your short time on the thing?  I've found that despite the claims of many that the GS500 is a "light" bike, my 04 GSF is hardly svelte at 443 lbs. (esp. considering the sub-40 hp).

Anyways, I don't want to threadjack.  I just wanted to say good luck with the possible acquisition of a new bike.

[Jon The Buddha]

You know...that is a great question.  Untill you asked, I never even gave the weight of the bike a thought.  I just looked up the weight of the GSX and it looks like the thing is going to be running 500 lbs wet.  That tells me it must be very well balanced if it didn't jump out at me.  Funny thing is, I also looked up the weight of my old VStrom and I see that it is listed as lighter than the GSX.  However, I always felt the weight of the VStrom.  Of course, the VStrom had a lot of weight up high and had a taller ride height, so that makes a big difference to a guy like me with a 32 inch inseam.

Man...seeing how much that thing weighs vs how good it felt, makes me want it even more!   

[bombadillo]

Get an f4i and bar risers.

[Jon The Buddha]

Get an f4i and bar risers.

But its a Honda....ewww! 

[scottpA_GS]

Get an f4i and bar risers.

The GSX is a Fuel injected four  ... Thats all F4I means 

[Jon The Buddha]

Get an f4i and bar risers.

The GSX is a Fuel injected four  ... Thats all F4I means 

And the 'I' just means 'Inline'...right?

[ohgood]

f4i = indestructable

hey look, someone actually RODE a gsxf before passing judgement ! cool ! tahnks for the info on the new bike. not that i'm in the market or will be anytime soon, but it's good to know it didn't feel like a pig.

[Jon The Buddha]

f4i = indestructable

.
.
.
.
.
.
.