Newbie question about freeway speeds.

[starshooter10]

every day riding the GS is fine...

if you want to goto the track every weekend then maybe look at a bigger bike...

but on the flip side to that....

as a newer rider a smaller bike will probally be better....

and you can still ROMP the tracks on a 500

[DriveALW]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback! You have cemented this as my first choice in bikes, and I appreciate all the friendly responses. No worries, I wouldn't dream of getting on the freeway for some time after purchasing my first bike. As far as new vs. used, I have my heart set on an unfaired model, and I think the new ones are all GS500F s (could be wrong). So, I will be shopping the used bikes in my area (San Diego). Thanks again!

[Chokstick]

Have to agree with everyone.  I don't drive the freeway very often, but when I do it does just fine.

I have an 07 naked...don't know about the 08's.

[DriveALW]

Interesting, for some reason I thought they only made them with fairing since 2004. My mistake.

[thejollyroger]

last saterday i rode 300 miles on the free way with a passenger. western wi to duluth mn and back. it was just geart crused at 75- 80 most of the way untel it got dark then down to 65 or so. I did not want to over run my head lights. even with a passenger I am able to nagoatate in traffic and pass safley.

my frend rides a sazukie c50 800 cc crusier and I keep up just fine.
I find that I need to down shift to 5th from time to time when passing but not a big deal and down shifting is fun
I would not shy away from the gs at all. it has plenty of real world power.
mine is stock and has done tripple digets.  just once for fun I wanted to see how fast she would go I stoped at 108mph. she would have keep going

[yamahonkawazuki]

not for much longer/faster though, but yeah ive been there on more than one occasion myself too

[average]

its a 500. You will have to shift more than on a bigger bike which is what makes it so fun for most of us. 

[TarzanBoy]

You are going to have no problems with acceleration or speed at all if your bike is up to spec.  It will beat a car in acceleration at any RPM.

That isn't true.   The GS500 is faster off the line (from a stop) than anything up till a Corvette (which can run neck and neck with a GS500),  but it loses its edge at highway speeds.   You won't be any faster than most of the cars on the highway at ~65+ mph... and a good portion of them will have more power than the GS.

The GS is the weakest bike I would be comfortable taking on the highway.   Highway cruising speed ~65-80 mph is still a good 20-35 mph UNDER its top speed, so you have enough room to downshift/upshift when passing, etc.

[ohgood]

Thinking about getting one of these for a first bike, but I need something I can use to commute after I get comfortable with it.
1) One of the criticisms of this bike is its low speed on the highway, but could someone quantify that for me?
2) Obviously it will get to freeway speeds, but does it accelerate too slowly above 65?
3) Is the engine just doing too much work at freeway speeds for it to be practical?
4) I would probably need to be able to do 10 miles on the freeway going 75 or so (if I'm late). If someone could give me an idea of what I can actually expect from it on the freeway, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

alw

1- it'll do 100 mph (illegal everywhere) and out accelerate 99.9% of vehicles sold in the US easily
2- nope. 65-90 just takes you clickin down a gear or two (for faster acceleration) and pinning it
3- nope. mine turns 7,000 rpm @ 80mph (or so) and i've dropped a tooth on the front cog. you don't want to ride a gs for 700 miles in a day though, imho.
4- heck ya. ten miles is just enough to warm her up proper. if you're late going faster won't do a thing

per #4, do a search for 'fuel starvation' here on the forum. you'll likely want to rectify it before doing any interstate speeds.

[tripleb]

Tarzan, I have beaten modded tuner cars at 80 mph on highways no problem.  It always brings a smile to my face.

The best is pulling up to a light next to some punk kid in his dad's vette, GT, other fast car and blowing them away!!  Especially when they have their GF in the car, make sure you slow down enough after a while so you can rub it in!!

[mayhem]

The only thing that gets sketchy is riding behind a semi, a lot of turbulence

[on2Wh33lz]

I just rode in the rain on the freeway and @ 75 no prob...... I love this thing

[gsJack]

Interesting, for some reason I thought they only made them with fairing since 2004. My mistake.

The last naked GS500 sold in the US was the 02 model.  No new GS's sold here in 03.  From 04 on the only GSs sold here are the fully faired F models.  But the naked GS is still sold in other countries around the world including nearby Canada.  We have many members here from other countries.

[TarzanBoy]

Tarzan, I have beaten modded tuner cars at 80 mph on highways no problem.  It always brings a smile to my face.

The best is pulling up to a light next to some punk kid in his dad's vette, GT, other fast car and blowing them away!!  Especially when they have their GF in the car, make sure you slow down enough after a while so you can rub it in!!

Yeah, a civic with a wing on the back is still a civic.     Talk to me when you can handle a mustang or even a Nissan Maxima from a rolling start on the highway.

[DriveALW]

Interesting, for some reason I thought they only made them with fairing since 2004. My mistake.

The last naked GS500 sold in the US was the 02 model.  No new GS's sold here in 03.  From 04 on the only GSs sold here are the fully faired F models.  But the naked GS is still sold in other countries around the world including nearby Canada.  We have many members here from other countries.

Thanks for the clarification. You guys provide a wealth of info!

[BoxTops]

The good news is that freeway driving is generally safer than 2-lane because there aren't any intersections.  But it has its own hazards: to a driver in a car looking for a gap in the next lane to pull into, *you* look like a gap.  Stay out of blind spots, stay alert, stay safe. 

- Ben

[OutlwWarrior]

I bought a 07 GS500F bout a month ago and have no trouble with it on the freeway. Haven't fully broke it in yet ( already at 400 miles) but do occasionally pick it up to 70mph at times. I try not to get it over 5500 rpm right now tho.

[warpspeedtigger]

Ok, I just got an '05 GS500F ...(first bike), it's got 115 miles on it, and I have no manual.....can somebody tell me what the break in procedure is. And thanks to all the posts, I feel much more comfortable about my choice.

[beRto]

Ok, I just got an '05 GS500F ...(first bike), it's got 115 miles on it, and I have no manual.....can somebody tell me what the break in procedure is. And thanks to all the posts, I feel much more comfortable about my choice.

It's on the wiki... here you go:
http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Maintenance/Break-InSchedule