A sad, and hopeful, change

[sector9]

So after 1.5 years and 8k miles with my '89 GS, I decided to put it up on Craigslist and see what happened. Within an hour, I had 4 emails, 2 people scheduled to see the bike, and offers very close to my $1300 asking price (I bought it for $900 in Aug. of '07). Tonight, I said goodbye to my first bike that took me from Seattle all the way down the coast to San Fran, all over Washington, and countless trips to work, all with minimal fuss.

This forum has been an awesome resource for knowledge, parts, and like-minded individuals that have shared all kinds of things related to riding. Thanks for that.

For now, I'll be saving up for until I can afford a VFR (4th or 5th Gen.), SV650s, Triumph Sprint, or maaaaybe a Honda VTR1000. Who knows! I plan on making riding a long-term hobby and mode of transportation. I owe much of that to my little GS.

It's been fun, guys! 

[oramac]

Good luck!     I had my '99 for five years, and I just recently moved up.  However, I can't seem to drag myself away from this forum.  I've joined svriders.com and sv-portal.com but, while being useful, the community on those forums doesn't hold a candle to gstwin.com! 

Keep hangin' out here, and try to make some group rides.  This is an awesome forum...no matter what you ride.   

[bucks1605]

I recently sold mine as well, its bittersweet. The hardest part for me though is not having a bike right now though, good luck with your search.

[The Buddha]

Muhaha haha haha haha ... SV Idiots are peckerheads.
Most of us have no GS, not even a bike in some cases. This forum is our equivalent of sex/food/air.

However the SV moron's are bickering fools who cant ride and cant afford a real sport bike and like to peddle and buy overpriced crap for their pretty boi bikes.
And ...
Dont even get me started on the damn gladius. I cant see why they are freaking fawning over it ... its a POS steel framed bike with a over hyped price tag cos its new ... POS. Worse than a GS. V twin ... sheesh.
If only the ninja 650 was a slightly better POS it would have made a decent step up form a GS.

WTH is yamaha doing hiding that TRX from us. Stupid, all of them.

Cool.
Buddha.

[lawman]

Tell us how you really feel Buddha...

I like the SV650.  I'm intrigued by the Gladius.  The Versys and ER-6N are interesting too.  But the GS I can do just about anything with/to.  And there are millions of parts out there.  And it and they are dirt cheap.  And the power is fine, with great gas mileage.

My GS (still a WIP, although, with a running engine, brake light, and turn signals now...) is  a step UP from the 30 y/o CM400t I was using before, so it's pretty satisfying.  I imagine moving up to the 650s will have both benefits and drawbacks.  I anticipate more drawbacks than benefits - hence I haven't done it.

[Merritt]

you'll buy it back.

i had my 92 gs for almost a year, then sold it to a friend.  ive been without it for a year now, and will hopefully buy it back from him this summer.  hell, i've already started buy parts in anticipation of getting it back!

originally i wanted it back just to leave at my parents beach house (no way i'm riding 4+ hrs each way).  then i started to remember how much fun it was to ride, so i think ill keep it at home when it get it back.

[The Buddha]

The gladius and the Ninja 650 definetly will do 1 thing far better than the GS does, no question.
It will rust better. Faster, deeper, in more in accessible places far far sooner. No contest. Its will outrust the GS hands down.
Cool.
Buddha.

[lawman]

The gladius and the Ninja 650 definetly will do 1 thing far better than the GS does, no question.
It will rust better. Faster, deeper, in more in accessible places far far sooner. No contest. Its will outrust the GS hands down.
Cool.
Buddha.

You can't think of ANYTHING else an electronically tuned 650 could do better than a carbureted 500?  You're losing some respect and credibilty with me here...

[Juan1]

I don't know Buddha, my GS looks like it could once hold its own in a fork rust competition.

Why the distaste for the other bikes?  Yes, most of the other forums have some folks with 1000cc egos and 250cc brains, but I'd still trade my budget GS500 for a less-budget FZ/SV/650r in a heartbeat.  

[lawman]

Why the distaste for the other bikes?  Yes, most of the other forums have some folks with 1000cc egos and 250cc brains, but I'd still trade my budget GS500 for a less-budget FZ/SV/650r in a heartbeat.  

WHOAH THERE!!! THAT'S CRAAAAAZY TALK!!!  NOW YER TALKIN' CRAAAAAZY TALK!!!!

I don't know that I would make that trade, honestly.  Let me get this thing of mine tuned and running, and I'll get back to you.  I will say that sometimes a horse may be a better ride than a pegasus, even if slower.

[joshr08]

i have to say i went and looked at the new 09 sv650 last night on the way home from work and that will be my next bike.  man is it pretty

[Juan1]

I don't know that I would make that trade, honestly.  Let me get this thing of mine tuned and running, and I'll get back to you.  I will say that sometimes a horse may be a better ride than a pegasus, even if slower.

I agree, it isn't all about the engine size.  The FZ/SV/650r all have better transmissions, better suspension and brakes, bigger frames, 2 of the 3 are aluminum (no more rust, stiffer frame), electronic fuel management (no more long warm up times or carb issues), and longer service intervals.  That said, saving the money for something bigger than a GS500 is no fun.

[ohgood]

So after 1.5 years and 8k miles with my '89 GS, I decided to put it up on Craigslist and see what happened. Within an hour, I had 4 emails, 2 people scheduled to see the bike, and offers very close to my $1300 asking price (I bought it for $900 in Aug. of '07). Tonight, I said goodbye to my first bike that took me from Seattle all the way down the coast to San Fran, all over Washington, and countless trips to work, all with minimal fuss.

This forum has been an awesome resource for knowledge, parts, and like-minded individuals that have shared all kinds of things related to riding. Thanks for that.

For now, I'll be saving up for until I can afford a VFR (4th or 5th Gen.), SV650s, Triumph Sprint, or maaaaybe a Honda VTR1000. Who knows! I plan on making riding a long-term hobby and mode of transportation. I owe much of that to my little GS.

It's been fun, guys! 

that's cool man. enjoy the ride, whatever you pose on

also congrats on getting your money back from the bike.

i wonder though- how did you part with her when the buyer came ? (I couldn't)

[gearman]

If only the ninja 650 was a slightly better POS it would have made a decent step up form a GS.

So what is a decent step up from a GS?

[bucks1605]

i wonder though- how did you part with her when the buyer came ? (I couldn't)

I did it by not being at the house when she sold, probably the only way I could have let her go.

[oramac]

How many of you remember when 'the buddha' was still called srinath, and he actually said useful stuff that didn't border on inane, borderline abrasive drivel?

Muhaha haha haha haha ... SV Idiots are peckerheads.

...However the SV moron's are bickering fools who cant ride and cant afford a real sport bike and like to peddle and buy overpriced crap for their pretty boi bikes.
And ...
Dont even get me started on the damn gladius. I cant see why they are freaking fawning over it ... its a POS steel framed bike with a over hyped price tag cos its new ... POS. Worse than a GS. V twin ... sheesh.
If only the ninja 650 was a slightly better POS it would have made a decent step up form a GS.

Cool.
Buddha.

A.  I own an SV now, and I don't consider myself to be a peckerhead, bickering fool, or pretty boi.  I do, however, now own a bike that only weighs twenty pounds more than my GS, will NOT rust, has a better suspension, better brakes, a functional faring, actual room under the seat for storage, will not have perpetually leaky forks, only costs $12 more a year to insure, and cost me considerably less than the $ I would have spent on a new 650r, FZ6R, or even a new GS500F for that matter.  Oh, and did I mention horsepower and torque that allow me to ride twisties without shifting constantly, and gearing that allows me to do the majority of my in-town riding without ever shifting past second or breaking 6,000 rpm?  It puts the power in a real-world usable rpm so I don't have to rev it to >8000 rpms just to begin to find the power band, and it will more than challenge any 600 to 750cc 'super sports' without the inflated prices or insurance.

B.  The Gladius may rust (as ANY neglected steel-framed bike will do), but the GS is no better if left to the elements.  And as for the 650r, it has been updated greatly for 2009, so your views on it are irrelevant at this point because no one has been able to evaluate them.  On a related note, if you own a 650r, you must have one of the first years it was made, because it's only been in production since 2006.  Everyone knows (well, most people apparently) that you never buy a brand-new production until the bugs are worked out (hence the major upgrades after only three years since its initial release).

I digress.  I vote to toss out 'the buddha', and bring back the helpful mod srinath.  I liked that guy, but that's just one SV rider's opinion.

[yamahonkawazuki]

So after 1.5 years and 8k miles with my '89 GS, I decided to put it up on Craigslist and see what happened. Within an hour, I had 4 emails, 2 people scheduled to see the bike, and offers very close to my $1300 asking price (I bought it for $900 in Aug. of '07). Tonight, I said goodbye to my first bike that took me from Seattle all the way down the coast to San Fran, all over Washington, and countless trips to work, all with minimal fuss.

This forum has been an awesome resource for knowledge, parts, and like-minded individuals that have shared all kinds of things related to riding. Thanks for that.

For now, I'll be saving up for until I can afford a VFR (4th or 5th Gen.), SV650s, Triumph Sprint, or maaaaybe a Honda VTR1000. Who knows! I plan on making riding a long-term hobby and mode of transportation. I owe much of that to my little GS.

It's been fun, guys! 

Hang around mate. i sold my 97 when my mother fell ill and gave dad teh money from it to help with their bills. BUT i hung around here. loolbarring a permaban, ill be here until someone in  the head office pulls the plug here

[gearman]

I think The Buddah just likes to stir the pot once in a while to keep things lively. 

[bill14224]

I agree with Buddha and those who are also like-minded.  The Ninja, CBR, GSX-R, R1, etc. are sexy bombshells who thrill you for a short time, are a pain in the ass afterward, and leave you penniless.  The GS is the soft-spoken, pleasant woman with simple tastes who can cook and clean, doesn't complain, and is easy to live with.  There are no racetracks on our way to work, the store, your gal's house, etc.  If you think you need more power for the street, you should have your license taken away.  I've ridden small bikes and big bikes for a long time and I'll say it again... mid-sized air-cooled DOHC bikes with 80's technology is where it's at! 

The GS has the right level of technology to be a very satisfying every day street bike.  It has all the important advancements a bike really needs; DOHC, disc brakes, monoshock, box-section frame, and electronic ignition.  The high-tech features it doesn't have adds significant cost and takes a bike to a level that is not needed at all on the street.  The new computerized-everything, fuel injected, 48-valve, liquid-cooled, variable valve timing robobikes will wow you, but if you're not an electrical engineer and licensed plumber you can't fix it and it'll cost you PLENTY to own it, which to me takes away a lot of what motorcycling is supposed to be.. life's best simple pleasure next to sex.  When those bikes get to needing a top end overhaul or a new computer you may as well part it out, because it'll cost you your firstborn child to get it fixed.

I also say the comment about today's bikes' longer service intervals is a canard.  What exactly has to be fixed often on a GS?  Hmm?  I don't need tires every year.  The rocket bike rider does.  My brakes last longer too.  I don't have to change coolant or deal with coolant leaks.  Do you believe your 100 HP 600 cc engine will outlast mine?  Would you like to buy some swamp land?  The GS is also simpler so you can do most of the work yourself, saving a fortune.

As for rust, I don't know what you guys are doing, but my '94 has spent its whole life in Northern PA and upstate NY, and it has no rust on the forks, and only marginal rust anywhere else, like on a few screw heads.  It runs like a top.  Best $1200 I ever spent.

Just last Sunday I took a ride to my friend's house, the guy with the $11,000 Harley.  I was starting to ask him if he'd taken his bike out for a ride yet this year and I turned my head to look at his bike as I was saying it, and there it was with a giant puddle of transmission oil under it.  'Nuff said about that!

[bubba zanetti]

Come December, I'll have had my GS 10 years (yes I am going to take it out for dinner).