The Gs500 is just too cramped for me

[davejunk78]

Oh i how had my heart set on a gs500 as my first bike.  I love the naked look, the fuel economy, the relatively tame power and handling, the price, and the aftermarket support.  So i went to my local suzuki dealer last night and sat on an F model for the first time.  It felt like i was sitting on a foot stool!  My knees were cramped up high and it felt very uncomfortable and unnatural. 

I am no giant, standing at 6 feet.  But i do admit that my legs are a little longer than most people my height.  I also ride my road bicycle around all the time.  So i am used to a high seat, stretched legs, and leaning forward.  I also sat on an sv650 and ninja 650.  They both felt way more comfortable.   

are there any "easy" mods i can do to the gs500 that will give me more leg room?  I live in the inner city and don't have access to a garage or metal shop.  Most of the work i do would probably be out on the sidewalk.  Are there any other smaller CC bikes that feel like a ninja 650?   

Thanks!

-dave

[Roadstergal]

Since you're tall and long-legged, you might want to check out a cheap dualsport while you're looking around.  DR650s are tall, competent, not too fast, and super-easy to maintain.  DR-Z400s are taller and a little more maintenance-intenseive, and are better on dirt and worse on the freeway, and have massive aftermarket support.

I'm a big fan of dirt riding to increase your skill and safety on the street, so a dualsport has that benny, too.

[RVAGS]

The 650 is a wll mannered bike and the mileage is comparable to the GS's... Take it for a spin, you will love it. I have a few friends with them and I enjoy the bikes.

[fred]

Oh i how had my heart set on a gs500 as my first bike.  I love the naked look, the fuel economy, the relatively tame power and handling, the price, and the aftermarket support.  So i went to my local suzuki dealer last night and sat on an F model for the first time.  It felt like i was sitting on a foot stool!  My knees were cramped up high and it felt very uncomfortable and unnatural. 

I am no giant, standing at 6 feet.  But i do admit that my legs are a little longer than most people my height.  I also ride my road bicycle around all the time.  So i am used to a high seat, stretched legs, and leaning forward.  I also sat on an sv650 and ninja 650.  They both felt way more comfortable.   

are there any "easy" mods i can do to the gs500 that will give me more leg room?  I live in the inner city and don't have access to a garage or metal shop.  Most of the work i do would probably be out on the sidewalk.  Are there any other smaller CC bikes that feel like a ninja 650?   

Thanks!

-dave

I'm 6'1" and I don't have too much of a problem. Unlike a bicycle, you're not really putting any weight on your legs, they're mostly just resting on the pegs. You'll probably find that most bikes that are the same size are the same height or lower... You can stiffen up the suspension to make the seat higher off the ground (and improve the handling at the same time) which will help. Unless you've got terrible knees (like I do) you should probably be able to ride the GS for a few hours at a time without any discomfort. If you really start to have problems and go on super long trips, you could eventually get some case guards and install highway pegs on them, which would be an easy mod, but other than that there's not too much you can do. Most people post here looking for rearsets that move the pegs up and back...

[fred]

Since you're tall and long-legged, you might want to check out a cheap dualsport while you're looking around.  DR650s are tall, competent, not too fast, and super-easy to maintain.  DR-Z400s are taller and a little more maintenance-intenseive, and are better on dirt and worse on the freeway, and have massive aftermarket support.

I'm a big fan of dirt riding to increase your skill and safety on the street, so a dualsport has that benny, too.

Dual sports are a lot of fun and taller, but is the peg to seat distance really that much different? I just spent a week and a half riding a klr 250 while waiting on parts for my GS and the klr's pegs weren't too different. They were a few inches further forward and the seat was higher off the ground, but the actual amount my legs were bent didn't change much at all. Perhaps it is different on the larger dual sports, but if they make the seat to peg distance too big, they'll cut all the short people out of the market...

[tripleb]

Smaller cc bikes are just that - smaller. there are no mods that I know of except possibly getting more aggressive bars to make you lean forward more.  That wouldn't do anything for your legs though.

[Roadstergal]

On the DR and the DR-Z (and my Wrecks), it definitely feels longer peg-to-seat.  My legs are straighter when riding those.  It might be a big vs. small DP thing; I only rode a KLR250 once, and it was many moons ago, so I don't remember.

[tripleb]

The 650 is a wll mannered bike and the mileage is comparable to the GS's... Take it for a spin, you will love it. I have a few friends with them and I enjoy the bikes.

I don't think most riders would recommend at 650 cc bike as a first bike.  I'd recommend at 250 or 500, or else trying a different type of bike.

[Roadstergal]

I don't think most riders would recommend at 650 cc bike as a first bike.  I'd recommend at 250 or 500, or else trying a different type of bike.

Have you ever ridden a DR650?  Air-cooled low-compression 650cc thumper.  It is very tame.

[werase643]

don't use the aftermarket support for a GS sway you
the support is crap compared to almost any sport bike

[davejunk78]

ok thanks for the input!  i haven't tried any dual sports out because the styling kinda turned me off.  i don't plan to do any off road riding, but they could be useful for curb jumping.  i'll definitely go back and sit on the dual sports and v-stroms.  Perhaps the gs500 is something i could get used to, but i'm not really willing to take that chance as an initial investment.

[tripleb]

what's they point of a 650 cc bike if it's tame?  Isn't that the reason riders get bigger bikes in the first place?

[Roadstergal]

I would steer away from the V-Strom as a starter - it's a big heavy bike.

The DR650 will take you all kinds of places, as will the DR-Z; it'll be easier to find a cheap used DR-Z, and just about any aftermarket shizz you want for it, but for mainly freeway, the DR is a better choice.  The DR-Z is a great city bike.

[Bluesmudge]

I used to ride my dad's DRZ400 before I bought a GS for myself. I do mostly city commuting in Seattle and I do miss the DRZ a lot. It's a completely different bike than the GS with a different purpose. You can jump curbs and take many more "shortcuts" than with the GS and still go as hard into corners as you would want to on the street -- even with knobby tires. In pretty much every regard the GS I got was a downgrade from the DRZ, but I wanted my own bike and it had to be cheap.

I'm 6' and to make the bike more comfortable I got clip-on bars to bring my upper body a few inches forward, got aftermarket aluminum GSXR pegs to get an inch more legroom (the stock pegs have all that rubber). I also made a custom plate to move the rear sets 2" towards the rear of the bike. The result is a bike that is tailored and comfortable.

[The Buddha]

I used to ride my dad's DRZ400 before I bought a GS for myself. I do mostly city commuting in Seattle and I do miss the DRZ a lot. It's a completely different bike than the GS with a different purpose. You can jump curbs and take many more "shortcuts" than with the GS and still go as hard into corners as you would want to on the street -- even with knobby tires. In pretty much every regard the GS I got was a downgrade from the DRZ, but I wanted my own bike and it had to be cheap.

I'm 6' and to make the bike more comfortable I got clip-on bars to bring my upper body a few inches forward, got aftermarket aluminum GSXR pegs to get an inch more legroom (the stock pegs have all that rubber). I also made a custom plate to move the rear sets 2" towards the rear of the bike. The result is a bike that is tailored and comfortable.

Oooooo bluesmudge - first generation flange first lot carbon wileyco ... one of only 7 known first gen flanges in existence. And like a good boy you have a muffler clamp holding it on the header. 
Cool.
Buddha.

[Bluesmudge]

I feel so honored to have a piece of GS history! Lol, I got a good deal on it too. Needless to say it has a good home and that rearset plate wouldn't have worked without it (stock pipe curves too close to rearsets).

[arbakken]

i'm 6'2" and I fit just fine on the 500. I don't think it's as cramped as you think it is, you're just used to something different. I wouldn't let that scare you off

[ohgood]

i'm 6'2" and I fit just fine on the 500. I don't think it's as cramped as you think it is, you're just used to something different. I wouldn't let that scare you off

i'm 6'4" if i remember to stand up straight. usually, i'm around 6'2 or so, chained to a betts borer........

but anyway, the gs fits me, kinda. i have 89 clipons, and have learned to love the position. if you have a choice of a DRZ or Vstrom, do it. sure they're a little heavier, but really nice machines.

[Roadstergal]

VStrom is heavier, but DR-Z is much lighter.

[ecpreston]

i'm 6'2" and I fit just fine on the 500. I don't think it's as cramped as you think it is, you're just used to something different. I wouldn't let that scare you off

Same here. I don't like being on mine for more than an hour or so without a break, but anything short of that is not an issue. All my height seems to be in my legs too