What have you done for your bike today????

[Suzi Q]

Took pictures of it 

Funny looking frame mod, but I like it. Link to build thread? 

Started putting the front end back together, and also put the stator cover/front sprocket cover back in place. Working towards assembly barring a clearance issue with the adjustable fork caps. Took out the g/f's TU250 the other day, and I'm jonesing to ride.

[Watcher]

Took pictures of it 

Funny looking frame mod, but I like it. Link to build thread? 

It's actually the Italian made GS, it's pretty rare.  Because of some import law in the year 2000 all of the Suzuki GS500s that were sold in Italy were actually made by Ducati, that's why it has the Ducati name on the tank.
That's also why it has a V-twin instead of the parallel twin, those Italians thought the parallel lacked character.
They also thought the box frame wasn't stylish enough and changed it for a trellis.
So it's pretty much a Ducati Monster.



I don't have a build thread but here's a better picture.

[Suzi Q]

Took pictures of it 

Funny looking frame mod, but I like it. Link to build thread? 

It's actually the Italian made GS, it's pretty rare.  Because of some import law in the year 2000 all of the Suzuki GS500s that were sold in Italy were actually made by Ducati, that's why it has the Ducati name on the tank.
That's also why it has a V-twin instead of the parallel twin, those Italians thought the parallel lacked character.
They also thought the box frame wasn't stylish enough and changed it for a trellis.
So it's pretty much a Ducati Monster.

Man....Good looking bike, but ducati should sue!

[Suzi Q]

I see the edited picture now after I posted...she's sharp. Nice looking bike, Watcher!

[Watcher]

I see the edited picture now after I posted...she's sharp. Nice looking bike, Watcher!

Thanks so much!

Couldn't believe the deal.

2000 Monster 750, rolled over 4000 miles on the way home, got it for what was essentially $3000.
Traded my well used Buell which was in need of tires for it.

[Suzi Q]

Wow that's awesome. How are you liking the desmo engine?

[Watcher]

Wow that's awesome. How are you liking the desmo engine?

Haven't had to maintain it yet, but it runs awesome!  A lot smoother than I expected from an air-cooled V-twin, and it spins faster than I would have expected as well.  I don't have a tach so I can't really talk numbers, but it does like to cruise at a higher RPM than I figured. 

Doesn't have that low end torque like I'm used to, coming from a 1203cc V-twin.  It'll pull you hard enough, it's definitely torquey, but it's less willing to do what the Buell would, which was it would just go on throttle, regardless of gear, regardless of current RPM...
But, where it lacks in low end it makes up in overall rev range.  It has a higher red-line than the Buell, so while it doesn't pull quite as hard it feels like it wants to go just as fast!

I love it.  It's so easy to ride.  Doesn't need to be spun up as much as a 4-pot to make power, isn't as brown-pants-fast as the Buell, and it feels a lot more comfortable in town.  Handles better than any other bike I've ever ridden, I almost can't help but weave through traffic.
The Buell is the fastest bike I've ever owned but the Duck is the one that is going to get me into trouble, lol!

[Suzi Q]

Cool man. I'd love to jump on a duc one of these days...the guy that runs the LMS is big into them for street..has a 918 and like 2 others. Beautiful bikes.

How much of a handful was that Buell? Lost a friend on a Blast back in the day.

[Watcher]

How much of a handful was that Buell? Lost a friend on a Blast back in the day.

I'm sorry to hear that.   

I can't say from personal experience but I hear the Blast is underpowered, the numbers are all lower than the GS's.  I've never been on one, but I know a few people with them and they say that they're alright.  Decent learner's bikes.

The Lightning I had, on the other hand, was insane.  If you could keep the front end down and shift fast enough you could 0-60 in under 3 seconds, it would hit 100mph at the top of 3rd gear, and it would pull hard all the way to the top of 5th (it really needed to be a 6-speed).
It would power wheelie in 2nd, I've done accidental ones coming around corners all the time.
Cruising in 3rd around town, just roll on that throttle and you're gone.  If you were in 4th and did the same thing it would just take a little longer.  5th was useless if you weren't going over 70mph, but the engine was torquey enough that you could be in 5th around town and it would still go.  It would shutter and groan as well, but it would GO!
Belt drive was zero maintenance, the ZTL brake up front was strong, it sounded as big as it was, it was beautiful in its design while having a bit of an industrial feel from the air cooled block, oil hard-lines, and prominent headers, and although it shook a lot it didn't shake like a Harley so it was still comfortable to ride over an extended period.

Reasons why I wanted to downsize are pretty straightforward.  For one it was a gas guzzler.  Still got ~45 mpg, but this is a BIKE we're talking about!
It wasn't the most usable in town.  The handling was great, it was incredibly stable and flickable, but as you slowed down you had to consciously push it down to get it to do things like U-turns so it took a bit of getting used to.  It also constantly wanted to go faster, so even with a relatively steady hand I'd find myself constantly speed-checking myself and having to back off.
And it's natural idle speed in 1st gear was like 15mph, so any kind of slower speed stuff was all clutch and it would wear out your left hand.

And the last thing is it was too easy to ride lazy.  It turned into a 3rd gear everywhere kind of bike.
Around town, 3rd gear was cruising speed.  Roll on to go faster, roll off to slow down.  Up the mountain, 3rd gear was climbing speed.  Roll on to be a hooligan, roll off to safely make turns.  Slightly higher speed back roads, 3rd gear, basically the same as the mountain.  Highway, ok we can do 5th eventually, but 3rd will do 100mph so I really could just leave it in 3rd and deal with high RPMs.

It got to a point where I was pining after the GS, I miss having to work that gearbox.
The Monster is kind of right in between.  I have to work the gearbox to be a hooligan on the mountain, but I can be lazier in traffic.

[qcbaker]

Lost a friend on a Blast back in the day.

Very sorry to hear.

I can't say from personal experience but I hear the Blast is underpowered, the numbers are all lower than the GS's.  I've never been on one, but I know a few people with them and they say that they're alright.  Decent learner's bikes.

As Watcher already knows, I own a Blast, but it's my girlfriend's ride. She liked the styling of the bike, and more importantly she's a pretty small person so a very lightweight bike with a low seat is great for her to learn on. I rode it a bunch over the winter just to make sure it didn't sit for too long, and my impression is that it is indeed underpowered. Its 500cc but it really feels like a 250. But, the handling is pretty good, and it can be a fun "slow bike fast" kind of thing.

One thing I've kind of found is that it does pretty much everything competently, but doesn't really excel in any particular area. So I feel like if you've never ridden a motorcycle before, and aren't sure yet what kind of riding you want to do, the Blast is a good bike to start on since you can do whatever on it.

But, if you do know what kind of riding you want to eventually do, I think you'd probably be better served by a different bike. If your goal is to eventually ride around on a big cruiser, a Suzuki GZ250 or Honda Rebel 250/300 is probably a better choice. If you want to ride sportbikes, any of the 250/300cc Japanese sportbikes will probably be better.

[Suzi Q]

That lightning sounds like a lot of fun. I'm wrapping up the GS build now, and that'll hold me over until the SV is ready. G/f will be bored of the TU right around the same time, and will be able to jump on the GS or, if I like it as much as I think i'm going to, I might find a second GS. Still need a couple TW/DR's to round out the stable, and I need a good cafe bar cruiser to match her TU.

[tobyd]

Replaced 3 of the 6 grommets that hold the side panels on. Grolsch bottle flip-top seals only work for so long... then put a center stand bump-stop back on, no idea where the last one went. fitment is pretty bad so I expect this one to fall off. Might see about a thin tighter washer to pre-empt though. Hoping that'll be the last of the speed-bump clatters resolved! Replaced the master cylinder bolts, one was a mess when I got it out when redoing it all the other weekend so though I'd have myself the hassle of it all next time. I know its nearly 20 years old but what did Suzuki make a lot of these bolts out of? I thought VW did a poor job on their fixings but Suzuki have really gone to town on 'eezi-round' screws and bolts

Also cleaned and greased the chain. properly this time. It was black when I bought it and is now closer to clean. Waiting for that to all dry down nicely then I'll grease it and go out. Might risk giving the thing a wash later too.

[rscottlow]

Oil change @ 12,317 mi.


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[Lluraeden]

Finally fixed my fueling/air leak issue, much thanks to everyone on here for helping me identify it (Carb breather hose routed improperly)! She's so happy now and so am I This winter, new suspension front and back, white vinyl wrap, comfort mods to the seat and new vinyl seat cover with some red accents to match the new shock and rim tape.

[ShowBizWolf]

Removed the tank and old fuel lines in prep for the new OEM ones. Also removed the ziptie around the forks holding the speedo cable and secured it out of the way using the little metal bracket that supports the wiring harness.

[ShowBizWolf]

Broke the end off the inline fuel filter while trying to get the old line off of it... so I omitted it since that's an option often talked about/suggested on this forum. Connected the new line going from the carb T to the petchicken, re-connected the vacuum line, put the airbox back in place and then it was time to go to work.

[rscottlow]

Shopping for tires today! I think I found a pretty reasonable deal on a set of BT-45's at right around $250 shipped to my door. I've been on the original tires (2009 with almost 13,000 mi) since I bought the bike last year. They are really flat spotted because the PO had a 75+ mile round trip commute that was almost all highway. I'm beyond excited to see how much better the bike feels on fresh rubber.

Where do you all take your bikes to have tires mounted and balanced?

[ShowBizWolf]

The bike mechanic here in my town that I always went to was the greatest. Soooo lucky to have found him! He used to race and build bikes... when you'd walk into his office there were trophies for "Flyin' Brian" and pictures/posters of him etc. Unfortunately, this past winter, his cancer came back and he had to close down about a week ago Now I have NO idea where to go when I need something done that I just don't want to do myself. Gonna have to start looking....

Good luck with your new hoops rscott!!! I bet you're gonna love 'em

[qcbaker]

Finally ordered the decal set for my blank left fairing. Once I get the decals, I'm gonna give the bike a nice wash too. No sense putting decals onto a dirty fairing, they'll just peel right off lol.

[89gS500_Kirk]

I purchased a bag to put on the seat so that I do not have to wear a pack all the time. Thank you to someone on this forum who sold me their AWESOME bag they modified... I also rode her today as I did yesterday, she enjoys a good ride to work early in the am.