Looking to buy this gs500.. what should i look for?

[ashih]

Hi everyone,

this is my first post and i'm looking to get this bike. This will be my second bike. I had an ex500 before i sold it to a friend.

1993 GS500e with 22k miles
two owners
'The bike is kept dry, in a garage. I used it to commute to work or for few rides around (city).
No rust, no dent, mechanically excellent. Brand new tires, new battery. Carburetor cleaned last year, fork seals changed, rear sprocket changed. Chain well maintained. Oil changed regularly by myself. '
asking price: $1350

is there anything i should look for in this model? i'm not familiar with it. I just want something to ride!

Thanks,
Alex

[scratch]

First off...Welcome to the site!!

Sounds like you got yourself a great deal! Hop on it! Um, do find out how often he changed the oil, it should be like every 4000 miles, and what kind of oil he did use. If you're looking for a bargaining point look at the swingarm for rust, but it sounds like he's taken good care of it.

[Rema1000]

Different GSes seem to have different personality.  
If I wanted to do a Personality Evaluation of a GS, I'd find-out:
-on cold-morning start, how long does it take to warm-up until it idles smoothly with choke off (some GSes seem to need choke for more than 5 minutes).
-if you ride on the freeway and sustain the RPMs (downshift so the revs are above 7k for a few minutes), then does the bike suffer any fuel-starvation problems (if it does, it may start bucking like it's running out of gas).

Wonder why only rear sprocket changed?  Usually by the time it is gone, so is the front sprocket and chain (it's healthy to change them all together, when the chain has worn-out).  I know if you change the chain early, then you can avoid wearing the sprockets, but then why the rear (which should wear more-slowly than the front)?

Oh, one other thing to check: what color is the brake fluid in the sight glass?  If brown, then ask the owner to knock off a few bucks; or just ask them to change the fluid and let you help (it's really a 2-person job).  

Also, how fast does it use oil?  Mine used a 1/2 quart over about 1000 miles.  Beware that this is largely dependant on where you rev it: high revs and the oil starts going away faster.

[john]

The oil usage question is important.  Our 99 GS used a quart every 700 to 1000 miles.  Some eat oil a lot faster than others.

[dmp221]

All good points, but the big picture is:
the bike is mechanically sound;
the GS is a great choice;
the price is very fair.  
Unless you uncover some big surprise, I'd grab it before somebody else does.
Best of luck!!

[ashih]

thanks for the info guys.. also i got the vin number of the bike.. any way to look this up?