Why Did You Buy That GS500?

[xunedeinx]

Was looking for a bike after selling my car, on the way north to look at a honda blackbird 1100, I passed this cool looking bike with a for sale sign on it on the side of the road for 2600 bucks. Stopped, looked in ok condition, called the guy.

he showed up, and said If I take it now I can have it for 1500.

I took it.

[miander]

I took mine for a couple reasons.

#1 I have always wanted a bike and this fits about every aspect of what I was looking for in one. Cheap, econimical, dependable, and availible.
#2 I ended up trading a turbo for it which I have less then $100 in.
#3 I felt sorry for the thing. The guy that owned it was planning on making a "trick" bike out of it which would mean a certain a death.
#4 I like the way it looks.

I have a 2004 GS500F with 9500 miles on the clock. WHen I got it the motor had been removed and is in several parts. It has a spun rod bearing and needs a crank, 2 rods, gasket set, piston rings, and then put back together. I have purchased a good crank and 2 rods for $130 shipped so now I am looking for the other smaller bits since I found the hardest and most expensive part. I can't wait to get it back together and on the road.

[NickyNumbers]

Once you upgrade the suspension, brakes and seat, its really not a bad bike at all...



I bought it because its a 500, which is what I wanted.  Also because I dont want something I have to worry about getting stolen in the city. 

[jimigalahad]

My first motorcycle.  I love naked standards.  Nothing else really fit the bill.  Got my 2001 500e for $1500 off craigslist that looked in pretty decent shape.  It turns out the gas tank was rusting from the inside out though.  Only thing I really see trading up to would be a Bonny T-100 although Duc 696s and honda 919s always catch my eye.

[mister]

For the new folks here, or those not answered before, care to share why you bought your GS500?

[jestercinti]

I have owned many bikes since I got my license in 2000.

Started on a GZ250, went to a Vulcan 800, then a gsxr750 death machine, then a 1600 Vulcan, and finally a GS450.

The GS450 was unreliable. Always died. Igniters, coils, 28 year old electronics. I wanted something brand new, easy, and bulletproof.

Sold the 450 for $1200, and bought the GS500 in the spring if 2011. It has 10,300 miles on it now and ride year round. Got it for $3500 out the door brand new. Took a month of negotiating with dealers in Ohio and Michigan. It was the last of the last on the floor.

Never regretted past bikes or this bike. Every one of my bikes had a reason for buying and selling.

[RossLH]

Bought it from a friend of a friend, for $500. Had 6400 miles on it, apparently after sitting for 2 years it needed new fluids, a new battery, a good chain cleaning, and a good carb cleaning.

I quickly found out I was in damn near over my head. Right off the bat I noticed one of the carbs was irreparably broken, so I ordered a replacement set. Changed out all the fluids, got a new battery, put in some new gas, cleaned out the new carbs, and eventually got it running....somewhat. Rode it 100 miles, and all the oil pulled a disappearing trick. The engine apparently didn't like that. So some new fluids, a replacement pair of carbs, a new choke cable, a new battery, and a replacement engine, I got the bike running again. But it wasn't running well, so I rejetted the carbs and got it running great.

Put another 400 miles on it and laid it down. Between buying it in June and now, it was down for almost 4 months, running briefly (I enjoyed that time), and now its down again. The good thing about having a spare engine is I already have the more expensive replacement parts. Its down for the season, which will give me plenty of time to repair it and adjust the valves. Come next riding season, it'll be running great.

[Calpantera]

Its was CHEAP and I think its a bit safer than my previous bikes (read a lot slower). Someone at work offered it to me for $150 USD so I snatched it up, I commuted with it for a few weeks but it needs help, I now have it apart going through the carbs and got a new tank for it and should have it back on the road soon.

[DrtRydr23]

It was exactly what I was looking for when I was 20 years old and in college.  I really wanted a naked bike that looked sporty and wasn't too big since it was my first bike (I took my MC license test on my dad's CB360).  I probably paid a little too much for it (just below KBB value), but I really liked it.  Had to replace the choke cable right off the bat.  No other mechanical issues until I started messing with things.  I haven't had it on the road in about 4 years, but I plan on getting it running again over the winter and putting some time on it next year.  That assumes the engine's not locked up or something from sitting for so long.

[Malfruen]

I bought my GS after I sold a Hyosung GV250. There was nothing wrong with it, apart from the dealer being a scumbag, the EFI failing 3 times only having it 8 months, it being too small for me, too underpowered and an all round nuiscence.

I had a choice of 2 within a days travel to and fro to collect. One was an 06, bright yellow, looked awesome $5200. Had 18000 ks on it, but was on it's second engine, first one blew up due to a "manufacturing defect". (Yeah, the defect was that the bike wasn't supposed to be ridden at 220km/h down the highway, or ridden by a 17 year old piss ant)

Other was the bike I know and love today by the name of Spewey (A name designed by my younger brother and his friends. None of them are fans of Suzuki's). '05, black/silver and red, 31000 ks on it, came with a tank bag, helmet, 2 jackets, riding pants, Ventura Rack, and a full tank of fuel. $4600. The ride back home was the most fun I've ever had on a bike, until the stator shaZam! the bed and had to be replaced.

Spewey currently sits in my brothers shed, eagerly awaiting either new fairings or a naked conversion.

[mimikeni]

It was my first bike, it looked amazing, it was the right price and mileage was low. BAM! I have never regretted the decision.

[cbrfxr67]

My first one, I got as a roller and turned into a never ending project.  My second I got because of my appreciation for the first and this forum, and because it was cheap.  Definitely the best bike I've had (out of sabre, f2, f3, 250, or scooter).  Great commuter, great to ride, and easy to work on.

[Paudie M]

I previously had a suzuki dr125s but i couldnt do my full test on that here in ireland so i sold that for €500. A mate at work said he saw an advert for a '96 gs500e with 18500 miles on it.
I went to see it and liked it straight away, the guy wanted €950 but we settled on €825.
That was 4000 miles ago , test passed first time, work done ---- changed fork oil seals, changed fork oil from 10 weight oil to 15 ,made up nylon spacers for front forks, suspension bang on now,rebuilt front brake caliper, front master cylinder, new front brake pads, new mirrors, oxford heated grips, bar ends, carb overhaul and sync and new secondary fuel petcock.

I got the bike cheap and got a manual (and gstwin members) so i dont mind doing the work on it, the reward comes when you drive and it pulls like a train yet is managable to drive in town or on the road.

I fix machines for a living so i can take parts to work and sort them out and nobody is none the wiser.

Happy days.........

[ThatOtherGuy]

bought my first GS500 when I returned to riding on the suggestion of a friend who was a riding instructor.  haven't regretted it and even though I occasionally think about upgrading it, I realise it still ticks all the boxes for now so why go through the hassle of selling.  if I ever upgrade it, it will be to something more modern but semi naked like a GW250.  I only use the GS500 as a commuter and rare backup if the Bandit is not running for any reason.

[basmn]

I was looking for a bike for the bride..she saw the gs500 at a dealer and sad i would like one of those....found her a 2008 full faired last fall from a private sale with 1500km on it..mint condition.she got her m2 now and loves the bike....but here is the problem...i upgraded the suspension and now i love to ride it...its not an 1100 but it handles like it's on rails

[SAFE-T]

My wife had liked motorcycles but never learned to ride. She took the Canada Safety Council course somewhere around 1995 and we got her a Suzuki GN125 for $400. She rode this for 2 years, then got a min condition 1984 Honda VF500C Magna. Owned this until around 2001 when I hit a deer riding it back from grandparents farm. Sat in garage for a year or two while I searched affordable used parts to fix it, but by then we were too busy with young kids to ride together so it sat for another 2 yrs and then we sold it.

[iclrag]

I don't really have an answer, it just kinda happened (thanks to my dad!) so i went with it, though i am emotionally attatched to it now, i would buy another one, not for me but maybe for a partner  but i also plan on getting a sport bike soon, though this bike is my baby and isnt going anywhere anytime soon.

[SAFE-T]

Around 2008 she wanted to get a bike again so we found a 2007 Honda CBR125 which she rode that season. In the fall we found a 2007 Suzuki GS500F with less than 900km for an attractive price and bought that.

I lowered the suspension front and rear and had the seat foam cut down so she could get her feet on the ground. In spite of having non-standard ride height and geometry, it's still a very capable sportbike (or sporty bike LOL), and it's like an Acura compared to the JohnDeere tractor tech level of the GS.

Overall, I think I appreciated the GS500 more than she did, and I would certainly buy another one if the price was right. It's vanilla ice cream in a 49-flavors world, but I liked that it got most of the important things right, and the areas that needed improvement were straightforward and inexpensive to change. It could never be the only bike I owned ~ there's just way too many alternatives that are significantly better in the same price range. But I would love to have one for those days I felt like riding something elemental, yet modern enough to ride without worry of reaching your destination.

[bombsquad83]

Fresh off learning how to ride, and eager to learn, I bought my 1993 GS500 for $1000 in the Fall of 2011.  I didn't want something that would be too hard to handle, so I was looking for something in the 500-600cc range with a standard riding position.  I knew the bike would be a bit of a project when I saw it, but it only had 6,200 miles.  I took a bit of a gamble and bought it.  After dealing with a rusty tank with an old coating flaking off inside, replacing the battery, fork seals twice (and eventually a fork tube), just about every replaceable component from the carburetors, chain, paint, tires, and the list goes on, I finally had a presentable and perfectly running motorcycle.  I know I have close to $2500 total in the bike at this point (funny how stuff adds up).  I did all of the work myself and with help from a friend.  I've gained such a huge wealth of information, that I really feel like this was the perfect bike for me to start with.  I learned about how to ride safely, and I learned how to work on bikes successfully.  I really couldn't ask for much more from my GS.

[Huff1371]

Because it was $150 and kinda started and ran when I got it. Figured what the hell I'll mess about with it. Got from an impound and fell in love with it. I've ridden many sportbikes and the GS has a personality that says "lets have a good time" while others say "lets show off until you are a little smear on the road". The GS says "I'm broke, you'll need at most two hours and $50" while others say "I'm broke, I hope you weekend is clear and Friday is payday ". While I love bombing a mountain on a bike that has "R" somewhere in the name and I find some enjoyment in figuring out complicated mechanical problems, the GS allows for a predictable simple experience rarely found in any machine.