Sitting '00 Bike running again

[New2gs500]

Hello all,

Some of you may recall that I inherited a '00 GS500E with just 6k miles after my father's passing.
It sat covered outside for I'm guessing 6 years and the fuel tank rusted out.
As I never learned to ride, I had tried to sell "as is" it a few months back to no avail.

Since then I've spend countless hours with several toothbrushes cleaning every nook & cranny and it actually looks pretty good.  I've also done a rough cleaning of the carbs and installed a new battery.  After connecting a fuel line to a tin can, the bike stared and ran very well.  I didn't run it for very long as I'd like to replace the oil before doing so.

My main question (for the moment  ) is what is the correct fuel tank for the bike?  In looking through the online parts suppliers, it seems there are 3 tanks available for this model year:  Model V,  Model W/X and Model Y.  Which is correct.   

Any help would be very much appreciated.

[Dizzledan]

Welcome to the forums, sorry for your loss.

The fuel tank for your bike is the same for all years 1989-2000. It is a more slim looking tank, and a smaller capacity.
This page will tell you the changes of the bike through the years:
http://wiki.gstwins.com/index.php?n=Main.YearChanges

Have you thought about coating the tank so you don't need to buy a new/used one? The cost can get very high very fast.

Edit: Fixed the date.

[BaltimoreGS]

'89-00 actually, '01 was the first year of the larger tank.

-Jessie

[Tombstones81]

here is ben2go's write up on how to swap the newer tank onto an older model.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=56658.0

Just incase u can get a newer one cheaper, dont feel like waiting on a cheaper older tank, and able to do this.

[adidasguy]

The suffix letter designates the year. The color and decals were different for different years, hence the designations.
ANY tank 1989-2000 will fit. It is all a matter of color. And if the tank you get doesn't match your tail plastics, I have a generous supply of tail plastics in almost every color.

You also have the option of painting a tank or painting the tail plastics or getting a 2001+ larger tank.

So many options with a GS500.

[New2gs500]

Thank you all.

Dizzledan:  I doubt coating the inside of the tank would work as it's too far gone.  Large rust flakes inside and serious pitting on the outer surface.

Tombstones81:  Thank you for the link.  I'll explore larger tanks as well.

adidasguy:  which letter correlates to which year?   the Bike is a 2000

[Dizzledan]

It started with GS500E 'K' in 1989, but some letters got skipped. Yours is a 'Y' designation:
http://www.bikebandit.com/2000-suzuki-gs500ey/o/m6060

$645 for the tank. DAAAAANNNNNG.

If you decide to junk the old one when you get a replacement, let me know. I'd like to try my hand at coating a tank.

[Kijona]

It started with GS500E 'K' in 1989, but some letters got skipped. Yours is a 'Y' designation:
http://www.bikebandit.com/2000-suzuki-gs500ey/o/m6060

$645 for the tank. DAAAAANNNNNG.

If you decide to junk the old one when you get a replacement, let me know. I'd like to try my hand at coating a tank.

You could buy another GS500 for that. 

[Twisted]

Surely someone on here has one for sale cheaper than a new one?

[ivany]

Eh, I'd be surprised if the tank was that far gone. The metal on the tanks is THICK, much thicker than you'd expect. Get one of the tank coating kits with the acid and go to town. Worst case is you wasted $50 or so. If it leaks through when doing the procedure then it's done, but I bet it's not that bad.