Should I buy this GS500E ?

[sanityfree]

Originally posted by Kerry:

I agree - too steep! I recently sold a '96 with 10,000 miles on it for $1500. Not that you could get the same bike at that price from a dealer, but still....

MANY GS500s will never see the 27,000 mile mark. I would keep looking unless they come down a few hundred dollars.

Why not?

I've got a '00 with around 5K on it. Bought it new in March '03. This thread makes it sound like my bike won't last very long...

[dculberson]

Certainly it will last a long time; probably as long as you want it to.  But as you get into the 20k+ mile range, you can expect more maintenance here and there.

 The GS500e is widely considered bulletproof, but it's still a machine so will need fixed at some point.  The higher the mileage, the more likely it is for repairs to be needed..

  -David

[Kerry]

MANY GS500s will never see the 27,000 mile mark.

Why not?

I've got a '00 with around 5K on it. Bought it new in March '03.  This thread makes it sound like my bike won't last very long...

Not at all -- my '99 has about 30,000 miles on it.  I just meant that many (maybe even most?) motorcycles that leave the factory never get ridden a total of 27,000 miles by their various owners.

It's a shame, really.  

I would bet that the 5,000 miles you've ridden in one year is significantly above the average among motorcycle owners.  Even at that rate, you will need to ride the GS for 5.4 years to reach the 27,000 mile mark.

Hey, maybe we should start a new poll: What is the average number of miles that your GS500 has been ridden each year?  Use the formula

Odometer miles / (2004 - model year)[/list:u]I'd be curious to know the results!

[sanityfree]

i put a lot of miles on it last fall, when i was making a 400 mile (200 there, 200 back) from Indy to home and back every weekend. these days, i'll be riding around 60 miles every day to school and back.

[Kerry]

I'm jealous!  I only "get" to commute between 10 and 11 miles a day, and all on city streets.  Maybe I should get a job that's further away...?

[sanityfree]

it wasn't exactly a pleasant ride. a horribly stock bike. about half of the trips were made late at night, too, when i was tired and cold and miserable.