Looking at '99 GS500 today

[Torstein]

Hey all, looking for some advice. I've been shopping for a while and I am set on getting a GS500, but have not found "the one" yet. I am looking at one today and am looking for any advice on what to look for. I'm not new to motorcycles, just new to GS500's. The one I'm looking at today is a 1999 yellow GS500e. Listed for $1800, 23k miles. This seems kind of high, but from what I read, these engines are pretty much bomb proof. Any specific things on the GS500's I should keep an eye out when I'm looking at it later? Thanks all!

Also, you guys have the most impossible captcha images I've ever seen on the internet.

[Torstein]

Sorry, I should have searched first. I found plenty. Also, just trying to make some posts so that I don't have to keep solving these 100% impossible captchas. Hope the bike i look at today is nice so I can ride 'er home!!

[Torstein]

These motorcycles are fairly simple, just look at all the usual stuff like chain condition, any wet spots on the engine, leaking fork seals, body damage.  Pop the seat off and have a look at the battery and electrics, make sure the frame isn't rusting.  Look inside the fuel tank...

Test ride if possible.

Make sure it cold starts with you there.  If you are there and the bike is hot don't buy it.  If the seller is upset maybe come back in an hour or so when it cools off if it's worth your time.

I'd be asking the seller if and when they did a valve adjustment.
If they did one recently (in the last 3-4 yrs) I'd count on having to pull all 4 shims after the test ride and swapping them for known non chinese shims. If they didn't in the last few yrs, I'd really question what their other maintenance procedures were.

Won't repeat things that others have said but here are some additional things that I look at:
tyre date codes - they're easy to look for on the sidewall and will tell you directly how old they are.  I've bought bikes where people hand over all sort of receipts only to find that the tyres have not been changed and the receipt is for another bike.  If the bike has sat for a while it may have lots of tread but old tyres perish and that extra tread won't count for anything if the rubber needs replacing.  It can also be a good negotiation point if they're old and you can prove it.  If you catch a seller in a lie over it then that can also be a good gauge of trust that you should have over everything else they tell you.  also look for cracks in the sidewall.
suspension seals (front and back) - visually inspect and run your finger over them if you need to.  My old GS had a leaky rear shock and it wasn't very old at all.
disks - run your finger over them and feel for corrugations or a lip.  I've looked at bikes where the owner has clearly run the pad all the way down and into the disk.
brake feel - feel for spongeyness, length of pull, look for leakage around the rubber boot of the master cylinder.  Go for a test ride and very lightly put on each brake in turn - pulsing indicates a warped disk.
run your finger around engine seals to confirm there are no leaks.
tool kit - it's a pain not to have the shock adjuster and people do lose them/leave them in the shed.
chain condition - not rusty and no fused links (runs straight and doesn't have kinks in it)
exhaust - see that holes haven't been drilled in it to make a homemade sports exhaust.

[lucas]

100% impossible captchas.

Haha! Yeah those captchas are there to weed out the weak and infirm.  Welcome to the forum.

[Suzuki Stevo]

Just in case you didn't find this in a search...Welded On Counter Shaft Sprockets 

[Darkstar]

I got a unmodified 2007F, with 5000 miles, in very good condition, and the owner drove it to my NJ home for a test drive....for $2000 cash

[Torstein]

Thank you kindly gents!

[Torstein]

Just in case you didn't find this in a search...Welded On Counter Shaft Sprockets 

yay, no more captchas

what exactly IS a welded on counter shaft sprocket?

[Torstein]

I got a unmodified 2007F, with 5000 miles, in very good condition, and the owner drove it to my NJ home for a test drive....for $2000 cash

dang, that sounds like a steal! I'm looking at the older ones, as I want one without a fairing. there are lots of F's around here, but very few E's for sale.

[Darkstar]

by now my fairings are in 8 pieces, held together with epoxy

be sure to look inside the fuel tank with a flashlight if you can, if its empty enough, be sure there's no rust

[Torstein]

thanks, will do

[Suzuki Stevo]

what exactly IS a welded on counter shaft sprocket?

Imagine this without any lube for a while.....



Leading to this, where the splines are shot....



And then eventually to a Welded On Counter shaft Sprocket   

[ShowBizWolf]

That sounds like a good price Torstein... I bought my black '98 with 11k miles on it for $1000 but it was pretty rashed/beat up.

IMO these bikes look really sharp in yellow, hope you get it!!! 

[Torstein]

Well, I couldn't leave 'er with the PO. Bike looked pretty good, was well maintained and even though I was not sold on the yellow, in person I liked it much better than I thought I would. So I made an offer and ended up riding it home last night. Here she is.

[ShowBizWolf]

ooooooooooh yay congrats on the bike!!

it looks like it has some different bits here and there... I spy fancy levers and the front fender has been trimmed down a bit 

more pics for us please 

[Darkstar]

Awesome, glad you got it. Have fun

[Torstein]

ooooooooooh yay congrats on the bike!!

it looks like it has some different bits here and there... I spy fancy levers and the front fender has been trimmed down a bit 

more pics for us please 

Thanks. I will post some more pics (that are resized correctyl!) sometime in the near future. It's mostly stock but does have a couple things like you noticed. It's got different handlebars, new levers, and bar-end mirrors. The front fender is painted black, the PO said the original one was cracked when it got hit by a football, so he bought a new one which was originally red and he had it painted black instead of yellow. I'm not sure if I'll keep it black or of I'll get it sprayed yellow, at this point I kinda like the black so I may just stick with that. I had a nice weekend on the bike, it's really fun. I don't think it's any faster than my other bike (yamaha xj 750), but it's 100x more fun to ride. It's really snappy, and easy to throw around. I'm really enjoying it so far.

[lucas]

You can add a width parameter to the img tag.  Like this:



Hit the quote button to see the code.

[Torstein]

You can add a width parameter to the img tag.  Like this:



Hit the quote button to see the code.

ahh, nice. Thanks man!