Been a while... do you guys still ride those Suzuki bikes?

Started by TarzanBoy, March 19, 2021, 07:36:39 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

TarzanBoy

Hello people!  Its been a good long while since I lurked the forum.  So long that it took me 5 tires to guess my old login/pass.
How is the world of the GS500?   Has it fallen out of favor with all the new 250-400cc models released by Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki?   I don't have my GS500 anymore, but I still remember those days.....

mr72

IDK how it used to be. I still ride my GS500 as much as I can even though I have a bigger/better bike in the garage.

The new 300-400 bikes look good for a small beginner type new bike but lack the classic charm and character of the old air cooled machines IMHO. I have no interest in them personally. Plus the 300-500cc adventure bikes like versys 300 or cb500x are just too heavy. A GS500 with 40+ hp and 360 lb with light adv mods like mine hits a sweet spot that no new bikes can hit.

The Buddha

Yeaaayyyyy TarzanBoy. You still in Atlanta area ??? I have moved to Columbia SC now.
Have good memories of your bike and that body work is still with me. Though the tank sprung a leak inspite of my coating it. I hate those coatings now.

BTW that 89 of yours to date remains the most powerful feeling GS I have ridden. It also was one of the last bikes I jetted with O2 sensor as well.

Cool.
Buddha.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I run a business based on other people's junk.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

ShowBizWolf

Welcome back!  :cheers:

I don't think I was around when you were active on the forum years ago but I've read some of your past comments and whatnot after doing searches.

The GS still has a pretty mighty following... and I know I've been loving mine since 2012.
Superbike bars, '04 GSXR headlight & cowl, DRZ signals, 1/2" fork brace, 'Busa fender, stainless exhaust & brake lines, belly pan, LED dash & brake bulbs, 140/80 rear hoop, F tail lens, SV650 shock, Bandit400 hugger, aluminum heel guards & pegs, fork preload adjusters, .75 SonicSprings, heated grips

The Buddha

I think it was at Tarzanboy's house in Atl I first went down the slippery slope of finding free food on trees and now I am a full time food thief. There was an apple tree that had some type of super sweet apple which was smaller than the store apple.

I had a whole baggie full I ate nearly 1/2 of on my way back to Charlotte. Progressively I got worse, now I'll cut the weeds out of other people's yards and eat them. I blame Tarzanboy for being the "dealer" of such addictive substances like good organic fresh food. LOL.

But that was sen7ty7's bike and I was working on it for him fitting an 04 fairing, I have run into a few bikes that came close in power, my 2nd GS a 90 was awesome power almost in this one's league, but I know nothing about jetting or synching it and learnt on that 89 and 90 I had through 97-00. That 90 was damn good power but an 89 has clipon's. And with a 04 fairing it also slid through the wind well past 65 or so.

Sen7ty7 bought it near my house in Charlotte and had a bad goats case and took him 3 tries to fix it cos the left case was slightly bent and got the stator hitting the rotor.

Cool.
Buddha.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I run a business based on other people's junk.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Bluesmudge

The rate of new users joining the forum has dropped dramatically. It would be really hard to recommend the GS500 anymore to a new rider unless they specifically wanted to learn how to wrench. The newer 500 and 400cc twins are just so much better and new riders really don't need to go through the gauntlet of learning to ride a bike without ABS or fuel injection. For those who want an older bike, the price difference between a GS500 and SV650 is smaller than ever. The SV is a much better bike for most people and only a few hundred bucks more in the used market.

Most of us still here either:
a.)  Believe the sunken cost fallacy is no fallacy and we are GS500 riders until death. At this point my GS500 is just part of me.
or
b.) See the GS500 as a cheap scrambler/café platform and are here to post frame chop pics

HPP8140

Been looking for 2 yrs for another 2001-2002 to replace my 75k 2002 GS and I'm having trouble finding something...going to run out of valve clearance soon  :cry:

2002 GS500 96K mi

johnny ro

FBook is more active than GStwin.com, easier to join but less stuff to learn

SV650, ya, but 1st gen rarer than any GS500 in the USA now. None are for sale near Boston USA at this time.  The ideal garage has a gen 1 SV650 in it alongside the ADV version.

The GS500 in USA has its place and that is a good place.

Rest of world, a quite practical ride.

Cheers!

mr72

GS500 is really different enough from a sv650 to still have appeal. The GS real competition in the used market are the little ninjas. There are better scrambler or cafe platforms for the Instagram set, even the Suzuki stable has tu250x which is way better of a starting point as long as half the power is enough. Soon enough all of the clapped out gs500s on Craigslist for $500 will turn into cut up basketcases in the bikeexif dreamers' garages and we'll be left with relatively unmolested gs500s with low mileage being sold at quasi classic bike prices $2k+. We're already seeing 90s cars go for classic money. GS500 is unique in Suzuki history being the last of the parallel twins.

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk