hello,
I am looking at a gs500 or a ex500 to ride on short trips and just plain enjoy. I have a burgman 650 scooter and am in the process of selling my ace750. I really like the looks of the gs500, even though it didn't score quite as high in the comparison of the two(gs500 vs ex500) :? . I am not really all that interested in power. both my burgman and ace have 40-42rwhp(like a modified gs500), and weigh 575 and 610lbs. the gs500 is probably in the 400lb range, so it will perform as well or better than the 2 bikes I have now. I have owned a few 100hp+ bikes, and my first bike, at 19, was a gs1100e. so I am a little partial to suzukis. I have never owned a kawasaki, mostly hondas actually.
having said all of that, I would really just like a bike to hit the backroads, in a civil, laidback sort of way. nothing too intense.
I like the sound of the v&h system on the gs500. I did similar mods to a nighthawk 750 that I owned last year. v&h,jetkit,pod filters,diy timing advance,dropped 1 tooth on the front sprocket. it did wonders for the nh, how does the gs500 respond to this same approach?
does the corbin seat fit all years of the gs500? it says"2000 and under"
I am 6'2" with a 32" inseam. am I too large for this bike? mostly short trips.
or do you think I should jump to a bandit600?
thanks
bean
the gs500 and ex500 compare almost equally, give or take. You must be referring to the MCN article then? That had erroneous info.
the gs response extremely (extremely!) well to all the mods you outlined, and all are easy to do yourself. You should also add fork springs as a necessary upgrade. In fact, you should upgrade with at least progressive suspension fork springs as soon as you get the bike! You can also upgrade rear shock but not as important. You'll need to upgrade the stock tires if they're still using stock. BT45's (as a minimum) are very good tires.
The gs is about 379lbs dry. very fun in the canyons. very nimble.
corbin seat fits models 89-2000. the 2001 and newer models have a new seat style, and new bodywork design that dont cross over.
I ride with a bunch of guys most of which have bandit 1200's and they can boogie in the canyons on those even though they're not well suited to it. The gs is a capable ride and if you're using in around town and in the twisties (little or no highway riding) then you wont be disappointed. I had no trouble hanging with (and embarassing some of) the bandit riders on my gs500.
Both the GS and the bandit have strong online support (this site for the gs and maximum-suzuki.com for the bandit) and the bandit has LOTS of aftermarket, which the GS sorely lacks.
thanks for the reply.I will probably opt for a '00 or under. hopefully I can find one in near mint cond. I am in no hurry to buy one, so I will wait for the right one to come along.
I will probably just ride the twist country roads around my house, mostly by myself, so it will be a laid-back experience. nothing to insane.
the aftermarket for the gs500 seems to include the basics to assemble a nice bike. it has as much or more than the nighthawk has available.
another quick question; what type of fuel mileage do you get?
thanks again
I used to get about 45-60mpg on average.
Ofcoures i havent ridden in ages.