GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

I like the looks of the "F" version of the GS.  I also really dig the wind protection.  The fully faired GS500 is actually what initially attracted me to the bike.

Lately I have found myself wetting my pants a little bit everytime I see a naked bike.  At this point I am pretty sure that my next bike will either be a Yamaha FZ6 or a Honda 599.  I think the "naked' sport bike just looks so bad ass and like it means business.  I could also end up making a profit off of selling my fairings, headlight and all mounting brackets.  The fairings get washed once a week and get waxed way too often, so they are showroom perfect.

(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/KSUDanimal/wheelswap2.jpg)

Alpha will likely complain because he wont be the only 2005 GS500E...but alas...his bike is deffinately one of the factors motivating me to do the conversion.

(http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/normal_PICT0020.JPG)

Should I do it?  At this point i'm deffinately 50/50.

-Turd.

x

*looks in the mirror*
*strips*
*looks again*
*shudders*

I guess it depends on the person.  And by person I mean bike.  Or something.

Well...yes...but at the moment I'm poor.  No new bike.

-Turd.

Quote from: Egaeus on May 07, 2006, 08:00:50 PM
*looks in the mirror*
*strips*
*looks again*
*shudders*

I guess it depends on the person.  And by person I mean bike.  Or something.

:laugh:

wait...you didn't help me. 

*pissed*

-Turd.

x

How about the Buell dual head lights?  That's what I'd end up with.

(http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/12439/9ef.jpg)

-Turd.

I think you know my answer on the matter... but just in case: NAKED!!!

Some things to consider: Wind is MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more a factor. That means in the cold months you get chilled a lot quicker. I rode with mine naked through the winter and wished for wind protection on more than one occasion.

Summer on the other hand...  :thumb:

Also, you'll be able to use case guards now just in case.

I think that the naked version looks far better, IMO. The fairings on the GSF don't look very sporty. They are wide at the sides and tall in the front, as if the bike was punched in the nose. It's a bit like the KTM 950 Adventure.

I think you should save your fairings, personally. In the winter when the temperature drops you can take an hour or two and put the fairings back on for the wind protection, but take them off in the summer. Hell, you could probably even leave the headlight mounting brackets on the fork tubes for an even quicker change. No need to remove the bars or top triple clamp.

Things you'll need to buy:
Headlight mounting brackets (go over the tubes)
Headlight "rabbit ears"
Headlight bucket and lense assembley
Mirrors

That't pretty much it.


And, on a fun note, I just got a '99 Kat wheel for $23 :) I am the king of cheap!

Quote from: Turd Ferguson on May 07, 2006, 08:02:52 PM

Quote from: Egaeus on May 07, 2006, 08:00:50 PM
*looks in the mirror*
*strips*
*looks again*
*shudders*

*pissed*

-Turd.

I hope you went to the bathroom.  I'd hate to think of a Turd sitting in a pool of piss. :icon_mrgreen:

Seriously though, you just asked everyone for their personal tastes.  I don't have a preference.  I like faired and naked bikes.  Wind protection is nice, better aerodynamics are nice.  Exposed engines are nice, and that Ducati is damn sexy.  

In the end, do what you like.  Maybe keep the fairings and switch it around depending on your mood.  

x

Quote from: TadMC on May 07, 2006, 08:22:21 PM
Have you guys ever run in to some sporters on liter bikes and they talk down on you because they think you cant afford or arent experience enough to get a "real" sport bike.

The reason I ask this is because I talk to a guy who had a ducati 999 and when told him that I love my GS he kinda just blew me off.

BTW: I still pop one when i look at ducatis and I want one one day

I've ony had it happen once, and it was from some tool. I think he didn't feel good when I smoked him in the twisties. Most REAL riders appreciate the GS for what a great bike it is, and only posers and tools look down on it.

i've only ridden naked, so i have nothing to compare it to. (That sounded awesome :laugh:) Ahhh...when will the naked jokes get old? But seriously, i like my bike naked. i think they look much better in the nude. There is the wind factor, but it's not like it's a problem. And if it's too cold, you can always slap a windshield on it in the winter.

So i voted for naked. But...i do like pickles...  :dunno_white:

Alpha, how did you get that wheel so cheap???

Awesome replies everyone!  Especially Egaeus, your posts win "funniest posts in this thread".

Alpha, I deffinately agree with your opinions on the GS fairing.  It isn't proportioned correctly. 

I can't keep the fairings, I'm moving out of my house with the garage and into an EXTREMELY SMALL apartment in three weeks.  I'm getting hitched...

*puts on flame suit*

The naked bikes that I find myself popping like 8 boners over (credit to realultimatepower.net and My Name Is Dave) are the Honda 599/919 and the FZ6/FZ1.  I am afraid that once I go "naked" that my bike just wont look as sexy as these bikes...and I'll be wishing I hadn't.

Wanna know what the turning point for me was on the "naked" thing?  My almost-wife who HATES motorcycles (and me for riding one) saw a copper Honda 599 today.  She said (this is a first...cause she seriously sees motorcycles and nazi's on the same level) "That looks kinda cool.  Not like yours, yours is all covered in cheap plastic."

(http://www.bikez.com/bike/20950/index.jpg)
:o

As crazy as it sounds, I might pull off the fairings in the next few days and stare at the bike for a few days to help me make up my mind.

I love you people.  But not you Alpha, because I spent $140 on a wheel/rotor.  You are an ass basket.

-Turd.

Alright, so far the "fairing" option isn't looking so good...it's being edged out in the poll by pickles.

Yours in upping my post count and avoiding studying for a final,
-Turd.

Quote from: 12thmonkey on May 07, 2006, 08:34:11 PM
But seriously, i like my bike naked. i think they look much better in the nude. There is the wind factor, but it's not like it's a problem. And if it's too cold, you can always slap a windshield on it in the winter.

You'd be surprised how much difference they make. The windshield makes some difference, but you won't get the wind protection for your legs.

Some bikes look good naked, some look better faired. Example: Ducati 916 looks amazing faired, crap naked.

Quote from: 12thmonkey on May 07, 2006, 08:34:11 PM
Alpha, how did you get that wheel so cheap???

$25 Buy it Now on eBay, $18 shipping. However, there is a spot on the inside rim close to where the bead seats that is really rough, as if someone took a hammer and screwdriver to it. I just need to smooth it with a dremel or file and I should be fine. The seller offered me a partial refund of $20. $23!! Woooo! Needs a new rotor though, but I can find one for $20 or so.

Quote from: Turd Ferguson on May 07, 2006, 08:41:49 PM
The naked bikes that I find myself popping like 8 boners over (credit to realultimatepower.net and My Name Is Dave) are the Honda 599/919 and the FZ6/FZ1.  I am afraid that once I go "naked" that my bike just wont look as sexy as these bikes...and I'll be wishing I hadn't.

My father got me into the whole naked bike thing.
He took his FZ1 from this:
(http://www.bikez.com/bike/21651/index.jpg)
to this:
(http://www.geocities.com/iotaomega/pict0036.jpg)

Quote from: Turd Ferguson on May 07, 2006, 08:41:49 PM
I love you people.  But not you Alpha, because I spent $140 on a wheel/rotor.  You are an ass basket.

Yeah, but I have to work on mine to get it perfect. But yeah. I'm a cheap ass. You should see my budget sheet for my list of mods. The most expensive thing I've done on my bike is my front springs, but you'd be surprised what's next: the case guards.

Wow, your dads bike is perfect.  My only complaint with the FZ is the upper fairing.  Your dad could totaly beat up my dad.

-Turd.

Quote from: Turd Ferguson on May 07, 2006, 08:41:49 PM
I am afraid that once I go "naked" that my bike just wont look as sexy as these bikes...and I'll be wishing I hadn't.

Well, you got a pretty good idea of how it will look naked. There are TONS of naked GS500s. Haha. But look at Alpha's. That looks awesome. Plus, his is an '04, and yours is an '05 - so you won;t have to do the tail conversion, you are already there  :thumb:

It is your bike, if you like the naked look and it suits your riding style, go for it. But keep in mind the wind protection element and a little less "wow" factor from your adoring neighborhood kids. I don't know how it effects insurance either; by rights it should be cheaper since you don't have fairings to replace. Maybe check into it? Part of the cost of the F's insurance is the fairings; E's are cheaper partly because of the nakedness.

And of course resale value but let's not talk about that. You want to keep it forever and ever =)

BTW, congrats on getting married  :cheers:

as far as the GS goes I prefer the naked look. something about the F model doesnt look right-the proportions arent sexy to me...

Quote from: Turd Ferguson on May 07, 2006, 08:01:14 PM
Well...yes...but at the moment I'm poor.  No new bike.

-Turd.

well, if you're poor just leave well enough alone and spend your meager savings on gas and ride the snot out of the bike...

[h

Quote from: pantablo on May 07, 2006, 11:44:47 PM
well, if you're poor just leave well enough alone and spend your meager savings on gas and ride the snot out of the bike...

I would probably make out pretty well by selling my fairings.  Even after buying a new headlight, I think I'd end up with a bit of money for some goodies.

-Turd.

Quote from: Wrecent_Wryder on May 08, 2006, 04:23:38 AM
Yeah, that's what I can't get past. I REALLY don't like fairings. Yeah, sometimes I'd like to have one in the cold wind, when I'm losiing feeling in parts of my anatomy I value. I understand they're practical- but motorcycling for me is not about "practical".  To me they look like what they are... cheap plastic decorated with cheaper decals.  Toys-R-Us.  Mattel Motorcycles.

Solid colored fairings that aren't too obviously designed just for show aren't too bad... but the "industrial design" of the commrecial ones is just SO obviously mostly about looking "swoopy", and secondarily, if at all, about function.

You notice that almost EVERY thread on fairings is just about how they look? 

I'm a "form follows function" guy, I like honest machines, stuff that looks like what it is. I hate fake gas tanks that hold airboxes and electronics, I hate fake air filter housings that have little toolkits inside, I hate fake air scoops, and I HATE bikes that are trying to look (and sound) like other bikes they're not (electronically programmed "potato-potato-potato"). And I hate decals. Colorful swishes designed to grab your eye but completely without meaning or function, as though I would buy a motorcycle the way a kid grabs a box of breakfast cereal in a store.

Besides looking cheap, garish and toy-like, they seem to me to be a step back from real (call it "hard-core" if you like) motorcycling. It's about being out there, there's really no other reason to be on a motorcycle instead of in a car... now we want to hedge our bets, and be just partly enclosed, partly protected, partly nestled and cocooned inside plastic, just like the plastic they put all over our cars now... do we really want to partly retreat toward being in a cage again?

It strikes me as sort of like driving a Winnebago to a campsite to sit in the air conditioning and watch color TV. 

Yeah, it's more comfortable.. it's also really missing the point.

So following this logic, why even put the tail plastics on?  Why is the tank/frame sculpted the way it is?  Hell, why even paint the bike?

To a certain point, aesthetics are important to everyone.

-Turd.

[b

I agree with a large majority of what you said.  Good post as always!

I'm not sure about the "boom in naked bikes" part.  As far as the US market goes...it is near impossible to find a naked sport bike.  We've got the SV650, Honda 599/919, and the Kawasaki Z1000.  That's pretty much it.  Everything else even has an upper fairing on it.

Hopefully the US buyer will get over the obsession with plastic.  Hands down, no question...I would be setting money aside to buy a Suzuki GSR600 if it were possible here in the states.

-Turd.

[h

Quote from: Turd Ferguson on May 08, 2006, 06:36:44 AM

Quote from: pantablo on May 07, 2006, 11:44:47 PM
well, if you're poor just leave well enough alone and spend your meager savings on gas and ride the snot out of the bike...

I would probably make out pretty well by selling my fairings. Even after buying a new headlight, I think I'd end up with a bit of money for some goodies.

-Turd.

hadnt thought of that. good point.

Since we are on the topic of ugly plastic add-ons, let's talk about the Speed Four (a simple google image search revealed this guy who apparently loves the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles plastic):

(http://www.pigbite.co.uk/bike/speedfour/pic3.jpg)

(http://www.pigbite.co.uk/bike/speedfour/pic8.jpg)

(http://www.pigbite.co.uk/bike/speedfour/pic4.jpg)

It just makes me sad.  :cry:

Naked is better...

I was thinking about removing the rear plastic...   :icon_mrgreen:

Quote from: RVertigo on May 08, 2006, 10:55:47 AM
I was thinking about removing the rear plastic...   :icon_mrgreen:

To give you an idea:
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/AlphaFire_X5/GSTwin/PICT0010.jpg)

And yes I know it got beat up. Still... doesn't look too good, IMO.

I dunno...  I kinda like it.  :icon_mrgreen:

Now, just take the seat off and duct tape a shop rag in its place. SWEEEEET!!  O0

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on May 08, 2006, 10:59:23 AM
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/AlphaFire_X5/GSTwin/PICT0010.jpg)

i like the grass on the can...i've been thinking about doing that.

Quote from: 12thmonkey on May 08, 2006, 11:04:42 AMi like the grass on the can...i've been thinking about doing that.

TOTALLY!!!  That's prolly the coolest mod I've seen yet...

Good:
(http://www.geocities.com/viperject2000/daytona-7.JPG)

Better:
(http://www.moto-net.com/images/essais/speedtriple1050/speedtriple-008.jpg)
:icon_twisted:

Uh-oh...looks like the nudists have it. Turd's gonna strip his bike naked!  :cheers:

For a minute there, i thought the pickles were gonna take over...

That Daytona looks like an overweight Rottweiler sleeping on the sidewalk.  :laugh:

And the Triple looks like a jungle cat that about to eat you.  :thumb:

5r

(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/KSUDanimal/naked2.jpg)

"FOR SALE:  2005 GS500F fairings--complete set!  Perfect condition!  Waxed regularly!  You too can have a little girls bike with these useless peices of plastic!"

She looks amazing.

Did you get to ride it around yet? How do you like the transition?

Gorgeous bike :)

Looks like someone hasn't been leaning too much, without the plastics you can feel safe getting some proper lean on and eroding those strips of unused rubber  :icon_mrgreen:
Looks stunning by the way, you got headlight and mirrors on the way?

Very sexy. Congrats.

Those fairings look so much better in the grass!  :2guns:

Quote from: 12thmonkey on May 08, 2006, 02:00:43 PMThose fairings look so much better in the grass!

++

You shouldn't sell 'em...  Put them on a bicycle!   :thumb:

The last ride I did was around the block, didn't lean it much.  The rest of the tire was just washed, so you are seeing clean vs. dirty tire.  If you look closely though, I haven't used the outside 3/4" of tire.  I'm still learning, this is my first bike and I've only got 1,800 miles on it.

Yeah Alpha, the around the block ride was great, the wind felt awesome.  I love it.  I don't feel like a tool bag on the bike anymore.  I am in a college town where one out of every male has a sport bike.  With the fairings on, I somehow felt associated with the squidliness.  Now the bike has its own attitude.  Its friggin badass!!!

12thmonkey...if you only knew how funny that really was.  I'm a bicycle fanatic...look in the background here...

(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/KSUDanimal/160tire2.jpg)

Best mod i've made yet!  I'm very excited.

Next things on my list...headlight stuff, mirrors and removing the decals on the tail!

-Excited Turd.

Sorry to sound stupid but what is squidliness and squids etc. . . my turn for a lesson in American lingo

It is a term that originally was used to describe a rider who was fast in a straight line, but slow in the corners (just like a squid...get it?).  This term used to describe new riders, or riders who lacked any real motorcycle skills.

These days, the term seems to represent the kid on a 600cc motorcycle with shorts, a tank top and flip flops on doing wheelies.  He's usually got an insanely loud bike and is just doing it for the attention.

You can see why I don't like to be associcated with squids.  They are "fad riders" who are doing it for fasion versus a rider who is into the culture and actually wants to learn to be a better rider.

There's your lesson!

-Turd.

me?  I gotta go with faired.  This bike is too sexy and will be my next ride:

(http://www.mag-knight.com/images/Titanium%20zx636.jpg)


-edit  First order of business will be to peel off that white "Ninja" decal though. 

x

Quote from: 12thmonkey on May 08, 2006, 11:15:03 AM
Uh-oh...looks like the nudists have it. Turd's gonna strip his bike naked!  :cheers:

For a minute there, i thought the pickles were gonna take over...

uh-oh a naked turd  :o :laugh:

(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c391/KSUDanimal/naked3.jpg)

She was sort of shy at first.  She likes it now.

Honestly folks, why didn't I go naked before?  This bike is killing me now, it has SO much more style.

-Turd.

x

Compared to a more modern naked bike, the GS forks are pretty small.  This can make the front end look slightly anemic.  Remember, I don't have a headlight mounted in this picture yet.  That really helps balance out the front end IMO.

-Turd.

looking good - welcome to the naked camp!

I know the GS is critisised for its old engine but i can't think of a better looking engine than an aircooled one such as in the GS. Theyre just pretty with all the fins, specially when shined up etc..