Hey Guys and Gals,
I'm an old (28 yrs) newbie from Chicagoland and recently decided that I'd like to purchase a motorcycle next year. The GS500f was my first choice for a bike for a lot of reasons and I still like it a lot. However, Kawasaki introduced the Ninja 650r and now I'm on the fence. So I joined this forum to try to get some model-specific information that will help me make the best decision.
So my first question is: do these bikes get stolen a lot? I always read about people getting their hot new 600cc supersport bikes stolen and that's one of the big selling points that made me decide on the GS in the first place. However, it occurred to me that I have foundation for presuming that smaller bikes don't get stolen as much. Does anyone know if that's true; or at least point me to where I can find out?
Thanks a lot in advance for your help. :)
I've read a few post on here about the bikes being stolen or parts taken off them but not to many, I don't think anybody on the forum from Aust have had there's stolen so I would say there pretty safe as far as theft goes, I would imagine most thiefs would want to steal something a little more exiciting (Shows they have never ridden a GS500 LOL) :thumb: :cheers:
Thanks for the quick reply, Lukewarm. I think originally I deduced that since everyone wants a big bike then a GS500 may have a better chance to fly under a thief's radar. Plus, I never see them on the road so I figured that they're not popular enough to bother stealing. Not that it doesn't happen but like I said, I've never seen one in my area so that should keep the risk a little lower.
My second issue is buying used vs. buying new. Is it a safe assumption that most people here bought their 500f from a dealership?
Hey, oddly enough, I just moved to chicago and tonight's the first night I've left my bike outside. I locked it up as best as I could, I guess we'll see how safe it is tomorrow...
Wow. Good luck with that. Welcome to the Second City. Now, do you live in Chicago or Chicagoland? I think that makes a big difference on how safe things will be. Then again, I live in the ghetto part of Naperville (the #2 suburb in the Midwest--maybe the country) and I wouldn't trust my neighbors if I had a bike. Matter of fact, both my fiancee AND my cars have been sideswiped since we moved to this apt. complex! Anyway, not to scare you or anything, just be sure to look out the window if you go to get a glass of water. ;)
Also, how long have you had your GS and how much did you pay for it? New or used? Sorry, inquiring minds want to know...
brought my 500F (07) new, there wasn't a lot of price difference between new and used (if you can find one!) I paid about 2k (that is aussie $) more then a 06 500F that is on ebay at the moment.... but that auction hasn't finished yet :laugh:
I've also not heard of a 500F being stolen in oz, but I'm sure it has happened..... can't advise you of the Kawa tho, all I know is I got me a 500F and am very happy with it, great economy, fun to ride (I'm a learner) and cheap to insure, funny thing there is that I have a '98 V6 camry and the 500F is $200 a year cheaper to insure than the camry :dunno_white:
My opinion would be that a GS500 would only be stolen in opportunistic thefts. ie. If someone is looking for an easy target.
So minimise the risk of opportunistic theft by using a decent disk lock and you have probably have knocked your already slim chance of theft in half.
I have a '94 GS500E and it's loads of fun. They may not be as quick as a 600+cc bike but they handle great. Also insurance on mine ( cheapest available ) is only $75/yr through Nationwide and I got a free AMA member ship for a year :D If I had to buy a bike over again I'd still get the gs500 mostly because I'm still a newbie but they are great motorcycles.
Welcome to the board, I'm from Wheaton, I work in Naperville. I never leave my bike outside overnight, they're just too easy to steal and I'm never comfortable knowing it's unprotected. An alarm will help, but just marginally, if they want your bike, it's gone. I'd recommend picking up a used bike rather than a new one. Odds are very good that you're going to drop the bike at least a few times and you'll feel better about dropping a worn bike rather than your $4500 peach that you are still making payments on for the next 5 years. Check out www.chicagolandsportbikes.com when you get a chance, I'm SmartDrug on there too.
P.S. I'm selling my Triumph Daytona 955i, they make GREAT beginner bikes, just 147 horsepower, easily handled by a noob, so check that out too. :laugh:
That sounds like a GREAT idea, SmartDrug; I'll get right on it! Actually, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who is paranoid about keeping a bike on the street (even in the suburbs). When I first moved here I didn't even KNOW they had a police dept. but lately there've been a lot more patrol cars running around which probably means there's more of a reason for it. Anyway, maybe I'll see you riding around next season (maybe I already have). Ride safe.
Word on the street is that GS theft numbers are negative. There are reports of GS's spontaneously appearing in driveways and parking spaces as squids are desperate to get rid of them after they learn they don't fit in with the shorts-and-flip-flops crowd by not being able to go fast in a straight line.
hey guys.....its been a while since i lurked and posted here...yeah the gs naked seem to be not on the thieves hot list..but mine was stolen in my carport...it was a 94..PURPLE :icon_lol:...rusty...with no rear wheel and battery on it, for i was painting my white rims black...it was boxed in between a wall and my car....its been almost a year now since it happen and i still miss that bike....i think thieves these days steal anything that could be of value...
I just sold my GS500F on Sat. in perfect condition (1745 mi) for $3500. The guy turned out to be a buyer for a large dealership near Akron (didn't know it at the time). I saw it today at the dealership and the kid there said they will sell it for about $3900-4100. Also check KBB and NADA for their valuations. (If you want to see what I have now, had 2 bikes now one, go to page 4 and look for "Sold my GS500F" LMT...with picture of my other Suzy. Bought it off Ebay for 3K last Sept.). Used is always better, I think, if you can find what you want.
Some One On here said they locked there bike to a dumpster filled with heavy steel ,
always lock it to something soild , i keep mine in a locked garage , with a alarm and immobliser on it , when i used to sleep over my ex gf's i used to lock it to her dads car ,on his alloy with locking nuts , neva had a problem . in southend , theres alot of theiving mugs , i dont want to risk my baby
The more I think about it the more I think it's a good idea to wait until next season to buy. We'll be in a better financial situation and hopefully in a place with a garage so I'll have less to worry about with my bike. Plus, if worse comes to worst my fiance can get a bike and we'll chain them together. Anyway, thanks guys (and gals) for all the good feedback. More questions to come...