It seems there are all sorts of GS riders, from noobs through to die hard veterans. Somehow the GS has wide appeal after decades?!? Here in Aus it is enjoying a resurgence as it has been made learner-legal in several states (previously learners had to ride 250s).
So what's your story? How long have you been a GSer, and why?
In my case - two months; ideal first bike for me after many years in the wilderness. I have a full license so could upgrade, but just don't want to; there's plenty in the GS for me still.
After many years of biking I bought a yacht and lived on board cruising for 4 years, now on land again and with a long way to go to work I bought my 06 GS for reliability and economy at highway speeds (no, not cos biking is FUN. much ;)).
Chose the GS bacause I had a good run with a GS450 in the early 80s. The 500 has a similar feel, but noticeably better handling and suspension apart from the same soft front end!
Its good honest transport that puts a big smile on my face when we hit the twisty bits. :cheers:
About two months now. <edit> on the GS. Quite few years of riding the Yamaha and commuting on it 9 months out of the year, as well as the Yamaha before it. I'd agree with Jack that it's not just a beginner bike, at all.</edit>
I have the old Yamaha in my sig, but aside from being an expensive pain to fix, it has a tiny tank (I used to ride with a 1.5 gallon gas can strapped to the back seat so I could go 200 miles) and gets milage (40) that a honda hatchback can match.
The GS cost about as much as parts (ignoring my time, and whether I can actually get all parts) for refurbing the Yamaha, and gets better milage. It got me back on the road. :thumb: It's gotten so that it's difficult to find a reasonable sized bike in the US (all these 1000 - 1500 - 1800 stupidosity machines) - this is a good one, and the long string of essentially similar bikes over 19 years should mean parts availability is good.
Hmm - can I put an Earls fork on the Yamaha and either graft on a sidecar or chop off the swingarm and couple the shaft-drive to the rear end of an old Subaru (or other small car with a driven rear axle) for a trike-pickup-kinda-thing? Probably ought to just refurb it to spiffy and sell it to someone that wants that sort of thing and then start from a beemer, I guess. Whatever - no copious spare time available anyway.
Since december 07.
I chose the GS for its looks, price, and handling.
Oh and it wont gety a newb like me killed quite as fast as, say a gixer 1000 :laugh:
Got mine in 2005 :cheers: I have thought of upgrading, and I will sometime. Its just a matter of $$$ :icon_mrgreen: But I will always love the GS. The main reason is this site. :thumb: I even bought another GS as a project that I plan to keep forever. I may sell my other "good" GS when I find the right bike to upgrade to, but for now I still love the GS and always will :icon_mrgreen:
I've been riding for about 6 months now. I got a GS because a friend was upgrading to a Triumph and sold his GS to me at a really good price. I ride it more than I drive my car and have probably already come close to paying for it in saved gas alone...
How could one upgrade from a GS500? :laugh:
I bought my first GS500 in Mar 99 because I was looking for a small naked standard bike that was fun to ride. Put 80k miles on it and replaced it with a 02 GS500 that has 60k miles on it now.
That GS500E was not my first bike, I put almost a quarter million miles on 4 Hondas before the GS. It's not just a beginners bike in my opinion, I can remember when folks rode all over this country on the Brit twins like the Bonnie 650. It's amazing how close the GS is to those old Bonnies in size and weight and outperforms them too!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500vsT120.jpg
Since'96. Bikes probably been down more than running due to my noobness at the time about bikes but she's my baby. I just recently did the Kat FE,rear shock,rear wheel w/150 rubber and the full on F conversion to make her what she is today plus a few cans of black primer. As long as nothing happens to the frame; this bike isnt going anywhere O0
I got my '94 GS500 in 1999 as a 'starter bike' but I like it so much I just haven't bothered upgrading. It's basically the perfect bike for me.
* Small (I like small cars, too): easy to split lanes with :), easy to pick up :), and contributes to the fun quotient
* Simple: one brake in front, one brake in back, no bodywork to mess with, battery easy to get to, oil easy to get to, no water or oil coolers hanging off it (do the new ones have an oil cooler? I dunno). The only thing that would make it better is if it had a kick-start! :)
* Well made: even though it's simple, it uses quality parts. I've ridden a couple of friends' modern sportbikes, and I'm sure they're lightweight, but there sure are a lot of bits on them that just feel flimsy and cheap to me. And those two brakes on my GS are disc brakes unlike some inexpensive bikes.
* Economical/parts availability: I get 55mpg on my 37-mile mostly-highway commute, and as for parts, they made the GS500 for a lot of years and sold plenty.
When I was first shopping for a bike, all the salesguys were telling me 'oh no a guy as big as you needs at least a 750 to go on the freeway.' Or sometimes 'Well sure it can *go* on the freeway, but on a motorcycle you have to be able to accelerate out of trouble, so you need a big bike.' followed by 'Here let me show you this GSXR1000!' Bull****!
My driving style has always been not to get in trouble in the first place, but I have never felt underpowered. You do need to learn to drop down a gear or two quickly so you can make the most of that 11000 rpm redline, but I'd much rather learn to shift (a skill I will be able to keep if I ever sell the GS) than have a bigger more complicated bike interfering with my fun!
:cheers:
Got my 07 F model June 1 of this year. I've been riding 5 years - this is my second bike. My first ride was a Yam RD350. Reasons why I picked a 500? Many!
1) Great fuel economy - I'm averaging 58 mpg (as advertised - and I generally DON'T stick to the speed limit, except in areas I know are heavily patrolled :flipoff:)
2) It's as fast and powerful as I need it to be... I've learned the hard way, fortunately without any personal consequences, what can happen when you ride over your head. I have a slight problem w/ "Target Fixation" :laugh: - and now I am very aware of it! I don't need to go a couple hundred miles an hour, don't think I'll go much over 85, ever. I can out-accelerate most anything on four wheels. And, it's not too powerful so that I'll scare myself silly when I whack the throttle. In short, she's an excellent match for my abilities and wants in a motorcycle.
3) Handles great!!!! I love twisty roads and feel I've got PLENTY of grip!
4) Opens the possibility for some touring! My Yam, aside from being expensive to maintain and keep tuned properly, got only 35 MPG. With only two gallons of useable tank, that means stopping for gas every 70 miles. That can't suck enough! My 500 is a lot more reliable, too.
5) The price was right! I was out the door, tax, tags, dealer prep, everything for $5100!
6) Very fun and easy to ride! Since June 1, I've put about 3000 miles on her - and I did stop riding for almost two weeks when our family went on vacation. I guess I don't like her much.... <pause>... NOT!
7) I think she looks great! I've gotten lots of looks and compliments.
All in all, I'm very satisfied and glad I bought my 500...
Mike
I've been a GS rider since Fathers Day 2008 (July 15th) and I couldn't be happier.
I bought my GS500 bone stock from an ad on Craigslist fopr $700. I put about $65 bucks into parts to get her running tip-top again, and have now been spending money on gear and mods :icon_twisted:
The bike has a LOT of grip for the twisty bits, and can keep up (almost) with some of the middleweight sportbikes (600's, in the straights, when they're 2up) :icon_lol:
No seriously though, bigger bikes might get your heart pumping, because you know you are doing something that can kill you at just about every twist of the throttle. With the GS, I plan my route to give me the most viceral thrill, and have a blast anticipating the curves thatI am able to plan into my trip.
Overall, I think I will eventually buy a bigger displacement bike, but I will probably always keep my GS500, and probably be able to pass it on to my son when he is old enough (he's 3 now).
GSTWINS FTW!
Bought my '89 GS 2 weeks ago. I had just begun saving for a GS in good nick, but came across a bit of a fixer upper for cheap. Now I know how to rebuild forks, brake calipers, and how to replace an alternator and voltage regulator. This week I'll learn how to align a rear wheel and replace a front caliper.
Been riding for 2 weeks. OK, in actuality I've been wrenching more than riding. Next week she'll be ready to go in all of her dented tank and broken side plastic glory.
Chose the GS because I wanted something reliable, naked, easy to learn on, and great on gas. The current plan is to replace the GS with an SV650 in a year or so.
I've had my '02 GS for the past year or so, I bought the GS because someone at work had one and I liked the look of it, it was small and without alot of complicated stuff on it. I took a motorcycle maintaince class and realized there that I could not have made a better choice for a motorcycle at this stage in my life. Not only has it been fun to ride, it has been fun to work on it too. My GS has been really good to me, I often think of selling it because I need to finance some travelling but it is tough to think about because it is such a loyal stead. Suzuki really made a great bike when they made this one.
A little more than a month. I had a few bikes before the GS though. Long story short the price was right, it's good on gas, it handles great, and overall it's a great bike to get back into riding. Plus, like others have said, bodywork aside, it's been pretty much the same bike for many years. It's simple and relatively easy to wrench on :thumb: You guys rock :cheers:
QuoteThe main reason is this site :thumb:
+1
I've been riding mine for six years. I also keep it because it's practical, easy to work on, and fun to ride.
Been riding my 2003 GS since January this year. I bought it as a learner bike and although I now have my full license I'll be keeping it for a while. It is basic and honest and reliable. I have a naked one and I don't have to worry about fairings and lots of precious paintwork. I have dropped it once and had to replace the brake lever and touch up a few scratches but that's it. I think it's a great bike for any beginner, but especially for a smaller woman (I'm 5' 7" and my feet are flat on te ground) It is light and easy to manouvre around when parking. I love it! :)
I grew up with a dad that rode cruisers. He taught me and my bro to ride on a KE100. Then, I graduated to a 250 Ninja. Once my commute was to far to ride I sold the bike. My dad got a new Suzuki 3 years ago and I rode it and got the bug. I wanted a 600 Katana or Gixxer. Insurance was going to be $4,000 a year. Ok sportbike insurance is expensive so I looked at the SV's and again found the insurance to be ridiculous. I was about to give up because I did not want a cruiser and I found the GS and then this site. I have had it for 3 years and aren't riding anywhere near its potential. This board keeps me busy with ideas for mods and the bike is paid for so it isn't going anywhere.
I have had mine since the middle of April. It is my first bike and I love it. My friend and I had both wanted bikes for a while and we finally decided to buy them. We went to a stealership I bought the GS and he bought a ninja 500. He has since converted and is now a GSer. We both love them. Lightweight , fun in the twisties, Just enough power for a noob, great gas mileage.....
Quote from: laserred97gt on August 04, 2008, 10:34:12 AM
Overall, I think I will eventually buy a bigger displacement bike, but I will probably always keep my GS500, and probably be able to pass it on to my son when he is old enough (he's 3 now).
bought my GS track bike in 94 and had it ready in a weekend
rode it up and down the block 2 or 3 times before i went to race school
it's a good learner bike but most don't realize that the bike can do more than the rider
the ego gets in the way and they move up
two up.... nah
let the gurl get her own ride..... she will enjoy riding more than sittin on back
sent one or two others to race school on her also
still have her and will probably rob the engine out of her for friends' son's GS for street duty
still have a couple in parts
enough to build a nice stout street bike....(80% finished)
my other great street bike is a beat on F-3
Had mine since new in April of 2000. Love the looks, the nakedness, the parallel twin, and the way easy on the insurance.
It always gets me there and back (this is important). Has been very reliable and it don't get half ass bad gas mileage! I keep it in the storage shed until I need it.
This reminds me of a story.............I had a Bayliner (boat) I bought in '89. I had a few people that told me that I should've gotten "something else".........told me about "that Force engine was nothing more than a renamed Chrysler...........and more.
I reflected on that when I traded it in June of '05 on the new Xpress with Yamaha. That old ragged ass Force was still running.
Always got me back in, even on a stripped prop.................twice.
Since Wednesday. I picked my 05 up and I've already put more miles on it than I did my 77 Yamaha Triple in the last three seasons. I've been dying to ride, and I wanted a standard type riding position, but more I wanted an inexpensive, efficient, fun bike that I could just go out and ride without four hours of wrenching. I loved the triple, but needed something a bit more reliable.
It's been a good (almost) week. I like the 'naked' look better, so I'm considering removing the fairings. I bought a bike that had been dropped, so there is some minor fairing damage, but otherwise it's a beauty. It didn't bother me since I had visions of an 'E' conversion before I even laid eyes on the bike.
You can probably sell all the fairing bits (and mounts) you take off if you save them and put them up on the forsale forum. I think someone was mentioning wanting to go from E to F, so you could perhaps do a parts swap if that person wants to do a bit of plastic cleanup.
Quote from: werase643 on August 04, 2008, 04:21:22 PM
bought my GS track bike in 94 and had it ready in a weekend
rode it up and down the block 2 or 3 times before i went to race school
it's a good learner bike but most don't realize that the bike can do more than the rider
the ego gets in the way and they move up
two up.... nah
let the gurl get her own ride..... she will enjoy riding more than sittin on back
sent one or two others to race school on her also
still have her and will probably rob the engine out of her for friends' son's GS for street duty
still have a couple in parts
enough to build a nice stout street bike....(80% finished)
my other great street bike is a beat on F-3
it's not that beat on :laugh: Treated me right when I got on her....the bike :laugh:
Been riding a GS since january of 2007. I had gotten my motorcycle license a few months earlier and my friend was upgrade to an SV650 so i bought his 89 GS for 900 bucks. I rode that for a few months, but it was pretty much a pile of crap. I decides to buy a new bike, but my driving record is pretty bad so i stuck with a new GS to save on insurance. Overall the GS is a great bike, handles pretty well for what it is. I plan on upgrading in a few years once my record cleans up enough. Got a quote for full coverage on an R6 and they want $10k a year. ouch.
bought my first gs ( '97) in '03, jun, joine the twin shortly before. bought my second after i bought my harley, sold the second one ( a 92, and bought my 3rd ( another '97) in april, 3 days after getting out of icu ( kidney failure , temp. ugggh lol) long story), err anyhoo, i bought it them, because my 97 was my first, got my license on it etc et cetc , im kinda attached. bought my first set of forks, from either werase or jared, i cannot remember which one :oops:, ya my first 97 was a wreck reconstruction, along with exhaust mod, fenderectomy, sprocket etc etc etc etc etc, and a few more etc, etc.
Bought my '04 F last August. Have been riding it mainly when not in the hospital. Getting ready to hop on my "Flik" and go to yet another Doctor's appointment. It is great on gas and very forgiving to Noob's like me. Although, I wish it had a gas gauge on it ;) would have saved me a severely sprained ankle on a certain Good Friday. I'm gonna ride my baby 'till he dies or my heart gives out first! I'm 28 so I hope it is the bike first!
Anyways, it's easy to work on and easy to manuever even for a girl! And the guys seem to like a girl on her own motorcycle!
Mary S.
O-town rider. What part of Orlando do you ride in. I'm in the Kissimmee area. Maybe sometime we can do a ride!
Had my 2001 since November 2007. Had a '93 Yammie XT225 dual sport before that for 3 years. 25 years before THAT had a '78 Honda Hawk, then rode a 1982 Honda Silverwing. Had a few trips on a '84 XLH 883 Sportster, then just rode horses.
The XT was a funky little bike but was nice and light and very nimble. It gave me a chance to buff up my skill set somewhat. Rode a lot of tricky tight residential canyon streets (stop on a hill, u-turn on a hill, etc.) and then the Santa Monica mountain canyons later. My hubby in the meantime went from an old Honda XL350 to a much newer DRZ 350, to a DRZ400, to a DR650, and I just could not keep up with him anymore, and I was tired of trying. It was just power up through the gears beating the engine to crap, then slam on the brakes, no fun. Plus the bike was sketchy in the rear on turns, and the brakes were weak.
I went looking for something naked and like a "standard" old style moto from my youth, and the GS was the closest for the cheapest and a PO had already modded the seat so I could toe it. I fell in love with it and it came home with me. It let me really learn to ride to a better level because the performance is so much better and the bike is predictable and forgiving and stable. I still have plenty of room to improve on it as well. It's a blast to ride in our local canyons, and it's been a fun project too to work on and upgrade. Especially the carbs, once they were re-jetted it was a whole different bike. It has way more potential than I will be able to use up, so it's staying in the family as long as it will run. Unless I go for a supermoto.
I've ridden my friend's Honda 599 which I really like, but I can see that she can't fully enjoy it because it's too much performance for her style of riding. I outride her in twisties because my bike doesn't have all those horses chomping at the bit and ready to shoot out from under me or power me off a cliff if I hit a bump in a turn and accidentally twitch 1/32 of an inch on the throttle. That isn't my idea of fun. If she had been riding my bike through the canyons she'd be having a lot more kick arse fun. My GS is right there too when I ask but it's predictable and has room to be flogged a bit. Maybe someday I'll go to a race throttle though.
Also now that I can no longer afford to have a real horse after 30 years of them, this GS is my horse; it gives me a similar feeling of freedom and flying, and takes some skill to ride well, but I don't have to muck out a stall or pay exorbitant barn rent. I just miss the whinny when I show up to get her out. ;)
I've been riding my 06 GS since June 08 and the more I ride her the more I love her! My son has a GSXR 750 and my hubby rides a Harley Fatboy, and I have no trouble keeping up with them (of course they both have the good sense not to go 100mph when I am around ;))
I'm 5'4 and have no trouble flat footing it and holding the weight. It's easy to manuever in tight spaces and it takes the twisty mountain roads with glee. I have ample power tackle city driving and I can get up to 75mph on the freeway with ease. The fact that there is plenty of power in the lower gears makes it the ideal bike for trips around town. I ride it to work every day about a 30 mile round trip and it handles rush hour traffic with ease. Gee, I think that about sums it up :icon_lol:
I started this season thinking I would prolly only keep it a season, but now I just may keep it for a few and just mod it out if I have the undeniable urge to mess with something.
I thought a middleweight sport bike would be next, but now I am leaning more towards sport touring somehwere down the road.
In the meantime I am just sorry that we get so much snow around here in the winter and I'll have to park it for a few months.
I've only just bought a GS500 yesterday, in my case a used 2005 naked version in beautiful blue. I've been riding bikes for 30+ years now and have owned over a dozen different bikes in that time. I recently sold my '06 Bandit GSF650S and went looking for something more economical while still providing a comfortable ride for a full size adult. With fuel prices rising daily and the cost of insurance ever increasing I needed a full size bike that didn't cost an arm and a leg to own or operate. The GS500 seems to be the only ride that fits the bill and none of the other manufacturers make anything comparable. None of the other manufacturers make a standard naked bike with a reasonable riding position and affordable price.
Update June 18, 2009: SOLD my GS500 tonight and now don't have a motorcycle.
I randomly settled on the GS500 a year ago minus two days. (It's almost our anniversary.) Being BRAND new to the bike world and having no friends with bikes, I merely started searching on ebaymotors for a bike that suited my taste in looks. I wanted no chrome and no plastics. How many bikes can have neither of those and still look good? Well, in my engine range, it was the GS500. I didn't want a 600 simply because they are way too heavy and being only a 150 lb girl, I can't lift much when it falls over (for reference, I can't even pick up the GS if it falls over. Luckily it doesn't do that too much.) I found a guy on craigslist that was selling the only GS in the St Louis area and I jumped on it. BEST $1500 I've ever spent.
Yeah, it had an ugly paint job and huge handlebars and a few other problems, but I was the owner of a motorcycle! Since then, I've spent countless hours wreching on it, taking it apart, putting it back together, taking it apart again, etc, etc. I don't think I'll ever sell this bike. I'll buy another, but I'm not selling it. I've recently repainted it the most beautiful blue ever and I can't let it go. It's too pretty.
Since august 1995. August 24th in fact. Nothing beats it as a commuter. Kept it till 05 Feb. Put 48K total on it.
Almost 10 years - only my truck even comes close. Just went over 10 years on it.
Since then I have had 14 GS'es. and 30 bikes total. I saw it for the first time in spring of 94. Never had seen one before or even heard of it. I mean, in India I knew of the Kawi ninja series, the GSXR's and the GS1100E's and FZR1000's and hurricanes what ever. Not heard of this till I saw a GS in the fred meyer parking lot by my house. It was purple too.
Cool.
Buddha.
Well, who can follow The Buddha in GS experience? :)
Got my first GS500 (a red '91) in March of 1992. Rode it for a year until I was forced to sell. Bought another (ex-purple, now black of course, '95) in September of 2007. It was sold as a parts bike for $300, but I'm only into it about $1000 total now, and it's running great. Have had it and been riding and/or wrenching on it pretty consistently ever since I got it.
I've got a couple of other bikes in the garage -- 1998 Honda VFR, 1995 Yamaha Virago XV535 -- but enjoy the GS a lot. Part of it is because it's nostalgic for me, since the '91 GS was my first ever street bike. But, I've done more work on, and consequently have learned more about, the new GS than any other bike I've ever owned. And that feeling of knowing it intimately makes it a lot of fun as well.
535 - had 2 of those. Exceptional bikes especially for beginners.
Cool.
Buddha.
The 535 is actually my wife's bike -- and she's a beginner; just got her endoresement last year. I bought it as a fixer-upper to turn around and sell. Picked it up for $800, spent about $4 putting new spark plugs in, and other than typical maintenance stuff (carb cleaning, fuel draining, etc.) haven't done much else to it. It runs great now. Anywhoo....the wife came out in the garage to help me clean it up, and as it started to shine, I started hearing mumbling from her side of the bike that made me realize it was never gonna get sold again.
When I really knew it was here to stay was when I got an earful after offering to let a friend take "her" :2guns: bike out on a trip we were planning. So you'll notice that I said I had it in the garage, not that it was mine. ;)
Learnt on a GS 500 in 1999 (those where the days...) and bought one 6 months after passing my test. Loved it to bits, brilliant handling and enough power for me. Wanted to take her apart in 2007, just to get rid of the old rust, you know?
All of a sudden, parts from other bikes started accumilating in my cellar, ebay became my start page, ... everybody who got the conversion virus knows what I mean...
In the end there wasn't much of a GS left, but I still love her (http://www.gs-500.info/index.php?title=G%C2%B2S%C2%B2V%C2%B2R%C2%B2).
Now the handling is even better, but I start feeling this distinct lack of power on the straights... but the there have been thoughts about a motor with a bit more oomph... We'll see what 2009/10 brings :laugh:
It'll still be the G²S²V²R² + there's a plan for another heavily converted GS... I'll let you know as it happens.
The 2007 GS500F is the first bike I have ever owned. I bought the bike after taking the MSF cousre at the end of June and went and bought it the day after my birthday in July. Before the class I have honestly never even started a bike much less rode one. People were telling me about the GS as a great beginner bike and I absolutely agree. I love it. Handles great and has just enough power that I need for right now. I am looking at getting another exhaust put on it in a few months to give it alittle more purrr to it..
I was still looking for that 1998 535 when I got my GS, even though I wanted a standard there was something about the 535, I'd been looking for one for like 10 years.... Even after I got the GS I was riding my MTB and passed one parked on the street and had to stop and gawk, even though it was a bit of a beater...!
Now knowing that the Buddha thinks they are exCEPtional bikes, well! :laugh: