GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

I wish to see who has what, If you have both pick your fav/most ridden.

P.S. I ran a search.....

P.S.S. I ride a F

I have a F, and I wouldn't have it any other way. These bikes look really good naked as well, but I'm a full-fairing type of guy.

mine is an e with a fairing  :icon_neutral:

Naked baby, yeah!

There is nothing like riding a naked twin  :icon_mrgreen:

I dislike fairings.

Michael

I had TCP full fairing kit,took it off and now ride nekkid  :)

Here: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=50782.msg574532#msg574532 (http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=50782.msg574532#msg574532)

I went from F to naked, and love it.

I've rode and had naked bikes and will never have another. It's really nice to be able to have something to cut the wind except your chest. I also put on a sport touring windshield that make it that much more comfortable. And it looks better to me.

Mistakenly, I always thought the E was a pathetic POS.  After I got the F, now I know better. Getting smarter as I get older. There are really few bad bikes out there in last 30 years and the worst of them, people still have fun with them. 

I prefer having the bodywork and appreciate the slightly better carbs and the newer condition.

Quote from: lilwoody on January 20, 2010, 06:21:24 PM
I've rode and had naked bikes and will never have another. It's really nice to be able to have something to cut the wind except your chest. I also put on a sport touring windshield that make it that much more comfortable. And it looks better to me.

thats another good point. those of us with fairings can still run our stuff in the rain because we can hide behind the fairings. i was out one day with my dad when he was on his 2000 v-max and we got caught in the rain for about 20 minutes...i was considerably drier than he was after that because i could tack into the fairing and hide behind the windsheild.

Quote from: kyle_99_gtp on January 20, 2010, 08:00:42 PM

Quote from: lilwoody on January 20, 2010, 06:21:24 PM
I've rode and had naked bikes and will never have another. It's really nice to be able to have something to cut the wind except your chest. I also put on a sport touring windshield that make it that much more comfortable. And it looks better to me.

thats another good point. those of us with fairings can still run our stuff in the rain because we can hide behind the fairings. i was out one day with my dad when he was on his 2000 v-max and we got caught in the rain for about 20 minutes...i was considerably drier than he was after that because i could tack into the fairing and hide behind the windsheild.

Really depends if getting rained on bothers you.

Went riding with a couple guys a couple weeks ago. Me on a nekid GS500, they on a 650 VStrom and an XVS1100. It absolutely bucketed down as we rode the twisties. We'd pulled up before the rain and they put on the wet weather over pants gear and jacket linings. All I did was put the waterproof cover on the tank bag. We got totally soaked. But thoroughly enjoyed it! Then again, I am odd that way and have been known to deliberately walk in the open while it's raining when everyone else is ducking for cover. Something exhilarating about it.  :thumb:

Michael

I've done over 370k miles over the past 25 years on 6 naked bikes with windshields on them.  Mostly a Plexi 2 type shield on all but I've been switching to a smaller Spitfire shield summers on the GSs the past few years and back to the Plexi 2 for winters.  The Spitfire is just right size for me for all day summer freeway riding but it's hard to beat the big Plexi 2 for winter cold and spring rain:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/summer-winterGS.jpg)

Fully naked, not even rear fairings!!!  :woohoo:

Quote from: kyle_99_gtp on January 20, 2010, 08:00:42 PM


thats another good point. those of us with fairings can still run our stuff in the rain because we can hide behind the fairings. i was out one day with my dad when he was on his 2000 v-max and we got caught in the rain for about 20 minutes...i was considerably drier than he was after that because i could tack into the fairing and hide behind the windsheild.

My triumph was naked and I rode that thing rain or shine, hot or cold. Like someone else said, it all depends on how much you dislike water I guess. I had a waterproof jacket and boots, and just kept rainpants under my seat so it wasn't much of an issue.

my gs500f is my first faired bike, and I will never have a naked bike again. I do like the looks of a nekid street bike but fairings look cool and provide good wind protection with out an ugly windshield, which my first bike had (cb450) for a week till i got rid of the windshield.

My '99 had a quarter fairing.  I later added the belly pan.  Both made a noticeable difference in wind buffeting.  I loved the look of my bike with the bodywork, but it was mine so  :dunno_white:.  I also liked the 'F', and the fully naked 'E'.  I simply prefered my own.  It's a bike you grow to love...very underrated.

My SV is fully faired...and I would have it no other way.  Much improved for all-weather riding.

E

nekkid, like God intended

I'm kind of having the E vs. F conundrum myself.  On the one hand, I can get an E much cheaper than an F, and won't have to bother taking off the fairings for maintenance.  On the other hand, the F's bodywork would be superior for the highway (at least by my understanding; cuts wind, etc).

On the other, other hand, this will be my first bike, and people say dropping it is likely...in the case of the F, that means gouging up the fairings.  And I'm not sure how much of a PITA it would be to remove them for engine work.  But then, the F is newer, would require less work initially, and has some better parts (notable among them front brake and carbs).

Ehh, I dunno.  What would you guys do in my situ?

I have an E, but my next bike will have fairings... unless I get a dual sport, still kinda on the fence about that one.

Naked  ;) I do not ride in the rain so no need for farings. That's what cars were invented for.

I've owned both.  I think the E looks better, I like naked bikes.  But now I drive an F and like the extra protection the fairing provides, and also like to have a "dash" where I can easily mount GPS, add switches, install power outlets, etc.  Much harder to add anything (like HID, power outlet, etc.) on a naked bike.

Quote from: kyle_99_gtp on January 20, 2010, 08:00:42 PM

Quote from: lilwoody on January 20, 2010, 06:21:24 PM
I've rode and had naked bikes and will never have another. It's really nice to be able to have something to cut the wind except your chest. I also put on a sport touring windshield that make it that much more comfortable. And it looks better to me.

thats another good point. those of us with fairings can still run our stuff in the rain because we can hide behind the fairings. i was out one day with my dad when he was on his 2000 v-max and we got caught in the rain for about 20 minutes...i was considerably drier than he was after that because i could tack into the fairing and hide behind the windsheild.

i gotta be honest, if i had 06 R6 my GS would be on craigslist faster than Boss Hogg on fried chicken served with a side of money

I have an 89.....i don't believe there was even an F at that time. Naked wins in my book....to the point that even if i had a faired bike....i would strip the bike down.....a naked R6 would be nice. Roland Sands did a naked CBR1000RR....but a Hornet bucket and shorty wind screen on it......very nice. google it.

Quote from: gregvhen on September 25, 2010, 03:08:26 PM

i gotta be honest, if i had 06 R6 my GS would be on craigslist faster than Boss Hogg on fried chicken served with a side of money

This thread was revived from the dead. I think he has sold the GS!

Hi, I've bought a GS600E in 1998 for my wife. The faired GS didn't exist at this time. I,ve got at the same time a 600XJ-51J and I wanted to faired the GS.

Now my wife can't use the bike (2 accidents and 1 agression, so she's afraid) so I take this bike for me.
I'm restauring the 600XJ (it have nearly 100 000 km so it needs to be turn in pieces, wash, paint and mounted) so I use either a TZR50 (in fact the french version MBK X-Power) or the GS.

But I don't like naked bike. First I mounted a part of my XJ600 but I still wanting for a carenage to faired it.

3 months ago, a friend in the GS french forum (gs500e.free.fr) maked a N version from a GS500F and I've bought all pieces to faired my GS500E.

It's done now and I'm very happy. I will make another glass because the GS500F one's is to small and don't protect enough of the wind. I'm on the french riviera so I run my bikes all year long and in Winter with the wind Mistral I need a better protection. The second problem is I'll can't go off-road now as I did before because the bike's bottom is lower.

In US/CAN you have the possibility to buy news GS500. In Europe, pollutions laws make them not sold by Suzuki. Bike with carburators are only old ones, and bike of motor less than 125cc. For biggers, they have injections and restrictives pollutions norms.

So enjoy  :D

Naked for me.  You just don't know you've been out riding unless you come home covered in crap.

Quote from: 89Decepticon on September 25, 2010, 04:08:35 PM
I have an 89.....i don't believe there was even an F at that time. Naked wins in my book....to the point that even if i had a faired bike....i would strip the bike down.....a naked R6 would be nice. Roland Sands did a naked CBR1000RR....but a Hornet bucket and shorty wind screen on it......very nice. google it.

Yamaha have a naked R6...well kinda. It is called the FZ6. Same engine as the R6 (tuned a little different) in a naked frame -
(http://www.motocafe.ru/images/stories/news_motocycles/news_076/yamaha/yamaha-fz6-2010.jpg)

went for a 4hr highway ride yesterday, 70-85 indicated, only felt the wind on my chest :dunno_black:. No working of my legs as the wind pretty much kept them tucked against the tank, and therefore no muscle fatigue, just cramped legs from squatting, and would have had that anyways.

a little above the headlight windscreen does help some though, i didnt miss it yesterday.

also had 20-30mph crosswinds and gusts & 100+F.

lets see I had my 04 as a faired when i got it rode that way for a few months then removed to an E and did dual headlights than did the stock round light with a lil fairing over the light than when i added the r6 solo tail i put the fairings back on and painted her red. wow my bike was yellow new black when naked and mini faired then primed white with the solo tail and nose fairing only then red fully faired.

I was on a bike trip a few months ago (a weekend trip) and our one buddy had an E ... We switched up for about 2 hours on the Saturday and I have to admit, I need a faring on trips, it was @ss without one.  Even my buddy didn't want to switch back!  I guess its a personal preference...but for long trips I would never go naked :)  My reasons are obviously comfort realted and not aesthetically motivated.  To me, some types of bikes look great with a faring and some don't ... Luckily, the GS is one of those rare ones that looks good both ways.