So far i have to say as a new rider i am liking the GS500 (93) with newer forks/tanks/rear But im already looking forward to replacing it with a Fuel injected and more powerful bike.
Thoughts so far- SV-650 or a Sportster (black version) this will be next year though before i can really justify the ride rime/learning experience from the GS's purchase and investment.
Quote from: jebz240 on February 25, 2011, 05:39:15 AM
But im already looking forward to replacing it with a Fuel injected and more powerful bike.
Thoughts so far- SV-650 or a Sportster
Either way sounds like a good direction if that's what you want, just make sure you spend some time looking into anything you buy. A GS500 has about 45-50hp and weighs 375lbs. A sportster 883 makes about 50hp and weighs 555lbs. Even the 1200 only makes about 60hp. The sportsters have more torque, so leaving a stop sign or redlight will be a little easier, but once you're moving they're probably gonna feel about the same/slower than the GS because of the extra weight they're pulling around. Not picking on the bikes, it just caught my eye when you said you were thinking about a more powerful bike, and then listed a sportser as an option.
I LOVE the SV650, and if I were looking for a more powerful bike, that would be the direction I'd go.
However, I tend to scoff a bit when people say that they are "bored" with a bike. The way I figure it, my GS is quick enough to be fun, but slow enough that I can legally use pretty much 100% of the power band. I've personally just never understood the desire to have a bike that you can only use 50% (some supersports are more like 20%) of its capabilities without coming to a trooper's official attention. :dunno_black:
Obviousy, to each his own. Just don't be one of those guys who upgrades due to "boredom", only to ride the new one like a complete moron and doing something stupid. Stay careful.
But to answer your actual question, I'd take an SV loooooooooooong before a Sportster.
I have an SV650S and absolutely love it. My girlfriend has one too, also loves it.
Its more fun to ride a slow bike fast, then a fast bike slow ;)
More powerful bikes will only be faster on the strait roads.
Quote from: Twism86 on February 25, 2011, 07:55:53 AM
Its more fun to ride a slow bike fast, then a fast bike slow ;)
Thanks...that's what I was trying to say; you just did it better in fewer words. :thumb:
*ETA*
Seriously...I love that I can roll the throttle 100% from a red light, and get good, smooth acceleration without having to worry about the wheel coming up. You can thrash this thing as hard as you want, and it never runs away with you gets scary. Getting a speeding ticket on the interestate? Fuggidabowdit. :police:
I felt the same way within a month or two of riding my GS...but really the only place where the GS lacks in on the "interstate" or "super slab"...it runs out of steam at those speeds...it still accelerates, but at a more leisurly pace...my advice is to get some miles under your belt (I put on over 9000kms...5600miles...last year) and then do the upgrade once you have some experience...the only time I really have an issue with the power of the GS is on long straights, around town it is a blast to ride...
Later.
Quote from: murf425 on February 25, 2011, 08:02:18 AM
Quote from: Twism86 on February 25, 2011, 07:55:53 AM
Its more fun to ride a slow bike fast, then a fast bike slow ;)
Thanks...that's what I was trying to say; you just did it better in fewer words. :thumb:
*ETA*
Seriously...I love that I can roll the throttle 100% from a red light, and get good, smooth acceleration without having to worry about the wheel coming up. You can thrash this thing as hard as you want, and it never runs away with you gets scary. Getting a speeding ticket on the interestate? Fuggidabowdit. :police:
Yup. I used to race and ride dirt bikes, 125 (2-stroke) class. When just playing around off-road and on trials i always jumped on my younger brother's little honda 4-stroke 125 (half the power and smaller). Why did it like it? It was easy to beat up and have fun on without the fear of killing yourself :D
I used to feel that way. I've had a few bikes that I used to use the entire power band and definitely had some fun on them, but I'm not always in the mood to wring a bikes neck to get the power. I like a bike that you can ride at half throttle without having it sputtering coming out of a turn. I used to always come out of turns on the GS in the wrong gear because I didn't feel like hearing the motor screaming all the time, it's nice to have a bike you can just ride without always breaking a sweat. You would think more HP would mean you would always be going faster, but keeping my RPMs low keeps the bike feeling relaxed, which keeps me relaxed, and lets me have more fun at normal speeds. Out of my 2 bikes, I don't ride the faster bike any faster than the GS. I never go over 100, I never cruise on the highway any faster than 70-80, and I still take off from redlights just about the same speed as cars, I just do it all without the bike bouncing off the redline.
I used to have a 250 for 14 years...and that's after 1 year of racing (an FZR400). I've been riding 24 years, and hope to keep this GS for the rest of my life. It's kinda fun when some younger riders, on GSXRs, R6's and R1's, ask me why I ride the GS. My answer: "Can you keep up?" And, "It's cheaper insurance, tires, maintenance..."
Most riders of GSXRs, R6's and R1's go through tires every 3000 miles. I can get 15,000 miles out of a set of tires for the GS.
I'm on-board with the GS500 generally being the most bike most people will ever need. It's perfect for my needs: commuting and one-day outings. I've put on 34,000 miles in the last two and a half years, and seldom have I felt the need for anything more powerful. And just when I think I might be getting bored, a good stretch of twisty road sets thing right. It's a very forgiving bike for beginners, and can be ridden hard for thrills for excitement.
The only reason I would consider something different is because I would want to do some multi-day touring. I plan on just wearing-out my 2007 before I get another bike.
:cheers:
Mike
Thanks guys.. i just figured the bikes close to 20 years old/near end of life IMO and if im going to upgrade why not get something that looks and performs a little better.
Ahh...I missed that it was a '93. However, age isn't what matters; how many miles are on her?
Quote from: madjak30 on February 25, 2011, 09:42:14 AM
............but really the only place where the GS lacks in on the "interstate" or "super slab"...it runs out of steam at those speeds...it still accelerates, but at a more leisurly pace...........
I stay in 5th gear with my GS on the freeways when running with my big twin friends to match their roll-ons. The GS with stock gearing and tires will go over 100 mph before it redlines in 4th, makes a good passing gear. I traded in my first bike 27 years ago, a CB400T, on a new 82 CB750K six months and 6k miles after I got it because it had no guts on the freeways. The GS is all I need now since I learned how to ride a 6 speed small engine bike.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500gearing-rpms.jpg)
Quote from: scratch on February 25, 2011, 11:07:43 AM
................hope to keep this GS for the rest of my life..............Most riders of GSXRs, R6's and R1's go through tires every 3000 miles. I can get 15,000 miles out of a set of tires for the GS.
I expect to keep my current 02 GS for the rest of my life too but yours will have to last a lot longer than mine for you to do it scratch. :icon_lol:
Quote from: murf425 on February 25, 2011, 11:47:17 AM
Ahh...I missed that it was a '93. However, age isn't what matters; how many miles are on her?
Odometer and DMV say 10k but who knows for sure.. it looks like a wreck-rebuild given its got 2000+ seats,tank,forks and rear
Quote from: jebz240 on February 25, 2011, 11:40:38 AM
Thanks guys.. i just figured the bikes close to 20 years old/near end of life IMO and if im going to upgrade why not get something that looks and performs a little better.
Well, as for that my bike (1989 Kawasaki Ninja 250) is 22 years old and with 61k miles and it still starts every morning and gets me to work. So you ought to be fine, unless you're really just wanting to upgrade.
Tony
Quote from: applecrew on February 25, 2011, 11:22:46 AM
I'm on-board with the GS500 generally being the most bike most people will ever need.
It's not he engine size that matters, I love bigger bikes but I would trade my GS for a new Duke 125 any day of the week. Bigger bikes have their own kind of fun though. Light handling and long tire life are great, but so it almost having your arms yanked out of the socket when you twist the throttle. Just gotta go with what you want.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/mgrau/ktm-125-race-concept-6.jpg)
GS is awfully hard on tars and chains. I blame the crappy rear shock for chain life, tars - no idea must be the fact that the 17's are usually all "high performance"
Cool.
Buddha.
More fun riding a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow?
I disagree with it as a blanket statement. Each person has different ratings of what Fun is.
I've relegated my GS to commuting duties. Cause at the rate it was being ridden I would be lucky to get five years riding out of it - almost 38,000 on it now and less than 2 years old. Since I've had the Honda 919 I've put about 2,500 on it - not bad for a tad over a month. So with the two bikes I can spread the workload. Honda 919 for weekend rides.
I don't ride the 919 any faster than the GS except for passing cars, completing the move sooner. I actually enjoy riding it the same speed without needing to Work the bike to do it. And with top box and hard panniers, touring is More of an option. Not that the GS cannot do it. It can. But the 919 came with it so it's already set up that way - so it's more of an option.
As I mentioned in the Review thread, the 919 is just like a more powerful version of the GS (naked GS anyway). Almost the same riding position. Bike handles without needing to make Adjustments.
SV650 are alright. I prefer the naked to the curvey/pointy sport version cause it's riding position is more upright. And the SV has a HUGE following so Advice is readily available. Of the Sportster and SV, I'd go the SV. But don't just limit yourself to those two bikes - a cruiser vs a middle sport twin. Have a look at other options too. You might find Them to be more comfortable.
Michael
When/IF I upgrade it will most likely be after another 1+ years experience and to probably a 600. Not for the increase in power but because I like the looks of the gsxr600s and cbr600s. That being said I've wanted a bike since I was 16 but waited until I was older (25 now) because well, I know myself and didn't trust myself to not do something stupid and kill myself.
Quote from: murf425 on February 25, 2011, 07:48:34 AMI tend to scoff a bit when people say that they are "bored" with a bike.
You have to admit, the GS500 is pretty plain. I think this is the part people get bored with. I owned and ridden a lot of bikes over the years that I thought were 'good', but still didn't have any real pizzazz. I really like the 2002 E model myself, and would love to own one in a collection if I could afford it.
The SV650 is popular for a reason. I would have to ride a Sportster to know for sure, but most Harley's I've rode have been pretty disappointing.
My VFR800 needs a little TLC this year. My wife just bought an '09 FZ6R, so I may be riding her '07 GS for a while until we sell it.
Quote from: jlog65 on February 26, 2011, 06:31:01 PM
When/IF I upgrade it will most likely be after another 1+ years experience and to probably a 600. Not for the increase in power but because I like the looks of the gsxr600s and cbr600s. That being said I've wanted a bike since I was 16 but waited until I was older (25 now) because well, I know myself and didn't trust myself to not do something stupid and kill myself.
Me too bro, I was 18 when I first got the bug to own a motorcycle and bought a GS500 fourteen years later. That's 2 days ago. And after reading all the post on this thread I'm convinced that it'll be my last motorcycle..I'll keep it for ever.
Quote from: mister on February 25, 2011, 10:38:49 PM
More fun riding a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow?
I disagree with it as a blanket statement. Each person has different ratings of what Fun is.
I'll agree that slow bikes are still fun to ride fast, and that fast bikes can be boring if ridden too slow, but is there a reason no one even mentions the option of riding a fast bike fast?? That one definitely sounds like a winner to me :woohoo:
Quote from: tt_four on February 27, 2011, 07:28:35 AM
but is there a reason no one even mentions the option of riding a fast bike fast?? That one definitely sounds like a winner to me :woohoo:
That is what track days are for...fast bike fast on the street is just an accident waiting to happen...DON'T BE A SQUIDIOT!!! ;)
Later.
That is what track days are for...fast bike fast on the street is just an accident waiting to happen...DON'T BE A SQUIDIOT!!! ;)
[/quote]
Well put.
[quote author=madjak30 link=topic=55187.msg624997#msg624997 That is what track days are for...fast bike fast on the street is just an accident waiting to happen...DON'T BE A SQUIDIOT!!! ;)
[/quote]
While that is true, riding a GS fast on the street doesn't make you any less of an idiot than riding a zx10 fast on the street.
According to my Suzuki dealer, I downgraded when I purchased my '01 GS500 E. My learning bike was a '00 Honda VLX (VT600), 45hp of blistering power through a 4 speed and over 500#. While I learned alot on that bike, mainly that I could handle a heavy bike. My first drive of the GS was invigorating, I had no idea what to do with all of those gears. The salesman actually stopped working with me when I decided to purchase the GS. He thought I was making a huge mistake because the GS was an entry bike and I had been riding for a year, I should be getting a 650 or 1000, not a 500.
2 years later, I am still extremely satisfied with my GS and just now starting to modify it to fit my personality. I will most likely move to a larger bike in a few years because I do mainly interstate commuting and the 500 labors a bit at 75-80 mph.
Quote from: omio on February 28, 2011, 11:26:05 AM
According to my Suzuki dealer, I downgraded when I purchased my '01 GS500 E.
They very rarely understand what's valuable to some people. When we got another dog and decided to trade my wife's nissan versa in for a subaru outback the guy kept asking us why we were downgrading. Understood the versa was newer and had less miles, but it was still a versa. It was nice enough but the engine in the outback is twice the size, has heated seats, auto tinting mirror, sunroofs, super storage, roof rack. It was a serious upgrade over the nissan, but all he seemed to care about was the model year.
Quote from: tt_four on February 28, 2011, 06:27:07 AM
Quoteauthor=madjak30 link=topic=55187.msg624997#msg624997 That is what track days are for...fast bike fast on the street is just an accident waiting to happen...DON'T BE A SQUIDIOT!!! ;)
While that is true, riding a GS fast on the street doesn't make you any less of an idiot than riding a zx10 fast on the street.
I totally agree, but what seems fast on a GS and what seems fast on a ZX10 can be quite a world apart...I have had my GS500 upto an indicated 160kph(100mph), and I felt like I was flying along...tucked in behind my windshield and the throttle was pinned...but I test rode a Bandit 1250S and when I shifted out of third into fourth, I looked down and was surprised to see 155kph indicated...I did rev it out in third, but was just testing the accelleration...it didn't seem fast and I wasn't really trying... :icon_eek:
I wasn't calling anyone in particular an idiot, I was just saying that riding a fast bike fast on the street is very squiddy... :nono:
Later.
haha, understood, a zx10 will do 115mph in 1st gear. You'd be there before you even hit redline in 2nd gear on the GS.
Quote from: Twism86 on February 25, 2011, 07:55:53 AM
More powerful bikes will only be faster on the strait roads.
Er that depends entirely on what you mean by more powerful bikes. If your idea of more powerful involves putting bigger a cubic capacity motors into a two wheeled armchair with no ground clearance, then yes your entry level, modestly powered lightweight four valve 500cc twin will outhandle an American tractor designed half a century ago.
If, on the other hand, your idea of more a more powerful involves not only more horsepower, but also better frames, brakes, tyres, suspension, and the whole works of a modern sportsbike, then it's going to accelerate quicker, reach a higher top speed, brake better, flick into a corner quicker then hold more cornering speed and lean angle before the whole thing lets go. It's going to do pretty much everything better, except possibly the tight slow speed manuevering.
All subject to the rider being able to use the capabilities of the better machine of course. I followed a 675 Daytona up Galston Gorge this weekend, and (with a much more experienced rider on it) it did everything better than I could. If I jumped on a 100hp+ sportsbike and tried to throw it around like I do with my very forgiving GS, I suspect it'd spit me off hard. I know I'm not good enough yet.
Just to show you a nice riding stretch I found some Youtube footage of the road I'm talking about on another 675, this isn't our footage. Nice bit of tarmac though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Cv1Kfivio&feature=related
Quote from: Cosimo_Zaretti on February 28, 2011, 09:58:14 PM
If I jumped on a 100hp+ sportsbike and tried to throw it around like I do with my very forgiving GS, I suspect it'd spit me off hard.
The first time I took a bigger bike onto a back road that I usually ride the GS on, I forgot I wasn't on the GS, came to the first good turn and tried to just throw the bike through the turn like I do on the GS and quickly realized it wasn't the same bike, haha. The GSs handling is so light that it'll just effortlessly take turns. Bigger bikes take a bit more persuasion. Granted they have the benefit of feeling more planted and stable, so it's not like it's all bad, but still.
When I took my GS500E for a test ride (the day I bought it), I said to myself, "this bike is perfect for me, and I cannot imagine outgrowing it." Two years later I was longing for just a tad more power. Occasionally the carburetors would behave differently and give me that little bit of extra power, and I was happy again. Then I tore them apart, re-did the Stage 3 jetting, and put a K&N Lunchbox air filter on it. The intake manifold growl and extra power are great, and I'm again saying to myself, "this bike is perfect for me..."
The key to happiness is wanting what you have rather than having what you want. (Although if I ever win the lottery, a Street Triple might be in order.)
BTW, I test rode an SV-650S last year and did not experience love at first sight. It was very nice but seemed more awkward in the corners than the GS500. At one point during the test ride, I was shifting into 3rd or 4th and having fun. Looking down at the speedometer, I was going 80 mph. It is as if the whole "fun vs. rpm" graph was shifted up to higher speeds. For me, I prefer the lower gearing of a 15-tooth front sproket on the GS. Zero to 70 mph is the range of speeds where I spend 95% of my time, so it's nice to have the power band matched to that speed band with a six-speed gearbox. Heck, bounding up to redline and shifting gears all the time is what keeps a smile on my face.
I had a -2+8 on my bike for a while. It was fun, but anything over 45mph was just a hassle. Even cruising on back roads always had me wishing for 1 more gear. To be honest I barely even notice the difference when I went back to the stock rear sprocket. I'm still -2 in the front though.
If you want to upgrade, maybe consider something that's more about quality, and less about HP. A DRZ will keep you in the same speed/power range, but weighs 100lbs less, has a better suspension, digital speedometer. Keep the same great handling and fun as the GS.
Quote from: tt_four on March 01, 2011, 08:35:19 AM
Quote from: Cosimo_Zaretti on February 28, 2011, 09:58:14 PM
If I jumped on a 100hp+ sportsbike and tried to throw it around like I do with my very forgiving GS, I suspect it'd spit me off hard.
The first time I took a bigger bike onto a back road that I usually ride the GS on, I forgot I wasn't on the GS, came to the first good turn and tried to just throw the bike through the turn like I do on the GS and quickly realized it wasn't the same bike, haha. The GSs handling is so light that it'll just effortlessly take turns. Bigger bikes take a bit more persuasion. Granted they have the benefit of feeling more planted and stable, so it's not like it's all bad, but still.
+1 to that. Jumping from the Ducati to the GS is a bit weird too. Takes a couple of corners to get re - used to the GS's agility as I find I am almost clipping the curbs cause it turns in so quick.