Hey All,
Patrick here. I'm new to the motorcycle rehab game, but that didn't stop me from picking-up a restoration project.
2000 GS500E that has been off the street for 7 years. Sometimes inside, sometimes under a tarp, sometimes bathing in the raw NJ weather.
What are my options for a new tank? The current one has rust holes that I can stick my fingers through - so it is done.
I can shoot paint, and do some minimal repair work if needed.
Are there secret places selling these tanks? Are there favorite aftermarket tanks that are a nice fit/look?
I searched the forum and the few 'for sale' are long gone, and I didn't find any over-all discussion of retros/conversions etc.
Thanks,
P
PS -I'll get some pics soon.
The newer style tanks can still be purchased new in a few colors (Suzuki still makes the newer style GS500 in Columbia). Very pricey though. The newer style tanks will fit the older GS500s but then you have interference with the seat and rear plastics.
For used tanks there is no special place. Ebay, craigslist, forums, local bike breakers. Nice tanks are one of the harder items to come by, especially for the '89 - '00 GS500. For only 2x the cost of a nice tank you could purchase an entire GS500.
I think we are starting to enter a new era for the GS500 where they are no longer a cheap bike to rehabilitate. 10 years ago, there were many aftermarket parts available and good quality used parts were a dime a dozen. Dozens of tanks used to be on ebay at any time. Several good engines on ebay at any point for as cheap as $500. Not anymore. These bikes have just been out of production for too long at this point, so like any other "classic" bike it will take some searching and patience to find the right parts.
Welcome to the forum!
I would definitely check eBay. Bluesmudge is correct, '01+ tanks will fit pre-'01 bikes. For details and pictures about that, here's a good thread:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php/topic,65993.0.html
I don't ever want to encourage people to leave forums/message boards and only rely on other social media sites... I love being here and as long as the forum is here, I'll want to be here. But if you have facebook and haven't already, send a member request to the "Suzuki GS500" group. I'm an Admin there and we've got over 9K members from all over the world. There are part-outs happening pretty often there and maybe you'll find something if eBay doesn't have one that suits you.
Good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing your progress with the bike. Hope you'll start a thread in the Projects section :cheers: !
@Bluesmudge & @ShowBizWolf
Thank you for the replies!
I see a 2001 on eBay now - I'll look through the fitment thread.
Will def get some project pics up.