"If you ever get bored of your GS, just mod something else on it"

"When i look at my GS500 i'm reminded of legos in my childhood and how the space rocket (stock) built with an instruction booklet just never seemed right   "

this is my fourth year riding the gs...every year i've said "i'm going to get an sv"...but i just can't let the gs go.  this year i rejetted and installed the srinath/wileyco slip-on and it's a whole new bike.  pnaberhaus is right: i just keep getting better and better at riding because of this bike.  when i actually do get an sv...look out

Same reason I drive a 15 year old pickup truck.

- Paid off
- Cheap insurance

I just have to keep an eye on the oil on both machines

Quote from: pnaberhausOften, I've been asked "Why don't you get a 1)bigger bike, 2)a faster bike, 3)a more "fashionable" (huh?) bike, 4)a more expensive bike, 5)a more technologically sophisticated bike, 6)a newer bike, etc,etc. BTW, I ride an '89 GS that I really keep too clean.
Those who ask, include my wife, my riding friends, my associates at work and my neighbors. I've  had the opportunity recently to acquire a GSX 600 and a Kawasaki ZX-9R at real bargain prices, and I passed on both of them. My wife says "The house is paid off, you don't have a car payment for yourself and the kid is through college, married and no longer an expense. Go buy whatever you want, you've earned it!" (Is she great, or what!)

So why keep riding the ol' GS? For starters, I really like the way it looks. It's got a classic motorcycle "look" about it. You see the tank, the engine, the frame is visible, the wheels and brakes are simple affairs, their function easily grasped. The "clip-ons" (on my '89, at least) have an appearance, function and lineage that trace their roots to the roadracing era of the '50s and '60s. The semi-rearsets are not extreme to the point of being uncomfortable, but provide a nice visual and ergonomic companion to the "clip-ons". And in this day of faired-in bikes (sorry "F" riders), the "naked bike" look provides a nice counter-point to most other sport bikes out there.

But the primary reason for riding the GS?...... I'm certain that it makes me a better rider . When I ride with others, I usually have to compensate for a deficit of horsepower, brakes, and tire adhesion.....so I have to ride better, smarter, sharper. To wit, all the "big boys" blow by me, rattling fairings and cranking RPM down the straights. But get to the twisty bits, and they got all that speed to get hauled down and "wonder brakes" aside, most street riders just clamp on the binders and hang on. At that point, I usually start reeling them in, and by the turn's exit, I'm typically right on their tail. The big guys will sometime's give a quick glance over their shoulder and be amazed that I'm right on their heels. Then it's the next straight again, and the HP warriors are off in a wail of big horsepower RPM. They have too much power, brakes and tire to utilize safely and effectively in most street applications. So being underpowered, underbraked and undertired, I have to try harder, ride smarter, corner better, and look for every little nuance of road condition, corner geometry, street surface and traffic situation that present itself while I ride.

As the architect Mies van der Rohe had said "Less is more" That applies equally to the GS500's design and execution as well.

Quote from: pnaberhaus on May 12, 2005, 08:45:35 AM
Often, I've been asked "Why don't you get a 1)bigger bike, 2)a faster bike, 3)a more "fashionable" (huh?) bike, 4)a more expensive bike, 5)a more technologically sophisticated bike, 6)a newer bike, etc,etc. BTW, I ride an '89 GS that I really keep too clean.
Those who ask, include my wife, my riding friends, my associates at work and my neighbors. I've  had the opportunity recently to acquire a GSX 600 and a Kawasaki ZX-9R at real bargain prices, and I passed on both of them. My wife says "The house is paid off, you don't have a car payment for yourself and the kid is through college, married and no longer an expense. Go buy whatever you want, you've earned it!" (Is she great, or what!)

So why keep riding the ol' GS? For starters, I really like the way it looks. It's got a classic motorcycle "look" about it. You see the tank, the engine, the frame is visible, the wheels and brakes are simple affairs, their function easily grasped. The "clip-ons" (on my '89, at least) have an appearance, function and lineage that trace their roots to the roadracing era of the '50s and '60s. The semi-rearsets are not extreme to the point of being uncomfortable, but provide a nice visual and ergonomic companion to the "clip-ons". And in this day of faired-in bikes (sorry "F" riders), the "naked bike" look provides a nice counter-point to most other sport bikes out there.

But the primary reason for riding the GS?...... I'm certain that it makes me a better rider . When I ride with others, I usually have to compensate for a deficit of horsepower, brakes, and tire adhesion.....so I have to ride better, smarter, sharper. To wit, all the "big boys" blow by me, rattling fairings and cranking RPM down the straights. But get to the twisty bits, and they got all that speed to get hauled down and "wonder brakes" aside, most street riders just clamp on the binders and hang on. At that point, I usually start reeling them in, and by the turn's exit, I'm typically right on their tail. The big guys will sometime's give a quick glance over their shoulder and be amazed that I'm right on their heels. Then it's the next straight again, and the HP warriors are off in a wail of big horsepower RPM. They have too much power, brakes and tire to utilize safely and effectively in most street applications. So being underpowered, underbraked and undertired, I have to try harder, ride smarter, corner better, and look for every little nuance of road condition, corner geometry, street surface and traffic situation that present itself while I ride.

As the architect Mies van der Rohe had said "Less is more" That applies equally to the GS500's design and execution as well.

Proof once again, it's not what you ride, but how you ride.

Quote from: cernunos on May 12, 2005, 01:05:28 PM
Top ten reasons to own a GS500:

5) If you love to fight, just ride down to the local HD hangout and announce in a loud voice "Harleys suck!".

Better yet tell them "That's a lot of noise for 40 horsepower".

for those of us who's chassis are built to close to the ground , we can still touch the ground withor feet ,and not on tipy toes

Why do I ride the GS500?
1. It's cheap and easy on gas and I'm broke
2. The thing is bulletproof and the engine is supposedly the last thing to go south
3. It can do everything I need it to while still being fun
4. I've had it for a year and put over 9000 miles on it and it hasn't let me down once. Most reliable vehicle I've EVER had.

That being said, When I have the disposable money I will definately move up to a faster and sexier ride. (Monster 1000 or ducati sport classic anyone?) but that dosn't look like it'll happen anytime soon. Who knows, maybe I'll keep the GS arround afer I get something else. It seems like plenty of people regret getting rid of theirs.

Quote from: pnaberhaus on May 12, 2005, 08:45:35 AM
They have too much power, brakes and tire to utilize safely and effectively in most street applications.

  Could not have said it better myself. 

  And point# 11 the GS has a better at the wheel HP to weight ratio than many sports cars that can cost very, very much more!

pnaberhaus.............you said it all man.........you said it all............

all of you.................damn good wordsmithing............

C., it's good to see your words again.                    Wilson

The GS is definitely the most cost effective streetbike you'll ever own.  Insurance was $100 a year, a new 140 rear tire cost $100, it got between 50-60 mpg, had its own centerstand (which means you don't need a rear stand and front stand to work on it and you can buy two of them for the cost of one similarly-aged liter bike.

Because the total cost of my bike was 1,500$ + 4 quarts of oil + the cost of having Srinath tune my carbs.  : )