Hi All,

I have been thinking about picking up a gs500 for quite a while. I am itching to get back to riding. My father and mother both ride bikes and I myself have ridden them as a kid. (First bike was a Honda Rebel 250 when I was 11!.. Crashed it into an air conditioner because the choke flipped open..) I had not been back onto a bike for quite a while, so I picked up a smaller 600cc suzuki (circa 1983). I ran it for a couple weeks here in LA, then decided it was time for an upgrade to the bike I really wanted. yamaha fzr600. (I always wanted one as a kid.) It ended up being a total mess. There was damage to the engine that was going to cost more to fix then it was worth. Bike was sold for scrap, and I was left with my helmet and a bad taste in my mouth for older bikes, but an itch to get back in the saddle. 9 1/2 months later, I have decided to yet again give it another go. With my car gone, needing a daily driver and my budget around $2,000, a ninja ex250 seemed like the bike to get. I can find one with a warranty and everything for about that price, yet the low cc's and excessive highway miles that I will be putting on the bike keep me itching for a slightly larger bike. Even still, the traffic here in L.A. is insane at times making me nervous to just jump on and ride a larger one. I do not feel like ending up as a permenent pavement fixture on the I-10 or 405 because of some ass. I keep reading things on many forums about both bikes. Which to choose? So confusing,  especially with my budget.

Yet, I have found the bike I think I am going to pick up. It is a super clean gs500, 95 with 27k on it. It is well maintained and garage kept. Here is the question that I am getting to:

For a (pseudo) beginner (I have ridden the 600cc bikes here and there.. ninjas and whatnot..) would a gs500 with 27k on the clock be ok? Do you guys think that the 27k is pushing it for mileage? What about the price? It is really tempting to me to pick up. Sub $1,000. I figure the parts alone are worth more then that.

27k is fine if the bike's been maintained properly, sub-$1k is a great price especially if the bike is in good condition.  You're right, you could likely part it out and get more than that for it.

With the money you save buying that bike, you can get some really good gear...leather jacket, gloves, boots, leather pants...and some things for the bike, like fork oil (ask the previous owner when was the last time he changed the fork oil and what brand and weight fork oil he used).

Also, this bike would be smaller and lighter than the 600's you've ridden, so IMO it would be perfect for tooling around.

Heck for sub $1k bucks pick up the bike and start an engine rebuild fund. Like you said it was properly maintained then I would estimate engine life to make it to mid 30k miles before It starts eating oil and gas at the same rate. When you go to look at the bike start it up for awhile give it a few revs and build up the oil pressure. then shut her off and inspect every seal around the bottom of the engine. Look to see if the carb bodies are caked with road gum or if you see they are a shiny alum then fork the money over then cause you found a good clean bike. [pending a clear title of course ]

power wise the GS500 is going to closly replicate the 600 you had. I sawy that because the circa 600 had a single cam motor. The GS is much further along on the technical time line with a DOHC [even the gs now tho is consider old of the old school]. The 487cc DOHC [gs motor] has no problem pulling up to 90mph....then it hits the bottom of the power curve and it takes forever to get to triple digits......YES I HAVE race my gs500 at a 1/4mile drag strip. IT went 108 @ 13.48. completly stock except 127.5 main jets. Forget the time tho cause I was slow on my ET's but 108mph shows what i'm talking about. full throttle 110% of the time and it just creeps by 105mph!

I DO NOT
I REPEAT DO NOT suggest traveling at excessive speeds above the posted limit....unless you want a personal invation from the poo-poo

$700 later....

I picked up the bike. It is a great ride! Really clean, 27.5k on it.  Totally scored! It is in really great condition, the seat has a small rip, and it could use a tune because it has been sitting for so long the idle is a bit rough. But all the seals are fine, no smoke, no leaks. (Carbs need to be cleaned for sure, but much of that stuff I can do myself. Ripping apart this engine is alot easier then the 600cc water cooled monster.

Thanks for the advice guys. I already have the leathers, helmets, and everything taken care of from the previous bike, so I am good to go. I will be around here for sure. Great community, I have already browsed about and found a wealth of information. See you around Santa Monica / LA!

I'm glad you like it so far. It is a very simple straight foward design and a breeze to wrench on.

get us some pics!