(Note: Used the search function but didn't get any clear answers - I could imagine this being a pretty common subject, though... :dunno: )

My sister is starting getting her license next week and I'll help her look around for a used GS this winter when they should be somewhat cheaper. I have been riding street and track myself for the last 8-9 years and have plenty of experience with working on my bikes (including internal engine work, etc.). However I've never worked with or even ridden a GS so I'd like to know if there are any common issues to look for.

Due to cost we'll probably be looking at early- to mid-90's bikes.

Apart from the obvious visible things, my initial thoughts would be something like: rust in the tank, rust on frame welds, rectifier issues, cam chain noise (tensioner issues), worn steering and wheel bearings.  :dunno: Any input?

I'm not a great authority on this but from what I have seen around here I got these points

o The GS engine is fairly bomb proof and seems to be pretty issue free up to 50,000 miles as long as it hasn't been abused.
o Ask what the oil consumption is like, some engines seem to develop a thirst for oil, others are fine.
o Corrosion of the exhaust , tank and frame are issues with the GS but at least you can easily spot the damage and avoid bike in poor condition.
o people mess around with the carbs a lot, sometimes it doesn't work too well. perhaps a stock set up is best as at least you know where your starting from.
o Some bikes have sideplay on the cams at idle that makes a slow knocking noise. This has been deemed harmless, if annoying.
o Suspension upgrades are kinda required especially if the rider is heavier. This can be done fairly cheaply however with progressive springs up front and a 2nd hand Katana 600 shock in the rear.
o The valves are adjusted by shims in buckets which is a pain to adjust, so folks tend to leave it if they can. 1st check on a poorly running bike should be the valve clearances unless you know they have been checked recently.

Compared to other bikes you should find wrenching on the GS to be easy.

Thanks I know what you mean with valve adjustment being a pain - I've adjusted valves on my GSX-R (shim and bucket as well) with 16 valves... And on my SV which "only" has 8 but on the other hand has 4 camshafts...

Makes you miss the old rocker arms with adjustment screws...

Cam chain tensioners have a tendancy of going out around 20 to 25k miles, I believe you can rewind them but I have never done it personally, just read about someone else doing it, I believe it was Srinath.

Quote from: sprint_9Cam chain tensioners have a tendancy of going out around 20 to 25k miles, I believe you can rewind them but I have never done it personally, just read about someone else doing it, I believe it was Srinath.

The late-90's GSX-Rs had the same problem, I have a manual CCT for mine just as a precaution. Maybe it's available for the GS as well :dunno:

I purchased a '91 bike w/23000Mi and needed next adjustments:

- New exhaust (older was rusted, broken and noisy)

- New fork tubes. (stone impacts on the tube surface damaged the seal) No replacement required but a machine work is required. I replaced because I found them slightly bent. Needed to replace seals.
Hint: inspect tubes before purchasing.

- New rotors, front and back. Used EBC rotors. Bike was abused.
Hint: inspect disk rotors before purchasing.

- Need to rebuild front brake: seals, dustseals, and, of course, pads. Dustseals tend to go out. Replaced the hose too with steel braided one.
Hint: The steel braided hose is one of the important safety upgrades in the GS500.

- Electric regulator had 1 diode shorted. Had to replace. Due to this item being failing, I needed to replace lots of bulbs: they only lasted 1 month.

-Fuel petcock has a rubber that uses to get dry. This leads to the well known fuel starvation problem in the GS500. Some of us drive with the petcock in the "PRI" position. If you find a poor-performing bike, try this.

- I had a problem of bike height. I was dragging the centerstand when turning corners, and I am definitively not a die-hard-racer. Had to modify dog-bones. Not an issue with the GS500, but mine had this problem.

- Carbs use to get dirt: a thorough clean of all the holes and sources uses to make the bikes work better. Altough the GS500 is known to be tuned lean. Follow srinath's advice to get it running better. Only mess with
carbs if you know what are you doing, and if you really need top-performance.

- Front fork springs is the most important issue with the GS500, and an important safety-upgrade: replace with progressive springs. I just did it yesterday, and the bike holds better, brakes better and feels the road condition better.

- Early GS's had a camshaft-chain-tensioner problem.

- Engine is rock-hard, but it is known to develop a problem with a side-play of the camshaft: it makes a harmless knock-knock sound that is annoying, but you get used to.

- Another engine common problem is something that goes wrong in the clutch part. I don't know what is, mine had it (of course) and went to the stealer to fix it.

- Another problem is the oil consumption: GS's use to be thirsty on oil. It is mandatory to check oil after a high-speed trip. Mine uses 1 litre each
1000Km (0.5Ga each 1000Mi) if highway driving at 85MPH.

- I'm just in the need to replace the gearbox lever.

- If purchasing an used GS500, check drive chain condition too.

- I've just found mine having a bent front wheel axle.

I think that GS500 is a good choice for a fun bike. As you can see, it can develop lots of problems, but other bikes may develop others.

What I really hate from Suzuki, is the low quality screws they use, they
are steel grade 6.6, and this should be forbidden for allen bolts.

Hope this helps.

Helps a lot, thanks

The soft knocking when idling is a common harmless problem?  Yea!!!  Glad to hear.  I was wondering what that was and my engine potentially had 52,000+ miles on it.  

- Engine is rock-hard, but it is known to develop a problem with a side-play of the camshaft: it makes a harmless knock-knock sound that is annoying, but you get used to.

I bought a used 2001 with about 4000 miles, it was in perfect condition, adjusted the valves at 7500 and found one out of spec, another close but still ok. Mine has a K&N air filter, easy to clean and oil.

I previously had a 1977 GS400, almost identical engine except for displacement, and it ran fine for 27 years with stock carbs, pipes, etc. The gs500 is basically a trouble-free bike IF you keep up the maintenance and don't screw around with the carbs.

Melted fender, more common that you'd think.

Quote from: MountaineerThe gs500 is basically a trouble-free bike IF you keep up the maintenance and don't screw around with the carbs.

Yeah. We'll be looking for one as close to stock as possible. Old bikes with half-assed mods... Here it also has to go in for inspection when traded (unless it has been inspected within the last year), so it has to have stock or at least a legal exhaust...

Mine is a 93 that I bought with a little over 13K on it.  It was completely stock when I bought it, right down to the 12 year old front tire -   .

So far I've replaced:

front brake pads (rotor is ok)
chain
front and rear sprockets (rear probably didn't need it but I was in there digging around and it wasn't too expensive)
front tire

It still needs:
Fork rebuild with progressive springs (I have the stuff, just haven't gotten to it yet)
Katana shock (keep missing the ones on ebay)

It could probably use a rear rotor (has scallops in the existing one) but I'm not a big rear brake user and it still works fine so am holding off on that for now. I have new rear pads that I haven't put on yet.

Other than that mine is in pretty decent shape. No rust in the tank that I can see, and the frame looks good. If it was ever down it wasn't very hard - slightly scuffed engine cover and bar ends, but that's it.   The exhaust downpipes are a little rusty.

Mine was previously owned by a woman who traded it in for a Ducati Monster 600.  Given that it's red with bright pink stripes and white wheels I wonder if it was ever owned by a guy :lol:.  
So it's been pretty gently used, as far as I can tell.  

Try to find one that's been garaged and not left out in the wet.

Treated properly, one should last for a long time. Mine is 12 years old and people still come up to me asking if it's new.  

LQ

Quote from: LizardQueen
Try to find one that's been garaged and not left out in the wet.

Yeah that whould be pretty easy to tell here - steel frame + lots of rain...