i was just wondering, do you guys think suzuki will make a 20th Anniversary Edition GS500 if they still make them then, like they did with the gsx-r600 and gsx-r750 last year.

Reissue with the clipons!!!   

Quote from: RVertigo on April 11, 2006, 08:31:12 PM
Reissue with the clipons!!!   

And with naked and faired versions. And fuel injection, and an actual 500cc engine! And bigger wheels and tires! And a split seat! And better forks!

Hey, I can dream.

The clipons idea is a good one. It would definitely have to be naked with a black engine, white wheels, the newer rear end with plastics, and maybe some badging showing it to be a special edition. Nothing else really needed.

I give the GSF another couple years and then forsee some sort of overhaul to it(if not the end). It seems when a company feels it has to change something, like throwing on fairings, they want to get more attention for the product as if it wernt doing well enough. Not saying the GS isnt selling well, it just seems their maybe changes in the future.
-ash

Quote from: ashman on April 11, 2006, 09:13:17 PM
I give the GSF another couple years and then forsee some sort of overhaul to it(if not the end). It seems when a company feels it has to change something, like throwing on fairings, they want to get more attention for the product as if it wernt doing well enough. Not saying the GS isnt selling well, it just seems their maybe changes in the future.
-ash

+1


Is the GS even going to meet the new emissions standards in the next couple years (2007?)?  I think the engine will have to be updated if they want to keep this model alive and I don't know that there is a strong enough demand for the bike to do this [/pessimism]

Quote from: roguegeek on April 11, 2006, 09:07:50 PM
white wheels,

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 11, 2006, 08:44:28 PM

Quote from: RVertigo on April 11, 2006, 08:31:12 PM
Reissue with the clipons!!!   

And fuel injection,

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 11, 2006, 08:44:28 PM

Quote from: RVertigo on April 11, 2006, 08:31:12 PM
Reissue with the clipons!!!   

And with naked and faired versions. And fuel injection, and an actual 500cc engine! And bigger wheels and tires! And a split seat! And better forks!

Hey, I can dream.

And that would be called the GSX-R 500. I'm not saying that I wouldn't be into that, I'm just saying that I could see them making those changes and changing the name and dropping the GS altogether, as other people have suggested. I think people would find it more appealing to say they have a Gixxer 500 than a GS 500.

Hold on to your GS, because one day they may be only a memory. Well, you could buy old ones, but you know what I mean...

I think that something might happen with the line.  I have seen 3 '06s rolling around here so at least some people are buying them.  I don't know how well sales are in this country or others for that matter but i know that the mentality of most people who don't know what they are doing or just want to die is bigger is better.  I guess we shall see.

It was '03 that the GS was nonexistent, right? So 5 years after that is '08, the next year that there will be no GS. And then the following year is '09, the 20-year anniversary of this model, and the year in which the redebut it as a true "beginner's sportbike": FI, water-cooled, clip-ons, better forks, but maintaining the guts of the GS that makes it the classic that it is.

I have no clue, just go with it.

I'd like to see some fuel injection, inverted forks, clip ons and bigger rubber. and all white bodywork...that would be sweet.

Quote from: Absolute Rescue on April 12, 2006, 01:33:03 PM
I'd like to see some fuel injection, inverted forks, clip ons and bigger rubber. and all white bodywork...that would be sweet.

I'm with you, for the most part. The skinny tires are a part of the flickability of the GS, so lets not go too crazy with the wider rubber...

But still, mark me down!

It will be a decal package and thats it for 2009

Is Suzuki overdue to update the GS? Heck yes. Will they? Why would they? It sells good enough to just keep producing that same ole air cooled twin without any extra investment. For a case in point on how long a bike, lets go with UJM's and standards here, can go without an update. Look at the VMax 22 years without any real updates.

Now they did give it some nice new bodywork and an oil cooler on the F's to make it look updated. But it still has that same aircooled 70's twin between the riders legs. Which is fine if your selling it against the Buell Blast. But not if your trying to someone looking at the EX. It really is time for a nice watercooled twin on our GS's.

Kawasaki has the last real 250 street bike which isn't given much attention.
If you look around  the world, the majors treat their 500s as red headed step children.  The 600+ is where the money is being spent.
If the GS runs up against emission rules, they'll kill it.  Probably all that keeps it alive is the worldwide distribution is enough to maintain production.  If a major portion of that distribution goes away, the absorption rate won't be high enough on remaining production.

I think it'll likely follow the lines of the 650R Ninja...it'll get a new suspension, frame, and over all body style along with a different name and likely EFI.  From there the GS will likely fade away...

Now...screw this talk of an updated model...lets talk about a Factory R varient of what we've currently got:

Minimum....

Ohlins 41mm inverted cartridge forks
Ohlins 3-way rear (with a quick lock-n-release mechanism to allow for spring changes)
Ohlins adjustable steering damper

Lightweight Marchesini 5.5" rear wheel, 170/55 rubber
Lightweight Marchesini 2.75" front wheel, 120/60 rubber

Dual 320mm Brembo wavies up front with 4-pot radial calipers
240mm Brembo wavie in back with standard 2-pot caliper
~OR single 360mm perimeter disk with an 8-pot Brmbo caliper up front

Carbon fiber swingarm
Carbon fiber 5 gallon tank
Carbon fiber fairings and tail (offered from factory as monoposto/biposto varients)

Annodized billet rear wheel adjusters
6-way adjustable rearsets
Full adjustable brake/clutch levers (like on the GSVR)
4-way adjustable clip-ons
Adjustable triple clamps
Adjustable front axle

Standard GS block bored out to 498cc
11:1 pistons
5 valve, dual spark head
Yoshimura cams
Lightened, honed and balanced crank shaft
Dry clutch
Larger oil pan and stronger pump
2X10X6 oil cooler
Suzuki's variety of EFI...including a yosh-box gadget
~40mm throttle bodies
~298cc injectors
~Digital ignition
Center-feed Ram air (like gen-1 R6's...huge scoop right in the middle of the nose)
52mm headers feeding to a 60mm midpipe, dumping through a titanium 2.25 liter muffler...either hanging off the side or routed through the swingarm and under the tail

K5 SV1000S speedometer/tach assembly
Same steel frame...but a removable subframe would be nice

...I can think of more but I'm getting a hard on.

Man, I'm popping like 8 boners right now. That sounds so sweet.

But we need to keep the cost under 10K...

then you also have the SV-650 there. So you have another bike thats there to take the GS's place. Because they could just release a SV-500 to take the GS500's place on the showroom floor.

The smaller twins aren't popular enough here to even attempt the sale.  There's a badass little SV400 that we'll never see...

Also, the SV uses an aluminum frame and a lot of other modern gadgetry that drives the price up.  The entire point around the base GS (not to be confused with my idea of a Factory bike...:drool: ) is to be as cheap as possible for both the manufacturer and consumer...which is why it uses a 70's tech motor, left-over suspension, steel frame, and so on...