Found a local GS500... I think it may be a little high, but if it's in excellent condition, is it a fair deal?

QuoteSuzuki 93 GS500E with 6k miles. It has new brakes, new paint, new oil + filter, new spark plugs, and a recent battery. I kept up with the maintanence schedule for the bike, good for 2,000 miles. Garage kept, ridden easy, sounds nice and keeps up with the sport bikes my buddies have. $2,200. Extras: Bike cover + engine guards.

Personally I think thats waaay high for a 93. I paid $100 for my 93  granted it was cosemetically really good but it needed alot of work. I wouldn't pay more than 1500 for a mint 93.

Granted, that's a really good looking bike (minus the white wheels)...but that is way over-priced. When i was buying mine, i looked at a 99 with the same miles at a stealership for the same price.

And maybe i'm blind...but i don't see the engine guards...

Quote from: Onlypastrana199 on April 24, 2006, 09:37:58 AM
Personally I think thats waaay high for a 93. I paid $100 for my 93  granted it was cosemetically really good but it needed alot of work. I wouldn't pay more than 1500 for a mint 93.

You paid $100? Does this seller have any more bikes they'd like to sell at a loss? I may be interested. 

Dave 

Oh, and I like the "engine guards" on this one. Are they the internal type? 

Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDX on April 24, 2006, 09:41:06 AM
You paid $100? Does this seller have any more bikes they'd like to sell at a loss? I may be interested.

ebay was my friend! My bike needed a head and had sat for over 10 years so it needed alot of fixin up but its shaping up nicely. It only had 1100 miles on it when I got it. 

Quote from: Onlypastrana199 on April 24, 2006, 09:50:16 AM

Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDX on April 24, 2006, 09:41:06 AM
You paid $100? Does this seller have any more bikes they'd like to sell at a loss? I may be interested.

ebay was my friend! My bike needed a head and had sat for over 10 years so it needed alot of fixin up but its shaping up nicely. It only had 1100 miles on it when I got it. 

You're serious? I was trying to be a smart-ass and call your mistype. Wow, that's a steal! Did it have engine guards in the color code "Invisible" also?

Dave 

I paid $2,200 for a 2001 with 1500 miles on it two years ago.  I think $2,200 for a '93 in 2006 is a rip.

The NADA guide says a 1993 should be worth $930, "average retail."  Offer $1000 if it's in great shape.  The seller is out of touch or wants to make a profit offa some sucker.

He had it listed as $2800 OBO, then said that he got talked down to $2200 which is as low as he could go.

I don't know if it's like everything else, but doesn't an aftermarket paint job usually decrease the value, unless it's some ultra-cool custom jobbie?

They're harder to find around here.  I looked for over four months and never saw any deals close to what you guys are describing.  I bought my '91 which needed a little work and wasn't that great cosmetically, and I was glad to pay the $1300 the guy was asking for it.  They just aren't very available around here.  A '99 or better tends to start at around $2500 and moves up to $3500 very quickly as you get newer.

Quote from: Admiral Crunch on April 24, 2006, 10:16:08 AM
They're harder to find around here.  I looked for over four months and never saw any deals close to what you guys are describing.  I bought my '91 which needed a little work and wasn't that great cosmetically, and I was glad to pay the $1300 the guy was asking for it.  They just aren't very available around here.  A '99 or better tends to start at around $2500 and moves up to $3500 very quickly as you get newer.

Tell any of your friends that may be looking for one that I have an '05 in great condition and would be willing to let it go for $6500.

Kidding, of course.

i hate to disagree with everyone (which btw, i thought you should know, I respect most that have posted and their opinions  )

but......that bike is in great condition.  lest we forget that 96' that sold for $1550 on ebay and everyone questioned it's quality.

it looks like its been completely rebuilt.  (my opinion is biased as I am in the process of doing a complete rebuild and look to net $2500)

$2200 for a completely reconditioned GS sounds about right to me, 93' or not.

also you need to consider the market.  you buy what you want. 
for some he bike aint worth $500 cause of it's age. for others it is a relatively cheap "NEW" bike.

o'course i could just be biased because I aim to sell mine for a profit soon.
  Oh well, if you don't buy it someone will. if you want a cheaper bike don't look for one so nice. These bikes are easy to build and cheap if you want a fixer upper.

my .02 

I would do it. I spent 1500 on mine. Mint paint job and everything was mechnically sound. And i gotta 96 with 9300 when i got it. But the balls in your court.

A lot of it depends on what's availible in your area too. For example, in Seattle GSes are rare and usually sell for a lot more than they do in other places. I got my '04 with 5100 miles on it for $3300, and I recently saw a craigslist ad for an '01 in perfect condition for $2,200. So for what is availible around here it would be a rip off, but for where he lives the $2,200 for a '93 might be a good deal.

Personally, I think you should offer him $1500 at the most. Original paint counts a lot in resale value.

A little late on this thread, but...this bike has been repainted - totally. It looks good, but non-stock (if that is an issue for you).

The asking price is about $700 higher than the average eBay bid or auction price for this bike.

To see my auction data page CLICK HERE

Thanks Starwalt.  that is an awesome reference.

I'd like to note a quote off that page :
"Price in particular is subject to market influences, quality of the bike, and popular trends."

of course it depends on how well the bike has been "reconditioned"

my 99' blew a head gasket today, which I have obsessivily maintained. Theres no telling how well that 93' engine will perform.

Diggler will have to check out the bike to make a good judgement on it.
  Even then I would have bet my Momma on my engine being rock solid.   

Oh well. if you get her, good luck

wait what area is he in looking to buy?

Consider this; that '93 GS seems to be in excellent COSMETIC condition (the paint probably isn't dry yet), but that SHOULDN'T be your main concern. You should focus on the MECHANICAL condition; since it was repainted, you have to suspect crash damage, which may be well-hidden by the new paint (which could have a fair amount of Bondo underneath).

I don't know where you live, but I would personally never pay anywhere near that much for a REPAINTED motorcycle, because the paint might be hiding all kinds of cosmetic repairs. You should ask yourself why anyone would repaint such a low-mileage motorcycle; only reason I can think of is because it was so horribly neglected that the original finish couldn't be restored, or because the motorcycle was wrecked.

Have you seen the actual title? Is it a "SALVAGE" title? Ask the seller why he repainted; if he claims he bought the bike that way, ask him why the previous owner repainted. As long as he's honest about any previous damage, you shouldn't be worried, but if he seems evasive, or tries to avoid giving you a straight answer, I'd let this one go, unless he came WAY down in price.

What happened to the right-side mirror? Since the engine guards aren't shown, they might be in a box waiting to be installed...

Check this link for some informative photos:

http://www.gstwin.com/racers_corner.htm

Down near the bottom of the page, you'll see pictures of a damaged GS500 fork brace; the brace is the metal plate on top of the front fender which holds the front fender on, and helps to keep the fork tubes aligned. Check the fork brace carefully to see if the mounting holes are stretched or damaged, which would indicate previous front-end crash damage. You'll be able to see any obvious damage simply by looking at the brace; no disassembly required.

Though the engine only has 6K miles on it, the big question is WHY? Why has the motorcycle seen such little use over the previous 12+ years? Is the registration current, or will you have to pay a hefty chunk of money to bring the registration up to date? What about inspection fees?

Post the frame number here; specifically, we need to see the tenth letter in the string; a real '93 would have the letter "P" in the tenth position... a '92 would show the letter "N" (Suzuki skipped over the letter "O", because it is too easily confused with the number "0").

Have the original owner remove the seat so you can take a look at the condition of the battery and the air filter. Be sure to also check the inner parts of the side panels; you need to see if the new paint is hiding any repaired crash damage, and you should also check to see that the side panels attach properly.

Can you post any photos of the other side? I'd like to see if there is any sign of crash damage; the exhaust pipe can provide some clues, along with the condition of the end of the rider's footpeg; nothing unusual caught my eye on the left side, which may be a testament to the detailing done by this owner...

Take a close look at the carbs; have the air-bleed screw covers been removed? Are the crappy phillips head screws still holding the float bowls on? Are the screws all mangled, or do they seem to be untouched? IOW, have the carbs been properly rejetted, are they bone stock, or somewhere in-between?

Has the front suspension been modified? Are there new fork springs, or does it still have the stock (junk) springs installed? Look closely at the trim ring around the headlight; look at the edge of the front brake master cylinder; check the clutch and brake lever for scrapes or gouges... That GS looks exceptionally clean, anal-retentive / retired fireman clean, which is why I'm so concerned with hidden damage.

What about the engine? How easily does it start when cold? How does it sound? Any unusual noises coming from it? Any scrapes or gouges in the clutch cover, or the crankcase cover? Look closely at the "SUZUKI" emblems on both covers for subtle signs of repair / repaint / replacement...

Be REALLY paranoid about this; the seller is asking a LOT more than a crash-damaged / repainted GS is worth. If everything checks out, that could be a very clean GS, but I still wouldn't pay more than $1500 - $1700 for it, because you could find one in something less than near-new condition for a LOT less money. Make sure all of the paperwork is up-to-date; you might have found a real gem, an over-priced repainted crasher/stunter, an Easter egg (beautiful on the outside, rotten on the inside), or something else entirely. Whatever else you do, don't rush a decision on this. Post more photos and information, so we can try to help you decide whether to keep looking or make some type of offer...

Bottom line is, find out why the thing was repainted, and the true condition of the engine; it would be fairly easy to buy a speedometer showing low miles from Ebay or a boneyard, then claim an engine with 56K miles had only 6K miles... at that selling price, I doubt the guy has many buyers lined up waiting to buy it, so don't let him talk you into paying more than you think it is worth. If someone else buys it in the meantime, there are plenty of other GS500s in this world looking for a good home...

its all situational folks. A buddy of mine paid more for a television.

I paid 1800 for a 93 with 27,000 miles on it. It was spring of last year, high demand, I just got my license, and I wanted to ride.  It was the most appropriate first bike I could find, and I could easily afford it. The seller is an honest guy, rode it 45 min to my place and I gave him a lift home.  Might I have paid less, eventually? yes. A year later, new chain and sprockets and a carb rebuild, I still don't care.  For the $3-500 I might have saved I got a little piece of mind and instant gratification. 

That being said, the fresh paintjob scares me. First thing I would have done is powdercoat the awful white wheels, not paint the whole thing.

Diggler ?  you can chime in now.

Quote from: Grainbelt on April 25, 2006, 01:16:21 PM
First thing I would have done is powdercoat the awful white wheels

Whats wrong with white wheels? I love my white rims. I want my frame white to match. But my bike is also blue with a white graphic now so...