I've been reading all of these discussions about doing mods to the GS500 for the past year and a half...

I have yet to do a single mod to my bike, as it is still completely stock. Although, I have thought about three: fendorectomy, short stalk turnsignals, and SM2 handlebars.

I dunno, it seems that everyone is really into doing modifications on the GS500. I'd much rather have the bike in operating condition 100% of the time rather than risking doing something boneheaded on the bike and leaving it unridable.

That's what I picked up the old BMW for, to tinker on, to make mistakes, and to learn about motorcycle mechanics.

Does that make me a bad GS owner? Am I totally missing out?

...come to think of it, every car I've owned remained almost exactly the way I bought it (with the exception of the stereo).

Motorcycles are for riding, not modifying...  If you find something that makes the ride (or look) less enjoyable, then you mod it.

My few mods have been for enhancing the ride (or look), not simply for the sake of cutting things up.

No, as long your happy with your bike that's all that matters.  

you are a member of the canoe club, you ride..enjoy it





where in the heck is Mosinee Wis?

nothing wrong keeping it stock. its not gs500 specific, but more global to motorcycle riders in general about needing to modify their ride. first thing a sportbike rider thinks about is what pipe to put on and/or what flush moutn turn signals...its inherant in the beast. you are not the rule, but the exception. thats cool.

swap the springs!

the GS is a much safer (in my opinion) ride with upgraded front suspension. You're safer in the corners and when comming to straight line stops. There is a dramatic difference between the stock front suspension and aftermarket stiffer springs.

Not modding does not make you a bad GS owner.   But by not modding you are missing out.  What are you missing out on?
Progressives or racetec = much better ride
Kat shock = better than stock hard to describe but I can tell a difference between the two.

Those are two examples.  I think modding the bike to make it ride better or handle better would be the minimum I would do if I didn't want to worry about messing something up.  It's very hard to screw up a spring install.

But it really depends on what you want and how / where you ride. 

j56

I am not one for modding either, I am quite happy about the way Suzuki designed and styled the bike, although I do agree the front forks are crap and would benefit from aftermarket progressive springs. My view is that if you want better or more performance/handling etc get a bike that offers it. Another thing to consider is that you are unlikely to get back costs incurred on aftermarket parts or mods if you sell the bike and in some cases heavy modding can actually lead to a drop in the secondhand value........if those things matter to the individual.

Quote from: werase643 on August 07, 2006, 08:12:22 PM
where in the heck is Mosinee Wis?

http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=mosinee+wisconsin&ie=UTF8&om=1
In the middle of nowhere apparently. Im from wisconson and didnt know where it was either.

And as far as the mods go, I only started doing them when it was too cold to ride.

I am not one for buying a modded street bike. Alot of people do prefer to have one in stock form or with minimal mods.

BUT.... modding a GS has become an obssesion for me. Having a track bike for a pallet to try stuff on has provided me with some really cool ideas and creations, which very few have seen. Also having a lot of parts does allow me to fit and try things.

i've seen some....and they really are kewl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yea - You know what they say right ... You want a unique GS - "leave it comepletely stock ... and you ride it"
OK OK they say that about a harley ... But the POS is so shitty ... you cant ride it ... so they leave that part out ...  ...
Cool.
Srinath.

I only mod when I drop my bike and need to replace something.... 

Yup - modified by gravity ... sometimes that's the best kind ...
Cool.
Srinath.

Quote from: pandy on August 08, 2006, 07:33:24 AM
I only mod when I drop my bike and need to replace something.... 

Quote from: seshadri_srinath
Yup - Modified by gravity ... sometimes thats the best kind ...
Cool.
Srinath.

That is halarious but alas i think we all will do a little bit of that at some point.  Some of us are just more natural modifiers

  Are you the original owner for the 01', if so you could change the carbs from running lean, a lot of people do this for various reasons(+ other mods), but I would suggest this to help the GS to run a little cooler, that helps to give a better life span to the engine.  But leaving it stock is COOL.

mod('SuzukiGS500', 'dgbernstein');
ans = S(shift out)(cancel)(data link escape)kiGS500

Quote from: Yankee Punker on August 08, 2006, 09:48:35 AM
  Are you the original owner for the 01', if so you could change the carbs from running lean, a lot of people do this for various reasons(+ other mods), but I would suggest this to help the GS to run a little cooler, that helps to give a better life span to the engine.  But leaving it stock is COOL.

I am not the original owner. I believe I am the 3rd. I bought it from MotoJava in SF in June of 2005. My guess is they would have returned any engine/carb adjustments back to factory settings in their top-to-bottom service of the bike prior to selling it. Of course I could be way wrong, but that's the impression I got from those fellas at the shop (great shop BTW).

Thanks for all of the encouragement and suggestions on what mods I should tackle!

I think once I finish my rebuild of the Bing carbs for the /5 I'll be brave enough to rejet the carbs on the GS. If I can find a good set of SM2 bars on eBay, that will most likely be my first mod. Then I'll figure out the springs situation.

Just noticed that you're in Roseville! Nice to see another Cali person on board!