I'm a new rider and looking for my first bike. After a lot of research, the GS500F and Kawi Ninja 500 are at the top of the list. I sat on a GS, and it felt great, so that's where I think I want to aim...

I came across what might be a good deal for a GS, but wanted to get some input from others...

It's a 2005 GS500F, 'brand new', black/red in color. It's at a Suzi dealership close to where I live. They want $4,500 for it...and with fees and everything, I could get it out the door for a tad over $5k. Does that sound like a decent deal? I really wanted to stay lower than that and get a used bike, since it's my first, but I don't know...

They had another GS there, I think it wsa the same year, blue, and used/excellent condition with maybe 3000 miles on it...that was selling for $4300...but wouldn't have all those 'extra' fees probably...odd the used was almost as much as the new...

Anyway, advice or anything else would be great. I really hope to find myself on a GS soon

Thx, Van

whats your location.  I would check on craigs list and local shops.  You can pick an older model up for $1200=$2000 depending on what has been done to it.  If this is your first bike i wouldnt buy new.  Chances are you will drop it in the first three weeks.  Look around some more  if you have to check ebay..Its not recomended but it beats 5 g's for a new bike that will propably get messed up.(no offense to you)   check the for sale or trade spot on this site it might be able to help you out.  good luck and congrats on choosing the gs 

Quote from: nastynate6695 on August 03, 2007, 12:01:59 PM
whats your location.  I would check on craigs list and local shops.  You can pick an older model up for $1200=$2000 depending on what has been done to it.  If this is your first bike i wouldnt buy new.  Chances are you will drop it in the first three weeks.  Look around some more  if you have to check ebay..Its not recomended but it beats 5 g's for a new bike that will propably get messed up.(no offense to you)   check the for sale or trade spot on this site it might be able to help you out.  good luck and congrats on choosing the gs 

Agreed... I've got a freind of mine who bought a GS and had it about a week, dropped it, broke her ankle and is now looking to sell it.  Trouble in her situation is she's JUST bought her bike and it depreciated a ton when she took it off the lot.  Now she's stuck with it.

05 new with 0 miles?  Tell them $4800 OTD.  There should be no fee's at all.  Just tax, tag and title.  When I got mine new I just paid for the bike + tax.  Took care of everything else myself dealer didn't do it and that was on both bikes.

Any dealer that says there are paper work fee's is trying to rip you off.  Thats on 05 they want to get rid of it.  08's will be comming out soon.  Offer $400K for the used one OTD and see what they say.

What was said about buying a used bike is a good idea. 

1 you don't want to drop a new bike
2 you don't know how long you will have the GS

You might only have it for a year or two and decide that you want something else. 

Good places to check is craigslist.org , cycletrader.com and you local area bike websites. 

Good luck on finding a GS it's a great bike.

Go used.

New is for people with more money (nothing wrong with that) than brains (something wrong with that).

The gs hasn't changed other than plastics since it's beginning.

Some will argue that.

A _good_ used bike that doesn't have 50,000 miles on it and runs proper should be around 1200-2000 depending on 'stuff'.

If they won't let you test ride it with cash in hand (theirs) then don't buy it.


Really, buying new is a waste.

Congrats on picking the gs.

Thanks for the input all.

I definitely agree with buying used vs. new. That was my whole mindset to begin with, but man, it's been tough finding a used one around my area (other than the one I mentioned). I'm up in central Maine, btw. Since I've had the cycle bug bite me, I've been scouring Craigslist and ebay listings around here as well...not many...so I'll keep my eyes open...I'll check out Cycletrader as well...I guess I could always buy off ebay and see what shipping it up north would cost (probably $$$$).

Re: dealer fees...that's crazy if the dealer is adding all this freight and other fees...I never thought of all that. I DEFINITLEY will go in with a game plan of some bargaining if I deal with them/any dealer.

Thanks again!

If you've got the money, buy it new and talk them down to 4k out the door.  New bikes are nice if you're not up to snuff on all the mechanical ins and outs of motorcycles.  Older bike take more TLC.  Buddy of mine has bought 2 old bikes in the last 2 months.  They worked for a couple of weeks, and then pooped out on him.  He doesn't know how to fix them, so he'll just keep buying cheap used bikes until he finds one that will work forever without him having to lift a finger.

I bought my GS with 3k miles on it from a dealer and paid about the same price they're offering you.  It was in perfect shape, and i learned how to work on it as things naturally wore out. 

I bought my 04 last summer (2006) with 800 miles on it for $3800 before fees and taxes (MINEOLA MOTO-Long Island, NY). I believe it was $4200 with tax, registration and plates. But remember bike had only 800 miles on it! Very good condition, never laid down!
So I think it was a good deal.
If I were you I'd go with used one.
Cheers
KaMeL

Quote from: VanHammersley on August 03, 2007, 03:00:07 PM
I definitely agree with buying used vs. new. That was my whole mindset to begin with, but man, it's been tough finding a used one around my area (other than the one I mentioned). I'm up in central Maine, btw. Since I've had the cycle bug bite me, I've been scouring Craigslist and ebay listings around here as well...not many...so I'll keep my eyes open...I'll check out Cycletrader as well...I guess I could always buy off ebay and see what shipping it up north would cost (probably $$$$).

I'm the same way.  When I made up my mind that I wanted to definitely get a motorcycle, I quickly became impatient.  I kept checking sites every day.  I eventually did find a 93 GS 500 in good shape.

It never crossed my mind to get a new bike though.

My thoughts were: 1) I may drop it.  If it only cost me $1000 I won't feel as bad.
2)  It may not be the type of bike I want.  After riding around I might discover that I'm better suited to a cruiser or sport bike.
3)  It's much cheaper!


Plus, I think it's fun to work on the bike.  You learn a lot and most of the stuff is really easy to do, especially if you have a haynes manual.  You can easily save several thousand dollars, put in about a weekend's worth of work, and you'll have a bike running just as good as a new one!

Another tip - look around locally.  Drive around and see if you can find any bikes for sale in people's front lawns.

I bought my new 07 for 4800 OTD, just tax, and tags. I had bought my cruiser there and they gave me a great deal. There is something to be said about building a relationship with the local dealer, no matter how much they are hated. My local dealer is actually very fair, giving me discounts on parts, riding gear, most of the time matching mail order! Most of the motorsports dealerships around me were adding dealer prep,shipping, new bike get ready, all BS add ons. It pays to shop around. As for buying new, its the best way to go to avoid buying someone elses problems, unless you have time to tinker. My time is tight and as much as I would like to have a project bike it would be time prohibitive for me. Take your time, look around and that perfect bike will find you!

Go used and be willing to travel.

I waited almost a year once I decided I was not going to spend over 2K. I missed a couple of deals by hours, but if you know what you want and are willing to travel 2-4 hours to pick it up, the deal will appear. I got a 2002 in good condition for $1,500.  Half the reason to buy a GS (in my opinion) is so you can work on it b/c it is so easy to. Every shop i went to wanted too much money for a GS and always tried to screw me on bikes and gear; oddly enough i have been impressed with their shop. I would suggest buying from a private owner.

Either way...best of luck getting your bike and I hope it all works out for you.

Cheers!

I've been a GS owner since the spring (first ride in 38degree weather) and it's a great bike.  I bought a used 05 with 2K miles on it from a local dealer.  Cost me 4K plus taxes and all that stuff.  They were kind enough to throw in a helmet too.  No problems out of her yet either and I'm around 5500miles.  Goodluck with the bike hunting.

2002 suzuki gs500 - $2500 (pacifica)
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/mcy/386244860.html

Would not get anything older.
No fuel vapor lock etc. issues.

2004 S u Z u K i GS500f--- gs500 - $3500
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/mcy/390009571.html

On the other hand, new is new and used is used.

Quote from: mp183 on August 06, 2007, 11:49:44 AM
2002 suzuki gs500 - $2500 (pacifica)
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/mcy/386244860.html

Would not get anything older.
No fuel vapor lock etc. issues.

2004 S u Z u K i GS500f--- gs500 - $3500
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/mcy/390009571.html

On the other hand, new is new and used is used.

DANGIT!!  I'm not in the market to buy until spring but I NEVER see GS500f's in Chicagoland for that price (barely any at all, really).  Oh well, maybe whoever buys it will sell it next year at an even better price.

recently purchased (my first bike) a '96 GS500e..2Kmi  for 2400.   So far, so good.  Found it on Craig's list.  Good luck.

ya, definitely go used. i found an '05 on ebay (local seller) with 1600 miles. seller posted for $4000 and i talked him down to $3750. previous owner dropped it, but only had some minor cosmetic scratches on the fairing and exhaust. i was practicing some slow, look, press and rolls... ended up dropping it on the same side where the previous owner dropped it. it scratched at the exact same spots so it looks like i never dropped it at all. bike still rides like new and i know not to put too much lean to the right on cold tires now!

case and point, go used because you won't feel as bad IF you drop it. i would be  if it was a new bike.

I got a used '05 for around 3.5k. It wasn't the best deal around, but it was pretty reasonable considering that the previous owner only put about 2k miles on it.

If I had a second go at buying, I would definitely buy used, and would probably buy a GSE or earlier model. They're cheaper, just about the same in terms of the mechanics, and they don't get as damaged when they get dropped. Yeah, I'm saying 'when,' not 'if,' because chances are, you'll drop it at least once in the first month or so. Hell, I dropped mine twice, and both were during the first week.

Quote from: VSG on August 04, 2007, 05:48:12 AM

Another tip - look around locally.  Drive around and see if you can find any bikes for sale in people's front lawns.

This is how I acquired my GS.  I was going to KSU and saw it for sale in a guy's front yard.  I don't remember what I gave for it, but I got a good deal considering.  About a year or two later I saw someone selling a 2002 gixxer from their driveway that I really wanted to buy, but I knew I couldn't afford the insurance.  I like the plastics on the GSXR's from those years.  Very different than what other companies were doing.  Anyway, definitely look around locally.  Especially if you are in, or near, a college town.  Student try to sell their stuff all the time.

John