hello, i'm buying a bike and since i never riden a gs500 i would like to know what are the good and bad things about the GS500

also, i don't know what the bike sounds like...does anyone have a video clip or a sound clip where i can hear what the bike sounds like?

tnx

I'm not sure what your experience level is but this bike is a lot of fun to ride in the hills and its great for commuting or city riding.  I have heard stock bikes pull away and I actually like how they sound.  Its not something I can really describe too well.  When on the bike, above 6K it starts to scream like an i4 but below its like a twin but has its own sound.  I think even the ninja 500's sound different.  I'm keeping my exhaust stock because I don't want to attract attention from the police.  I've had mine for a year now

The good
has been very reliable for me
Beginner friendly power but still has some go
nice riding position  (before I put on drag bars, all day rides were cool)
easy to maintain and work on
great helping community here
predictable and forgiving handling
50+ mpg is common
H4 headlight bulb means stronger headlights are easy
no synthetic oil required
unique sound when accelerating
crashes well (ask me how I know :lol:)
springs and rear shock are cheap/easy to upgrade
still faster than most cars 0-65
a little windscreen/flyscreen does wonders for freeway riding
I prefer the single tail pipe over the ninja 500 style dual

The bad
not a large aftermarket (sometimes need to be creative)
stock suspension is weak
footpegs need to be 1" up and 1" back (in my opinion)
some people complain about stock jetting (I haven't had any trouble with mine)
limited tire choices
after a year of riding this, I'd like more roll on power  (I do more freeway riding though)

thanks for the info

well i'm a beginer when it comes to the license but i have been riding for a while...i never owned my bike here in canada but i was born in europe and there a had a moped  
also i have riden a lot of bikes up to suzuki gsxr750

now i decided to buy a bike and insurance in canada is expensive so i have to start with a small bike....options are: ninja 500, GS500 and katana or bandit 600

i like the GS500 but i never riden one and don't know what it sounds like...if i hear a clip hove the bike sounds i can go to the states tomarow and buy a GS500

it would help a lot if someone has a video or sound clip....

My bike with the stock exhaust is at http://grapeape.specialgreen.com/snd/stocker-b.wav .  The bike is warmed-up but not yet ridden, so there is some valve clatter.  But the lound "clunks" you hear are me setting down my palm pilot (which was used to record the exhaust note).

Of the two bikes you mention, the GS500 may have the cheapest insurance.  Some companies base insurance on displacement, so the cost for insuring an EX500 will be similar.  But many insurers have a "sport bike tax", where they significantly raise the rates for any 600cc sportbike, and also any bike with a cool name like "Ninja".  For those companies, the GS500 will be cheaper to insure.

Great handling, lightweight, unitimidating but good looking.

The air-cooled engine means less maintenance, but more crash-survivability.

And it doesn't have all the fairings/bodywork to get scratched up (which makes it harder to sell something that is all scratched up).

The bad? If the suspension feels too soft to you than you can upgrade that, and that is inexpensive. You shouldn't have any problems with jetting and carburetion.

The good:
Great riding position
easy to take care of
great all around bike

The bad:
power and acceleration
not many accesories
small slipstream for tucking out of the wind.

other than that I love this bike

looks like i'm gonna go for the GS500  
at first i wasn't impressed with it because it's kind of small and it doesn't have a fairing, but now I like the look ....

i've heard that you can't ride the GS in the rain and the engine turns off when little water get's on it?

well, whoever told you that one dosnt know nothing about a gs. i rode mine for maybe 3-4 hours in the rain one time. the only thing that happened was that a froze my a$$ off. and they are a very good beginner bike i loe mine. the only thing i would probably trade mine in on is a 2003 Suzuki SV1000S. i love that thing.

With an aftermarket exaust and jetting, it roars. Mine is loud as hell, and has a good rumble to it. I love it. Ifd I had another choice, I think I would get a Honda 599. More pricy too. I do love my bike though.

 -Anti

Quotei've heard that you can't ride the GS in the rain and the engine turns off when little water get's on it?

I ride my GS to work every day (besides winter), and in some really nasty rain. I have NEVER had a problem with that, so I wouldn't worry.

ok thanks guys...i'm going to look at some GS500's tomarow...can you tell me what to look out for? any major problems? how do i know if a GS500 is in good condition?

thanks a lot

If you get a used one look at the air filter.  If it's really dirty, dust could have gotten into the motor and things could go wrong.