I came accross a 1990 GS500E with 49,000 miles on it. It runs ok, the idle is a little rough probably due to the fact that it was stored for 3 years. He's asking $950 for it and I talked him down to $875. Should I buy it or look for something with less miles?

that is alot of miles i would almost try and talk him down or look for somthing eles but thats me

Yeah that's what I thought. But I don't have a lot of money at the time. Do these things break down or need a bunch a work with this many miles? Are there any typical parts that breat down? I'm not familar with suzuki as my only bike was a GL500I, and those things run forever.

I agree - 49k is a lot of miles.  if the rest of it is in good shape then it's worth it possibly, especially if it runs, but be prepared to throw some money into it.

Same miles my 89 was using a quart of oil in 300 miles, and I sold it for 650 3 years ago.
Mine was never stored and in the freezing cold morning he bought it on (april can get a bit frosty in NC) it still started and ran like it was a swiss watch. I also had a 1000 upgrades in it, lindemann forks, 1/2' thick fork brace, blue das lights, little detail bling bling turnsignals with wagner 552, coated tank, nice side panels, case protector, 89 so it had clip on's, much much more.
Cool.
Buddha.

Oh whoops it has 39K not 49K. But it's still a little steep, huh. Well the thing is that this bike was sold to this guy by his brother and was stored because he never got around to getting his endorsement. He knows next to nothing about bikes and I think that's why he is asking so much for the bike. His brother came by recently and lubed the chain and changed the oil and it's running pretty good for being stored so long.

Hey there,
Do you have any pictures of it?
What's the rest of the bike like?
Here's how I judge such things after 32 years of motorcycle riding and maintenance:
Does it need tires? (Likely because of its age)  $225 for tires plus mounting labor $30 -- you take the wheels to the shop and reinstall them yourself. More money if you don't want to remove the wheels yourself and you take the bike to the shop.
Does it need a chain and sprockets? If it hasn't been done, then that's $120 for a good Tsubaki o-ring chain and new sprockets front and rear.
Obviously, you'll have to pull the carbs and clean everything and adjust the valves and go through everything.
It may need a new battery too, because of its age. $60 for that.
That's just a start.
Is the bodywork in nice shape?
Is the seat torn?
Be critical. You are spending your money.
An $875 bike is NOT a bargain if it still needs $500 worth of parts (easy to to, by the way) and still won't be in nice shape.
Especially when by spending $$1800 to $2000 you can find a much nicer bike.
The 39K miles --- yes, that's a lot. But you can learn alot about how it was taken care of by careful inspection. Unscrew the dipstick. Is the oil clean? Does it smell clean? Does it smell burnt at all? Is there white foamy stuff in the dipstick hole? (That's bad).
Is the bike looking well cared for or it it very rough? Rough and lots of miles aren't good. Even if it only cost you $500 and it's rough, it's going to cost a lot to make it right.
I always buy a nicer bike for a bit more money, because the bargain bike will ALWAYS cost you more than you expected.
I haven't even asked you to inspect the fork tubes for dings or scratches (will cause fork seal leaks and the tubes can't be fixed, they have to be replaced), or the steering head bearings for looseness or the controls for smooth operation, clutch, transmission, etc.
All things to keep in mind.
Let us know what you decide, and good luck.
If you are in central PA, I can help you if you'd like.
Best wishes,
Trwhouse

I don't have any pictures of the bike, but it looked pretty good to me. There was little to no visible rust as it was always stored in a garage. There are some nicks and scratches here and there, but it looks good for being 18 years old. The seat has i small hole/puncture. I did notice a white haze on the chain and wheels (not sure what that was). The chain seemed to be in good shape, and the rear sprocket didn't have any visible hooks or shiny spots (like I said before, my last bike was shaft drive so I don't know much about chains).
I didn't test drive it, so I don't know how well it feels.
This is the first GS500E I've seen for this price in 3 years. I live in Eugene, Oregon and I check craigslist like a fiend everyday, and all they usually have are quads, dirt bikes,  harleys, and the occasional GSXer or Ninja with a branded title.
Part of me just wants to buy the bike and enjoy it for what it's worth and maybe sell it in the spring. I dunno, I wish I did have someone like you help me find something 
Oh I forgot- it comes with all the original tools and a clymer book.

with that many miles, I'd talk the seller down to like 600 or so, it sounds like a decent bike though.

Well I went ahead and did it! I'm a proud new owner of a GS500E!! I just bought it yesterday, and I had to drive it home 15 miles on the freeway in the pouring rain! I gotta tell ya I'm in love . This bike is worlds away of my last one- it's so nimble and fun! Wow!!

Congrats 

I have a realy stupid noob question (that I wouldn't ask if I had the owner's manual): What's the correct way to set the fuel valve switch? I was taught that  down is on, sideways is off, and up is "pray for more gas" (reserve) i.e.  like hands praying. But I noticed that the settings for this bike are on, reserve, and prime. my bike only runs on "prime" setting.

Vacuum to petcock is bad ...
Cool.
Buddha.

Where are the pics!

39,000 miles, or even 49,000 miles, is only high mileage if the bike has been beaten.  There's a GS500 in Lubbock here...which I've been meanign to tell you guys about...with 154,000 miles on an original motor.  It's all a matter of care.  There's some bikes out there with 2500 miles that are complete crap.

Quote from: The Buddha on October 04, 2008, 05:49:10 AM
Vacuum to petcock is bad ...
Cool.
Buddha.

Crap. Is that hard/expensive to fix?

it's about $25 if you replace it with a CRF petcock and plug the vacuum port on the carb.

Quote from: pallybear on October 04, 2008, 02:54:47 PM

Quote from: The Buddha on October 04, 2008, 05:49:10 AM
Vacuum to petcock is bad ...
Cool.
Buddha.

Crap. Is that hard/expensive to fix?

hard to fix,? not at all, expensive to fix? yeah if you buy part from suzuki, but good examples can be found here on the  'twin, or on egay

Hi there,
You can also modify your stock petcock to no longer work with vacuum operation, which will fix the problem and will will cost nothing to fix.

Try using the SEARCH function and you would be able to find this stuff: 

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=40919.0



Here's a previous post I made about the Honda petcock fix:

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=42693.msg479764#msg479764

The stock frame mounted petcock (the second petcock is under the fuel tank) is prone to problems with the vacuum mechanism, causing GS500s to starve for fuel at high speeds.
Some people replace their petcocks with other models, including Pingel brand generic petcocks.
The hot setup right now is to use a Honda petcock, I think it's from a Honda CR250, to replace your Suzuki frame mounted petcock. It needs only slight modification and gets rid of the troublesome vacuum operation and is cheap -- under $25 or so. From what I have seen though, the Honda petcock isn't a drop in fit. It needs some adjustment to fit into the stock location.

See this link:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=41988.0
Honda CRF 250 2004 part no.16950-KSC-003....about $22.00.at the Honda shop. Vacuum petcock.No trouble since!

Here's photos of the Honda petcock and more installation instructions:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=36958.20

It sounds like you're going to need a shop manual to figure out the hoses you'll need to put it all back in the right way.
I'd get this petcock and fix it so you have no fuel delivery or leakage problems.

Best wishes, and let us know how it goes.

Yours,

Trwhouse

So, should I not drive it until I get it fixed? What happens if it's driven on the prime setting?