Hey I've been looking through posts on this site for almost a year now...ever since I got my first bike. All the information has been so helpful and allowed me to tear down a GS and put it back together and it actually works! I'm living in Maine, and I finished the bike in December so it made for a cold 30 degree first ride, but man was it worth it! Someone actually gave me the bike after they saw me on a 1980 GS 250 that I got in exchange for a couple dents in my truck. He said I needed a real bike, so he game me a 92 GS 500 that was in pretty bad shape as far as I could see. Like an idiot I didn't take a picture of the bike before I tore it down. But, I do have pictures of it now!

Stuff that I've done>>>

torn down to frame and painted
tank cleaned and lined
tank dents filled sanded and painted
New plastics - still need little piece in the back - any body got one?
K&N Filter
Stage 1 Jets
15 tooth sprocket
New Tires
New Chain
Got some other replacement parts from GStwin members - Thanks!!

Stuff it needs...

mirrors
horn
progressive springs
kat rear shock
new fork oil, which i just got the seals for (suspension is REALLY soft)
handle grips
new switches - want newer style or something less clunky
seat needs to be redone - going to do it myself, any suggestions for materials? memory foam, neoprene? (very uncomfy now)
paint touchups and wetsanding
flush mount rear signals
short stalk front signals or better ones?


here are the pics of its life as I know it, excluding its rusty old times. The 250 is in there too...

http://picasaweb.google.com/ElevatedAwareness/Motorcycles?feat=directlink

let me know what you think, and if you can help with any of the other stuff i need let me know! kinda broke now so can't go crazy, but try me.

peace

FlyinRyan

I've found an integrated turn/brake on ebay for like 75 bucks+ and I grabbed my pegs of a 750 GSXR (THANKS WIKI!) other than that the bike looks great and your subsection seat swap is fantastic...watch out fr most front turn signal shaved lights as many have pk. lamp wires witch just hang out ifnot wired correctly and can short out your bike... (don't ask how many hours I spent rewiring that SOB) other than that ride on and keep the shiny...err... flat black side up...

24yrs  old living in portland workin and going to school...

Hi everyone!

My name is Jack and I'm a motorcycle-o-holic...

Oops, wrong group.

Just bought a 2001 GS500 with 3100 miles on it.  It's my 9th motorcycle over the last 33 years.  Here's the complete list, first to last:

71 Suzuki T350 (2 stroke)
77 Suzuki GS550
82 Yamaha XJ400
86 Yamaha Radian
82 Yamaha Seca 650
91 Suzuki VX800
96 Triumph Thunderbird
05 Suzuki SV650
01 Suzuki GS500

Looking forward to using all the great info available on this forum!

Quote from: satori59 on June 04, 2009, 11:42:29 AM
71 Suzuki T350 (2 stroke)
77 Suzuki GS550
82 Yamaha XJ400
86 Yamaha Radian
82 Yamaha Seca 650
91 Suzuki VX800
96 Triumph Thunderbird
05 Suzuki SV650
01 Suzuki GS500

Welcome and very nice resume you have there. 

Thanks...but as you can see, as I get older (just turned 50) the bikes are getting smaller.  If you ever see me on a scooter I may need an "intervention".

  Hey ppl !

Im 50 , from North Palm Beach.....I just picked up my black '96er today in Daytona.
Since '75 Ive had all different bikes from dirt, to Harleys, a few 900's and even a
scooter. I had to get rid of all of them over the years but now I can have another
bike so I looked for a nice Gs and found one.  Plenty of power for my riding style
at this point in my life, and easy to handle.  Im pretty burnt and tired from our journey
home , but the bike didnt miss a beat ! 

I need the little piece that goes under the grab bar in between the two side , subframe
panels if anyone has one for sale 


Regards and be safe !!

Welcome, newcomers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I'm Steve from Ottawa, Canada.  I've had my 08 F since the fall.  I use it as my daily commuter & for any errands / grocery runs that don't absolutely require a car.   I've been reading this list for over a year & have found the discussions very useful.

My previous bikes are:
Tomos Bullet.  A Slovenian moped, complete with an after-market tuned pipe and a milk crate on the back for that extra street cred!
Honda CM450E - 1984  It was third or fourth hand, pre-dented on both sides, only a little rusty, came with original tires.  The good news was that I never had to lock it... 

Greetings GSTwins.com!

I've been reading this thread for about 2 weeks now and have put a deposit on a 2006 GS500F at a local dealership with 14k Miles on it, for 2700 I figured it wasn't a bad deal (is it?). Before I go and purchase my first motorcycle I decided to do some research on the bike (ease of maintainance, longevity of the motors, riding comfort for beginners) and, luckily, I found this site! I was amazed at the wealth of knowledge here, specifically the support in the project bike thread where the owner had a seized engine and had a picture journal of every step. "WOW!" I though, if I ever need any help this place would be perfect!

Now about myself: I'm a 22 year old guy living and working in Houston Texas (hooray for all year round riding!). My car is slowly becoming a burden as it has no available A/C and the freeways are generally overcrowded. I've been moving into the market for a cheap (low cost) daily all-year-round commuter. I didn't need anything that would leave me at the light and take my arms with it (I've already had this experience with 2-stroke 4 wheelers). Just something I could use to get from A to B with 30 miles of highway/street in between. I've settled on the GS500 and I am currently awaiting approval for a loan. Hopefully I'll be on this bad boy before the end of the month.

Heres the bike as it sits at the dealership:



Here's where the n00b question starts. What's the first thing I should check when I test ride it to ensure it's a decent buy?


-Jarsh

EDIT: Disregard this question, I'll post it elsewhere.

Hi, im Viki from Atlanta, lived here since 99, born and raised in Kenya...24 years old, workin as an engineer for a tractor company.

1996 GS500E

Hi all my Name is Kyle I am 40 years old born & raised in Texas but have been living in Florida about 3 years now. I have an 85 Vmax, 88 Vmax, 71 XS 650 , 68 Suzuki TC 200 Stingray and an 07 GS 500F. I started riding long ago at the age of 5 on a Honda Z50 & never looked back.

Hi all, my name is Billy I live in South Carolina across the river from Augusta the home of the Masters. I own a 2008 GS500F, I have put 10k miles on it since June 18th 2008, ride everyday any weather, love to ride in group so anyone near drop me a message.

Welcome!!!!! 

Hey, all. I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico and my wife and I just picked up a '93 GS500. She's new to riding and I'm trying to get her into track days. This is my first year racing my CBR1000RR at Sandia Motor Speedway here in Albuquerque. I probably should have started with a GS500 my self, but as with most new racers, I'm racing what I had at the time I decided to start. We're looking forward to getting the bike out there and having some fun.

I tried to put a pic in here, but I wasn't able to figure it out.

Doug

Jay, currently in Sydney, Australia.  My Gs500 is a project in slow evolution, and i like what it's turning into.

My name is John Wesley Golden, born and raised in Tyler, TX.  I am an avid motorcyclist, to say the least.  When I still had my first bike I was putting about 2000 miles on it A MONTH!  Yeah, and that was with full time school and a part time job!  Anyway, I LOVE old Hondas.  I own a 1976 CB750F and a 1981 CB900F.  Those are some real neat classics. I bought my 1990 GS500E when I realized the potential of the 750 as a cafe racer and parked it so that I could work on it.  Ran beautifully, just looked TERRIBLE!  I rode the GS for 8 months untill I bought the 900.   I ran the 900 almost to death because I just cannot find good parts for the Hondas.  As the 900 slowly got worse I began to rebuild the GS which I had mostly parted out.  That was four months ago.  Now I will be riding the GS probably next weekend, and will ride it 18 hours all the way to Orlando for MMI.  God help my back, knees, shoulders, wrists, ass..........

Quote from: dafatrman on June 21, 2009, 04:02:21 PM
My name is John Wesley Golden, born and raised in Tyler, TX.  I am an avid motorcyclist, to say the least.  When I still had my first bike I was putting about 2000 miles on it A MONTH!  Yeah, and that was with full time school and a part time job!  Anyway, I LOVE old Hondas.  I own a 1976 CB750F and a 1981 CB900F.  Those are some real neat classics. I bought my 1990 GS500E when I realized the potential of the 750 as a cafe racer and parked it so that I could work on it.  Ran beautifully, just looked TERRIBLE!  I rode the GS for 8 months untill I bought the 900.   I ran the 900 almost to death because I just cannot find good parts for the Hondas.  As the 900 slowly got worse I began to rebuild the GS which I had mostly parted out.  That was four months ago.  Now I will be riding the GS probably next weekend, and will ride it 18 hours all the way to Orlando for MMI.  God help my back, knees, shoulders, wrists, ass..........

Welcome!  But how strange is this, I was browsing craigslist in Pittsburgh the other day and 1976 Honda 750 cafe racer came up.  Maybe you could look at the pictures for some inspiration?
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/mcy/1232621111.html

Hey all.

My name's Eric, and I'm from Lincoln, Nebraska.

I just recently got into motorcycles after having been a car/truck/jeep/boat nut for lots of years.  I'm an underpaid IT guy in the daytime and a karaoke guy at night.  I'm running out of candle, but the money's nice.  It pays for the '92 GS I bought from delsol, who's also a member on here, and has been a buddy of mine for nine years.

I'm having a lot of fun learning bike physics and techniques.  I love improving my skills, particularly in slow maneuvers, and it all helps to make me more and more comfortable a rider.

I'm big into electronics, computers, home theater, car audio, pro audio, movies, music, shooters on my Xbox 360, and anything with a motor.

Not so much into sports, but I don't mind hanging out watching them.  I just couldn't tell you who's on any team.  I realize that puts my guy club card in jeopardy, but it's a fact.  The wife doesn't mind, since she thinks sports are just for exercise and that it's dumb that there's so much money wasted on them.  I tend to agree with at least the last part.

I'd rather spend $50 seeing a great concert than watching Nebraska beat or be beaten buy who-gives-a-crap-who on any given fall Saturday.

Anyway, I LOVE riding, and look forward to every chance I can.  I'm looking forward to talking with you guys and learning as much as I can.

So far it's been a neat experience, and everyone's been really cool. 

Have a great day.

Hello-

My name is Wally and I'm from Somers, Connecticut.  I just bought a 2006 GS500F with 5500 miles.  It's my first bike.  Just passed the MSF class and got my license.  So far I've only been able to put 60 miles or so on the bike in the week that I've had it.

This site seems like a great place to get to know all of the ins and outs of the GS.  I hope that I can get the opportunity to contribute as well as learn from the rest of you.

Wally