i'm just curious..everyone has a different reason...why do you own/like the GS500...
is it the cheap price, low insurance, looks, handling, size, gas milage or???

i bought the GS because i don't like paying $4000/year for insurance on a 600cc bike....so yes, because of the LOW ($1500  ) insurance and because it looks better the the ninja/EX500...

so then i bought it because of the cheap price, low insurance and looks
i still have to test the handling

Yeah pretty much all you said another thing i like about the GS is it being a non faired  bike. I like to see a motor instead of plastic and i like the old style speedo and tacho instead of the digital one's. Basically they are a very simple bike to own and operate.  

Long range, not enough $ for anything bigger and only one parents would let me get.  Not experienced enough-I'll admit that now :lol: !  Can you get a simpler bike with this kind of performance?

I was looking for a bike for about 3 months. www.beginnerbikes.com and so on. the EX250 and the EX500 were pretty good choices according to them, BUT I didn't like the styling. I mean what's the point of getting a bike if you don't like how it looks (or rebuilding the engine after 30k). I saw plenty of the ninjas up for auction on E-Bay and that made me wonder... why are people getting rid of bikes with 1,000 miles on the odometer? Anyway, I saw a white GS500E in a parking lot one day and I was in love. I actualy took a different rout to and from work just to see the bike (I am not crazzy... well.... maybe a little)    I found out about the GS and the more reviews I read, the more I liked it. I found a new M2r helmet for $45 shipped. A CE aproved jacket for $50 shippind. And A 1999 GS500E (Black/Grey) with case guards and a 1/4 fairing for $1,900.
Did I mention that it had 1,500 miles on it???  :mrgreen:    And the game was on. I LOVE THIS BIKE.
-Denis S.

QuoteIt's not the cages it's their drivers and 1% of bikers.

Anne bought the GS purely on looks.  It is a great looking bike.

I got the GS because I was handed the keys one august afternoon.
Me and my pops had been just casually checking bikes out a couple days before. He knew I had been hvaing a particularily  bad summer, and had busted ass to get good marks to get into a good school, and he thought I needed something to cheer me up...so thats it! And now, becasue I love the little bastard so much, Im considering buying a GS race bike as well from another forumer.  

I was looking to get a new bike after not having one for many moons. I saw the 2002 on Suzuki's website and found this site (in it's former incarnation) the next day.

I pretty much had my mind made up by that point, but lurking on GSTwins for a few weeks just reinforced that this was the right bike.

Drop dead sexy
The right price
Not so HP'd that I'd knock myself off in the first week

Its hard to be objective about what you need while were constantly being fed so much crap by the biking press. But the fact is (and I'm sure most of the people here will agree with this) That the GS500 is a great compromise between usable performance and cost and thats why I own one.

Interesting topic.
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I would have to go with the standards.  In this order...

Affordabilty
Reliabilty
Looks
weight and seat height


I love the 1/2 fairing, dislike fullfairings a lot.  Knew I wanted a quality beginner bike.  Did some research found that it was an excellent beginner bike.  Looked in the want ads....only looked at one.  The one I bought.  1991 with about 3000  miles on it.  It looked darn good!

Brought it home and I have been enjoying it ever since.  I would love to have more highend speed- don't need much and have it carry a passenger better.  But it does those jobs well enough.

My father rode it soon after I got it, much to my mothers dismay (hehe) and he wants it when and if I upgrade.   :mrgreen:   That there is a huge comlpiment to the bike!!!
Now- must see spring... bring spring to me!!!

I would've gotten a 600 if insurance weren't so bad...
but since its at least 6000 for me...the 500s were my only choice...

I used to own a EX500...but the feel of it just sucked...I felt like I was riding a cruiser...then I hopped onto my friends GS...and wow...what a difference it was...

I also like the looks on the GS much much more than the EX...more modern and more sophisticated...I love my GS...

I stumbled onto the GS.  A coworker of mine was buying a CBR off of ebay.  He didn't expect to win the auction, but he did so he was in need of 1500 bucks FAST or the seller was gonna walk.  He knew I was thinking about getting a bike, and the rest is history  

I originally purchased it because of the price and power.  I honestly wasn't expecting too much out of it but a good starter bike for a year or two.  I just didn't want to be one of those guys who buys something with crazy power for his first bike   .  Now that I've had the GS for a season I've come to appreciate what a great deal I got  :mrgreen:

My original plan was a YZF600R until I realized I didn't like the idea of killing myself.  

So then I did some research which led me to either the GS500 or EX500 as a first bike.  I ended up with a GS500 because the price was right.  According to the numbers it seems as though the EX has a slight edge on the GS in performance but it's pretty much a tie.  Those with the EXs will say the EX is better, and those with the GSs will say the GS is better.

In my mind both are excellent starter bikes, it just depends on the rider.  For me the incentive was the price.  If I would've found a EX500 for the same price I would've ended up with that.

But I'm happy I got the GS!   :mrgreen:

I like small-bore motorcycles. They tend to be small, light, great handling and fun! Not to mention, economic.

Me, I'd just moved to Canberra from the other side of the counrty. I'm sitting in a room full of ppl I didn't know and asked the room "where do you get a bike around here." One of the girls says "Me! You can buy mine!"

So I did.

It's powerful enough to commute and go for some nice long rides, enough range to keep me out of trouble and get me into more.
It's simple enough for me to learn mechanics on it without having to worry about breaking things, and that was VERY important to me.

Looks a treat, handles beautifully, will drag off almost anything with 4 wheels and has the added-bonus of being bigger and faster than my dad's Virago 250 which drives him nuts  

R.

I bought the GS because I wanted a fixer-up bike and I liked the simplicity of the air-cooled 500.  Then there is this site which is a reason onto itself for getting a GS.

Adam

seriously though...for all honesty...if it wasn't for this site...i would've never bought a GS....I want a bike that has a full support behind it...and this page is the best i've seen...

I can't really add much more but ... I bought the GS because:

1.  I wanted to buy a new bike because I knew nothing about bikes and didn't want to get stuck with someone else's problem.
2.  The GS was priced cheaper than the EX500.
3.  Reviews said that the GS was a good starter bike and a good value
4.  I liked the SV too but I was afraid of the power since I never rode a bike on the street before (in fact never rode a bike untill I took the course).

Now, I keep riding it because the more I learn (about bikes) the more I realize there is to know.  The bike is real easy to work on and now because of this forum and some hands on experience I am getting quite knowledgable about bikes. In fact, I am rebuilding an '89 Kat 750.

The other reason I would like to keep the GS is because of this great forum!!!!!   It rocks.  The forum users have saved me much $$$ in repairs that would have gone to some guy who would have screwed it up anyway!!

Rob

I was thinking about learning how to ride after I came back from Japan.  I've got a car there but many times I have to share it, or be a bus driver for everyone  So, I asked my friend what bike I should get to learn on, and he suggested the GS or the EX500.  He strongly recommended the GS, due to the maintenance and the cost when it gets dropped.  He also said the GS handled great for a beginner's bike.  His beginner bike was an Interceptor 500(?) from the 80's.
So... I thought the Ninja was pretty ugly and too much of a rice rocket.   I got my GS and I like riding it around and poking at it with a wrench   It'll be good for a couple of years, then I'll get something new    Maybe pass my GS to one of my friends.

i agree....this site was one of the reasons i bought the GS....i don't like to have something everyone has so since my friends and other windsor riders ride a ninja 500 i wanted to but something else.....

this site encouraged me because of theinfo and great people on this board helped me find a good deal...thanks  

You all just got yours because it rubs you in al the right places. Admit it!!!NOW!!! Perverts.