I had a few bikes before buying a brand new 03 Gs which I kept for four years, currently riding a 650 Bandit, thinking about a 1250 Bandit for next summer but I gotta confess when I see bikes for sale I'm always drawn to the GS, I recon I always will be. Once it's in your blood it stays there.

I've had my GS for nearly two years and 8,000 miles. I like it just fine and all but would trade it for a Triumph Street Triple in a heart beat.

Quote from: XealotX on December 15, 2010, 06:41:48 PM
I've had my GS for nearly two years and 8,000 miles. I like it just fine and all but would trade it for a Triumph Street Triple in a heart beat.

They're pretty sweet. I think with a little self control you can handle almost any bike at any skill level, at least after you learn the basics. I spend a year on a 07 CBR600RR for my first bike and I never dropped it and I'm not dead. 7k miles and 6 months on that bike, and 16k and almost a year on the GS and I've only dropped a bike once, and it was because some fagbag in a Accord forced me off the road.

Just don't get all crazy on the gas or make trips you aren't ready for and you can keep yourself out of trouble. I'm not saying get a liter bike for your first time out, you'll flick the throttle accidentally and wreck, but I think that many miles is more than enough to handle a Triumph Street Triple. I don't know why anytime people post about getting a new bike on the forums people have to put them down like they're retarded for wanting a nicer bike.

Quote from: tykho on December 15, 2010, 06:49:11 PM
I don't know why anytime people post about getting a new bike on the forums people have to put them down like they're retarded for wanting a nicer bike.

Well said   

-Jessie

I would be super tempted to get a street triple if I hadn't already had the old version. I feel like I'd be wasting time if I went back to pretty much the bike I had before instead of trying something new. Looks like it'd be a perfect street bike though.

and as far as the general conversation goes, the GS may be a pretty friendly and fun bike, but it won't do this with a twist of the wrist...

I think it is jealousy...they don't want you upgrading to something they don't feel they are ready for...or maybe the riding they do, it doesn't make sense to have any more power than the GS500 offers... who knows...I think they are partly trying to "mentor" the other person, thinking their judgement is better...but really, we don't know each other mostly and just share the common hobby of the bikes....

And like my signature says...If you're not having fun, you're doin' it WRONG!!!...if they are pining for a faster bike to keep up with their friends (better judgement aside) who are we to hold them back??

Later.

I am lucky enough to have a SuperSports bike whilst being able to keep my GS500F and I must say, as much as the SuperSports bike is a better motorcycle in nearly every area, I still think the GS500F beats it in the fun factor.

the way it squirms over bumpy roads, the way you really need to ride it at 10/10ths to get every ounce of porformance out of it, its just a really fun bike to ride.

Nothing wrong with a Speed or Street Triple. I believe they are both made for the European market so the suspension is designed for a 90kg person not a 70kg Japanese person. Nothing wrong with those bikes at all.

Nothing wrong with a person wanting to upgrade their bike to something bigger - hey, people's riding changes, what is a good commuter might not make a good weekend bike for where you are.

My issue is not with upgrading or what is being upgraded to and I'm certainly not jealous or trying to keep someone on a GS cause I've got one and don't want to feel left behind or wish I could upgrade too opr whatever Dr Phil reasons can be thought up. My issue is with the amount of Seat Time spent on the GS before feeling an upgrade is needed cause you've learned enough and the GS cannot teach you anything any more.

The 3 months I exampled was to show... your total distance is what *I* ride in 3 months (two thirds of my riding distance is weekend riding). And figuring an upgrade after what equals 3 months of my riding would not be wise.

I think, put 12,500 miles on your GS (about three times what you have done - even with the riding I now know you do), and your skill level will be more ready for the upgrade and you'll be a much more proficient rider before the upgrade. Plus, you might also find yourself in a situation where you can get your St3 and keep the GS as well - we all need at least two bikes anyway

I'm coming from... I meet new riders (not new to riding, new to me as in I've never met them before) and they tell me stuff like "I've been riding for 20 years." But when they ride I don't want to be anywhere near them cause they are an accident waiting to happen. And what they Should have said was, "I got my license when I was 18 and had a bike for three months and sold it, and now 20 years later after having a license all this time but not actually riding, I am coming back to it." And then I ride with some young people who are really new to riding (first year) and they do all the riding courses that are on and they go to track days and ask about technique and come riding every weekend with us and so on, and can outride all these "riding for 20 years" people. That is where I am coming from... from a position of seeing first hand the difference Seat Time makes to a rider's skill level and riding maturity. Just trying to impart some of that. Obviously, it came across as rather... abrupt.

TT: I know the First tires were old. But the 2nd set has been used too - That is the set I was commenting on.

Michael

The one thing that always makes me squirm when new riders pick up nice new bikes, is thinking about how sad that bike is gonna be after the first time it falls over. Riding skill aside, there are just so many reasons that a new person can drop a bike. I dropped/crashed my yamaha xt550 more times than I can remember, I dropped my ninja250 a few times, usually from forgetting to take the lock off the front brake before I'd try to pull out of a parking spot, but I did lowside once from taking a turn too fast on a cold road with cold tires. I also dropped my triumph from the same brake lock, as well as trying to pull a bungee tight on the right side of the bike when it was standing on a slight incline. I'm not sure if I've dropped the GS, but we used it to teach Heather how to ride, so it's definitely been dropped. My Buell is the only bike I've had in my posession for a while that I haven't dropped, and I only got that one when I had passed 40k miles of riding. I've been debating picking up a supermoto for a next bike. I don't even want to think about how many times I'll be crashing on that bike haha.

It's just so much easier to swallow a low side on a GS instead of a nice shiny 600/1000cc bike.

congratulations on your purchase of a new bike
the GS is a bike, nothing more, nothing less
enjoy, don't crash the new one....just like the GS
your money, your life....get whatever you can afford
and if you have insane credit, get whatever you want

Quote from: werase643 on December 16, 2010, 06:28:47 AM
congratulations on your purchase of a new bike
the GS is a bike, nothing more, nothing less
enjoy, don't crash the new one....just like the GS
your money, your life....get whatever you can afford
and if you have insane credit, get whatever you want

Well said.

EDIT:

I put maybe 6k on my first GS  that I started on... Moved up to a cbr 600 f2...Similar miles  on that til it was stolen...Went to My ZX11 after that ( and added a VX800 later but anyway....).
Some have a quicker learning curve...some have better impulse control ( or a sense of mortality...).
Get some experience ( hopefully enough..) and upgrade when you feel ready......common sense.

I still like Gs500's...(I've had almost as many as The Buddha..)...

Anyway...

@mister: Don't take me wrong...I know what you are saying and totally agree with you...but atleast the guy didn't go straight for the sport bike (really the Street Triple is a Daytona without the faring) and try to learn the basics on the bike that would likely take his head off...I just wanted to give him credit for atleast that...I don't think getting a faster bike so that you can keep up with you buddies is a good enough reason to "upgrade"...you need to ride your own ride...if your buddies can't see that you are still learning and slow down to accomodate their friends new found hobby, then they are not as good of friends as you might think...but he's not my son, so I'm not going to say "NO, YOU'RE NOT READY FOR THAT YET!!" on getting a bike that I don't feel ready for myself (maybe I was projecting myself into my analogy...)...not that I think I couldn't handle the bike, but I think I would ride it like an ass...

And as for me possibly upgrading, and I know you were talking about me as well since I have only put on a "few" miles more than him...it's not for added speed or being able to stunt the bike...I just want to be able to keep up with the flow of traffic when there is a strong head wind or a steep hill without having to do the shifter dance...I am thinking of keeping the GS until summer so that I can get back into riding on a familliar bike...possibly longer, I might wait until close to the end of the season to get a new bike (much better deals)...then I should be close to 20,000kms on my GS, which puts me in the ballpark of your guideline (which I do think is realistic)...

I just thought I would clarify my position on the issue...I just thought you were a little harsh on the guy with your first posting...

Later.

Quote from: Jared on December 16, 2010, 08:14:34 AM

Quote from: werase643 on December 16, 2010, 06:28:47 AM
congratulations on your purchase of a new bike
the GS is a bike, nothing more, nothing less
enjoy, don't crash the new one....just like the GS
your money, your life....get whatever you can afford
and if you have insane credit, get whatever you want

Well said.

EDIT:

I put maybe 6k on my first GS  that I started on... Moved up to a cbr 600 f2...Similar miles  on that til it was stolen...Went to My ZX11 after that ( and added a VX800 later but anyway....).
Some have a quicker learning curve...some have better impulse control ( or a sense of mortality...).
Get some experience ( hopefully enough..) and upgrade when you feel ready......common sense.

I still like Gs500's...(I've had almost as many as The Buddha..)...

Anyway...

We compared notes on that, we count em differently, I believe you had more cos there was 1 bike I bought and sold 3 times till my friend wrecked it. There was another that was 2 X. I count these as 3 and 2 respectively. You if I recall count only unique bikes.
Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: mister on December 16, 2010, 12:04:01 AMMy issue is not with upgrading or what is being upgraded to...My issue is with the amount of Seat Time spent on the GS before feeling an upgrade is needed cause you've learned enough and the GS cannot teach you anything any more.

I understand this train of thought.  I'd like to say that I'm not upgrading because I don't feel like I've learned enough on the GS.  I could keep this as my only bike and I'd learn stuff every single time I go out riding.  I'm upgrading because sadly enough, the 45 ponies the GS has is not enough to keep me where I'd like to be in the pack.  I get passed on straightaways by riders with less skill but on bigger bikes and am then forced to ride behind them on twisties which I find to be dangerous because of how badly they ride their bikes.

The 3 months I exampled was to show... your total distance is what *I* ride in 3 months (two thirds of my riding distance is weekend riding). And figuring an upgrade after what equals 3 months of my riding would not be wise.

I understand this too.  If I could ride every day to work, I'd have a lot more miles on my bike.  I explained why I don't.  On the average workday, I leave my apartment at 6:30am and get home at 6 (on a usual day).  I then PT in my apt., watch some TV, then go to bed by 9-9:30.  On the weekends I make a short run to my groups meetup location, then go and ride and the trips are usually 250mi or less.  I am not upgrading so I can have a faster commuter bike (MPG on the STR makes that a waste), I am upgrading so I can have a faster sport bike.

I think, put 12,500 miles on your GS (about three times what you have done - even with the riding I now know you do), and your skill level will be more ready for the upgrade and you'll be a much more proficient rider before the upgrade. Plus, you might also find yourself in a situation where you can get your St3 and keep the GS as well - we all need at least two bikes anyway

Wish I had the ability to have two, however that's not an option at this point in my life.

I'm coming from... I meet new riders (not new to riding, new to me as in I've never met them before) and they tell me stuff like "I've been riding for 20 years." But when they ride I don't want to be anywhere near them cause they are an accident waiting to happen. And what they Should have said was, "I got my license when I was 18 and had a bike for three months and sold it, and now 20 years later after having a license all this time but not actually riding, I am coming back to it." And then I ride with some young people who are really new to riding (first year) and they do all the riding courses that are on and they go to track days and ask about technique and come riding every weekend with us and so on, and can outride all these "riding for 20 years" people. That is where I am coming from... from a position of seeing first hand the difference Seat Time makes to a rider's skill level and riding maturity. Just trying to impart some of that. Obviously, it came across as rather... abrupt.

Even riding for as short a time as I have, I've heard this a lot and it usually is people who rode dirt bikes as a kid.  Then they get on a SS and it's scary.  There's a guy I ride with on a Yellow R1 who's like that.  I'm only 23, this is my first bike, and while I was intimidated when I climbed onto that little GZ250 at the MSF course, riding a motorcycle just felt natural.  I will continue to improve my skill set and will be sure to learn the intracies of the triple before attempting any of the things I do know.

Michael

I appreciate you coming back here and explaining yourself a little bit more.

Quote from: madjak30 on December 16, 2010, 08:40:26 AM


I just thought I would clarify my position on the issue...I just thought you were a little harsh on the guy with your first posting...

Haha, yeah I've got my opinions about how long someone should ride before they pick up a bike that will literally flip itself over backwards with nothing more than a little bit too much gas and clutch, but you just came on a little strong there. No need to scare people off.

Quote from: madjak30 on December 16, 2010, 08:40:26 AM
And as for me possibly upgrading, and I know you were talking about me as well since I have only put on a "few" miles more than him...it's not for added speed or being able to stunt the bike...I just want to be able to keep up with the flow of traffic when there is a strong head wind or a steep hill without having to do the shifter dance...I am thinking of keeping the GS until summer so that I can get back into riding on a familliar bike...possibly longer, I might wait until close to the end of the season to get a new bike (much better deals)...then I should be close to 20,000kms on my GS, which puts me in the ballpark of your guideline (which I do think is realistic)...

I actually wasn't talking about you and your upgrading.

20,000km is 12,500 miles. Is 400km/250mi a week for one year. Very doable. And what riding the GS forces you to do is focus on form/technique to get the most out of the bike. It's a single disk at the front so has less stopping power. Engine braking is less than bikes like a SV650. Acceleration is also less. So to get the most out of it you Have to become a good judge of the road and the techniques of the bike in general - pace riding if that's your bag or when to accelerate and when to brake (and cause you are just that bit slower you get a little more time to react). And to make them stick, over and over again. In this way, a 400km/250mi ride loop will see long straights, sweepers, twisties, switchbacks and all kinds surfaces. Even if you did the same route each time, by the end you've only done it 40 times for the year. Considering our Motorcycle Cops spend an entire month, day after day, all day, just doing Slow Riding, repeating a ride loop 40 times is not a big ask to develop proficiency.

It's like learning the guitar. Practice slow and the speed comes naturally. Practicing slow enables you to get it right before the speed. Cause it's hard to correct mistakes at speed.

The longer Seat Time also means more time spent in traffic of some description. More time spent working the throttle and controlling it. And being more As One with the bike, to the point where, I feel, you can then upgrade to Any bike (not just a larger mid range) with a better riding maturity and be able to handle the bike correctly Until you learn the nuances of the new bike. Cause statistically, most crashes happen in the first 6 months of the new bike.

Michael

Quote from: mister on December 17, 2010, 02:13:50 AM

Quote from: madjak30 on December 16, 2010, 08:40:26 AM
And as for me possibly upgrading, and I know you were talking about me as well since I have only put on a "few" miles more than him...it's not for added speed or being able to stunt the bike...I just want to be able to keep up with the flow of traffic when there is a strong head wind or a steep hill without having to do the shifter dance...I am thinking of keeping the GS until summer so that I can get back into riding on a familliar bike...possibly longer, I might wait until close to the end of the season to get a new bike (much better deals)...then I should be close to 20,000kms on my GS, which puts me in the ballpark of your guideline (which I do think is realistic)...

I actually wasn't talking about you and your upgrading.

20,000km is 12,500 miles. Is 400km/250mi a week for one year. Very doable. And what riding the GS forces you to do is focus on form/technique to get the most out of the bike. It's a single disk at the front so has less stopping power. Engine braking is less than bikes like a SV650. Acceleration is also less. So to get the most out of it you Have to become a good judge of the road and the techniques of the bike in general - pace riding if that's your bag or when to accelerate and when to brake (and cause you are just that bit slower you get a little more time to react). And to make them stick, over and over again. In this way, a 400km/250mi ride loop will see long straights, sweepers, twisties, switchbacks and all kinds surfaces. Even if you did the same route each time, by the end you've only done it 40 times for the year. Considering our Motorcycle Cops spend an entire month, day after day, all day, just doing Slow Riding, repeating a ride loop 40 times is not a big ask to develop proficiency.

It's like learning the guitar. Practice slow and the speed comes naturally. Practicing slow enables you to get it right before the speed. Cause it's hard to correct mistakes at speed.

The longer Seat Time also means more time spent in traffic of some description. More time spent working the throttle and controlling it. And being more As One with the bike, to the point where, I feel, you can then upgrade to Any bike (not just a larger mid range) with a better riding maturity and be able to handle the bike correctly Until you learn the nuances of the new bike. Cause statistically, most crashes happen in the first 6 months of the new bike.

Michael

That's it!!!!

Everyone learns at different degree's and I'm not about to tell anyone what to do.  But anyone who's ridden for a few months, or even a few years and thinks they "know how to ride" ... I urge you to take a professional racing course (like this: http://www.fastridingschool.com/index2.html).  You will soon discover how little you actually know ... or thought you knew   (unless of course you already have and you didnt mention it  

That aside, still get a new bike.  Getting a new bike (or anything new for that matter) is awesome!

Yup, that's why they call it the "learning curve"...you're never done learning, just the slope varies...sometimes you are coasting...sometimes you loose a little...usually before a steeper slope...oops...it's just the way of life...if you stop learning, you are probably loosing some...and I'm trying to learn guitar this winter too...my fingers hurt...and I still really suck... ...same as the bike...practice practice practice...

Later.

One of my better halves has a 675 Daytona and a 250 Ninja (she kept her "starter" Ninjette after pickup up the Daytona).

Different tools for different jobs...she kills me in traffic and twisties on the Ninjette, and owns me wherever there's a decent straight on the Daytona.     

In any case, congrats and enjoy!