hi, I'm Angus. I'm from Canberra, Australia, and just got my learner license a few months ago. Since I don't have any experience with buying bikes I thought I'd ask for some advice on here.

Where I live the learner restrictions are based on a power-to-weight ratio, and the GS500 falls just under the limit. I've finally got around to looking for a bike, and I've found one that I'm interested in. It's a 2005 GS500F with 27,000 km (17,000 miles) on it. I went to have a look at it last week and it's in good condition. It has bar ends installed and one of them is slightly bent from when the current owner dropped it a couple of years ago, but everything else is fine. No scratches on the fairings or the engine/gearbox. The owner said the battery was flat because he hadn't ridden it in six months, so he couldn't start it up.

On Monday he got the bike serviced at a fairly reputable bike shop, and got new a new chain and tyres put on it. Tomorrow afternoon I'm going in to have a chat to the mechanic, get copies of the service records and hopefully get them to fire it up so I can see it running. On Friday a friend of mine who owns a GS500 is going to take it out for a short test ride.

Is there anything I've missed, or should check/look out for/be particularly aware of?

Thanks in advance, Angus

Definitely make sure you see the bike running before buying it, and get the mechanic's opinion if you can.  Otherwise, look for obvious damage.  Look under the bike for damage or corrosion.  Check the date stamp on the tires to see if they'll need to be replaced soon.  etc etc

Just for the record, it's rare to find a used GS that hasn't been dropped, so don't let that much deter you unless you find anything else wrong with it. If he still says the battery is dead when you go to look at it again stop at a store and buy a new one ahead of time and take it with you. If it doesn't work I would rather have spent $40 on a battery I'm not gonna use than real money on a bike that doesn't run. They're pretty reliable though so just give it a good look over and if the mechanic says it was in good shape I wouldn't be too worried.

Welcome Angus - I was in the same boat as you in January and a few nights scouring through this forum really helped me with my purchase too!

If I can offer some advice...

• remove the oil filler plug and look inside for any build-up as this will tell the whole truth about the service history. I bought mine with 32,000km on the clock but the motor needed replacing only a few weeks ago and I suspect a lack of servicing was to blame (took a gamble and lost  )
• check for leaks around the rocker cover, sump, side covers and oil cooler]
• the chain, front sprocket and rear sprocket all wear together... so fitting a new chain to old sprockets will wear it out quickly. If the mechanic hasn't already, be prepared to renew the sprockets as well
• check brake pad thickness and rotors for excessive wear

Hope this helps and good luck with your purchase!

Easy to fix bar ends. Probably just a bent screw.
As for battery and can't start it: I'd insist that he give it a new battery and start it up. He is going to have to make it run if anyone with an ounce of intelligence wants to buy it  for other than scrap. Would you buy a car if the seller refused to start it up?
If he balks, offer half the price of the battery IF it starts up and runs.
Do you have a battery tender? If so, charge up the battery. You can tell a lot by hearing it run. You can check the brakes, shifting and a lot more. If he really had the bike serviced, why wasn't the battery replaced?
Ask for the service records and verify the license & vin numbers on the service record. Ask why the battery wasn't replaced. How could the mechanic properly service it without starting it up? Maybe the starter is broken? You have to run the bike after changing chain and tires - just common sense.

So it needs a new battery eh? hhhmmmmm?? Straight away my alarm bells are going off 

When you speak to the mechanic you need to make sure he has checked/tested the charging system and if he has got the gear to do it ask him to check the oil pressure via the main gallery. The bike is a bit late/low miles etc to have suffered from spline failure but it would do no harm to have look at the front sprocket and make sure its not been welded on. Also make sure there is a 20amp fuse in there, not a piece of welding rod and that there is no play anywhere in the front and rear suspension.

People will always say check the obvious things.....tyres/brakes/chain blah blah blah etc but its the not so obvious things that you should concentrate on.

"The owner said the battery was flat because he hadn't ridden it in six months, so he couldn't start it up. "

Duh - how did he get it to the dealer for service? Did he know you can push start a GS500? Still - the dealer didn't check the battery?

Sounds fishy. What is the price?

Couple weeks ago when I bought Trey and wasn't able to ride, I made sure the seller started it up and rode it to the end of the driveway and back before I gave him even a dollar. Then we loaded it into a friends truck for the trip home.

Basically: no worky - no money. Plain and simple. (Also no title - no sale!)

Hmmmm.... the more I read.....  It is pretty hard to drop a GS500F, bend the bar end and not put a scratch anywhere else. Usually the turn signal punches through the front fairing. There should be some road rash of some type low down in the area of the engine cover. back side of the mirror should have some scrapes. What is his story regarding dropping the bike? Did it fall on a file of pillows?

Thanks heaps for all the replies, I really appreciate it.

The owner payed the bike shop to transport from his house to the workshop. I went to the bike shop today and they were quite helpful. Turns out the owner got the major service done there a couple of years ago, and they let me have a copy of the invoice. On Monday it got a minor service, so oil + filter change etc, as well as new tyres, chain and battery. They said the clutch and gearbox are fine and that there's nothing wrong with it.

I'm also getting a friend of mine who regularly rides a new GS500 to take it for quick ride tomorrow, so if it's not riding like it should I'll find out about it. I'm also making sure I get the rego papers, along with a thing called a "REVS check", which is a piece of paper from the government saying there's no money owing on the bike. When I looked at the bike I made sure that the VIN and rego plate matched the details on the rego papers.

About the drop, I'm not sure really how it happened. The owner just said he dropped it once when he first got it, and that it slightly bent the bar-end. I'll have another look tomorrow to see if there's any damage I missed.

Thanks for all the suggestions,
Angus

Looks like you've done your homework. Good job!
We're all here to help you anytime you need it.
And if you need parts or something to make your new baby something special just for you - ask here first. Lots of us have extra stuff.

yeah u deffinetly wanna do that homework which it  sounds like u have given it a good once over already, just dont be like and get home and then realize" aww crap the front turn signal cracked the fairing" right after u sign the papers to buy it. good luck and i hope it works well for you, to be honest the battery u can get from a walmart anywhere and most auto parts stores sell them too for like 50 without turning in a core. and it is a pretty common battery so if all else fails and u dont get the bike u can give the battery to ur buddy with a gs and say "happy birthday" lol

Angus:

Welcome to GST - from another Aussie.

A flat/dead battery on a bike in brassmonkey Canberra? Yep, I'd believe it.

A bar end is real easy to bend without dropping it. Park it against a wall in your garage, brush past the garage door track on the way out, drop it in some grass.

Curious: did you get to see the old tyres? What did he have put on it?

Still have the Warranty Service book with it? Underseat, OEM toolkit still there?

27,000 is stuff all for these bikes. My 09 is closing in on 39,000 now. I think Twisted has hit 45k on his.

When it gets taken for a spin, if the rear brake squeals, don't be too concerned. It's a free feature from Suzuki 

Michael

Some owners warm their bikes up before you arrive so they start nice and easy. Its best to see how it starts from a cold start.

And +1 to what Mister said.

When I was going to look at the gs I bought the guy said the same thing , that the battery was dead and it definatly had me a little worried . So I stopped at napa and bought some jumper cables (and tie straps just incase I bought it ) and when I got to his house we put the jumper cables on and let it charge for a little bit , probably ten minutes and it took a little while but it stared right up . I have learned so far that these bikes don't like the cold and if the battery is not fully charged it will not start , but in my heated garage it starts right up without the choke even . And it is a very enjoyable bike to ride .

Bought it. =D  Absolutely f%$king fantastic; so much fun. Now I just have to learn to cancel my indicators... Drove past a woman waiting to pull out while accidentally indicating to turn into the road she was on. =S  Thankfully she waited.

BTW this is what a drop on the right side will do to a 500F neighbor bumped into it!






Can't see the scratches on the headlight cowling. this was with a cover on!

Mary

Yep that was a big thing for me. I was always getting the one hand in the air open and close signal that I had left my indicator on in my riding course. You do get used to it and it becomes second nature after a while. It is just when you are new to riding you have so many other things to worry about the indicator often gets forgotten.

Quote from: Toogoofy317 on March 11, 2011, 01:38:54 AM
BTW this is what a drop on the right side will do to a 500F neighbor bumped into it!


Mary

That's why I added the crash/fall-over/slider thingies to Suzi.

Welcome Angus, you should have a lot of fun with that. I grew up in Curtin, but now in Byron Bay. You've got some great riding in the Canberra area, particularly the Snowy region, go down through Cooma and back via Tumut, so many good roads. If you ever get up this way, drop me a line.
David.

 I to am new gs owner , this is not my first road bike but it is the first road bike that I'm riding on the road . And like you say getting used to turning the turn signal light off is wierd to get used to . It took me a little while to figure out that to turn it off you just push the signal button in , I definatly need to work on that a bit more before doing my road test .

And after a while you develop OCD with the indicators. You ride along and switch them off - even though you switched them off already. And a few minutes later you press the off button again. And then you pull up at lights and are going straight and you press for off again. 

Michael