Anywhere that uses kilometers usually has higher bike prices.

And crzydood- weren't you just saying how the PO destroyed your bike? There's another reason you got it so cheap.......

Mmmm, seems I just replied to this same post over at the TMW forum, small world.   

lol yup, asking in 3 places.  Is that a wrong thing?  Sorry if its not proper.

even the msrp is $2k more than everywhere else, on any bike.  hell $2k the lowest for any running bike reguardless of year, mileage and size.

Wife is not convinced of anything other than a cruiser.  Looks like it will be a Vstar 650 or Vulcan 500......happy wife happy life.  And there will be only 1 bike in this family, thats why I gotta choose carefully.

Quote from: Big Rich on June 18, 2011, 02:05:09 AM
Anywhere that uses kilometers usually has higher bike prices.

And crzydood- weren't you just saying how the PO destroyed your bike? There's another reason you got it so cheap.......

yeh she was a fixer upper but she ran... and I didn't know it would take as much work as it has... mainly mine was cheap because of a badly adjusted carb... adjusted it properly and cleaned it up and I was off to the races (not literally)... till other stuff was discovered...

Quote from: zapblam on June 18, 2011, 10:16:32 AM
lol yup, asking in 3 places.  Is that a wrong thing?  Sorry if its not proper.

even the msrp is $2k more than everywhere else, on any bike.  hell $2k the lowest for any running bike reguardless of year, mileage and size.

Wife is not convinced of anything other than a cruiser.  Looks like it will be a Vstar 650 or Vulcan 500......happy wife happy life.  And there will be only 1 bike in this family, thats why I gotta choose carefully.

Wife is convinced without actually trying?

So if'n your wife has decided your bike will be a cruiser, why just limit it to those two? Why not throw in a Shadow 750 or C50 Boulevard or Triumph America or...?

Michael

Sticking to the 650ish bikes....I dont care for the bulky size of the 800s and up.  I am the type who does not like to buy more than I would ever use. 

I was originally looking at s40 for its meager simplicity and cost.  Still on the short list but it is the smallest ergo wise of all the bikes I have looked at.

My dream bike (10 years from now) will be the Vstrom of that time.  Looks like the gs500 would be a step in that direction.

Quote from: zapblam on June 18, 2011, 10:16:32 AM
lol yup, asking in 3 places.  Is that a wrong thing?  Sorry if its not proper.

even the msrp is $2k more than everywhere else, on any bike.  hell $2k the lowest for any running bike reguardless of year, mileage and size.

Wife is not convinced of anything other than a cruiser.  Looks like it will be a Vstar 650 or Vulcan 500......happy wife happy life.  And there will be only 1 bike in this family, thats why I gotta choose carefully.

It's neither wrong nor improper, I just happen to notice it since I also go to the TMW forum.

Although I still favor standard bikes like the naked GS500 over cruisers the choice between the Vulcan 500 and V-Star 650 you mention here would be easy for me.  The Vulcan outperforms, gets better gas milage, and is 40-50# lighter while they are both almost identical in wheelbase and seat height:



Here's the whole comparo article I saved since they were very kind to the GS500:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/CWDealsOnWheels/

That 03 CW Comparo reminds me I borrowed the pic of the GS500 from it to use in my sig pic here some years ago, with a different head on it of course.   

When I was researching bikes before picking the GS (mine's an 08 500F), I put a lot of consideration into this because I semi-frequently log serious highway time and mileage - 400-600 miles per day, about once a month, and at least 100 miles over most weekends. I can't speak towards a comparison with the cruiser you mentioned, but the worst I've ever had after my longest trip was stiff legs and, at the very end, a sore throttle hand. A lot of bikes, especially more powerful bikes, aren't really engineered to be comfortable for decent periods of time at high speeds - get to speed quickly, yes, but not to run at higher speeds for long periods.

Quote from: tb0lt on June 17, 2011, 10:14:42 AM
What vibration? Wheels or motor? I've done multiple nonstop 90mph+ 30 min runs and I've never noticed anything uncomfortable except for the seat itself. Gel grips, gel gloves, good bar end weights, proper engine tuning (to smooth out the engine) and properly balanced wheel and tire sets in the front and rear make the bike very comfortable to ride.

I haven't noticed this sort of vibration either. On my trips, my average speed 85-95 mph, stopping for about 10 minutes every hour, or 100 miles, whichever comes second. No gel seat, stock windshield, no bar-end weights but I do have bar risers, normal leather/textile gloves with no padding, riding jacket. I can also vouch for this: she feels almost precisely the same at 107mph as at 90mph - and between 85-95 mph, I get 58-59 mpg.

Quote from: scratch on June 17, 2011, 11:06:35 AM
In windy situations it is best to have less grip.  When the wind buffets your upper body it can inflect unwanted steering inputs through your arms.  Grip the tank with your knees, tighten your abs and use them to support your upper body, thus detaching your arms from the handlebars.  ...

Put another way, it's like riding a horse - you want light hands on the reins, a firm grip with your knees. 

I ride my '07 GS500F every day I work with a sports touring windshield and a bag rack with a big bag on it, for at least 30 mins at 100+ km/h. It has no trouble doing 140+, I've never notice the vibrations others are mentioning, fuel economy is good, maintenance is easy. It handles well wet and dry. Only thing I've noticed is in gusty wind (which we get allot of in Newcastle and gusty I mean 40-60+ knot winds) that the size of the side plays against it (remember mines a full fared). That is my only real complaint. Has enough get up and go to overtake (just knock it back to fourth and overtake with ease).

My 2009 GS500F.  I ride 70+ miles round trip for work each weekday.  At speeds 90+ MPH I don not notice any vibration.  I am 100% all stock.  No custom anything.  My laptop computer is in a small bag on the rear seat.  The only thing I dislike are wind gusts.  I try to keep the speed fairly high during strong wind gust days so the bike has the tendency to stay straight.  Probably any bike is bad during wind gusts but I don't know because this is my first bike.  I love my GS500F.  It is perfect for me.