Well, I ALMOST went through with this, however I am glad I gave myself some time to think about it. I just received an email from a CL seller that I emailed about a week ago while bike browsing.

His listing was an 05 GS500F with only 625 miles.  He was asking $3600 for it. I made a lowball offer of $2700. He said he wouldn't budge. Just today he said he would take it because he really needs the money and the room in the garage. Should I jump on this while I still can or settle for the 06 for $2000? Both are well within my price bracket. I could probably show up with $2500, and being as desperate as he is, would ultimately take it. Will be checking out the bike tomorrow to see if it's as good as it seems. Judging from the pics the bike looks pristine and damn well should be. Also, new battery.

Both sound like decent deals if they are what they seem to be, I'd say it depends on your financial position.  Keep in mind if this is your first bike you will also have to invest a couple hundred dollars if you want a decent helmet and riding gear.

-Jessie

Quote from: BaltimoreGS on September 10, 2011, 04:18:17 PM
Both sound like decent deals if they are what they seem to be, I'd say it depends on your financial position.  Keep in mind if this is your first bike you will also have to invest a couple hundred dollars if you want a decent helmet and riding gear.

-Jessie

Not my first bike - started out on a Blast, looking for a sportier, spunkier upgrade. I have all the necessary riding apparel, so this is not an issue.

Quote from: mindraider on September 10, 2011, 04:24:13 PM
Not my first bike - started out on a Blast, looking for a sportier, spunkier upgrade.

You sure you want a GS??     Don't get my wrong, it is a nice bike but I don't think it is really a step up from the Buell Blast and I wouldn't use the adjectives "Sporty" or "Spunky" to describe it.  Will either seller let you test ride the bikes so you can compare it to your Buell?  If you want to stick with a 500cc machine, a Ninja 500 has almost 20 more horsepower than a Blast or a GS500 in stock form.  It also has a liquid cooled engine with 4 valves per cylinder.  If you want to go bigger but stay away from race replica 600's I'd recommend checking out an SV-650, Ninja 650, ER-6N's, Katana 600's and the GSX 650.  Used models of all of those bikes can be had in good condition for $3,000 or less.  My unsolicited 2 cents...   

-Jessie

Quote from: BaltimoreGS

You sure you want a GS??     Don't get my wrong, it is a nice bike but I don't think it is really a step up from the Buell Blast and I wouldn't use the adjectives "Sporty" or "Spunky" to describe it.  Will either seller let you test ride the bikes so you can compare it to your Buell?  If you want to stick with a 500cc machine, a Ninja 500 has almost 20 more horsepower than a Blast or a GS500 in stock form.  It also has a liquid cooled engine with 4 valves per cylinder.  If you want to go bigger but stay away from race replica 600's I'd recommend checking out an SV-650, Ninja 650, ER-6N's, Katana 600's and the GSX 650.  Used models of all of those bikes can be had in good condition for $3,000 or less.  My unsolicited 2 cents...   

-Jessie

Yes, I've dabbled in all of those you listed. I'm bouncing everything off what is available in my area (<1 hour drive), within my budget ($3000) and the biggest bang for my buck, and meets the desired overall appeal and feel. The GS500 is really what I'm left with at the end of the day and I'm okay with that (well, that and katanas but I was warned to stay from katanas they're garbage and look ugly). It has the pick up I want and pulls off the sporty look well.

Quote from: mindraider on September 10, 2011, 05:16:15 PM
I was warned to stay from katanas they're garbage and look ugly

That is one of the biggest myths in motorcycling and I hate seeing it perpetuated!!  Katanas are my favorite cheap inline 4!  I can see where people don't like the styling but I've owned a few over the years and all of them were reliable, fun bikes.  The engine is a 4 valve per cylinder air/oil cooled design derived from the original GSX-R and it is about as bullet proof as they come.  The main problem I have heard of is a bent 1/2 shift fork but I think some of that has to do with the novice riders that buy Katanas, never had that problem on any of mine.  I think a lot of the bad rep the Katana gets is from people who buy it thinking it is a super sport bike, it's not.  The Katana is a sport tourer at best, it is not a GSX-R.  If someone buys it thinking it's going to be a crotch rocket they will be disappointed.  I wouldn't call it slow (it has double the horsepower of a GS500 and will do 60 MPH in first gear if tached out) but it is a heavy steel framed bike.  That weight gives it stability at highway speeds though.  There is also a great online community at katriders.com  Pretty much a Katana it is just a bigger GS500: a fun, reliable and easy to maintain motorcycle.  Rant ended...     

-Jessie

Here ya go Baltimore... taken with my phone the other month. Was nice to see this 1982 model still kicking around. Sure it's a little beat up, but I thought it looked ok for a 29 year old bike. Good just to see it, instead of disappeared into a scrap pile never to be seen again...



Michael

Awesome!  I can't tell you the last time I saw one of those on the road!!  A dealership I stopped at in Pennsylvania had a super clean Katana 1100 on the floor that was a trade in.  I will admit the styling is definitely an acquired taste   

-Jessie

Well I took the leap and bought the 05 GS500 with 600-some miles. I must tell you, coming from a baby Buell Blast... this bike is so smooooth. I love just about everything about it. The get-up, the ease in starting from first, the acceleration, the handling, and it looks brand new. It's everything I wanted for a healthy upgrade. Every time I go out I want to ride the GS. Hopefully this isn't just some fleeting passion.

A few questions though:

Compared to the Buell, the bike sounds like it revs awfully high. Not high on the tach, but sounds high. I've never ridden a sportbike before so I guess this is normal? (yes, my choke is completely off)
What is the normal RPMs for a high gear? I am usually sitting around 4-5K rpms.
Shifting isn't as obvious as it was on the Blast. Is it safe to upshift anywhere before the redline and after about 3k RPM?
I noticed that my rear brakes squeak. Is there something I can apply to the brake pads to keep that down?
I looked at the tire's date of manufacturing and the rear is late 04 and the front is early 05. The tires have a deep and clean tread with no cracking. Is it smart to keep these on? I would like to.

Thanks.

Congrats on getting the bike and I'm glad you like the ride 

I can answer a couple of your questions but you'll have to wait for the other guys to turn up, they're a bit smarter than me 

Quote from: mindraider on September 27, 2011, 03:43:32 PM
Compared to the Buell, the bike sounds like it revs awfully high. Not high on the tach, but sounds high. I've never ridden a sportbike before so I guess this is normal? (yes, my choke is completely off)
What is the normal RPMs for a high gear? I am usually sitting around 4-5K rpms.
Shifting isn't as obvious as it was on the Blast. Is it safe to upshift anywhere before the redline and after about 3k RPM?
I noticed that my rear brakes squeak. Is there something I can apply to the brake pads to keep that down?
I looked at the tire's date of manufacturing and the rear is late 04 and the front is early 05. The tires have a deep and clean tread with no cracking. Is it smart to keep these on? I would like to.

Thanks.

Squealing brakes is normal. They should only squeal up until they've warmed up, but if you hear of any ways to fix this let me know.

I'd keep those tyres, if they look good (no cracking and good thread) then I can't see why you would replace them. Just keep a good eye on them and as soon as you see some fault, replace them.

I believe shifting in the 5 - 6k rpm area is the optimum. I read that on a previous post http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=57739.msg654085#msg654085

K8

Personally, I'd replace the tires. Even if they aren't cracking, heat cycling from just sitting around will tend to harden the rubber and compromise traction.

Yes, the GS500 does rev higher than the blast. It will tend to sound like it's spinning faster; smaller displacement, more cylinders, etc.

4-5K RPM is a pretty comfortable speed for the GS. I'd try to keep it above 2-3K for normal riding. For fast acceleration, 8K is a sweet spot for the engine. I'd advise against going above 9.5K or so; redline is 10.5 IIRC, and there is no rev limiter, so it's not difficult to damage the engine by spinning it way too fast.

Glad you're enjoying it.

Quote from: mindraider on September 08, 2011, 05:04:23 PM

Quote from: mister on September 08, 2011, 04:56:01 AM

Quote from: mindraider on September 07, 2011, 03:24:53 PM

Quote from: mister on September 07, 2011, 11:32:11 AM
Only 5,900 miles and the tires need replacing? You should be able to At Least get double that out of the rear alone, more than triple that out of the front - unless the roads where you are are totally crap.

Michael

the only part that article got right was the cords and the wear bars. your gs will (as folks attest here) be very gentle on tires. 10K mile rears is the norm, if you're ginger you can get 15k miles out of a rear.

3k miles- HA ! i get 3K out of my knobbies !
I read somewhere that tires designed for racing bikes can last as long as 7,500 miles, but, on average, you don't want to go longer than 3,000 miles without changing your tires.

You "read somewhere". Dude, stop passing on info you "read somewhere", unless you got a link.

Okey dokey.

http://www.ehow.com/way_5164744_change-motorcycle-tire.html