Hello all,

I'm in the market for a bike about this size.. and the two that have caught my attention so far are the GS and the EX.  All you tall guys out there... How do you fit on your bikes?  I know this is a GS forum, but I am not looking for "which bike is better" rather which bike I'd actually fit on. (I weigh less than 190lbs so weight isnt so much of an issue).

I went to the dealer and sat on an EX.. the tank swells went right into the middle of my knees. I can put up with that, as I do not plan to use this for much more than a summer, get around town bike.  How would the GS fit?


Thanks alot,

If you are worried about your knees hitting the tank, get a pre-'01 bike, they are narrower in the frame and the tank.

I'm 6'3", long in the legs and I feel very comfy on my '97.  I've ridden it for hundreds of miles at a time



Can't comment on the EX500, never ridden one.

Well, I'm 6'5" and  200 lbs and I find my 2003 very comfortable.  I have to slide back on the seat so I can tuck in at speed but for plodding around town it's great.

I'd agree, 6'3" and very comfortable even 2 up.

The EX is lower than the GS BTW... and nothing on an EX feels right... heck nothing on the KZ440 I have which is the grand dad of the EX feels right either... Somehting about a bike that has a motor that spins backwards, and has a chain drive from crank to tranny and add on water cooling and a wet noodle for a frame, and brakes that worked perfect on a spagthorpe ... isn't quite the best sometimes...
Cool.
Srinath.

Well thanks guys,

The GS I'm looking at is a '98 with about 2k miles on it... It seems i can get it for about $1500  
Seller says nothing wrong with it.. garage kept.. never dropped.
If only it were another color becides orange...  :dunno:

that's a good deal, go for it!

Hey I ended up with orange, its not so bad.  Much better than purple :nana:

Yep, much better than purple.

I have a stupid question... Why do a tall guy choose to ride GS? There are so many big bikes that you can ride?

I am 4'11, and I cannot find any bike which I can comfortably ride. Even this GS, I needed to lower suspension, lower my seat, and put extra sole on my boots!
If I were taller, I would like to ride a big bike.


BTW, I LOVE GS.   Is that why people choose GS??  

you're 4'11"? i thought you were taller... that's okay, i dig short chicks. tall women scare me...

i'm 6'1", and i ride a GS because it's all i can afford. beleive me, if i could have, i woulda' bought the gixxer 600 that was sitting next to it in the showroom. i'm happy with my GS, better than no bike, but i still want a gixxer...

Short.. OK the GS is far from short... Its shorter than the enduro's but that's it... the Katana 6, 7 and 11 and the GSXR's are all shorter than it, so is a hayabusa. The ZRX kawi's and most others are shorter or just about the same height... However the GS might be the easiest to lower or the one that sinks the most when you drop a heavy 200+lb guy on it though.
Cool.
Srinath.

sorry MstrsLilBrat,


I'd love to get a bigger bike... But a few things make it harder.  

1. Money
2. Higher insurance costs of bigger bikes
3. Money

If you can tell me of a bigger bike, that doesnt lose the sporty look/feel, without costing much over $2500 and that doesn't have insane insurance prices, PLEASE tell me.

If this seems sarcastic it wasnt meant to be... I honestly would rather have a bigger bike..

(EDIT: left out a word)

I went with the GS after all, and boy am I glad I did.  $1500 out the door with a nice helmet... looks brand new! Needs a little carb cleaning and some dusting and it will run that way too. I was suprised, this thing runs like a scalded dog compared to my dad's old KZ650.

And manofthefield,
Youre right, orange isnt so bad.  

Looks like I'm here to stay for a while at least.  :mrgreen:

congrats on your bike.. im sure you will love it as much as the GS500 community loves our bikes..

I've only seen pictures of the orange ones, but I think they look nice. Congrats!

Laura

QuoteWhy do a tall guy choose to ride GS? There are so many big bikes that you can ride?

From reading here, the primary factor seems to be money. For me, however, it was because this was my first bike. I'm 6'1, 195lbs and I fit very comfortably on my '01.

Eventually, sure, I'd love to move up. That's why I'm learning now. My next move will be to the SV-650 more than likely. I'm in love with that bike. You'll never catch me on a GSX-R or an R6...ergonomically unfit for anything other than racing. Who needs that kind of power anyhow? You'll never use it...and a guy who knows what he's doing on an SV would flog you in the twisties. 'Course, you CAN go fast in a straight line :lol:  

Quote from: shundaroniYou'll never catch me on a GSX-R or an R6...ergonomically unfit for anything other than racing. Who needs that kind of power anyhow? You'll never use it...and a guy who knows what he's doing on an SV would flog you in the twisties. 'Course, you CAN go fast in a straight line :lol:  

Are you NUTS?!?!?!  Rider for rider the R6 and GSXR will kill the SV650 and eat its babies... straight line, twisties.. you name it  :nana:

I have an R6 and I use nearly the complete powerband.  I will admit I seldome go over 10k, but at 10k its pulling 80-90hp.  The top end power is INVALUABLE on the highway.  Passing is a breeze on it and the roll-on power can save your life out there when you need to get out of a sticky sitation.  I've already lost count of how many times I've squirted out of a potentially dicey situation on the interstate.... 'blip' and I'm out from between two trucks and back on open road... awesome.

As for the ergos... 895 miles in three days and I still went to the gym the next day...'nuff said.

Back on topic now... the GS was my choice for learning.  I am so glad I started out on it.  I learned so much more on the GS than I ever could have on the R6.  The great thing about the GS is that when you screw up... it lets you know.  I've ridden with plenty of supersport riders who only keep up by virtue of their bikes' capabilities.. not so with the GS... its great for refining riding technique.  Once I found myself comfortable and smooth on the GS and was confident that I could handle the next step, I went to the R6.  So far I'm still here.. not a scratch on me  :mrgreen:

I have a new GS500F... I am 6'2"/260 and I just love the bike. Footrests are a little high but nothing to worry about. I tried the EX last year and somehow that bike sucks but I can't say why.

Cheers

Quote from: vtilionAre you NUTS?!?!?! Rider for rider the R6 and GSXR will kill the SV650 and eat its babies... straight line, twisties.. you name it

With two experienced, professional, comperable riders, absolutely. It's more powerful. With average Joes? I call bullshit. Taking a line from your post, an average joe on an R6 would be keeping up by virtue of the bike's capabilties, and only in the straights. The SV650 is infinitely more flickable than the R6, and not nearly as intimidating. How many professionals you run into out in the real world? How many average Joes?

I still remember when my Pops got passed on the outside by an SV in a corner....while riding his 12R. From that day, I was hooked.