Quote from: BaltimoreGS on May 24, 2011, 07:15:57 PM
Suzuki jacked the price on the TU250 for some reason.  I was interested in one when it first came out in '09 and was priced at $2999 (same as the GZ250) but could never find a dealership around here that stocked one.  Now the price has been raised $1000 dollars (and they changed the $2999 price on the '09 page to $3799) which is more than I'm willing to pay for a little beater bike. 

-Jessie

I was just in a Suzuki dealer and they only had a few GSXRs and cruisers.Oh,and one lonely 09 DR200 in white with 0 miles on it.I so wish I could go back and buy that little bike.

Quote from: BaltimoreGS on May 24, 2011, 07:15:57 PM
Suzuki jacked the price on the TU250 for some reason.  I was interested in one when it first came out in '09 and was priced at $2999 (same as the GZ250) but could never find a dealership around here that stocked one.  Now the price has been raised $1000 dollars (and they changed the $2999 price on the '09 page to $3799) which is more than I'm willing to pay for a little beater bike. 

-Jessie

The one I took a shot of was listed as $5,990. Cannot recall if it was ride away or plus on road costs. Either way, with the Aussie dollar doing strong (5990 is currently $6,279US), just another example of us getting ass raped on prices. But it does show FI can be put into a relatively cheap bike. So IF the GS comes back with FI, it shouldn't really add like three grand to the price or anything.

Michael

Quote from: ben2go on May 24, 2011, 07:39:53 PM
I was just in a Suzuki dealer and they only had a few GSXRs and cruisers.Oh,and one lonely 09 DR200 in white with 0 miles on it.I so wish I could go back and buy that little bike.

Dual sports have pretty poor resale value, keep your eye on craigslist and you can find killer deals.  Adfalchius picked up a pair of '07 DR200's with under 1,000 miles for $3000 from a motivated seller. Looking at the titles, those bikes had sat in a dealership until 2010 before the original owner bought them   

-Jessie

Quote from: ben2go on May 24, 2011, 06:22:20 PM
Anyone know if those are available in the US?I haven't seen them and it would be perfect for my GF,if it's short enough.

Yep I've seen them at a couple of dealers in Minnesota.  Not a bad looking bike if you ask me, but I like that style.

Quote from: mister on May 24, 2011, 05:42:03 PM
While getting a new tire fitted to my GS, a quick walk around the store revealed this...
A Suzuki TU250X. These are only recent additions to the Australian Market first hitting our shores in April. With a top speed of 121kph (75mph) and only 16hp, they aren't going to be much more than City Commuters. But what gets me excited about them is, they are Fuel Injected. If Suzuki feels it's viable for a cheap FI 250cc, it gives hope to a FI GS500 down the line. Well, I can hope.

Michael

My brother bought a second hand one in Sydney a few years ago, they've been here (in very small numbers) for a while. The motor is straight out of the GN250.

Just found this on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Suzuki-TU250X-Motorbike-CAIRNS-/230624841831?pt=AU_Motorcycles&hash=item35b24fd067

Would be cool if they fit the 500 motor in that frame. Looks like it would cafe up nice with a few after market bits and bobs.

With double the torque the frame was designed for, it would probably handle like one of these:

I would really have a tough time complaining if they replaced the GS with a GSR500 that scales down the design of the GSR750 a bit.

Quote from: bombshelter13 on May 27, 2011, 09:29:19 AM
I would really have a tough time complaining if they replaced the GS with a GSR500 that scales down the design of the GSR750 a bit.

Now, that has my vote...but who knows what Suzuki will do...

Later.

Nosed around and came across a Jan '11  interview with Suzuki Spain top honcho Juan Carlos Andrés Aguado. Situation is Spain is m/c mkt down 5%in 2010 and cld be down 14% this year. Suzuki Spain has its admin staff on 6 hour days and has industrial agreement that production line could be significantly halted in period to March 2012. Seems that unions did not OK this agreement. Factory focus now on 125cc range. Factory capacity c55k.
Using auto translation from:
http://www.elcomercio.es/v/20110124/economia/2012-lanzaremos-nueva-moto-20110124.html  He said:
What fall accumulates Gijon factory production since 2007?
"Between the end of 2007 and 2010 the fall was 65% and estimate a further decline this year of between 15 and 20%. We will be below the 16,000 units less than they projected when we presented the case.
"If projections are met, how many units will be manufactured?
"Around 13,000. It's a delicate situation where temporary measures would not be enough and would have to take structural measures.
- What is what is affecting them most? The lack of liquidity, the drop in demand ...
"Above all, stop the export markets. 80% of production is for export market, European, mainly Italy and the United States. The Italian market has been virtually stopped and orders that fate has fallen over 35%. The American also. Spent the last fifteen consecutive quarters of falling. 2011 will be a year very delicate.
"Yes. Fall similar to the rest. For vehicles over 125 cc. have been the best-selling brand, but the market has fallen dramatically. Was at 400,000 units per year and closed 2010 in the environment of 170,000.
- Threatening the future of the factory?
"No, but we have to keep making adjustments to suit the situation and rely on the U.S. market recovery.
- What levels of production would be sustainable?  
"In the medium term, think 40,000 units is unthinkable. 2011 will be a very difficult year and delicate.
- When will the new models announced?
"We're working to launch new models in the first half of 2012 to when we expect that market expectations have improved and reach 16,000 units.
- What features will the new model?
"It will be a new model of 125 cc. and 250 cc. modernizing our existing range. It will target the U.S. market this year hopefully we will be recovering.

Thanks for posting the interview

Quote from: noworries on May 28, 2011, 02:54:17 AM

- What features will the new model?
"It will be a new model of 125 cc. and 250 cc. modernizing our existing range. It will target the U.S. market this year hopefully we will be recovering.

Something may be lost in translation, but it looks like the new model will target the US market and will be 125cc and 250cc.  Must be a dirt bike. 

Tx, Paulcet, Seems Suzuki Spain may be in a bit of a bind. Big factory, demand for product way down, union issues, and the Japanese tsunami problems won't have helped either. Maybe a Spanish speaker could have a look at the article and draw out the subtle stuff me and my auto translate wouldn't ever get. I couldn't really understand the production layoffs proposed by Aguado...it seemed to suggest that they would only operate 150 days in the Jan '11 to March '12 period. I got a feeling too that Suzuki management and workers couldn't come to a mutual industrial agreement and Suzuki went to the legal process and got a unilateral one. There also seems to be an argument on other Spanish forums that the Spanish workers feel that government and owners have dudded them by letting almost all the Catalonian based motorcycle factories close/move away. There's also frequent comment that the Chinese are presenting a real threat to European based motorcycle production. Whatever, none of this stuff is really going to be positive for our favourite bike.

Maybe they're bringing over the GSR250? Meh... it's big brother is much nicer looking.

After this thread was started, someone else also started a "Is The GS500 On The Chopping Block". In that thread I wrote the following....

QuoteA few of us have been (and actively are) keeping our eyes on this for some time now. I started a thread about it here a while ago - http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=56385.0 and I was going to update it with some of the following...

I again spoke with the local dealer. He said.... the 2011 models would be coming later in the year, maybe early next year (even though that is 2012). A quick trip into their store two days ago revealed a 2010 Nov bike for sale (brand new) so they obviously still have overstock from last year (I even saw a Brand New bike with a 2009 plate a couple months back.)

In Australia, the naked SV650 was replaced with the 650 Gladius. Interestingly, in 2009, Suzuki Japan showed a 400cc Gladius at the Tokyo Motorshow. They Claimed it was for their local market - where getting a license to ride larger than 400cc is quite difficult so 400cc bikes sell well. But, this resleeved 650 motor would make an easy swap for  Suzuki to weed out the GS500 and have their Gladdy 400 as its replacement - this is MY speculation.

While the US market was without new imports in 2010, Australia still got them. And there are some stores passing off 2010 bikes as 2011 because if it is made after August in a calendar year it can be claimed as the following year's model. But so far, we are yet to see any true 2011 manufactured bikes. We regularly check and as soon as we get a straight answer either way we will be announcing it. Sadly it is hard to get an answer cause local country Suzuki branches are not really told what's what by Suzuki HQ in Japan - eg, Aust Suzuki will not be told of bike shipments until they are already on the boat.

As soon as we know, we'll let you know.

But things are not looking good. For one, Aust and Can are not large enough markets to warrant continued manufacture. The GS500 has failed to meet Eu Emissions Level 3 standards so cannot be sold new there anymore - but - they are a large market and I don't think Suzuki would forego it without a fight. Enter the Gladdy 400cc?

More to come as we find out more.

Michael

Well, here is an update of sorts...

I have been into and called several Suzuki dealers and have always been given an answer I would call "spin". None would admit to the GS being phased out - like who would buy a bike no longer made, right? And none of them actually knew of a 2011 bike though, nor had any seen one with a 2011 plate on it. As you've seen, I've been Told Stories on When a 2011 bike would hit their stores cause they all had either 2009 or 2010 bikes. Until today...

There is a Suzuki dealer which is known to be one of the highest selling dealerships and NOT part of a chain. They have a coffeeshop and every Saturday riders pull up to have a coffee.

Anyway. I popped in there today and found two GS500s with 2011 manufacture plates on them. The naked had a date of 01/11 (Jan 2011), while the faired version had a 04/11 (April 2011) date. Granted, these are the same colors that the 2010 models bikes had down here in Australia so we could also be looking at bikes that have been restamped - or - stamped when they went out the door but made earlier. Sorry, I didn't think to check out the engine numbers at the time. When I remarked that they were 2011 dates so that meant the rumors of the demise of the GS500 are not accurate, he just came back with, it sells too well for them not to make it (can't have sold too well if it's almost December and they're selling a Jan stamped bike.

Here they are...





Obviously with 2010 colors - as sold down here in Australia - we still don't have a Genuine 2011 seeing as Suzuki change colors each year. So it remains to be seen if we will get a 2011 stamped bike with alternate colors instead of a bike stamped 2011 but with 2010 colors.

As always with this unfolding saga... More to come as we find out more.

Michael

Thanks for the update Mister.  I'm curious, where were the new GS's you spotted manufactured?  Spain? 

Quote from: Falcon01 on November 26, 2011, 04:55:39 PM
Thanks for the update Mister.  I'm curious, where were the new GS's you spotted manufactured?  Spain?

See the little Emblem on the bottom of the fork of the faired bike? That comes from Spanish made bikes. So going by that, it was made in Spain. I didn't look closely enough at the plate to see its manufacture location though. Just wanted to see the date.

Michael

I've noticed that emblem on my bike before but never paid any attention to it.  Learn something new everyday.  I'm glad to know that the GS isn't going away yet.  None of the dealers in my area have had any in stock for many months.  I think I bought the last new GS available in this area back in January. 

Yeah, both dealers I stopped by said the Gs500 is no more. 

Mary

They should re-release it with fuel injection 

UPDATE - April 2013

As has been mentioned in the numerous threads started on this topic, we are keeping an eye on this and have some updated info.

First, as we would all know by now - or if you don't, then now you do - Suzuki has closed its manufacturing plant in Spain where the GS500 was getting made and is now using it, or part of it, as a Distribution Base only. The Spanish govt offered incentives but Suzuki said "No" and has taken their business to India.

Since 2010, we have seen Brand New GS500s down here in Australia. In 2011, 2012 and still now in 2013 we have them. However, they all have the same 2010 color scheme. As Suzuki changed colors with each year's manufacturing run, the conclusion to be drawn is, all these bikes are really just 2010 made bikes. And before they are put on a ship and sent to Australia they have a Compliance Plate put on them. Eg. The latest GS500 I saw had a 11th of Dec date stamped on the plate, even though it was 2010 colors.

I have official word from a Dealer that...

1: The GS500 is no longer being made. I don't think this is a surprise to anyone but it is the first official word we have on it.

2: Suzuki IS bringing out a new 500cc class bike to replace it - but - will not say exactly what it is, or When it will be released.

We mutually think it will be when the stocks on hand of existing GS500s runs out or reaches a certain Low number.

*I* think it will be a 500cc version of the Inazuma (pictured below) because...

Current GS500 prices for a naked are around $5,990 ride away (Theses are Aussie prices - this is Low for Aust prices) Current price of a New Inazum 250 are $4,990 ride away. This leaves wiggle room above the 250cc's price while keeping it below the more pricey 650s on the market.

The Specs for the Inazuma are too large for a viable (compared to the competition) 250 and are more aligned with the existing GS500. Eg...
Wheel Base1430, Seat Height 780, Weight 183kg (wet) - Inazuma 250
Wheel Base 1405, Seat Height 790, Weight 193kg (wet) - GS500 (GS has a 7 liter larger gas tank which accounts for additional weight)

In my opinion the Inazuma is a 500cc size bike but with a 250cc motor. But even there, standing next to one looking at the motor it looks like it would be a 500.

But, getting a 500cc version of this 250 is just my opinion. So, now that the word is officially out (in this unofficial way), we wait to see what the new 500 will look like. If it ain't the Inazuma it will be some equally odd looking thing, going by the Gladius and Inazuma which are Suzuki's last two recent offerings.