Ho there good folks.

So, i'm going to look at a used GS500e tomorrow. Its a 95, has 8900 miles on it.
It hasn't been ridden in about a year or so, short of the current owner firing it up this week to make sure it ran. He replaced it with a Vstrom so hasn't had much need to ride it.
Seems like a really nice guy, he is retired and said the GS was just too uncomfortable for "an old man to ride everyday".
From the pictures it looks to be in good condition, he just put brand new tires, and a new battery in this week.
He is asking $1400, which seems fair for a bike with those miles.

I would try and talk him down more, but he is meeting me half way between us (2 hours for me, 1 1/2 for him) with the bike, and with new tires and battery i figure 1400 is fair for around here.

My question for you fine folk, is what i should look for on the bike? Any noises i should listen for, or things loose etc.
Ive never ridden a GS so its all "sort of" new to me. Its been a few years since i rode so my ear isnt quite as tuned to bad noises and such.
I am taking a buddy with me for moral support and to make sure i dont get too excited and spend money on a rat trap.

Give me advice!

Please an thank you.

Quote from: ninjeff on March 08, 2012, 07:34:56 PM
Ho there good folks.

So, i'm going to look at a used GS500e tomorrow. Its a 95, has 8900 miles on it.
It hasn't been ridden in about a year or so, short of the current owner firing it up this week to make sure it ran. He replaced it with a Vstrom so hasn't had much need to ride it.
Seems like a really nice guy, he is retired and said the GS was just too uncomfortable for "an old man to ride everyday".
From the pictures it looks to be in good condition, he just put brand new tires, and a new battery in this week.
He is asking $1400, which seems fair for a bike with those miles.

I would try and talk him down more, but he is meeting me half way between us (2 hours for me, 1 1/2 for him) with the bike, and with new tires and battery i figure 1400 is fair for around here.

My question for you fine folk, is what i should look for on the bike? Any noises i should listen for, or things loose etc.
Ive never ridden a GS so its all "sort of" new to me. Its been a few years since i rode so my ear isnt quite as tuned to bad noises and such.
I am taking a buddy with me for moral support and to make sure i dont get too excited and spend money on a rat trap.

Give me advice!

Please an thank you.

Bring a flashlight. Inspect the inside of the tank for rust. You should be able to see the petcock screen...see if it's all clogged up.

Other things to look at are things like the chain. If the chain looks uncared for, that should tell you how good (or wasn't) he was about the rest of the maintenance.

Listen to the bike run...it should sound like a sewing machine and idle smoothly. Don't discouraged if you discover the "flat spot" around 4-5k RPM. That's something that plagues the older model bikes.

On a bike that's been sitting around that long, I would inspect the forks for signs of leaking around the seals. If you're strapping enough, you can have him hold the handlebars while you lift the rear of the bike and let it drop - if it bounces, that means the rear shock has bitten the dust.

Inspect the heads and such to determine if it's developed any leaks. A little is okay - a lot is not good.

Be aware that the GS500 motors make a lot of racket. Mine's been making a weird "clanking" for a long time and as best I can figure, it's just a random noise that means little to nothing.

Here's a video of how a well tuned and cared for GS should sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5vidyo2_iw&feature=youtu.be

Don't be surprised if you get there and the carbs are gummed up.

The thing about the GS is they're a budget bike - they look cruddy fast. So, if it looks really good, chances are the guy took care of it.

As far as $1400...I would see if he'll take $1200 if it doesn't perform flawlessly.

Going to leave the "what to look for" up to the well experienced members.

but $1400, im pretty sure that is a few hundred above KBB.
my 94 was only worth around a grand, got it for $750 but shouldnt of gone past $600.

if he is the Original, I would Guess it would be in Pristine condition.
since older folks tend to baby their bikes and keep them clean.

check over everything other people reply with.
but if it truly is in pristine condition as I can assume, if hes the original owner and driving that far.
Then I dont think $1400 would be bad.

of course I could be wrong.
with only short of 9K and a yr newer then mine, it could be right at $1400 book value.
as long as its in excellent condition tho.

check the usual tho.
any bad sounds when its running.
any indication of it being dropped or in an accident. (sides of the engine scratched up, check over the frame and entire front end)
be sure to take a flashlight to look into the tank for any rust.

kk will leave the rest up to the experts here hahaha

and no pic?

To put it in perspective...I paid $1200 for my bike. It didn't even run. I guess I got lucky but I could tell the bike was in good shape just by how it clean and well cared for it was.

Well, to add price perspective, what he is asking is about in line with other GS's around the area. Ive noticed the closer you get to the coasts, the cheaper they get. Here in the midwest,  1000 to 1500 is about par.

Certainly not a GREAT deal, but just fair.

Considering the new tires and battery, plus the drive he is willing to make, if it runs well i'll take it.

Biggest problem is....its purple.   

But i have a paint scheme in mind...

Also, if she comes home with me, there will be pics a-plenty.

Quote from: ninjeff on March 08, 2012, 08:44:50 PM
Well, to add price perspective, what he is asking is about in line with other GS's around the area. Ive noticed the closer you get to the coasts, the cheaper they get. Here in the midwest,  1000 to 1500 is about par.

Certainly not a GREAT deal, but just fair.

Considering the new tires and battery, plus the drive he is willing to make, if it runs well i'll take it.

Biggest problem is....its purple.   

But i have a paint scheme in mind...

Please don't...if it's in good shape, trade/sell the nice parts to someone here and have them give you/buy beat up parts for you to paint. Nice looking stock parts are hard to come by these days, especially the older ones.

Check the manufacture date on the tires. Mine has some OLD-ASS tires on it. Most tires will have a 4-number code. Like for mine it's something like "3201" which means it was made in the 32nd week of 2001. They're usually inside a little block, separated from anything else.

Quote from: ninjeff on March 08, 2012, 08:44:50 PM
Well, to add price perspective, what he is asking is about in line with other GS's around the area. Ive noticed the closer you get to the coasts, the cheaper they get. Here in the midwest,  1000 to 1500 is about par.

Certainly not a GREAT deal, but just fair.

Considering the new tires and battery, plus the drive he is willing to make, if it runs well i'll take it.

Biggest problem is....its purple.   

But i have a paint scheme in mind...

if the body parts and tank are in Pristine condition.
then adidas might be interested in a trade if u plan to repaint.
not sure what he all has or the condition.
but I believe he is going with purple and gold on his new build.

It is true that I hate to see pristine parts boogered up with painting because excellent parts are hard to find, while there are tons that need a little love and paint.

Purple is a good color in Seattle for 2 reasons:
1. It is the color for University of Washington
2. Seattle has the second largest gaay population, second only to San Francisco.

I've seen quite a few purple bikes here - never stopped them to see whether reason 1 or 2 or they just like purple.

Always willing to trade. I have lots of parts with a few scratches or mis-matched tails that beg for some living. Just got this. No idea what year it is. Haven't see this red one before. Here's a weird one: it came with a locked gas cap. Who would have guessed that Suzi's key opened it? How lucky is that? And the inside of the tank is really clean. (Come to think of it, I think I do have a tail set that matches it  ) Its from Europe, so maybe not a USA color scheme.

Quote from: adidasguy on March 08, 2012, 09:43:45 PM


It is true that I hate to see pristine parts boogered up with painting because excellent parts are hard to find, while there are tons that need a little love and paint.

Purple is a good color in Seattle for 2 reasons:
1. It is the color for University of Washington
2. Seattle has the second largest gaay population, second only to San Francisco.

I've seen quite a few purple bikes here - never stopped them to see whether reason 1 or 2 or they just like purple.

Always willing to trade. I have lots of parts with a few scratches or mis-matched tails that beg for some living. Just got this. No idea what year it is. Haven't see this red one before. Here's a weird one: it came with a locked gas cap. Who would have guessed that Suzi's key opened it? How lucky is that? And the inside of the tank is really clean. (Come to think of it, I think I do have a tail set that matches it  ) Its from Europe, so maybe not a USA color scheme.

That's sexy.  I'm digging that color scheme.

Sweet man.  I hope it runs good.  Hopefully my bike will be finished soon and we can ride.  As long as ppl don't mistake you for my gf with a purple bike .

Quote from: adidasguy on March 08, 2012, 09:43:45 PM

It is true that I hate to see pristine parts boogered up with painting because excellent parts are hard to find, while there are tons that need a little love and paint.

Purple is a good color in Seattle for 2 reasons:
1. It is the color for University of Washington
2. Seattle has the second largest gaay population, second only to San Francisco.

I've seen quite a few purple bikes here - never stopped them to see whether reason 1 or 2 or they just like purple.

Always willing to trade. I have lots of parts with a few scratches or mis-matched tails that beg for some living. Just got this. No idea what year it is. Haven't see this red one before. Here's a weird one: it came with a locked gas cap. Who would have guessed that Suzi's key opened it? How lucky is that? And the inside of the tank is really clean. (Come to think of it, I think I do have a tail set that matches it  ) Its from Europe, so maybe not a USA color scheme.

Actually Adidas, trading was always my first intention.  I thought you may need them for your current build.

I was planning on putting them up for equal trade, and ONLY IF i didnt get any takers would i paint it.

I really like that red though...........

Hmmm......

If he has a tail set to match that red, you are all set for a swap!  You could do a black front fender if you can't find a red one to match. 

Let us know how the bike looks.  I'm excited to have another GStwinner in town.

Quote from: ninjeff on March 08, 2012, 08:44:50 PM
Well, to add price perspective, what he is asking is about in line with other GS's around the area. Ive noticed the closer you get to the coasts, the cheaper they get. Here in the midwest,  1000 to 1500 is about par.

Certainly not a GREAT deal, but just fair.

Considering the new tires and battery, plus the drive he is willing to make, if it runs well i'll take it.

Biggest problem is....its purple.   

But i have a paint scheme in mind...

purple gs are rare, leave her be. it will grow on you !


$1400 maybe high, if it's all rusty and in need of a new chain, or a tank lining. new tires help the asking price.

assuming a clear title IN HIS NAME (verifiable by drivers license) and the bike runs well, i'll pay that much.

purple pandy-powered gs's rock !

Well, purple isn't for me.
Nothing against the color, it just isnt what i have in my minds-eye for my GS.
Still, i wont let the color stop my from a nice bike, and i'll be more than happy to trade someone straight up for another color.

I have a perfect color scheme in my head. Silver and black with red and gold accents. Going for a modern cafe racer style paint scheme. Silver tank, black knee-contours, red pin stripe and select gold hardware. Its going to be spiffy.

But all that is later, and more wild speculation and dreams right now. I have to stay focused and make sure the mechanics are sound. I can make it look sexy later, right now i just hope it runs sexy.

So what happened? Did you buy it?

Quote from: bombsquad83 on March 10, 2012, 07:43:22 AM
So what happened? Did you buy it?

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=59472.0

Thanks.

Quote from: ninjeff on March 08, 2012, 07:34:56 PM
Ho there good folks.

So, i'm going to look at a used GS500e tomorrow. Its a 95, has 8900 miles on it.
It hasn't been ridden in about a year or so, short of the current owner firing it up this week to make sure it ran. He replaced it with a Vstrom so hasn't had much need to ride it.
Seems like a really nice guy, he is retired and said the GS was just too uncomfortable for "an old man to ride everyday".
From the pictures it looks to be in good condition, he just put brand new tires, and a new battery in this week.
He is asking $1400, which seems fair for a bike with those miles.

I would try and talk him down more, but he is meeting me half way between us (2 hours for me, 1 1/2 for him) with the bike, and with new tires and battery i figure 1400 is fair for around here.

My question for you fine folk, is what i should look for on the bike? Any noises i should listen for, or things loose etc.
Ive never ridden a GS so its all "sort of" new to me. Its been a few years since i rode so my ear isnt quite as tuned to bad noises and such.
I am taking a buddy with me for moral support and to make sure i dont get too excited and spend money on a rat trap.

Give me advice!

Please an thank you.

I paid $1600 for my '05 GS500F with 4000 miles on it, I think that $1400 is a bit high compared to that

edit - Whoops, guess I should've finished reading the thread. You already bought it