As a testament to how suzuki is killing the GS, right now, at 11:50 pm PT, you can't even view the GS500, OR any of their other motorcycles on their website OTHER than the crappy boulevard.

Jeese suzuki, way to just drive yourself into the ground.

I noticed that the US site doesn't even have the GS500 listed, and when you search for it, nothing shows up.

Maybe they're already onto something...?

Suzuki Aust had a small factory bonus on GS500s recently. But NOW, they are offering a $1,500 factory bonus off the price of GS500s! If that's not a push to get rid of old stock I don't know what is. I'll have to pop into a dealer and see what that equals in terms of ride away prices.

Michael

Quote from: Malfruen on November 14, 2012, 01:08:09 AM
I noticed that the US site doesn't even have the GS500 listed, and when you search for it, nothing shows up.

Maybe they're already onto something...?

When was the GS500 last listed on the US site?  I thought it was "killed off" by the 2010 EPA emissions requirements and wouldn't expect it to come back in it's current form, that is as a carbureted engine.

Quote from: SAFE-T on November 13, 2012, 09:38:14 AM

Quote from: Funderb on November 12, 2012, 10:58:31 PMThe cb500 does not look like the platform that will lend itself to letting the user f%$k-with-it-to-death. I find that GS owners are that kind of group, I am. Who wants to ride a bike that you can't disassemble every weekend and rejet/re-exhaust/chop up/tinker/ridicufy? 

Are you completely bonkers ? The only reason people chopimodify the GS500 is BECAUSE it has so many weaknesses in the first place.

I dont think so ... I think its a damn good bike with a few flaws and the flaws depend on what kind of rider you are ... making it sort of perfect ...
Example: I am a commuter. I want cheap tires and no chain to replace ... Belt drive and a 15" rear tar.
You may be a racer. You want power, bigger and better and stickier rubber and USD suspension. You need a 4 valve head and USD FE and GSXR back wheel.
The fact that we can both start off as a GS and have what we want in the end speaks for the GS being one damn fine average for everyone.

I want FI cos it usually means better gas mileage. Water cooling too, makes it all a full on better and easier bike to own on a TCO basis.

Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: MarkB on November 14, 2012, 07:12:10 AM

Quote from: Malfruen on November 14, 2012, 01:08:09 AM
I noticed that the US site doesn't even have the GS500 listed, and when you search for it, nothing shows up.

Maybe they're already onto something...?

When was the GS500 last listed on the US site?  I thought it was "killed off" by the 2010 EPA emissions requirements and wouldn't expect it to come back in it's current form, that is as a carbureted engine.

I last saw the GS500s on suzukicycles.com when the 2009 model years were available (sometime in 2011).  When the 2012 models came out, they dropped 2009, and the earliest was 2010.

I was told by a Suzuki rep 2 years ago that due to the economy and gluttony of inventory, they quit making the GS500 since they still have loads of them.  I'm sure emissions had to do with that too, but some bikes are still carbed.  Look at the KLR650, the Boulevard S40.  I'm sure the EPA has some complex formula like "Mufti-cylinder internal combustion engines with CCs greater than X...."

Poking around on the EPA site, the emissions requirements are pretty straightforward, but they apparently allow averaging across production models.  They also have data posted for all the bikes they've tested and it looks like the KLR just makes the standard, the GS500 is about 125% over and the S40/LS650 is more than 200% of the standard.

Requirements: http://www.epa.gov/oms/standards/light-duty/motorcycles.htm

Test Results: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/crttst.htm

Averaging Provisions in section 86.449: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=acb441c51ea843be92efff1c845ed8f6&n=40y19.0.1.1.2&r=PART&ty=HTML

Quote from: iclrag on November 13, 2012, 10:42:55 PM

Quote from: Suzuki Stevo on November 12, 2012, 07:57:15 PM
My GS500F was replaced with a Ninja 250R, I had plans on replacing that with a 39 HP EFI Ninja 300....with the Honda showing up 

How can you replace a 500 with a 250??!?

Well....first you go buy a Ninja 250, then you ethier keep the 500 or sell it 

I sold mine, cuz I have more FUN on the 250 

I never said the GS500 was a pile of crap, just that it has lots of areas where it can be improved (otherwise known as 'weaknesses' LOL). Which is why so many people on this board have discussed jetting, air filters, spark plugs, exhaust, front sprockets, rear sprockets, windscreens, SV650 throttle tubes, R6 throttle tubes, luggage, Katana wheels, Bandit 400 wheels, Katana forks, GSXR forks, Progressive fork springs, Sonic fork springs, HyperPro fork springs, SV650 rear shocks, Katana 600 rear shocks, Katana 750 rear shocks, R6 rear shocks, gold valves, fork braces, GSXR footpegs, GSXR rearsets, CBR rearsets, Corbin seats, OEM clipons, aftermarket clipons, Suburban Machinery handlebars, flushmount signal lights, mirrors with integrated signal lights, led lights, integrated tail lights, etc etc

Quote from: DrtRydr23 on November 12, 2012, 07:07:13 PM

Quote from: Paulcet on November 12, 2012, 07:02:39 PM
The GS is already dead. Ninja 500 is dead. If there really is a 500 niche, Honda just filled it.

+1.  GS has been dead for at least 3 years now.  Though, as stated earlier, maybe we'll see a resurgence now that Honda has put a 500 twin out there.  Hopefully Suzuki doesn't make it look like the Gladius though.

+100
Suzuki killed the GS.  Seems while other manufactures resonated towards the small cc class Suzuki almost ignored it.  Its kind of like what Honda did to the Civic...in my opinion, they basically lost the market they created (compact hatchback).  With Kawi's 400 and new 300, Honda's new NC line, and others Suzuki seems to be sitting on their hands, or purposely ignoring this market.  Time to upgrade soon and it won't be a Suzuki. 

We don't get the Kawi 400 in the states.  I see that Canada gets it though.

Honda 300 is same power as gs?

Well, if Suzuki was ignoring the market all the other manufacturers had shock therapy to forget it ever existed. Who else has had anything equivalent to the GS500 in North America for the past 20 yrs ?

Whoever thought a 400Ninja that was the same size and weight as the 650Ninja was a good idea for the North American motorcycle market needs to get a different job.

Kawasaki EX500 was pretty much direct competition with the GS500, and was killed after 2009 just like the GS.

Quote from: SAFE-T on November 14, 2012, 11:18:19 AM
I never said the GS500 was a pile of crap, just that it has lots of areas where it can be improved (otherwise known as 'weaknesses' LOL). Which is why so many people on this board have discussed jetting, air filters, spark plugs, exhaust, front sprockets, rear sprockets, windscreens, SV650 throttle tubes, R6 throttle tubes, luggage, Katana wheels, Bandit 400 wheels, Katana forks, GSXR forks, Progressive fork springs, Sonic fork springs, HyperPro fork springs, SV650 rear shocks, Katana 600 rear shocks, Katana 750 rear shocks, R6 rear shocks, gold valves, fork braces, GSXR footpegs, GSXR rearsets, CBR rearsets, Corbin seats, OEM clipons, aftermarket clipons, Suburban Machinery handlebars, flushmount signal lights, mirrors with integrated signal lights, led lights, integrated tail lights, etc etc

OK OK yikes ... most of these mods are never going to comply with DOT and epa and euro and asia and whatever standards ... like -  jetting, air filters, spark plugs, exhaust, , flushmount signal lights, mirrors with integrated signal lights, led lights, integrated tail lights, etc etc ... never going to see it on a bike from the factory.

I am also nearly sure these - front sprockets, rear sprockets, - I dont want a 15 tooth, I would like it geared taller matter of fact, and there are some design consideration for the ratio, as well as EPA emmissions test that checks it @ some speed and rpm ...
Then there is these - SV650 throttle tubes, R6 throttle tubes more things mandated by DOT I think, cos on an R6 or sv650 these are not 1/5th turn, they are 1/4 turn ... every bike I have tried has a 1/4 turn ... as does a shifter on the left with 1 down and 2-x up pattern ... something has to mandate it somewhere ...

Then the wheels, suspension etc ... change what you want ... I want 15" rear wheel and belt drive as well as a twin disk FE, but I want long life out of it, not the same things you want I am sure.

Then bars and seats ... that is where most anyone wants something else ... people put risers (kerry and GSJack) to name just 2, I made and fit the drop bars on mine ... By no means is that universal ...

People modify what they want, hence its a beginner bike. The list of mods you put on is actually small compared to some others ... And I want the opposite of what you do ... I dont need wider tars or USD suspension.

Cool.
Buddha.

I want normal size tires and I don't care about USD forks on a GS500

I want a 160/17 rear tire and a 120/17 front tire. Brakes just slow you down and I hardly use mine as it is, so a single front disc is fine for me. I want modern cartridge forks with proper weight springs and damping. They don't even have to be adjustable if they are good out of the box. I want smooth shifting without false neutrals. I want EFI because it's getting harder to find someone to work on carbs, fuel-injection has been around for 50+ years already. I want gearing that allows me to travel at highway speed without doing 6,000+ rpm. I want lightweight and good gas mileage. And ABS, since even Rossi grabs too much brake now and then.

If the CBR500 can deliver all that at a decent price on the used market and I was looking for a smaller displacement fun bike, I would probably buy one over a GS500 in a heartbeat.

Hooray for you!

Now those people who want to spend 1500 bucks on a bike to learn on, drop, and enjoy, can buy a GS. The honda wont touch that for a few, maybe 10, years.

QuoteI want smooth shifting without false neutrals.

then don't buy a yamaha... Never had a problem with that, on any bike i've owned. The GS actually has the BEST tranny, granted I tend to like classic bikes.

Honda makes good bikes for sure. The cb500F/R looks like the pair of bikes that everyone is trying to make the GS into when they do alter it.

My money is on the cb1100. Save a little more money, have a lot more bike, with all the trappings of my favorite old hondas.


http://powersports.honda.com/2013/cb1100.aspx

Quote from: Funderb on November 14, 2012, 05:50:42 PM
Hooray for you!

Now those people who want to spend 1500 bucks on a bike to learn on, drop, and enjoy, can buy a GS. The honda wont touch that for a few, maybe 10, years.

QuoteI want smooth shifting without false neutrals.

then don't buy a yamaha... Never had a problem with that, on any bike i've owned. The GS actually has the BEST tranny, granted I tend to like classic bikes.

Honda makes good bikes for sure. The cb500F/R looks like the pair bikes that everyone is trying to make the GS into when they do alter it.

My money is on the cb1100. Save a little more money, have a lot more bike, with all the trappings of my favorite old hondas.


http://powersports.honda.com/2013/cb1100.aspx

that's a huge +1 for the smooth shifting gs500 transmission. the only bike i've ridden lately that reminds me of the gs's smooth shifting is...... the 2012 supertenere. that's -the- best transmission i've ever shifted, i think.

if i can fit on a cb500x like i can my drz, i'll be buying one. or a bmw 650, or a dr650... or a versys... or aa......