Well, of course people got mad after my first post. It's not their fault. We live in a world where politicians pass bills so we can find out what's in them, among other shenanigans. In the modern world, to be sane is to be jaded. Take everything with more than a grain of salt.

There's always a shadow between wanting to do something and doing it. With motorcycling, there are very good reasons not to cross that shadow. There are respectable, practical, financial, and safety reasons not to do it.

But when you're committed, and willing, and you know you've done everything you can to prepare, you have to cross.  You've taken all your precautions, you're not crazy, and the greatest risk in life is taking no risk. That leads to becoming a latte-swilling humanoid, driving in your cage to your cubicle job so you can amass more green paper rectangles.

So one trip from the glorious Antelope Valley to Koreatown and back, and I had myself a GS500. She's a 2002 GS500E in black-and-silver with about 15k miles when I got her.

Before I begin my review, here's a summary of my previous riding experience:

-An awful Honda CB250 at the MSF course. There was a half-second lag between throttle actuation and engine response, it only idled reliably after the third or so start-and-rev to warm cycle, neutral had been burned out ages ago and was only accessible when doing that over-the-shoulder U-turn, and being an MSF mule, it looked like it had taken a few JDAM hits.

-Some bicycles

That complete; I'm not going to go into the full details of how riding for the first time feels -- that's a whole 'nother topic and deserves far more thought-out language -- but just focus on the GS500 and my impressions gathered since August.

Power
The GS500 delivers. Period. If you think you need to go even faster as a newbie, you're wrong.

Power delivery is refreshingly linear with no spikes or dips in HP/torque.  The 47 ponies are all you will need. I do not feel a lack of acceleration at all. You WILL be faster than any car that doesn't have a Porsche badge or forced induction. If you do a really sporty, you will find yourself above 45 MPH in moments and you will need to back off within four, five seconds. At the same time, the acceleration isn't what I'd consider DANGEROUSLY fast, even at max throttle. You can really thrash the engine and you will never feel endangered. No tendency to wheelie. In short, power delivery is in the Goldilocks zone -- not "Oh God I'm about to get rear-ended" and yet not enough to make you fear the bike.

How does it feel at high speeds? I'm probably 250lbs with gear and 6 feet tall, and I can comfortably hang around at 80 MPH in top gear, even into a 20 MPH wind, at 2500 feet above sea level. If you need to pass, downshift, max throttle, and you're soon by whatever it was that was holding you up. I haven't hit triple digits yet, but I feel the acceleration is there to do 90 MPH at least, if not 100. This is why I chose this bike over a 250 -- you still have excess power to pass, go up hills, et cetera.

Bonus: The engine is a screamer. Rev it above 7000 RPM or so and you get a sound of furious howling of air along with hellish humming. One of my friends seriously thought the bike was supercharged.

One minor con: I hate carburetors. Living in the wondrous Mojave desert, we can get 40 degree temperature swings from high to low. 40 degree mornings and 80 degree afternoons. Cold starts are finnicky. You do have to choke it and work with that for a minute or two before riding off, and then you need to short-shirt and be gentle on the throttle lest you stall it. Also, under heavy braking with a cold engine it has died on me, but I'm not sure that's a general GS500 issue or just my bike. Not a big issue though.

Handling
Admittedly, I am still learning the art of cornering. I'm no Keith Code, so nothing in this section is authoritative. Also, as stated above, I'm a big guy, so your mileage may vary if you're, say, half my weight. That being said, the bike takes corners well. Just like the engine, there are no surprises. It doesn't feel particularly razor-precise, but it does allow (literal) wiggle room. Last weekend in the canyons, I encountered my first decreasing-radius turn and realized I was too fast. So I stood it up a little, braked, leaned back over, and I was fine.

The bike is easy to lean and you can muscle around the handlebars below countersteering speed. It doesn't feel super planted (though I haven't leaned an incredible amount) which for a newbie might be okay.

Suspension is too soft for my taste. Have witnessed it bottom out occasionally. My bike has pretty well-worn tires so I won't comment on grip other than to say my particular bike doesn't feel as "grippy" as it could be.

I'm still in the stage of "building confidence" rather than "Ph.D in two-wheeled dynamics" so perhaps more experienced inputs will help, but bottom line, it's basic, it's forgiving, and no "bad" tendencies other than soft suspension.

Controls
Brakes feel just a tad spongy but that could just be my bike. Clutch and shifting feel fine, no issues, easy to manipulate. Mirrors provide great view of my shoulders and arms.

Comfort
Very comfortable. Would take this bike long-distance gladly (Vegas, anyone?) My commute is already more than 30 minutes, and no aches or pains. This is another reason not to get a CBRGSXRYZFR600 RR supersport or a fat cruiser with foot forward controls and 4 foot ape hangers for your first bike -- you can look cool for more than twenty minutes at a time. No issues at all. If you need to tuck in for wind, you can do that, albeit you will look a little goofy if you don't have cafe bars. Otherwise you can sit ramrod-straight and relax.

Gas Mileage
40-45 MPG. More efficient than a Prius, and you don't look like you've given up on life like Prius drivers do. To paraphrase Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear: If you drive a Prius, "you've served your biological purpose, and are waiting to die." Prius hatred aside, most of my riding is highway, at highway speed, so if you're smaller than me, have a slower ride than me, etc. you may do even better.

Overall
The GS500 is excellent for a newbie. In terms of dynamics it's more than what you need, all you really want, and nothing about is abrupt, surprising, scary, or dangerous. I have minor complaints and no regrets. It's a great way to get into riding. Cross the shadow. Do it. It'll make a believer out of you.

Good write up man! 

Nice write up.
As for soft suspension........easy fix with an upgrade to an R6 shock and  better front springs both relatively inexpensive and you WILL notice the difference

Might not hurt to bleed and change the fluid in the brakes too. Mine are very firm. Enjoyed the read too!

My bike is cold blooded as well, but it's really not too bad to deal with.  In order to avoid stalling, here is my method.

1. Full choke when starting cold - always
2. wait until the rpms get up to 3.5-4k with full choke and no throttle and let it warm up a bit while I put on my gloves and helmet
3. Adjust the choke down to where the bike is idling around 1500, and the give it some revs to make sure it doesn't die or hang with high rpms
4. Adjust the choke down one more time if needed to 1500 rpm idle and take off
5. Turn off the choke a few minutes into the ride when the bike is almost fully warm

Also make sure you have adjusted your idle speed screw properly with the engine fully warm.  The guys above already mentioned upgrading the suspension, and bleeding the brakes.  I highly recommend doing both of these.  If you are short on cash, the front suspension is the most in need of upgraded springs.  You can deal with just turning up the preload on the rear (which at 250 lbs, it should definitely be set at a high preload).

Good read!   

Nice write-up! I totally agree on all points and I've had the bike for 3 years now! BTW, your mileage seems low for highway riding. I'm usually in the 60mpg range when I ride the highway a lot. My commute is 2.2 miles one way and my avg mpg is 40-45.

Looks like you understand the GS500 pretty well

Good review. On your issue of suspension bottoming out my remedy was to change the fork oil from 10w to 15w and made fork spacers, see link from gstwin member marc http://www.gstwin.com/making_fork_spacers.htm.
I hope this helps it will make the world of difference.

Nice to see what other people think, i'm probably getting in the same MPG range as you, but im a bit throttle happy out here in the boondocks.

Good, solid, objective review FT.

With as little as a pair of progressive front springs this bike will keep a newbie happy for years if they understand what they are getting into. (too many don't)

If you get a power itch after LOTS OF STOCK RIDING, think about throwing on a lunch box and fatter jets.
If you're turn happy, then sonic springs, emulators, and an R6 shock are a simpler way to perfect the suspension.

Other than that, keeping the carbs well tuned is easy, and cold starts become routine and simple. Time and experience is often more beneficial than switching machines every 3 months because there's something trivial bothering you.

Welcome FT

Welcome RT

I like the way you think Foxtrot. You answered a couple of my newbie questions as well, so thank you for that! I've heard the Kat-750 rear shock is a good upgrade for 250Ib+ riders.