That example has been seriously messed with.........is the throttle cable hanging off???

There are plenty of things making my spidey senses tingle but the first thing that jumps out at me is the MISSING VIN PLATE!!

And look at the non oem wiring running from the battery  so to hear it has electrical issues is not surprising.

This is definately one to walk away from 

Wow, I had no idea the VIN plate was missing.  Is it usually on the instrumentation?  For all those reasons, yes, I definitely think I'm going to stay away.

The 1996 owner has gotten back to me and will be sending me pics soon, so YAY.  I've decided to expand my search to a 200 mile radius around home.  It actually looks like Boston has a bunch of nice bikes for less expensive than around NYC, so I'm talking with some sellers there.  Best buy so far is a 2000 with 7k at $1200.  Just need to get some more info from him about the bike's condition.

I figure I'm going to have to rent an SUV to transport the bike, so whether the seller is on Long Island or Boston, I'm going to have to pay the $120 rental anyway.  Only difference is gas, so if I save money by buying in Boston, I guess it's worth my time.

Also in the email the seller said it should normally idle around 700-800 RPM, this is WAY off! The bike should idle near 1200 RPM. This alone shows the seller's (I'm going to be brutally honest) ignorance. If he ever had the bike idling so low for an extended period of time there could be engine damage due to oil not circulating.

Although, the VIN plate is not missing. It is on the upper frame rail, clutch side of the bike. I can see it between the handle grip and the clutch lever in the photo of the bikes left side.

Update!!  Two things:

1) Pictures of the 1996 GS500 with 4k miles are finally here:

Original


Front


Front and side


Top


Left mirror slightly damaged


Speedometer


Looking pretty good.  Seller wrote, "The one close up is the scuff on the mirror and other than that theres nothing i see thats major. I put in the odometer too so you can see the mileage."

Thoughts?  Worthy of $1500?

2) Update from the 1995 GS500 owner.

"Just got my bike started. Turns out I just needed to flush the gas out of the carbs and get some fresh gas in there. I don't need a battery. If you'd like, I can send you a video of the bike starting up with the choke and all. Let me know."

Does this make sense?  I emailed him asking for the video.  What does this say about the condition of the bike?  Still worth $1200?

Thanks, everyone!

I paid $1500 for my '96, but it had a few more bells and whistles than that (under 2k miles, emulators, new battery/tires/fluids...). Is the price firm, or could you talk him down a little bit?

Regardless, I'd go for this one over the first one you showed us. If you're new to motorcycles, you don't want a bike that definitely needs some work done, which may or may not be of the complicated sort. Better pay the "newbie fee" and go for something safer. At least that's my take on it.

If we go by pics alone, the 96 just looks better kept and worth the couple hundred more.  I'm only on my phone though, so I can't look too close over anything just yet. The 95 seller seems just a lil wishy washy, and seems to want to sell more than the 96 seller.  That tells me a lot in itself.

On a side note: I know the frame and rims were the gunmetal grey for 96, but was black a stock color for that year? ... I remember red for 96 but I'm blanking for the other color so it probably black but anyone confirm?

- Bboy

Quote from: BockinBboy on February 04, 2013, 03:21:10 PMOn a side note: I know the frame and rims were the gunmetal grey for 96, but was black a stock color for that year? ... I remember red for 96 but I'm blanking for the other color so it probably black but anyone confirm?

- Bboy

Yep. I have a black '96 that has, afaik, the original paint.

Ya I would definitely go with the 96, especially if he will start it up and ride it around for you, or let you ride it around.

Quote from: jacob92icu on February 04, 2013, 08:04:14 PM
Ya I would definitely go with the 96, especially if he will start it up and ride it around for you, or let you ride it around.

THIS

Cool.  I emailed the 1996 owner, and hope to get an answer about what his best price would be.  In the meantime, the 1995 owner sent me a video of his bike starting up.  It seems decent, but I have zero basis for comparison as a non-owner.   



Could any of you weigh in on this?  If things fall through with the 1996, would $1100 be good for the 1995, or should I save my money?  The guy seems to have been pretty truthful and helpful all throughout, so I'm wondering if I may have been overly skeptical.

Quote from: nyc_gs500e on February 04, 2013, 11:22:36 PM
Cool.  I emailed the 1996 owner, and hope to get an answer about what his best price would be.  In the meantime, the 1995 owner sent me a video of his bike starting up.  It seems decent, but I have zero basis for comparison as a non-owner.   

Could any of you weigh in on this?  If things fall through with the 1996, would $1100 be good for the 1995, or should I save my money?  The guy seems to have been pretty truthful and helpful all throughout, so I'm wondering if I may have been overly skeptical.

buy the 95. why ?

1 it's on a battery tender, so he's taking care of, or researched, a few things
2 starts up great, all the lights are working, gauges look good
3 sounds good (crap video, but sounds good besides the mic clipping)
4 the seller doesn't sound like an idiot


i'm really not a fan of integrated taillights. you, mr new rider, want all the lights you can have, spaced as far as possible apart. integrated taillights/signals make your light pattern smaller and less noticable. put the stockers or some buell blast signals on the rear ALONG WITH the integrated.

1100$ is a good price for a mildly used machine. i bought my 96 with 2900 miles ($1800) and sold it with 31000 ($1800) three years later. my only issues were with worms clogging up the vent lines on the carbs.

be careful, as gentle and forgiving as the gs is, it WILL wheelie, and CAN power slide the rear end in the wet.

pace yourself and stay alive.

enjoy the ride

I'd googled the 1995 owner (the one in the video) and learned he's a mechanical engineer, so I thought he'd be a good bike caretaker, which was why I kinda was giving him the benefit of the doubt.  I tabulated the amount I'd pay for all the difference between the bikes and came up with this:
$50 for 1 year newer
$100 for 8k fewer miles
$25 for gunmetal frame and rims
$50 for original black paint job, no rust, and mis-matching parts
$50 for not being a project bike

Total, that's $325 of better bike.  So if the 1996 owner comes back with $1400 or lower, I think I'm going to go with that.  I'm wondering though if I'm being stupid and paying more for a better bike when as a newb, I'm likely to end up dropping the bike.  Plus, I live in NYC so will have to street park the bike.  I did buy an all-weather, waterproof cover for the bike, but I'm wondering what kind of rust/aging will come out of that?  Would it make more sense to have the cheaper bike to learn on and put through those crappy conditions?  Though I really like the shiny newer toy.   

Quote from: nyc_gs500e on February 05, 2013, 06:46:05 AM
I'd googled the 1995 owner (the one in the video) and learned he's a mechanical engineer, so I thought he'd be a good bike caretaker, which was why I kinda was giving him the benefit of the doubt.  I tabulated the amount I'd pay for all the difference between the bikes and came up with this:
$50 for 1 year newer
$100 for 8k fewer miles
$25 for gunmetal frame and rims
$50 for original black paint job, no rust, and mis-matching parts
$50 for not being a project bike

Total, that's $325 of better bike.  So if the 1996 owner comes back with $1400 or lower, I think I'm going to go with that.  I'm wondering though if I'm being stupid and paying more for a better bike when as a newb, I'm likely to end up dropping the bike.  Plus, I live in NYC so will have to street park the bike.  I did buy an all-weather, waterproof cover for the bike, but I'm wondering what kind of rust/aging will come out of that?  Would it make more sense to have the cheaper bike to learn on and put through those crappy conditions?  Though I really like the shiny newer toy.   

it doesn't matter. new, old, cheap, expensive, a new rider -will- drop his / her bike. the gs will suffer very little if it's just a tip over. anything with a fairing, suffers more. WHEN you drop it, rub under the case with your hand/fingers and feel for oil/drips. no oil = ride on. if it floods (usually) shift to neutral, full throttle, and thumb the starter. after the flood is cleared, it will start normally.

asthetics are really over rated. you can't see a damned bit of it while you're grinning down the road.

enjoy whatever you buy.

Im like nyc_gs500e, about to be a new rider. Im shocked to see the gs500s go for as much as ive read everyone talk about. I got a buddy whose selling all his toys since hes about to have a kid with his girl, one being a 1992 gs500. It runs and looks great with only a little over 6000 on it, and he was selling it for $800. I lucked out that he wants to trade me for my scooter (cheap find for me to go to work last year) to give his step daughter as a gift. I have to wait about two more weeks, but by reading this chat and seeing the prices it seems i may be luckier than i thought with it. Seems to be a great deal to me the more i see you all talk about it.

Id place a photo on for you all to see and help judge, but being new and only able to get on with my phone i dont know how. Can anyone tell me how to do so?

Hey, GI Joe!  Envious of your low-priced options.  Honestly, I think it's the tri-state area.  Mad expensive here!  Looking at Boston, prices are hundreds cheaper.  Not sure where you are but enjoy that perk.   

As for posting up a picture, I use photobucket.  It's easy to upload a picture there, then I copy the link and post it in a message using the image button that spits out "[img ][ /img]" for you.  Hope that helps, and keep us posted on your experience!

Thanks ill try that later on 

My buddy just became a truck driver so im waiting for him to get back. I went to see it before he left and he had to jump it but as soon as we tried to go it died. Another friend, who knows enough about small engines, was sceptical so we disconnected the battery while it was running and she kept on purring off the alternator. So it seems the original batyery is shot. Once hes back after this weekend ill go down with the battery and ride. He says if i like it were good to trade, so i cant wait.

I live in PA just north of Philadelphia so i feel your pain on prices. I been looking since last summer for something i can afford and this seems to be my deal. Hopefully soon you luck out with a nice bike.

I would definitely go with the 95. Starts right up in the cold and everything works? Awesome for 1100. However, if you can get the 96 owner to agree to 1400 that would be the better deal. Just remember, lower miles does not always mean the better deal. With bikes this old that means it sat for a long time and could have rust in the tank, or other problems. You need to ask yourself why it has so low miles? Scared owner, or problem occurred that prevented continued use?

Happy fishing! 

When it comes down to it I like the GS over a nighthawk.  After owning a 1000 sportbike, I can tell you the GS feels like a feather.  Inertial mass of the motor (or gyroscopic force or whatever) makes a huge difference.  The SV and GS were some of the easiest bikes to toss around I have ridden.

Now if I could get my hands on a gsx-r400... mmmmm...

I dont know what it is about it, but i gotta say i like the look of the night hawk more than the gs. It must be because ive always loved harleys over sports bikes. But from what ive read here it seems the gs would be way better to learn with. Just stick on them amd see what deal you can get for em and compare the pros and cons. As my dad always says " when you buy used, theres always something kept from you and some kind of repair to be done." Dont be like me and impulse buy haha.

And heres the pics that he sent me before he left for you to take a look at



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