An auto-translated report out of Spain detailing last day of Suzuki motorcycle production in the country. And that's the end of the line for the GS500.
RTPA, 03.27.2013 15:16 h   
ASTURIAS | INDUSTRY
Suzuki produces its last bike and the chain of production

"The Suzuki motorcycle factory has stopped this afternoon its production chain and that is, to 12.00 has made the last moto of the Japanese company. The announced date of closure of the factory was Sunday but the output of most of the template that will be dismissed, a total of 169 - will this afternoon.

At 12.00 noon was assembled the last of the bikes, a Burgman 125. According to the management, the employees have worked normally and responsibility today, although the day is full of emotions, and have brought forward the last 53 Suzuki motorcycles manufactured in Asturias.

A small group of workers will stay this Easter doing repairs and another 25 remain two months to gracefully shut down the assembly line.

The factory machinery has already started to sell and deliver to start from March 31, the official date of closing. It is also the ship sale and land but not yet new owner.

In installations continue thirty workers responsible for the marketing of Suzuki motorcycles in Spain. It will be the only thing left of the iconic motorcycle factory in Gijon born in the fifties."

I guess it's hasta la vista time.

Now Hyosung will buy all the tooling and really make a GS500 clone

Quote from: crzydood17 on March 27, 2013, 08:16:38 AM
Now Hyosung will buy all the tooling and really make a GS500 clone

Ha ha ha.... Don't they already have a clone though?

Pretty much.   

http://www.hyosungmotorsusa.com/new_product/introduction.asp?Cat=StreetBike&model=GT650&year=2013

Quote from: crzydood17 on March 27, 2013, 08:16:38 AM
Now Hyosung will buy all the tooling and really make a GS500 clone

ahhhh, so many people will finally get their wish of the gs500 tooling:

strong frame
ergos that don't suck
a center stand
cheap, long wearing tire sizes
good handling
good lighting
good fuel milage
dead simple repairs



mixed with modern hyosung tech:
FUEL INJECTION definitely
maybe and updated fairing ? who cares






I've had very very good results with hyosung so far. the mixture of suzuki and honda parts in "cheap" abundance is fun to ride.

it would be awefully cool to have the last gs produced.

Mmmmm, looks like you USA boys must be getting your Hyosungs from a different Hyosung to us Skippies.

Few pics up on Yahoo of last day at Suzuki motorcycle factory, Spain. The pictures reveal how tough a day it was for the workers...

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/photos/handout-photo-factory-workers-posing-last-motorcycle-manufactured-photo-210215474.html

http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/photos/factory-worker-suzuki-motor-spain-reacts-she-leaves-photo-183302719.html

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/photos/factory-worker-suzuki-motor-spain-cries-leaves-company-photo-182119931.html

I can sympathize with these people.

You get a strong sense of camaraderie with the people you work with, especially in a factory.

Been there. Sad day indeed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A lot of the same when Honda stopped producing motorcycles at the Marysville, Oh plant. Honda did reassign workers to the auto plants there. Nonetheless, there's always a strong attachment to a workplace especailly one like that. The yearly Honda rally there in Marysville would have spectators 10 deep at the curb for the motorcycle parade that started at the plant and ran through town. It was a great event. But all of these companies have cut back in one way or another.

Australia has seen the dumping of the end of the Spanish GS500 production onto the local market at amazing around the $6k level prices . And now over in Colombia the GS500 is suddenly back on the market - seems to have a black or a red paint option.

http://www.suzuki.com.co/motocicletas/gs-500-377

Quote from: noworries on March 29, 2013, 09:53:18 AM
Australia has seen the dumping of the end of the Spanish GS500 production onto the local market at amazing around the $6k level prices . And now over in Colombia the GS500 is suddenly back on the market - seems to have a black or a red paint option.

http://www.suzuki.com.co/motocicletas/gs-500-377

That's about $8k in US dollars.  Rather pricey seeing it is at SV650 price.  Honestly not much enthuses me in the Suzuki line except for a gsxr600 -which by the way is now insanely priced.

6k in Skippy dollars is pretty amazing for us punters down here in the Land of Oz. You'd need a few bucks more for the 650 if you were out shopping in the Australian market. And, just a polite mention, ya'd better check yer exchange rate app if yer planning a trip outside of the good 'ol USA and coming down to Paradise anytime real soon

What sort of surprised was seeing the Colombian GS500 with the red colour scheme. Where has that come from? End of the Spanish line, let's use up those tins of red we used on the scooters time? Or Colombian assembled bike with a different colour charts on board? Haven't got the foggiest. Except the bike in the SA brochure seems to have the Spanish fork doodadhs.

I guess my Spanish made GS just went up in value by about 69%.

mmmmmm, maybe all is not done. Squirrelling around on the net for a while today brings hints that the GS500 has just returned to the Colombian market and is this year being assembled by the big Colombian outfit AUTECO. They assemble Pulsar, Kawasaki, Kymco, and KTM bikes for their local market and for South American export destinations. Now it seems that they have a GS500 line. One SAm posters advises that 2013 production will be sold in Colombia and in following years AUTECO will export the GS500 SAm wide.
Could all be "use up the Spanish parts bin stuff" or could be a new lease of life on the bike.
If the GS500 engine is still on Suzuki's Japanese motor factory line, every unit would likely be almost pure profit for them after all these years.

And the last days at Suzuki motorcycles in Spain continue to get reportage. The human side of Suzuki's decision comes through strongly in these last reports. Sad hearts in Gijon, happy new-work-opportunity faces, no doubt, in Thailand.  Suzuki marketing will probably still expect Spaniards to buy the odd Burgman scooter or two in the future.

Autotranslate from La Nueva Espana

"M. CASTRO Suzuki finally stopped yesterday the production of its factory in Porceyo. The last bike was made last Wednesday, but on Thursday and yesterday were conducting "reparations" in a thousand bikes, to which were placing plastic parts and making arrangements in the paint. Yesterday were 43 workers who went to the factory. A bitter Easter to all. Today, Sunday, officially ceased production in the factory, but in fact the last day that was yesterday production tasks. A chain that closure adds also the disastrous impact is already known in at least two other auxiliary enterprises.


"We were repairing thousand bikes in three days, between Holy Thursday, Good Friday and today (yesterday). And we did a bad mood. People had thought to end on Wednesday. These days came only a part of the workforce and morale at rock bottom, "says Alberto Fernandez looking back, leaving fifteen years of his life on the assembly line of the factory Gijon.


Luis Alvarez Bellarmine Roza, assembly team leader and worker Suzuki for the past sixteen years, ten of them in contracts, express their feelings after signing yesterday for the last time, in the factory, "I had already taken, but we take wrong. We spent many years working here. Now I'm staying on the dole when I have a child, and seeing the big picture out there ... but he touches now is fight and hope to improve this. "


Other, more veterans like Carlos Escobar, who spent 34 years on the assembly line of Suzuki, is more succinct: "It's a somewhat bitter situation", says while other students leave the factory in their cars honking and popping firecrackers as those used in the demonstrations and protests during the negotiations with the company of social conditions for closing.


For Jesus Alvarez, worker quality department of the factory, which spent thirty-six, the day yesterday was "a little sad, after so many years in the company, but the issue is more delicate for people young, when we thought the future would be better. We did not expect what happened. It reminds me of what happened with Tabacalera, because in both cases was talking for years of investment and company projects both finished and marching. "


Many years are also leaves behind Raquel Novoa, who spent 36 years of his working life in Suzuki. Yesterday he went to "a lot of memories and experiences of many companies that always behaved well with us, but the latter, you see ... I never thought this was going to go from here. I went when the factory was Puch-Abello, also decided to leave, but they at least sought an investor and Suzuki reached. The Austrians sought an investor, but they did not put any interest. " This worker recalled that Suzuki closure not only affects the production staff of the company itself, but ancillary industries for years have been affected by the transfer of production to other plants Gijón. "Six years ago were carried spares Germany hitherto made in Gijón," he recalled.


Those who left the factory yesterday were the last workers who performed tasks Suzuki production, but there will still be in factory activity Porceyo until next May 31 to dismantle the assembly line and sell machinery, other companies are expected to group, after that there appeared no investor interested in purchasing the factory Gijon to relocate the 170 dismissed workers. Of these, 141 are left in the streets from today. Another 29 workers still remain in production of the Japanese multinational payroll until May 31, when it is expected to conclude the tasks of dismantling facilities multinational task beginning Monday morning.


Beginning June 1, the only ones who remain in the company's 31 workers Gijón are responsible for business tasks, after sales and customer service, to serve those who purchase motorcycles that Suzuki will import its Asian factories including the new 'Burgman' made in Thailand, which is where the Japanese multinational shifts production of Gijón."

It's not all gold stars though for the production team. Industrial relations at the Gijon factory has been apparently pretty poor. Stories circulating again of the strikes that occurred in the past over unusual issues such as the availability of wine in the factory lunch-room.

Quote from: pliskin on March 29, 2013, 06:47:52 PM
I guess my Spanish made GS just went up in value by about 69%.