Hi, Ill try to keep this short. So i purchased a second hand 2005 GS500, turns out its been imported. i'm at the stage where i would like to do some things to the bike to enhance it a bit, but iv been told some imported bikes require you to get the parts from the bikes place of origin which can be difficult and/or costly, but iv also read that some bikes don't. Are parts for the gs500 the same for all regions, or do some regions have different parts that won't quite fit a gs from another region?
thanks.

The only thing that comes to mind is that there might be restrictors on the carb intake boots, but that parts are almost entirely exchangable between bikes, there are slight diferences between years.

Thanks X-ray for your quick reply. i really hope you're right because i'm not even sure how to find out where the bike was imported from. If you do come up with any incompatibilities other than the year models please let me know.

Carb jetting can be different... I know here in Australia we tend to get slightly richer jets and the needles are adjustable whereas in the US they seem to be a little leaner and the needles only have one notch.

The other key item is the headlight. They're designed for either left hand or right hand roads, so you need to make sure the beam is focused correctly for the side of the road you are on.

I can't buy headlights from the US as they are focused on oncoming traffic over here...

Check as much as possible cos some parts(headlight,sidestand.etc) from different country's are different.

Quote from: peteGS on May 03, 2015, 01:11:04 PM
Carb jetting can be different... I know here in Australia we tend to get slightly richer jets and the needles are adjustable whereas in the US they seem to be a little leaner and the needles only have one notch.

The other key item is the headlight. They're designed for either left hand or right hand roads, so you need to make sure the beam is focused correctly for the side of the road you are on.

I can't buy headlights from the US as they are focused on oncoming traffic over here...

Thanks for your answer Pete, Im also in Australia. That's very interesting and i'm glad a you mentioned these variations as i had No clue about the headlight variations you just mentioned. My question was more for the purpose as to whether or not parts from other regions would fit the bike.
like i said i live in Aus, after i purchased the bike i found out it was imported, i cant figure out where from, from the VIN. I was more wondering if all the parts we have for the "Australian" gs500's would fit, or if im going to have to figure out where the bike is from and import parts from that country. thanks

Quote from: fetor56 on May 03, 2015, 03:18:47 PM
Check as much as possible cos some parts(headlight,sidestand.etc) from different country's are different.

Thanks for the tip fetor, well so far we know not to buy US headlights and carbs

Thanks for the tip fetor, well so far we know not to buy US headlights and carbs
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And side-stands,as their much too short & lean the bike at a silly angle...........i learnt that the hard way. 

Toad, I don't think you would have any problems other than what was mentioned by Pete and Fetor (although I am surprised to hear about the kick stand being different).

But if you find a part that needs replaced, it doesn't hurt to ask here either.

Some parts are different, but they are all interchangeable as far as I know.

Most non-us bikes have a "flash to pass" sort of button on the hand controls. If you put those on a US bike, you can wire that button to do something else cool, like activate an accessory.

Miles vs Kilometers on the odometer/speedometer.

California models have some extra emissions crap; something similar might show up in other countries.

Some European models have restrictors if they were sold to someone who didn't have a license to operate a 500cc bike.

Some non-us E models had pre-load adjusters on top of the forks. I think this was only during the E model years (89-00), but I could be wrong.

There were many different angles and heights of clip ons that were sold around the world. In the US, clip-ons were only on the '89 model.

thanks heaps for all your help guys, ever since i found out it was imported i had regretted buying it because i was under the impression that it was a time bomb waiting for a part to break that would cost more $$ to import and replace than it was worth. But now that we have established that the parts are pretty much universal, my gs500 is pretty much just like any other gs500 in Aus, except it had a bit of a boat ride, and a weird vin. by the way does anyone know where the vin starting with "VTTB" is from?

The single coil ignition pick-up which appeared in the US starting with the 04 F models was first used on the 98 models in France.  A good example of differences in various countries to meet polution regulations.  The 2nd air system appeared on 04-06 California models only here in the US and then on models for all states after that.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/CountryorAreaSymbols_zpsd81b1eaa.jpg

Maybe you can find the area code on the bike or paperwork somewhere.

Quote from: Big Rich on May 03, 2015, 07:38:09 PM
Toad, I don't think you would have any problems other than what was mentioned by Pete and Fetor (although I am surprised to hear about the kick stand being different).

But if you find a part that needs replaced, it doesn't hurt to ask here either.

So ppl won't get caught....US left,Oz right.

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Look for the E code, it might be on the VIN plate or on a separate sticker around the headstock. If yours is a genuine Aus` spec it will state E-24.

E-00 Japan (domestic home market) 

E-01  General (general export) 
E-02  England (UK) 
E-03  USA (America) except California
E-04  France
E-06  South Africa
E-15  Finland
E-16  Norway
E-17  Sweden
E-18  Switzerland
E-19  EU (European Union)
E-21  Belgium
E-22  Germany (former West-Germany) 
E-24  Australia
E-25  Netherlands (Holland) 
E-28  Canada
E-33  California
E-34  Italy
E-39  Austria
E-53  Spain
P-37  Brazil