Hi I'm new to this forum, so forgive me for making posting mistakes...

I was a heavy dirt bike rider, but am now looking to retire as all of my friends have quit riding, I am going to a 4 year university, and every time I even look at my dirt bike it eats my money. I am thinking about selling it and buying a Suzuki gs500e. A Suzuki SV650s would be my realistic dream bike, but as a college student with limited funds, high insurance, and virtually no enclosed storage for a motorcycle I figure a gs500e will fix my adrenaline needs for a couple of years. The gs500 is also super cheap where I live. I really prefer the naked bikes or the "e" model because of the f model's half a$$ looks and the associated problems with fairings and new riders. The issue is that the naked version of this bike was discontinued in 2002, so most of the naked versions were made in the 90s with a few exceptions of custom converted 2004-2009 models.

Here are my questions. I found a 1994 gs with 6000 miles on it for around $1700. I will definitely have to get more details from the seller and that price is too high, but what kind of problems should I expect from a bike that old? I would assume that the carburetors can gunk up, and some of the rubber around seals and lines make have dry rotted, but would there be any other problems? The bike appears to be in good shape. Another bike I have seen is a 2006 gs500f that has a legit conversion to a gs500e using OEM suzuki parts. It is listed for $2200. I am not as crazy about the paint on it and the price is a bit more than what I want to spend on a bike like this, but it looks like a safer route.

I've found that it doesn't really matter how old a bike is, so long as someone kept riding it.  Even a relatively new bike, if it's not ridden and just sits in a field for 3-4 years is going to have more problems than a 15 year old bike that is ridden on a regular or occasional basis.  Unless I got a killer price, I don't think I'd ever buy a bike that wasn't in good running condition.  True, it could just be old gas, or gunked up carbs, but you never know.

And welcome to the forum, btw.  Definitely lots of good info here.   

I agree... well said.  I bought my '98 for $1000 with 13,000 miles on it and it has treated me great for the past 3 years I've owned it.  It also never gave the PO any trouble (she's a long time friend of the fam, not just some random seller that fed me BS)

PLUS, these bikes are easy to work on and this forum rocks when it comes to questions, answers, help and experiences.

Good luck and welcome to the forum    Let us know what ya get!!!

Quote from: 007brendan on May 07, 2015, 10:41:49 PM
I've found that it doesn't really matter how old a bike is, so long as someone kept riding it.  Even a relatively new bike, if it's not ridden and just sits in a field for 3-4 years is going to have more problems than a 15 year old bike that is ridden on a regular or occasional basis.  Unless I got a killer price, I don't think I'd ever buy a bike that wasn't in good running condition.  True, it could just be old gas, or gunked up carbs, but you never know.

Very true 

Thanks for the replies. This is all really good information. Let me ask, how much does insurance cost on a gs500 and how hard are parts to find?

"the f model's half a$$ looks"

Parts are pretty darn easy to find, new or used! Between here, sites like motosport.com, eBay and other places (I am sure other ppl will comment and add to the list of sites to get parts), you can find almost anything for any year GS. 

For full coverage on my GS I pay $30.16 a month... now I don't know how that compares to everybody else but I am happy with it!

Showbiz is correct about the parts - they are everywhere. The 500 remained pretty unchanged thru its production run from 89 on, so there are plenty of parts floating around. There were some changes with carbs, body parts, etc with the F model so it doesn't hurt to ask if something is compatible though. Heck, I have sent out a good number of GS500 parts and I don't even own a GS500. Ha!

Since it was never classified as a sportbike, the insurance is generally cheaper than what you think. On the other hand.... insurance companies don't value the bike itself very high, so a small bit of damage and they may say it's a total loss.

Quote from: ShowBizWolf on May 08, 2015, 01:43:32 PM
For full coverage on my GS I pay $30.16 a month... now I don't know how that compares to everybody else but I am happy with it!

That's about $360 a year!  Shop around!  I pay $189 a year. That's full coverage including gear replacement and I live in New York. And my bike is a '97.

Don't do the insurance comparison unless your posting deceleration pages of th e policy. Full coverage in one state isn't the same for other states. Liability, hn and under insured limits. Comprehensive and collision as well as deductible. Then you get into crime areas, and.personal credit history as well as driving record and claims history. There's too many variables to think someone is overpaying without digging in.

OP where do you live? values on bikes also vary depending on location.

Age of rider too!