I just don't get it! It cost me $750 nearly two years ago. I haven't done a thing to it since I got it besides adding mirrors... (punish me as you wish... no oil changes, no filter replacements,  etc..)

Last winter it was privileged enough to spend the coldest times in a basement, next to a big Sportster XL.

This year.. not so lucky. It's been  COLD here in southwest CT this winter.. and the bikes been outside, only recently getting a tarp over it. Air temperature dipped down below 0 quite a few times, and daytime highs have barely been above freezing.

And yet.. I can still go outside and start the damned thing. Relatively easy, too. Same battery from when I bought it, no trickle charger, no fuel stabilizer, no NOTHING.. ignition on, choke on, and it starts right up!

If this isn't a testament to  Japanese engineering.... I don't know what is

i have to agree. ive owned 6 gs' one twice lol. none have been undependable. even the parts bike with teh jardine, started with ease. a few times had to boost it with non running car, or riding mower ( OLD ) battery. but they all ran. couldnt complain.
Aaron

Yes, there's a lot to be said for well engineered SIMPLE mechanisms eh?

mine musta just been built on a friday...

If you don't mess with the zorst, don't mess with the jets, don't mess with the air filter, don't faff with the 'lectrickery, then yeah, it is a pretty damn reliable machine - 'tis simple and forgiving, as long as you respect it's limits. Built to a price (CHEAP) so stuff breaks but hey, they just keep going and going and going....
(get a gel battery tho' 'cos the charging system is way naff, and upgrade the rear shock too of course)

yes simple things like that, and heck ask gsjack, hes went over a hundred thousand miles? on a gs. i think this hearkens back to when suzuki made sewing machines. or machinery ertc, im sure it was well made and most is prolly still operational lol. like our beloved gs'
Aaron

Its pretty good but they could have made it better, mostly from an ease of repair and limiting the damage when it does blow.
I've owned 17 of these, and they run the gamut of great to OK to below par.
There was a 95 I bought in 2005 and still own but has had the frame scratched up and powdercoated etc which had a near perfect looking frame - like no rust nothing on it.
However I have owned a 97 or 98 turkey (the charcoal grey frame) that rusted everywhere right in front of my eyes.
My second GS, a 90 one I bought in 98 with 900 miles had a ton of power but also rusty as hell, se7nty7's 89 that I did a 04 fairing job on also had a good bit of power, and Tarzan boy who bought it from him also had that impression on that one. It had held up very very well to the elements too inspite of having goats X 3 (this was back in the day when we didn't know enough about goats to let it "relapse".
These bikes rarely ever are total crap. Great ones - you got to hold on to. They're rare too.
Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: The Buddha on January 20, 2018, 07:07:52 AM
Great ones - you got to hold on to. They're rare too.

I wonder how you can tell? You mean mechanically great engines (more power etc.)?

Or you mean the whole bike is somehow magical ... ?

Is this a sum of the parts thing?

Most reliable? Maybe the engine and frame is reliable but because of every other part bolted to it I would put the GS500 in the bottom 50% of motorcycle reliability. Especially if you are including modern motorcycles in the comparison.

Quote from: mr72 on January 23, 2018, 06:35:04 AM

Quote from: The Buddha on January 20, 2018, 07:07:52 AM
Great ones - you got to hold on to. They're rare too.

I wonder how you can tell? You mean mechanically great engines (more power etc.)?

Or you mean the whole bike is somehow magical ... ?

Is this a sum of the parts thing?

LOL, I dunno, there have been 30 or so of these I knew very very well, I was the mechanic or owned them.

The frame and cosmetics for 2-3 held up extremely well, and a couple more were very very close. In this regard a 97 I worked on takes the cake, 2 more ran up close (se7nty7 and jetswings)

There are 2 engines that were outstanding and a couple more than were close. Sadly one of them was in a frame that was crap.

A good engine and great frame or vice versa - IMHO se7nty7's and Jetswing (which I now own) come to mind. I should have left its frame alone, instead I mocked up all the case guards, the fairing carriers etc etc on it and ruined the frame, then powdercoated it back to better than original.

Too bad the best motor IMHO was in the 90 (my 2nd GS and 7th bike overall) was in a very very crappy frame.

Cool.
Buddha.

I am the new owner of a 2006 GS500 naked motorcycle. I have traded a Royal Enfield on this GS and could not be happier. I live in Australia where the weather is always good and rust is no problem here. I have found this GS to be totally reliable and good to ride around. At 65 years old and coming off a Royal Enfield 350 single cylinder I am having trouble getting used to the power of the GS500. I am hoping that as I ride it more I will get used to this motorcycle. If you want a motorcycle that only does at top speed 55 miles per hour is totally un-reliable and hard to get parts for then buy an Indian made Royal Enfield motorcycle. These things are real crap. I am just so happy to be on a reliable electric start motorcycle again.

What are "goats", I have seen this reference on this forum and wondered what it was.

Catch you all later

Bob

Bob, "goats" refers to the magnets in the stator falling apart.  Named after a forum member so the legend goes.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=58618.0

Rest of you guys - what are you referring to about frame problems?  As in things getting twisted and cracking, or just cosmetic paint flakes?

Quote from: Endopotential on January 23, 2018, 11:50:28 PM
Bob, "goats" refers to the magnets in the stator falling apart.  Named after a forum member so the legend goes.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=58618.0

Rest of you guys - what are you referring to about frame problems?  As in things getting twisted and cracking, or just cosmetic paint flakes?

Yea cosmetic crap, sheite that seems to rust through the paint - no need to even flake the paint off, it will rust with paint still sitting on it.
Cool.
Buddha.

Just remember that nearly all of the GS500s out there are at least 10 years old now, and half of them are 20 years old or more. Pretty tough to compare them with new motorcycles.

The other thing is that GS500s, along with a lot of other smaller-displacement bikes out there, tend to be more prone to abuse and neglect because they are more frequently owned by beginners and younger people, and experienced motorcyclists (and therefore more responsible owners) plus older riders who have more money to spend tend to sell them and trade up for bigger, newer or otherwise more expensive motorcycles.

I kind of think the GS500 is kind of like the Civic Si of motorcycles. Cheap fun that tolerates a ton of abuse and remains moderately reliable.

So a Ducati Monster of the same age and mileage as my GS500 may be in better condition, may be more expensive to buy, etc., but that's not because it's inherently a better or higher quality thing. It's because the owners of Ducatis tend to take much better care of their bikes than do GS500 owners.

IMHO...

now... I would have to think the GS500 is not nearly the most reliable bike in the world. I would think a water cooled Honda probably qualifies. Or maybe a BMW. In fact, my own GS500 with nearly 24K miles on it now has had to have a top end rebuild and a lot of other work on it to make it reliable as it now is, but I still expect reliability on this bike to be measured in 1K mile increments. I'll be quite pleased if it runs like it does now and keeps it up for another 1000 miles without me having to do a significant repair. That's not the story of a truly reliable machine, not even close. But it is user serviceable and cheap to repair. But if I had a Ducati or Triumph or Moto-Guzzi or BMW or other Euro bike, or even a more recent Japanese motorcycle with more parts and more expensive parts, I'd be outraged if it required repair as frequently as my GS does.

I was comparing crappy maintained GSes to other crappy maintained GSes. Some held up better than others.
BTW they could have done this bike a whole world of good by not having that retarded clutch push rod running left to right across the motor, fitting belt drive and putting a 15" rear tar. Totally would have made it much much much cheaper to run per mile.
Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: The Buddha on January 24, 2018, 10:02:39 AM
I was comparing crappy maintained GSes to other crappy maintained GSes. Some held up better than others.
BTW they could have done this bike a whole world of good by not having that retarded clutch push rod running left to right across the motor, fitting belt drive and putting a 15" rear tar. Totally would have made it much much much cheaper to run per mile.
Cool.
Buddha.

Take a GS500...

Buy a grom with a busted engine.
buy a ER-6N engine.
Stuff ER-6N engine in grom.

do donuts around the crappy GS500. 

52,000 miles on my '09.   Not a problem nor care in the world...people still ask if it is "new".  I love this bike.  Garage kept...diligent routing maintenance.  Tires, oil, chain, brakes...all routine...no problemo!


Cookie

i seriously want a grom lol
Aaron

I've heard that the GS500 can be particularly hard to start in the cold, but mine is very quick to start and doesn't complain about it one bit

Definitely the most reliable bike I've ever owned.

(It's the only bike ive ever owned, meaning its also the least reliable. And the most expensive. And the least expensive. And the fastest. And the slowest. Gotta cover all the bases, or Mr72 will get me  )

Quote from: GSChesler on January 26, 2018, 12:54:56 PM
Gotta cover all the bases, or Mr72 will get me  )

LoL-

I'm kinda on the fence about whether I need another/different motorcycle so I'll be able to tell whether my GS500 is the most expensive, least reliable, etc... It's the eternal cycle of cheapskate vs. being a mid-40s professional who can afford whatever I want. One day I want a new Ducati, the next I want to keep that $10K in my pocket.

I figure one day my wife is going to come home and say something like, "hey I'm kind of tired of it looking like the pizza delivery guy left his motorcycle parked on the curb in front of our house. Maybe it's time for you to get something a little nicer looking?" And by nicer looking, meaning, more in line with our station in life. More expensive. More not-leaking-oil-flaking-paint-etc.