Quote from: gregjet on May 23, 2018, 01:21:46 PM
Always be careful of absolute advice. Sometimes the absence of the necessary qualifiers make the message less useful.
Interesting you use the middle 3. If it works , it's yours. If you need to move to 2 you probably will, if not it isn't a sin.

NOW braking in turns. This one is tricky. Again I strongly recommend reading/viewing the Twist stuff and a quality track instruction session or two. There are times you can use brakes front, rear, or front AND rear around corners, and there are times it is insane. You need to learn the difference. Experience and good learning is the difference. Remember a motorcycle handling is primarily about maintaing or controlling traction. It all comes down to that. Lots of factors.
MotoGP riders , in the main, though not all, use brakes in corners . Even coming out of corners to control accelleration , though that isn't going to be something the GS500 have trouble with eexcept in marginal grip situations ( see ....qualifiers).

Hey, I'm unique! Yay!

Ok, excellent reply, thank you! Well I'll start with the videos and the reading, and go from there. I'd love to do a track instruction day, I'll have to find out about that in my area. And awesome! I'll just try to edumacate myself as much as possible before I do anything wild in the curvies.

And the GS500 continues to be lauded for excellent handlin!  Is that something the bike is "good" at, or is the handling on it genuinely really really good? I'm curious because people keep saying it's one of the best rides they've had, and yet I feel like outside of the Suzuki community, this bike is unknown. No one recognizes it on the street when I ride.

And does that maneuverability extend to the SV650 as well?

I think the biggest praise of the GSs handling, and much of the bike in general, is that it's surprising for what you pay.

I remember my GS being a pretty good feeling bike.  I think Suzuki simply "got it right".
It is notoriously undersprung, but other than that I think the chassis and riding geometry was well done.

It's not the best out there, and far from today's standards, but still an excellent machine.

Re: the SV, it's one of the most popular track bikes out there, partly for it's affordability, but due in no small part to it's manageable engine characteristics and decent handling.

After sorting out the frontend somewhat, below 80, I feel it handles better than my 06 GSXR600. Just feels lighter, flickable, stable.