gs500e

[marc_yorks]

hi,i think my next bike will be a suzuki gs500e
after talking to people in the know they reccomended this one for me.
does anyone know the 0-60 and top speed of a standard one of these?
thanks

[Robchester]

0-60 about 5.4 i think
Top speed anything between 105 and 115.

[Keen]

I've been tempted myself- I need some cheap and reliable transportation when I get back in May. Also I think the one's in gsxr-style blue and white actually look pretty good:

[Robchester]

the latest ones are out of proportion. Ive just bought a fairing for mine as im sick of the wind at 80 on the motorway but the naked looks are great..

[Keen]

oh yeah the factory fairing on the new ones sucks, I mean like the 2002 models, black/silver or blue/white. Would do nicely just to get me around this summer, cos I don't think I can afford the sv650 I was planning on

[1cyl]

[mr.z]

I got a go on one when i did my DAS along with a kawasaki ER-5 and a CB500,

the cb was ok, so easy to ride, i was planing on getting one for aaaages but eventually got my beastly cx.

The ER-5 (which i spent most time on + did my test on) felt/seemed biger and heavyer which personally i preferred, still easy to ride, scarily fast (bear in mind i'd ben riding a cg125 for a year before siting on one) the build quality seemed excellent compared to the cb and gs

The gs, more or less the same as the cg really, bit smaller and a bit lighter (might not be but seemed that way)

out of the three i'd have

ER-5
Cb500
Gs500

Thats just my opinion from having ridden them for a day each (ish) the er-5 felt solid. don't know what they are like to live with..

Another one to consider is the bandit 600 and gpz500 as well, but it depends on your priorities really...

Oh and 0-60 time i dont personaly think are much use, you will probably spend more time accelerateing from 30-40 or 30-70 or on dual carrageways from 60 to whatever.

[Robby]

vx800 is better.

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2469662468&category=9808

[Kris]

Anyone else think that the naked GS500 up there ^^ looks as if it's got mismatched tank and fairing panels?

I had the ER-5 as a courtesy bike for a week and liked it quite a bit. Okay it's nothing sporty but would crack a ton down the country lanes no probs and was a good town bike ....

....up until the point it broke down and refused to start
____________________
NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[marc_yorks]

well,i dont know but a respected bike mechanic told me to go for a gs because the suzuki engine is bullet proof,who knows!

[marc_yorks]

ideally ive always wanted an africa twin 750,he told me it would be too powerful for a first big bike and go for a 500,i thought africa twins wouldnt be crazy quick|?

[mr.z]

Bah, double post

[mr.z]

Africa twins are "adventure" bikes which means they should (in theory) do everything, as long as you don't mind the high up ridding position they are fine (but you get a VERY good view of the road ahead), they are also exelent for distance rideing and comfortable for all day rideing if you ever want to, dont bother takeing it off road though ..
To be honest any bike bigger than a 125 is going to be powerful, the africa twin wont be more more difficult to ride than a gs, they are both laid back bikes, by that i mean there are not as many sudden power rushes to catch you out and send you in the direction of the nearest ditch..
Thing is if you are a responsible rider you should be fine, a big peaky sports bike will catch you out but a laid back big trials or commuter will be fine.. the vast majority of bike engines (serviced properly) are good, the cb500 is the standard learner school bike, and if it can cope with the daily abuse they get they are priiiity relyable.
I went from a 100kg 11bhp bike straight up to a 230kg 50bhp bike (yes its lardy) for saying i'm 5"8 the first thing my mate said was "that bike is WAY too big for you" we went straight from the shop to matlock bath and by then i was 70% used to the bike and extra power. Now it feels realy light to me...

Looking at the prices of the gs you can get allot more for you're money i'm afraid, out of the bikes i did my das on the build quality wasn't close to the honda or kawasaki imo..

[marc_yorks]

[swaffs]

I think you could do with a nice ER5.

Oh I've got one for sale.........


https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=23553

Just what you need.

[marc_yorks]

[swaffs]

ummm..
can't think what I'd do with it.
I need the cash too put back on the credit card as someone has let me down buying it.
I brought the CBR on the promise he was going to buy it. !!!!

[mr.z]

Sorry didn't mean to sound patronizing, its just that some people buy R1's and then are supprised when it launches them into a tree when they crack the throttle open while being a little careless, even my bike can outperform most average cars on the road.
personally i'd be more nervous ridding a gs/cb/er 500 than a 750cc big trials..
The bike has a immense road presence, you can see 4/5/6 car lengths infront and they can see you, you can ride from london to iceland then stop by germany before comeing home and all you will need is to oil your chain and maybe a change of tyres..
My das instructor had just got one that day he seemed VERY happy with it
I'd love to have one myself but its a bit above my price bracket, either that or a GS1150 bmw (i think thats it anyway) but despite being 22 i am closer to the boring old fart school of biking, i like my bike cheep and ready to go anywhere you want it to with the minimum fuss.


Edit: That er-5 is a good price, veeeeery nice

[marc_yorks]

[mr.z]

Unless you are really unlucky and get a complete lemmon i'd be very supprised if you dont love whatever you get

bike>cars simple as (performance/fun wise at least)

when i was on my das geting on a 500 for the first time and belting down the a52 @70 i was absoloutely loveing it dispite the strong wind that day trying to seperate my body and head it was flipin ace, 99% of bikes will do the same, you won't be dissapointed the speed sensation is allot more obvious when you can see so much floor

Funny thing is the two other guys doing the das were both going to buy R1s the day they pass, the instructor had to get quite ratty with them to get them to keep up even on 60 roads, they were also on "slow boreing" er-5's made me larf really..

[marc_yorks]

[chunkielad]

I've had the old GS500 for over a year now - not bored - lots of fun, takes a good battering and doesn't die - build like a brick out house and can be modded lots - new shocks, fairings, etc....
____________________
Mark Harrison R.I.P - 26th March 2003.
Remember you always and will ride in your honour.
Big revvs up for Mark!

[RickHolt]

What's the GS500 like when restricted to 33bhp? It's one of the bikes I'm looking at getting when I pass my test and want to know how it will compare to your average boy racers.

Rick

[RickHolt]

Would a derestricted NSR125 beat the GS500 for acceleration and/or top end speed?

[carvell]