Any Suzuki GS owners?

[Louise]

Going to look at a GS500 tommorow morning hopefully.
The lady wants £1200 for it, but as I said cash she will accept £1000.
2002 Reg, 18k miles on the clock. Tax till April, but the MOT is due 28th Feb.
After some opinions if £1000 is a good price, and what are the main things to check for the next MOT.
I dont want to be stumped with a bike that needs ££££'s doing to it.

[Mark_petty]

good first big bike that, I did my DAS on an identical one. It went well

£1k seems a good price for an 02 plate
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[Rides: Suzuki GSF600sx]
[CBT: Passed] [Theory: Passed] [DAS: Passed]

[kat250]

Check the front engine mount just behind the exhast if its cracked or broken off totaly haggle right down.
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in the famous word of jimmy pop "would you F*ck me for blow"
In the words of banditshigh "would you blow me to f*ck"

[Squiffy_The_Wombat]

sounds an alright price to me! The usual things to check for:

Tyre wear, condition and type

Brakes, do they work as they should, will they need new pads? Stainless lines?

Forks....check they have a nice action, check the seals for any signs of leaks. Check the legs themselves for any rust, pitting or marks

Wheel bearings... is there any play in the wheels?

chain? the condition of the chain is a good indication of how the owner has looked after the bike! ie: is it tight, oiled and free of tight spots?

Check every switch, light and indicator, make sure they all work!

has it got a full service history? if not when was it last serviced
does the engine have any noises, rattles or smoke?

Have there been any mods been done? ie: end cans, touch up paint. If there has been mods made do they have the parts to take it back to stock?

Obviously if anything shows up its time to start haggling again! Also if you google motorcycle buying guy that might help. Also check out the GS forums, they are pretty helpful!
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Squiffy_The_Wombat
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines

[Ariel Badger]

It is due for a MOT in a months time, Before you commit yourself to buy pay for a MOT on it. If it passes fine, if it fails decide if the work is worth it £5 for a new flasher unit is worth it, £500 for new brakes is not. at worst you loose a couple of quid for testing early, at best you pay for an MOT and drop 25 notes but save a monkey in parts and labour.
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[veeeffarr]

I paid 700 for my 95 and miss it now it's broken, goes like greased shit up to 60ish if you know what you're doing

[hmmmnz]

i too have a gs, i cant really fault mine, i have done almost 20000 miles in the last year on it with no mech failures at all, the worst thats happen is the starter relay broke, which was £5 for another and 10mins.
pritty much bullet proof bikes,
the only thing that lets them down is the very soft suspension, but alternitives are available for very cheap,
have fun

oh if you do get it get some engine guards, they will save you lots of money if you drop it
and if you are doing long journeys you can rest your legs on them and ride it like a cruiser
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the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[R4nger]

Things to check when buying a GS500 second hand off the top of my head are:

Check that the front engine mount is not seized. If they allow you, it is worth trying. Many engines have to be cut off the frame because the bolt will not budge.

Check the petrol tank for signs of rust, that means inside aswell so take a torch. This is a common fault and this shows up as bubbled paint usually.

Check the front sprocket to check if the output shaft is not worn, should be okay at these sort of miles but check anyway.

Check the gear linkage. Make sure it is connected to the gear selector shaft so tight that it does not move. It is a major problem on these bikes. The output shaft splines get worn away because the gear selector is not tightened up.

The standard GS500 exhaust system is made from hard cheese. It usually rusts within 20,000 miles if it is ridden through the year. Check where the two front pipes from the engine meet the single exhaust just under the engine. This is where it usually rots away.

Because a GS500 is a "learner" bike for most people just after there test, be sure to check for crash damage. That includes bent handlebars, poorly moving throttle grip, no bar ends, rashed up levers, rashed up body work, pegs, exhaust; dented tank.
Check the suspension. GS's tend to be abused in this area.

If I was you, I would take a checklist with you with all the "common" bike checks and the spefic GS500 checks.

[Method]

Theres a lot of GS5 owners on here.

Mine is a '94 model and its done ~50k miles.

Things to check are the front engine mount, the exhaust header bolts and the exhaust.

To me they are the three main things. After that its the usual brakes, tyres, lights etc, normal stuff.

Head over to www.bikersgrove.co.uk i think it is, which is where the GS500e.co.uk boys have gone to now. Failing that, there is GStwins.com which is also a very very usefull site

Plenty of people there to help you out, and here.

£1k sounds like a fair price for a newer model with low milage
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CBT Aug '03 ... Gilera GSM 50 ... Honda NSR 125 Aug '04 ...
Full Test Dec 04... Suzuki GS500 Jan 05... Suzuki SV650 Mar 07... Gixxer 6 K5 May 08... Oh and my 'Rado
My Bikepics.com - No Brakes, No Gears... No Fear.

[Louise]

Well, I got an Email from the lady saying she sold the bike for the 1200 asking price. But thanks for the info.
How ever, I do have a new baby 'R' reg GSF600 bandit in black, 13k miles - She asked for 1300 - I paid £990 with bulk chain included.
Felt weird riding it home as I went to Brighton to grab it.
Very happy, looks nice and clean. Will get some photos tommorow

[Pte1643]

[TheDonUK]

I picked up a GS500 a year and a bit back, paid £250, it lasted me a year, and took alot of abuse...

My current bike is a Bandit 600 N (Red) and they are very different bikes. The bandit being a IL4 is far more revvy, it makes little power under 7k, but enough for riding smoothly in traffic if you want to... From 7k to 12k you get a rush. The GS being a twin is far more grunty, and although you do need to work the gears on it, you can be far more relaxed.

For couriering and city riding the GS would likely be easier. The bandit needs a thrashing to get the best out of it. But it is much quicker when ridden hard.

[Method]

[hmmmnz]

method, is your gs still alive???
it had seen cleaner days last time i saw the old girl
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[TheDonUK]

Yea i dident really make it clear... When i brought the GS it had many many miles, it was a bad example... but even then it lasted a year... so if you get a nice one... it will go and go...

[Method]

[veeeffarr]

[Method]

[hmmmnz]

ummm, well i got the gsx front end on, but that was a while ago, i changed back to stock jetting and air box as i was using far too much gas that any 500 has any right to use,
got some better nissin calipers for the front,
thats about it really, its looks and sounds like a big enduro when you follow it as ive moved the number plate right under the bike (no speed cameras can get me now )
https://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/PICT0371Small.jpg
but i have just bough a zxr750 with 18000 mile on the clock in mint condition that im gunna street fight
https://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/IMG_0202Small.jpg
i just put a lift kit on it which makes it a bit more rideable for my height,
just waiting for bar risers and bars to turn up before i start the first stage of the streetfight
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches