94 Suzuki GS500E

[justme1969]

I bought a gs 650 in the Navy when I first arrived into California.
This was the Barracks loaner bike that was basically repaired and tended when someone wanted to go but had no bike or thiers was outa commision.
I tended to only its most serious of neglects and proceeded to drive that bike all over the west coast from Vancouver to Baja and beyond.
even in dead of winter we rode doing a snow run up to Squaw valley with snow falling as we arrived. To sum this up without more nostalgia those bikes were tough and got better mileage than all but a few.

[user removed]

I took the seat and gas tank off this morning. The choke cable was frozen so I got it free with some WD40 and elbo grease. The carbs looked clean from that limited viewpoint but the left side air slide spring was broken in half, so I called my local dealership and ordered both springs, just under 11 bucks. This should get it running like new.
I just like the Japanese bikes from the 80s-90s when Japanese quality control was at it's peak. I am amazed how well it ran with a broken air slide spring, not very well but at least decent at low speeds.

regards
Mech

[beatr911]

+1 that the peak of Japanese bike durability was in the '80s mid '90s. They were made to use old tech oil, the cheap gas, are relatively simple and required just basic maintenance to keep running.

I beat a Suzuki GSX400 through hell and back across Australia in 1990 with nary a hiccup in blistering heat and heavily loaded. The Concours well exceeded 200K miles and still ran well when sold, with no signs of engine wear out.

The Japanese motorcycle engineering has definitely earned alot of respect from me. Really good stuff!

[Bruce]

Any updates? What do you think of it now that you've had it a few weeks?

[user removed]

I've put more than 400 miles on the Suzuki as of today. I think it is just right for me. This last tank was 144.6 miles on 2.344 gallons at $3.129 a gallon, cheapest Wal-Mart regular gas I can find. 61.6 MPG, I think that is right, last tank was 62.48. I'll take that over 68.5 with $2500 in my pocket versus the 2013 Ninja. The idfference in taxes and insurance is probably more than the difference in fuel cost.
Down to two bikes versus 6 when I bought the Ninja so that is a significant savings as well.
I think my auto-truck-bike inventory will be stable for a while. I rode the Suzuki 65 miles today, been raining here so much I had not had the chance to ride in a few days, but it's looking nice for the near future.

regards
Mech

[Bruce]

Thanks for the update. I know what you mean about the "right size." Every time I get a big bike I end up selling it and getting something smaller. Right now I have a DR650. It's great for exploring dirt and back roads, but I'd like to find something that's a little smoother for longer trips on the highway and I don't want anything much heavier.

BTW, does it have much torque? I know it won't match a big single, but I don't want to downshift for every curve.

Thanks,
Bruce

[beatr911]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

I think my auto-truck-bike inventory will be stable for a while. I rode the Suzuki 65 miles today, been raining here so much I had not had the chance to ride in a few days...

Heh. I'll bet you're not cured of your bikaholism yet. I see a GS500F in your future. Then a CBR500R. Then a ...


Yeah the 500 size is a great do it all size for those who find that a 250 is suprisingly good but still just almost enough.

[user removed]

It will maintain speed down to 2500 RPM even in 6th gear, pulls decent from 3k. Down to 30 MPH in 6th gear. 6k is 70 MPH. Redline is 11k.

regards
Mech

[Bruce]

Sounds good. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a cheap one.

Thanks.

[user removed]

Originally Posted by beatr911

Heh. I'll bet you're not cured of your bikaholism yet. I see a GS500F in your future. Then a CBR500R. Then a ...


Yeah the 500 size is a great do it all size for those who find that a 250 is suprisingly good but still just almost enough.

Yeah I am a fickle vehicle owner. I think I am closing on 20 vehicles (well 17 as of today) in my garage in close to 5 years. Trying to reduce my inventory to fund my 3 wheeler (in another thread) and eventually my drive design in that vehicle.

It's a continuous evolution type of thing. A new set of golf clubs never replaced the old set until the new set proved to be an improvement in scores.
I bought a set in 1997 and went out and shot a 76, the first time I played them. Sadly age is killing my score and the old sent of Pings from 1992 do just about as good as anything.

Still have the first wife .

regards
Mech