94 Suzuki GS500E
 

Picked it up Thursday. Looks good but needed a few parts. 10482 miles with newer Bridgestone tires.

Both bar end weights were missing (probably bar end mirrors). Both brake and clutch levers were torn up, and I managed to break the head off the shift lever bolt trying to tighten it up.

New parts from Suzuki were $102 for both levers and bar end assemblies. The weights alone were 3 times as much as the whole assemblies, makes no sense but check the price of both if you are buying something similar.

Today I was drilling the broken bolt out of the shift lever to save the $48 they wanted for a replacement. I had the garage door open. Two Hummingbirds who were fighting over the feeder on my porch over the open garage door fly into the garage going at it with each other! Poor little guys got so exhausted I finally got one out and the other landed on top of the door. I grabbed him by the beak and carried him outside the dooor and let him go!

I hope they both survive :thumbup:

regards
Mech

Before I got my first of a few Suzukis and other bikes, this was one that I wanted when I was in high school. I really wanted a sport bike, but I knew what I should get as a new rider. Never did get a GS500, but looks like a nice find there. Have fun!

I got it roadworthy today. Will get Title transferred tomorrow, tags and insurance. I'm debating selling the Ninja 300 and transferring the tags to the GS500E but I can get a refund on the tag on the Ninja so I think I will just have tags on both for a short time.
The PO used Seafoam in the fuel which possibly saved me from having to tear the carbs apart and cleaning them. At first it did not idle or run smooth, but I rode it around my neighborhood, rapidly accelerating then using engine drag to decelerate in low gears which creates a lot of suction on the fuel delivery passageways in the carbs. The choke cable is frozen so I need to get that fixed so it will work properly when it gets cold this fall. Adjusted the chain to max specs, I like to not get the chain too tight. On a couple of those accelerations I could feel the front end getting light, probably close to pulling a wheelie!

regards
Mech

Congrats! Looks good!

I've always like those, but haven't ridden one.

Keep us posted as to how you like it when you get more time on it.


Jay

pre season, there were at least 3-5 of these every week on CL for dirt cheap. mostly not being winterized properly and gummed up carbs of course. Looks like a good find. Basic tune up and your set. this is a good compromise between performance and function, it will serve you well

Are you a bikoholic or do you think it should beat the ninja performance wise (obviously) and still return acceptable FE ?

Probably a Bikeaholic. I was disappointed with the Ninjas high revs per mile and relatively poor mileage compared to my old TU250X and CBR250R. For the total of $1300 I will have in the GS500E I can sell the Ninja for $4K and bank the difference. I rode the GS through my neighborhood today in 6th gear at less than 2500 RPM and it handled it fine.
I think I can get close to the mileage of the Ninja with the GS (65-70 MPG). I know the GS accelerates at the same rate with much lower engine RPM. 55 MPH on the Ninja was close to 6k RPM, on the GS it's about than 4500 RPM.
I got close to 60 average on my old Vulcan 500 so I don't think my expectations are unreasonable. With the speedo reading off the front wheel on the GS, sprocket changes do not affect the speedometer. Not so on the Ninja.
I like the way the GS is laid out for access to the carbs. I like a center stand. I like two valves per cylinder and the combination of old tech and modern ignition systems. Both bikes weigh about the same. I also like the older tech stuff built in Japan when they were at their peak from about 1980 to 1995. The two stage carbs give you a sedate low end acceleration and plenty of power if you rev it up. I'll get a mileage figure soon.

regards
Mech

I think it is possible. I've seen 60+ mpg tanks in a GS500 topic I frequent, though it's not typical there - it depends on the riding style, of course. With low rpms and anticipatory driving you should be fine.

The GS500 is still a good bike overall, with a good balance between performance and maintenance cost.

It was/is a very popular learner bike here (it can't be used for courses for the biggest license category anymore, the 47-hp models should be ok for the restricted one now) because of its easy handling, simple build and low maintenance cost.

yep learner bike
 

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.

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

+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!

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Thanks.

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

Variety is good. +1 on keeping the first wife. Longevity in personal relationships is quite another thing that with "stuff".

I mentioned the GS500F as it adds an intermediate circuit in the carb for more accurate fueling, and of course the moderate wind protection of the fairing. Have you done the ignition advance yet?

I kinda thought the Suzuki GN400 would've been a good bike. A simple thumper that got 70mpg from the magazines. Pretty mellow at about 27-30 hp and not as beastly as the Yamaha 500 singles. Ever try one?

I acually like the two circuit carb. It lets you know when you are in the high speed circuit much like the old vacuum operated secondaries on carburetors. I have not messed with the timing, had not read about that mod so far. Today I got it on the Interstate for close to 40 miles. Last time when I got off the idle was up 200 RPM. I'm trying to avoid messing with the carbs until this winter when the weather gives me a few days to go after them. If it keeps getting better I might not mess with them at all.
The gas tank is spotless inside.

I figured out that some time before my ownership someone routed the fuel hoses wrong to the petcock. The hose to the carbs and the reserve hose are reversed, which explains why it will not run on the main setting on the petcock, just reserve. When the tank level gets lower, I'll switch them around and the petcock should work properly. Right now I'm afraid to run it down to reserve, it might not be there.

Dropped the oil out yesterday and refilled with Rotella 15W40. Might go with a synthetic next time. I prefer syn on air cooled engines. Calls for 10W40 but I had 4 quarts of Rotella in my garage already. Lubed the speedo and tach cables, got to love that old tech. My 37 Ford had brake cables that still worked when they were 66 years old.

regards
Mech

I picked up an 89 GS500E two weeks ago. 9808 miles for $850 in barely running condition. After some work I got it in decent mechanical condition. After getting insurance and license plates I noticed it ran significantly better than the 94. I pulled the carbs on the 94 yesterday and cleaned them up. The pilot jets were particularly bad with one over 50% plugged. Mechanical cleaning and soaking in tarn-ex got them looking nice.

The bike runs much better now, maybe the MPG will climb now that I have it dailed in nicely. 1400 miles on the 94 since I purchased it about 6 weeks ago.

regards
Mech

Doing research, the cams from the Suzuki GR650 bolt into the GS500. (theGSResources.com) They have a little more lift and less duration than the 500 cams. So they are designed for more torque and lower RPM hp peak.

As the GR650 has 8.7:1 compression and the 500 has 9.0:1 and they are of the same engine family. I suppose one can infer that the increase in dynamic compression with the GR650 cams is equal to about .3 over the 500 cams. Overlap is presumably less as duration on both intake and exhaust is less which is good for fuel efficiency.

I'm considering a GS500f for my future high speed commute. Considering taller gearing and these torquey GR650 cams to make the engine run more optimally at 70-75mph. The engine should handle it okay because the 500 motors seem to do best with an additional 4-6 degrees of ignition advance. The extra .3 compression should make the stock ignition advance about right or at least closer to it.

Anyway, just thought I'd post in case anyone was interested in these dated but rock solid bikes.

The 89 is in hibernation right now. Started it for the first time in 3 months and the floats must be sticking. Pulled the tank and drained it, engine ran fine with the tank unhooked until the float chambers ran dry.
I transferred the tags to the GZ250 in December. The 89 GS needs tires, chain and sprockets and a redo on the carbs. I'm trying to decide whether to take it all apart and clean up and repaint the frame, wheels, and the rest of the metal.
It will have to wait until I get the 3 wheeler on the road.

regards
Mech

If you decide to get a GS 500 check out addidasguy on gs500 twins forum. He knows just about everything about the bike and lives in or near Seattle. He opens up his garage and tools to other gs twin board members and they work on their bikes there.

regards
Mech

Another one! Good price from the sound of it. I've always like the look, but haven't ridden one.

This weekend I'm looking at a '82 CX500 Custom that has been sitting for years. We'll see how it looks and what he wants for it. Not my favorite, but my son may get it running and sell it - with the profits going to help pay for Engineering school next year. Going to take some big profits to put a dent in that bill...

Thanks for the note about addidasguy. Sounds like a genuine, helpful person.

I also posted this because I've noticed that the GS500 prices have dropped like a rock. All the new and more exciting entry level bikes have made the already aged GS500 very old hat. It appears it's still a really good bike despite the 30+ year old engine design. With all the variants of the engine over the years, selecting choice pieces could result in a nicely efficient freeway bike with decent power, as well as very cheap to buy and own.