23rd Oct 2006, 07:39

I have just bought a K4 GS500F last weekend after trading in my Yamaha Dragstar XVS650.

Of course the handling is a lot, lot better on the GS500F!!!

I have also tested the Bandit 1200 S and a Yam Fazer 600, and in the end I settled for the GS500F at that price (both the Bandit and the Fazer had 19K miles and were 1998/1999 machines, whereas I could stretch for a nearly new GS with 4.5 K, one previous owner bike, never seen the rain before).

I rode into work today and topped 100MPH easily, no wind blast or vibrations. Felt at ease with its response etc. And it actually brakes very well and handles beautifully.

All in all a great deal. Love the colour too (black and silver). An ideal sporty commuter (hangs the tassles jacket in the closet...;-)

25th Oct 2006, 17:19

Bought my GS500f K4 second hand back in July, only done 2000 miles on the clock, still had 4 months manufacturer's warranty left, look great in yellow.

Very agile, corners well, had 100mph on it so far easily, regularly does 70 mpg, well pleased.

Unfortunately some old boy decide to reverse into it whilst parked up only 3 weeks after I bought it, you can imagine how I felt. Anyway, my insurer lent me a brand new Bandit 650 for the 4 weeks while the GS is being fixed, new fairing, handlebar, indicators etc. The Bandit has a great engine, but nowhere handles as well as the GS!

Whilst being repaired, they're also going to respray the black frame as corrosion was coming through under the paintwork, it was done under the warranty by the dealer though no problem at all. Has anyone else has the same defect on their's?

Also, has anyone else also experienced the engine knocks previously mentioned, I am not sure if mine does and don't know what to listen out for? Please email me at takyixuan@talktalk.net as I am consider having this done with only a month left on the warranty!

25th Dec 2006, 23:12

I bought myself a new GS500F from the dealer for my first bike in May of 06, and can confidently say, it's an awesome bike.

This bike can certainly take hard leans at pretty fast speeds. No worries about the front wheel coming up unless you know how to clutch wheelie and have your left foot on the back peg while standing (which is quite fun).

I was 19 and did what any inexperienced rider would do and raced on the highway. Bad idea at the time, because I wasn't able to take the 80mph turn like a champ and dropped it. However, I was able to pick it up and ride it home without a problem with the fairings hanging down and road rashed. I was in worse shape than the bike. Which in my mind, made me fall in love with this bike. I can't keep myself off of it.

I do have one problem with my particular GS500F. I keep hearing how everyone gets great gas mileage of 60mpg+. Mine only seems to get a little over 150 miles on a tank just over 5 gallons (about 32 mpg). So if I need to make a few adjustments, please let me know.

29th Dec 2006, 15:40

If you are getting poor fuel economy, check symptoms for rich mixture. The symptoms are; erratic idling, exhaust smells petrolly, and sooty spark plugs. Another thing, you say the tank holds five gallons. That sounds rather a lot to me, unless you are talking about US gallons which are slighty less in quantity than UK imperial gallons. To work out fuel consumption, divide miles travelled by liters of fuel used. If you get around 11 miles per liter, this is quite reasonable.

31st Dec 2006, 11:35

You should be getting around 220 miles from a full tank before switching over to the reserve tank, the reserve should give you another 50 miles or so!

With the recent cold weather in the last month here in the UK, I kept my GS in the garage for a month. Today, with the rain having washed away most of the salt on the road, I decided to take it out for a blast, boy did I miss it!!!

18th Jan 2007, 12:31

I've purchased a used GS500 (2004), and I'm enjoying a lot to ride it! My first bike was a Suzuki TU250x (5 years and 20.000 miles), stylish, but slow bike, now it was time to change.

The GS500 was both for 1900£ (Portugal) and has 3000 real (I think) miles.

What will be the consumption!? I don't know, but the bike is powerful and it's not necessary to push the throttle hard.

29th Jan 2007, 14:46

Has anyone been able to fit wider tyres to the rear, something along the line of 150 x 60 x 17"?

Please leave a comment.

17th Mar 2007, 04:29

I know you can fit a 140 rear. But check this site out, it will give you step by step on putting a 150 tire on. Not simple, seems like a lot of work to be done and possibly risky.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=25426.0

28th Mar 2007, 20:36

I just bought my first bike and it's the 2004 GS500F. It only has 350 miles on it and I'm a little concerned about the noises I'm hearing. I was reading on here that there might be a problem the camshaft and buckets on this model. I was just looking for some advice on whether or not this is something I should be worried about, or if it's not a big deal. Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks. p.s. I bought it used, so it doesn't have a warranty with it.

4th May 2007, 08:50

I am 17 and I live Sabattus Maine (USA). My parents just bought me my second bike, which is the 04' Suzuki GS500F, which I can say from a looking standpoint it's a beautiful machine, better than I had ever imagined. It will be registered in a few days and I can't wait to take it on the road. I have taken up and down the road a few times just to feel it out.

The last bike I had was the ultimate starter bike besides the GS500F. It was a 1978 Honda XL350, which was to say at the least old. But anyways, I love the new bike. The looks and the power make it for me!

31st May 2007, 13:58

Anyone who is considering the GS500 should also consider the Kawasaki EX500. I recently looked at both bikes, and picked the EX500 because it was more powerful, and handled better, while having screw-type valve adjusters, which I can easily adjust myself.

In almost every magazine comparison, the EX500 is picked over the GS500.

16th Aug 2007, 21:12

2007 GS500F.

I have just bought a new 2007 GS500F. It's my first bike and I love the ride. I have noticed a little hesitation when attempting to put the bike in 1st gear, feels like I have to force the gear shift. Any suggestions on how to make this a little smoother; is this normal and to be expected? I do find the hesitation a little more pronounced when starting from cold.