Chief8one Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I have a firend that is selling his 96 suzuki GS500E for 1200 bucks. it has never been laid down, it has 9000 miles and a vance and hines exhaust. My question is, is the bike worth that much and is this a good starter bike? I'm not going to lie i really dont like the way the bike looks, but hey its a start. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venture Guy Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I have a firend that is selling his 96 suzuki GS500E for 1200 bucks. it has never been laid down, it has 9000 miles and a vance and hines exhaust. My question is, is the bike worth that much and is this a good starter bike? I'm not going to lie i really dont like the way the bike looks, but hey its a start. thanks Depending on your skill level i suggest starting out on a 600....i have an 800 cruiser and it feels like a toy to me now...been riding for over a year... and for 1200 bucks...why not..u can always clean it up and re sell for 1500 :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorne Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 For a new never ridden person i do not suggest a 600 sport bike. I think a GS500E is a great bike. the reason they make the 250's is for poeple to start on. also Cruiser < Sport bike in terms of power. you 800 cruiser is a great bike cruise but when it comes to sport bikes 500 is a good starting point. plus 1200$ for a bike that runs is a good price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hal Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 For a new never ridden person i do not suggest a 600 sport bike. I think a GS500E is a great bike. the reason they make the 250's is for poeple to start on.QUOTE] I have to disagree, I think my 600 is really forgiving and it just takes a little practice to get it down. This btw is the first bike I've ever ridden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88lx5oh Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 any bike is a good starter bike, as long as you use common sense and do not override your skill level. ride smart and dont act like an ass and you can start out on any bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorne Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 For a new never ridden person i do not suggest a 600 sport bike. I think a GS500E is a great bike. the reason they make the 250's is for poeple to start on.QUOTE] I have to disagree, I think my 600 is really forgiving and it just takes a little practice to get it down. This btw is the first bike I've ever ridden. I agree there are lots of poeple that can ride a 600 as there first. In general I would not suggest a GXR as a first to someone i would sugggest a GS500 or 250 just m personally but also the audiance on this board is more of a sports car kinda poeple anways. I wish i had a faster bike.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemosley01 Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I have a firend that is selling his 96 suzuki GS500E for 1200 bucks. it has never been laid down, it has 9000 miles and a vance and hines exhaust. My question is, is the bike worth that much and is this a good starter bike? I'm not going to lie i really dont like the way the bike looks, but hey its a start. thanks That is a great starter bike. I'd say it's worth 1200 if it's in mechanically sound shape, but you can always try to talk him down some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemosley01 Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I agree there are lots of poeple that can ride a 600 as there first. In general I would not suggest a GXR as a first to someone i would sugggest a GS500 or 250 just m personally but also the audiance on this board is more of a sports car kinda poeple anways. I wish i had a faster bike.... Your ability to drive a fast car has nothing to do with the ability to control a high-performance motorcycle. Most 600s off the showroom floor are faster than 95% of the cars on CR. Motorcycles are not cars. Other than they are driven on the same surface (road) and have to deal with the same signage, they are not similar. Even traffic management on a motorcycle is different. When you learn something, you start with something small, if you want to learn in the least amount of time and learn well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffmeden Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I would +1 the starter bike idea. Learning on a 600, 1000, 1400 can be done, you are just a lot more likely to screw up and hurt yourself and your expensive bike. Get a cheap bike, start slow, don't give it up for at least 6 months and you will be a much better rider when you do move on to a faster, lighter bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hal Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Your ability to drive a fast car has nothing to do with the ability to control a high-performance motorcycle. Most 600s off the showroom floor are faster than 95% of the cars on CR. Motorcycles are not cars. Other than they are driven on the same surface (road) and have to deal with the same signage, they are not similar. Even traffic management on a motorcycle is different. When you learn something, you start with something small, if you want to learn in the least amount of time and learn well. +1000, this is what I'm learning now. My car is (was) faster, but they are nothing alike and I know I can't control the bike like I can the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief8one Posted June 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 ive decided to get something more i want rather than the 500. is 2500 cash a decent amount to get a decent 600? i know cars fine, but know nothing about bikes. so if you dont mind answering these questions i appreciate it. beside looking at body damage, smoke, tire wear, salvage tittle, what else should i look for? what is considered high mileage on a bike? etc thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemosley01 Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 2500 will not get you anything recent, or if it is recent, it won't be in good shape. The $1200 GS sounds like a pretty good deal, and, assuming you don't wad it up, you should be able to sell it for close to that a year or two from now. Bikes that you learn on hold their value well. FWIW, Japanese bikes are pretty much bulletproof provided they have had regular maintenance - basically oil changes and valve checks every 15K miles or so. Things to look for are loose chains, worns sprockets, tires that are down to little tread (will have to be replaced), look under the tail for signs of a lot of rubber (indicating burnouts and drag racing). Check the frame for scratches and cracks, condition of the breaks, odd noises from the engine. Motorcycles are noisier than cars - some of what you will hear, specifically valve-train noise, is pretty normal for a sportbike. I highly recommend that you take someone with you who has experience so that they can check the bike over and take it for a test ride. As a PSA, if you are buying a motorcycle based on its 'ability' to 'keep up with your friends', then you are setting yourself up for problems. I see too many people buy their first bike for this reason. The rider is what makes the bike and you will learn more quickly and more safely on a less powerful bike. Whatever you do, take the MSF and wear your gear. This isn't a game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 take the MSF and wear your gear. This isn't a game. Best quote on CR, ever!! :thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linc5.0 Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 the reason i never suggest buying a 500 or 250 is because they are alot harder to sell when you are tired of it.....I agree with Ryan.. anybike is good to start on...just dont be a moron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemosley01 Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 Erik, 'A lot harder to sell' strikes me as a bad reason not to buy a motorcycle. A 250 will sell, especially at the beginning of the riding season. In the meantime, while you are waiting to sell it, you can continue to ride it. If you don't pay a lot for it, then when/if you get a new bike, you aren't tied up much in the first bike and can take your time selling it. You can buy a used 250 and sell it for near what you paid for itm provided you don't destroy it in the process of learning. Used sportbikes in general are hard to sell and lose a ton of value. The manufacturer financing specials don't help. Some bikes are not good beginner's bikes - it doesn't matter if you are or aren't a moron. If you've never ridden, buying and trying to learn on a liter bike or Hayabusa/ZX-14 is a bad decision. I can say that I sure don't want some newbie on his new liter bike anywhere near me during a group ride. There is a reason why sportbikes are so expensive to insure, even for people who aren't 'morons'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffmeden Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 Either way you go, $2500 won't get you a bike you will want to keep for very long. It will get you at best, a decent shape newer 500, or a beater of a 600 sportbike. Even if you find a steal on a decent 600, expect to pay around $4k. For the big picture, the GS500 specs are: Dry Weight: 169 kg (373 lbs) Engine type: Air-cooled 487 cc inline-2, DOHC, 4 valves. 52 hp @ 9,200 rpm. While not the fastest bike, this is enough to learn on and it's still faster than a lot of cars, running a mid 13 quarter. Oh, and you ought to be changing the oil more often that once every 15k mi. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemosley01 Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 Either way you go, $2500 won't get you a bike you will want to keep for very long. It will get you at best, a decent shape newer 500, or a beater of a 600 sportbike. Even if you find a steal on a decent 600, expect to pay around $4k. For the big picture, the GS500 specs are: Dry Weight: 169 kg (373 lbs) Engine type: Air-cooled 487 cc inline-2, DOHC, 4 valves. 52 hp @ 9,200 rpm. While not the fastest bike, this is enough to learn on and it's still faster than a lot of cars, running a mid 13 quarter. Oh, and you ought to be changing the oil more often that once every 15k mi. ;-) Ha - we're using that new extended interval stuff! Just dump a little 80w gear oil in it occasionally to thicken it back up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief8one Posted June 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 well i got my permit, so at least im legal unlike some of my friends lol on a side note thanks for the input from everyone. ill probably get the 500. i respect motocycles completely. not the average noob "i want a motorcycle person". i just didnt want to buy a bike then have to worry about selling afterwards. i just have enough trouble trying to sell a car when im done with it, and didnt want to have to worry about selling it later. rather have something i want and not have to worry about getting rid of it later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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