Is the gs500f

[ukiwi]

a girls bike?
Or should it even matter when you get a new bike for under $8000, could always wear a tinted visor

[AllanB]

Nah - a chick would get something more stylish

Kidding - I'd describe them as a 'practical' bike - a good workhorse.

For $8k you could get a late model Hornet 900 on trademe
or possibly a
Er6 Kawasaki
or definitely a
GS1200ss Suzuki - that's a mans bike!

[hospitalfood]

tough call..........
could get a lot of good second hand bike at that price with low ks........and you asking that question says to me that you will never love the gs500f.

my advice, keep looking.
dont be afraid to go big but if you do and your not used to the weight take it easy to start with.

[ukiwi]

been looking at the hornets. Got some great advice as to size and handling at low speeds, I'm moving up from a 250 and got a pair of poxy short legs. Looking through trademe and spotted the gsf thought it might go a goer as a compromise.

[James Deuce]

The GS500 is a lovely handling bike.

Hornets are pigs with characterless engines and no soul - unless you spend lots of money on them to make them "yours". If you buy a Hornet factor in $2-$5k to make it handle and stop like a GS500.

New means it's yours to screw up.

Second hand means putting up with someone else's modifications and mistakes.

I'm struggling to see you anyone could "love" a bike. It's an inanimate object.

Having said that, there isn't a motorcycle out there that isn't fun in some way. The "kiwi way" seems to be to buy something enormously powerful and then whinge about the tickets you collect on SHs 1, 2, 5, 16, 22, and 27.

[Jerry74]

Nah go for the GSX650 only $ 11400

[wysper]

a girls bike?
Or should it even matter when you get a new bike for under $8000, could always wear a tinted visor

Years ago I hada a GS500e. Loved it. It was my third bike. For me it was like two bikes in one.

Under 8000 rpm. Nice and well behaved. Over 8000 rpm, it got to be quite a bit of fun. FYI it was only my third bike so and was the bike that followed my GN250 so maybe anything would have seemed better LOL

But on the whole I can recommend the GS's.

I am riding a SV now... apparenlty that is a girls bike too.. seems like the girls get alot of great bikes

[AllanB]

Hornets are pigs with characterless engines and no soul - unless you spend lots of money on them to make them "yours". If you buy a Hornet factor in $2-$5k to make it handle and stop like a GS500.

You really must get yourself a better dealer - that shit you are smoking is fucking up your head something awful. Probably shrinking ya balls too

[Pwalo]

There's nothign wrong with the GS500. People will always slag them off because they're not the latest thing. I've owned two of them, and they are great all rounders. Considering they first appeared in 1989 and are still going strong Suzuki got thing pretty right the first time round.

Anyway of course they're a girl's bike, just like the SV. But at least they're not the 'H' brand.

[jrandom]

GS500s are great. I'd get the 'E' model, though - it looks lovely, nice classical lines, whereas the faired 'F' model looks a bit wonky, IMHO.

But, yes. Can't go wrong. You won't find a better all-around bike - cheap as chips to buy and run, handles very well, does the ton quite happily so watch your licence, etc...

I'd have one. I've always thought they were a greatly underappreciated motorcycle.

[imdying]

You really must get yourself a better dealer - that shit you are smoking is fucking up your head something awful. Probably shrinking ya balls too

To be fair on Jim, his summation is echoed by all of the bike publications.

[Morcs]

The 500 is an okay bike.

Clutch needs adjusting a lot from standard to make it commuter friendly.

pretty gutless though. I couldnt get it to put a smile on my face.

[TimeOut]

It'd be a great bike to move up to from a 250, I probably would have got one but they only had the E in stock.

[James Deuce]

To be fair on Jim, his summation is echoed by all of the bike publications.

No it isn't.

Not by anyone that isn't taking back handers from Honda. Or back somethings.

The Hornet is one of those bikes that has nothing going for it. The GS is fun. The Hornet is more of a girl's bike than the GS, especially if you actually like going around corners.

[avgas]

yep good bike - get it
nice alternatives are the GT650 Hyo, SV650 (if you have the coin), ER6.
In terms of it being a girls bike - not really. To me the more girlsy bike is the CBR250RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRXABC123 SPORT LTD
when you mean a cbr250 owner you will understand what i mean