Brand new 2009 GS500F for $3K - deal or no deal?

[MichiganMan]

There is a dealer up in the hinterlands of Michigan's thumb region that is advertising a brand new 2009 GS500F for $3K out the door.  I had been looking used for my first bike, but that seems to be a pretty attractive price on a never-titled ride.  They are also touting 1.9% financing.  Thoughts?

[County Tar]

Great beginner bike.    At that price you can keep it for a spare if you get another one.

[buls4evr]

 A great bike but find your own financing. That 1.9 is one of those fly -by-night lone shark deals. My son was really burned on one of those loans!

[DNA]

As said - good deal - buy it.
Use cash and plan to spend $500-$750 more on good gear and MSF class.

[elader]

Guy local to here had the same deal. Expect to pay $500 assembly' and then tax. Still a good deal at $400 out the door. Drive the snot out of it for a year and sell it for $3000

[nater]

Price is good.

[jsanford]

Ditto, but really go over the bike.  I've heard some horror stories on the out-the-factory prep on these and the Ninja 250s lately.

Quote insurance and make sure there isn't a "shiny new" penalty, particularly as a first bike.  My insurance has always halved when my bikes turned two.

[MichiganMan]

I think I'm going to pass - gave myself enough time to get past the "impulse purchase" urge.  I have my MSF course scheduled for mid-May, that is time enough to shop for a bike.  Heck, it could turn out that I hate riding!  Unlikely, of course, but *possible*

[dietDrThunder]

It's a perfect starter bike, and in a vacuum it's a perfectly good deal. The thing is though, they've really never changed those bikes on all the years they'vef made them. So, you could get one that's 5 or 6 years old for half of that (or maybe even less) and you'd still have the same bike.

[Chuck 500]

Waiting to take the MSF Basic course sounds like a good idea.  If you decide to keep riding, like I did, hit Craig's List and look for a good used GS500F.  They are excellent first bikes with enough performance to keep up with traffic and simple maintenance.  They are also reasonable cheap to fix when you drop them (ask me how i know).

keep the shiny side up,

Chuck

[still kickin]

Some good advice in this thread. I agree with buying used with a few scratches for your first bike. It may touch the ground Don't let those 1.9 deals suck you in. Ask them what happens to the interest rate if you are 2 days late on a payment Take your class and make sure its for you. Enjoy

[MichiganMan]

Thanks for the replies, as noted I'm passing on the Suzook.  Pretty sure I'm going to snag a '94 FZR1000 that is for sale near me, should make a good beginner bike because it is so old.



I kid, I kid - while I do love me some Fizzer, I'm smart enough to know better

[falconati]

I'm surprised you're passing!  That's a very reasonable price for that bike.  The ergos are great for a wide variety of riders, and the engine is friendly to beginners.

[Marcster]

I'm surprised you're passing!  That's a very reasonable price for that bike.  The ergos are great for a wide variety of riders, and the engine is friendly to beginners.

Just to echo falconati -- I sat on a GS500f in the showroom before I bought my Yamaha and the GS500f is still one of the most comfortable bikes I've ever sat on (I realize that riding it would be different than just sitting on it, but it "fit me" in a way my Yamaha never did).

I'm 6' with a 32" inseam -- I was just too plain tall to be comfortable on my Yamaha.

[vulcanbill]

Just be sure to factor in "totally gutless" as the translation for beginner friendly engine.  

[cbsnbiker]

Just be sure to factor in "totally gutless" as the translation for beginner friendly engine.  

Meh. It'll still be zippy, especially when compared to most cars.

[Giaka]

Meh. It'll still be zippy, especially when compared to most cars.

Its ok but a pretty weak performer. I think a Ninja 250 pulls harder and thats scary.  

[cbsnbiker]

Its ok but a pretty weak performer. I think a Ninja 250 pulls harder and thats scary.  

IIRC, the Ninja 250 is much peakier in its HP delivery, but has much less HP.

I learned to drive in a car that had 52 HP. The thought that a bike with 50 HP is "gutless" is risible. It sure won't be as fast as a Hayabusa, but that's not its raison d'être.

[cksheppard]

Just wanted to comment... I was looking for a 1st bike as well over the winter. Had my heart set on a KLR650, but was a little too short for that bike as a newbie and found no killer deals.  Up popped a leftover '09 GS500F a few hours from me and got a similar quote back in Feb: $2800 OTD. Didn't think too long on it. Paid cash, was a legit deal, $2806 total.  (Had to pay $6 to post my license plate).  

Basically heard what everyone said here elsewhere, about the bike being slow, could get a better deal used, etc.  I had looked for about 3 months over the winter and never saw a better deal used.  Late models were going for more than that, so it just seemed too good to pass up.

As a first bike, I couldn't really ask more from it. Granted it's breaking me in while I'm breaking it in.  The only downside I've found is that there isn't a whole lot of aftermarket support, but I'm not too broken up about that.  Just have to get a little more creative, and it stops me from wasting money on accessories I probably don't need.  My whole goal was to get into motorcycling cheaply.

I've been riding it just about 2 months now, and love it. I have commuted on it (20 mile RT) every day I could the last month. Last tank got 67 mpg driving like grandma.  My wife even says I'm happier at home after work the days I ride my bike to work. That makes me think I got a great deal even if I paid more.  No regrets.  I would've paid $3000 probably.

[cbsnbiker]

 

[SuperGregNo]

 A great bike but find your own financing. That 1.9 is one of those fly -by-night lone shark deals. My son was really burned on one of those loans!

How was he burned?

[TriumphTiger1050]

What did you (the OP) ever get.......????

[falconati]

I don't think anything, yet

[TriumphTiger1050]

I don't think anything, yet

That is a steal of a price for that bike!  Great for a beginner.  Wonder why beginners want such big cc bikes at times???  I started out on a 750cc Honda Shadow.  Sounds big for a beginner but it was a cruiser and 750cc on one of those is not too powerful.

[MichiganMan]

I don't think anything, yet

True, nothing yet.  The bike thing got put on the backburner for a bit as other "life" stuff entered into the program.

[birdrunner]

Just wanted to comment... I was looking for a 1st bike as well over the winter. Had my heart set on a KLR650, but was a little too short for that bike as a newbie and found no killer deals.  Up popped a leftover '09 GS500F a few hours from me and got a similar quote back in Feb: $2800 OTD. Didn't think too long on it. Paid cash, was a legit deal, $2806 total.  (Had to pay $6 to post my license plate).  

Basically heard what everyone said here elsewhere, about the bike being slow, could get a better deal used, etc.  I had looked for about 3 months over the winter and never saw a better deal used.  Late models were going for more than that, so it just seemed too good to pass up.

As a first bike, I couldn't really ask more from it. Granted it's breaking me in while I'm breaking it in.  The only downside I've found is that there isn't a whole lot of aftermarket support, but I'm not too broken up about that.  Just have to get a little more creative, and it stops me from wasting money on accessories I probably don't need.  My whole goal was to get into motorcycling cheaply.

I've been riding it just about 2 months now, and love it. I have commuted on it (20 mile RT) every day I could the last month. Last tank got 67 mpg driving like grandma.  My wife even says I'm happier at home after work the days I ride my bike to work. That makes me think I got a great deal even if I paid more.  No regrets.  I would've paid $3000 probably.

smartest post we've seen in a while.



Must be a new guy.

[J-Mac]

True, nothing yet.  The bike thing got put on the backburner for a bit as other "life" stuff entered into the program.

Note to self.
Buy it if you can swing it.

People buy cars because they need one.
A bike is an emotional purchase.

[Blunder]

smartest post we've seen in a while.



Must be a new guy.

 

Let him enjoy his introduction to motorcycling. It's a good bike for starters, not like my RD400 and Gordon Jennings' book in hand.

[cksheppard]

smartest post we've seen in a while.



Must be a new guy.

LOL newbie, yes... thanks for the compliment though.  Have about 6 months under my belt now, GS500F is going strong.  Have to admit I've been tempted by the lure of a bigger bike as my mileage increases... not for ego reasons of faster faster faster, but more about having the engine run at a relaxed pace at highway speeds on longer rides.  We shall see...

[birdrunner]

LOL newbie, yes... thanks for the compliment though.  Have about 6 months under my belt now, GS500F is going strong.  Have to admit I've been tempted by the lure of a bigger bike as my mileage increases... not for ego reasons of faster faster faster, but more about having the engine run at a relaxed pace at highway speeds on longer rides.  We shall see...

don't worry about it,  North Americans have been ruined by Detroit engines, and expect low RPM out of their engines.  Motorcycles are designed to rev.  Check out their red line,  it's up there for a reason.

Rev the hell outta it, change the oil, enjoy.


BTW,  after the initial newbie break in, the most dangerous time for a motorcyclist is just after they start to think they're getting proficient.  You start to relax, and in reality, you're never as good as you think you are.


I've got about 80,000 miles under my belt, yet this year while riding the mountains, I was feeling pretty good about not missing a single corner/ line.    Voila, next day, I was "sight seeing" instead of focusing and I drifted into the oncoming lane ....  good thing it was a remote road, but still it's not kosher .... ever.

[cksheppard]

Will keep that in mind. Have heard about the "danger zone" of new riders, somewhere around year 2 on... believe that's what you're talking about.  My wife reminds me to "motor safely!" before I leave the house... that helps, and I make her say it even if she forgets.  

[nater]

Will keep that in mind. Have heard about the "danger zone" of new riders, somewhere around year 2 on... believe that's what you're talking about.  My wife reminds me to "motor safely!" before I leave the house... that helps, and I make her say it even if she forgets.  

I'm glad you are enjoying the GS500.  I had a 94 GS500 as my first streetbike.  The suspension was shot.  That sure made bumps in the road entertaining as the thing bottomed out frequently.  Rode it for a year.  Took it to the dragstrip once with some friends and we took turns running going down the strip.  Best time was 14.2 sec.  Not that fast, but we sure didn't mind.  

You really can rev the beans and tomatoes out of it --it won't hurt things a bit.  

[Chuck 500]

Just wanted to comment... I was looking for a 1st bike as well over the winter. Had my heart set on a KLR650, but was a little too short for that bike as a newbie and found no killer deals.  Up popped a leftover '09 GS500F a few hours from me and got a similar quote back in Feb: $2800 OTD. Didn't think too long on it. Paid cash, was a legit deal, $2806 total.  (Had to pay $6 to post my license plate).  

Basically heard what everyone said here elsewhere, about the bike being slow, could get a better deal used, etc.  I had looked for about 3 months over the winter and never saw a better deal used.  Late models were going for more than that, so it just seemed too good to pass up.

As a first bike, I couldn't really ask more from it. Granted it's breaking me in while I'm breaking it in.  The only downside I've found is that there isn't a whole lot of aftermarket support, but I'm not too broken up about that.  Just have to get a little more creative, and it stops me from wasting money on accessories I probably don't need.  My whole goal was to get into motorcycling cheaply.

I've been riding it just about 2 months now, and love it. I have commuted on it (20 mile RT) every day I could the last month. Last tank got 67 mpg driving like grandma.  My wife even says I'm happier at home after work the days I ride my bike to work. That makes me think I got a great deal even if I paid more.  No regrets.  I would've paid $3000 probably.

GS500F is a good first bike.  It really likes to rev.  No power below about 6,000 RPM.  Likes more.  If you haven't already, check out GSTwins.com.  Some of those guys have forgotten more about the GS500 than Suzuki ever knew.  Some have over 100k on them.  Great site.

[FiremanBob]

I would never recommend a new bike for a beginning rider. The bike will be dropped at least once in the first two weeks, and there is no point having to spend big $$ fixing cosmetic parts. Nor does it make sense to borrow money for a bike - keep your sights on what fits your cash budget.

You can find a well-maintained 1980s GS for under $1400 all day long, and probably under $1K since it's getting mid-late in the season and anyone selling a bike in August really wants to sell it. And if it suffers a zero-speed drop or two, they won't be the first on a shiny, virgin bike.