Suzuki GS500F Katana

[KnightRider]

Well. I miss my Kat.

I like the twin engine ninja/vulcan Kawasaki has had for the last couple of years, and they actually made nice amounts of power, and were very nimble machines. How does Suzuki's 500 compare?Anyone have any experience on one? I see it would need an upgrade to dual front rotors, and some the basic slathering of mods.

I seriously like the look of it, and for the price....it would be a major gas saver in the long run.

Tank size is the same as the 600/750 brothers.

I am also considering the Ninja 250R..........just reminds me of a motoGP bike......and gas mileage would be killer on that thing. Dont get me wrong, if I could find a wrecked/non-running Kat, I would buy it and get it going.....but new isn't bad sometimes as well.

This is just to get a feel for the 500cc bikes......thanks guys.

[The CyberPoet]

The ninja 500 is quite a bit faster than the GS500 on the top end, mostly because of a higher RPM celiing as far as I can tell. I haven't really dug into the GS500 yet, but it seems simpler on a mechanical basis than the ninja (the ninja's carbs are very convoluted in terms of hose routing, etc).

My gf has a ninja 500, which in mod'd form will do 129 mph. Although it has single rotors front and back, they're enough for the bike's weight and I've never grumbled about stopping distance on it.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[WildKat]

hs2020's wife has a ninja 250cc...I know she'd like to upgrade simply due to the lack of power but the bike overall is very nice and an excellent gas mileage.

[sonny]

I didnt think the GS5** was considered a Katana.

[blkpitbull]

My first street bike was a ninja 250. I loved that thing. Like a bicycle with a 25ish hp motor. Lots of fun. Flicked side to side like it was a feather. Plus the riding position was excellent.
The only thing I didnt like was the lack of good low end grunt. You had to rev the shiet out of it to get anywhere quickly.

I have ridden both a 500 ninja, and the gs 500. They are similar in alot of areas but, you can imediately tell that the gs500 is a newer design than the hardly never changed ninja 500. Bu they are both good bikes..

[WildKat]

I didnt think the GS5** was considered a Katana.

Its technically not considered a katana, it basically replaced what used to be the old gs500 bandits..

similar to this..

[tzortn]

I agree that the GSF500 is a neat bike. A friend of mine got one as her first bike and she liked it alot. It had enogh get up and go to cruise the higway, but not too much power to get her into trouble, It is also a relativly light bike so it was easy to handle.

[kanventure]

KR, A buddy that worksd with me has a GS500 as his first bike and he LOVES it. Like its already been noted, its light and very nimble, so it can be a blast to ride. I rode it around Perry Lake with my wife on the back and it didn't handle too bad at all. Its also a VERY reliable machine, like the Kat.

[DotComWolf]

My wife bought one in 2004, I did the breaking in and it was fun. There's only one way to check if it suits you: try one yourself

[WildKat]

They really a nice lookin bike, ever since suzuki redesigned the gsxr's all the others have followed suit in styling..

[SlipKid]

Here's a cool site:

http://www.gstwin.com/

[Black_peter]

I didnt think the GS5** was considered a Katana.

Its technically not considered a katana, it basically replaced what used to be the old gs500 bandits..

similar to this..

Bandit:
400
600
1200

Silly rabbit..

I think the GS 5(500, 550) is a fine bike..

[illinoiskat]

Why not a sv 650. But, the 500 twins are nicely rounded bikes.

[paperairplane]

The gs is air cooled and the ninja is water cooled... basically this allows the ninja to make a little more power.

You will never need more rubber or brakes than what it comes with... power wise, it is pretty anemic unless you are tiny or an amatuer. I would consider SS brake lines.

I had a ninja 500 before my katana and cannot imagine anyone needing less power than the 500 kawi makes. At the time, I was 145# / 5'8".

These bikes are pretty idiot proof. Rev it to 5000rpm and just dump the clutch - you will get neither wheelies or burnouts, just nice acceleration. 0-60 should be around 4-5 seconds, so the bike is fast unless compared to other motorcycles.

I did not like riding it on the interstate, as it will get blown all over the place. Suspension is built to a price point, and will be worse the heavier you are. Mine came with a center stand, which was a nice addition.

I loved my ninja EX500 and reccomend it to any beginner or small person. However, I cannot imagine going back to one unless it was going to be a track only bike - even then, there are other models that have so much more aftermarket support.

[WildKat]

I didnt think the GS5** was considered a Katana.

Its technically not considered a katana, it basically replaced what used to be the old gs500 bandits..

similar to this..

Bandit:
400
600
1200

Silly rabbit..

I think the GS 5(500, 550) is a fine bike..

Thats why I said "similar"