Suzuki Gs500e
Suzuki GS500E
REMEMBER WHEN DAVID MET Goliath? Everyone thought it was a big deal because little David won. The truth was that he couldn’t lose. Or at least, Goliath couldn’t win. It’s like that whenever an overwhelming underdog goes up against the favorite: If the underdog beats the odds, he’s a hero, it he loses, it doesn't really count.
That’s the Suzuki GS500E’s advantage. Nobody expects much from the little 487cc Twin. After all. the engine isn't all that different from that of the GS450E that Suzuki introduced. to a deafening lack of fanfare,
10 years ago.
So anyone who rides the GS usually comes away with a big grin. It’s sort of like biting into a Whitman's chocolate and discovering your very favorite piece. The most-dramatic surprise is the engine. The list of what the powerplant doesn't feature is quite long: It doesn’t have liquidcooling, it doesn't have any more than two valves per cylinder, it doesn’t have gear-driven cams, hydraulic lifters, or anything else that a 1966 Honda CB450 didn't have. And yet the power is very satisfying. Low-end torque hits with a healthy surge at about 4000 rpm. and even if the bike is through making power well before its I 1,000-rpm redline, a six-speed gearbox lets you continue without missing even a half-beat. Of course, it s still a 500 Twin: if you wave your pink slip and a challenge in the face of a hardened street racer, chances are you’ll be walking home. Nonetheless, the GS is a satisfying all-around ride.
SPECIFICATIONS
Suzuki GS500E
$3099
In road manners, too, the little GS is pleasing, though that really shouldn't be all that surprising. Its chassis has all the credentials of any modern middleweight. It uses a steel perimeter frame and single-shock rear suspension. It weighs only slightly more than a Schwinn Varsity, and its vital statistics are right where a modern motorcycle's should be.
The GS handles like a champ, dropping into turns with the ease of a full-on repli-racer, but it isn’t a racebike. It fits into the standard-bike category as well as any of the bikes here. The riding position, while not as spread-out as Suzuki’s own VX800, is looser than many 750 or 1 OOOcc sportbikes on the market.
Still, the GS does have its faults. The seat isn't particularly substantial. And if your ride is short, then chances are that the cold-blooded engine still won't be carbureting quite right by the time you get wherever you’re going. The engine takes a good 10 minutes to warm up.
If that seems too hard to live with, then maybe the $3099 price tag will make it go down easier. The GS500 is the least-expensive bike of all the standards we have gathered here. Suzuki originally marketed the bike last year as an entry-level motorcycle, and to the company’s corporate delight, it was quite successful. Market research shows that a large percentage of GS owners are first-time buyers. That trend is especially encouraging, because it means that for a whole generation of new enthusiasts, the first taste of motorcycling will be a good one.
