Suzuki GS500F Motorcycle Review

After about a year of commuting on the Suzuki GS500F, here are my impressions. As this motorcycle is not characterized as a sport/racing motorcycle, I will assume if you are considering this bike that you are probably not looking for peak performance. Thus I will be going over the points that I was looking for when considering this motorcycle; economy, handling, comfort and overall livability.

The motorcycle is rated on paper to get 59 mpg, I have found that I have averaged about 55 mpg; this is about 24 miles highway and 16 miles local a day. During the winter the average dips a few points while the summer bumps up a few mpg, this was over a year in the pacific northwest, everyday rain or shine. A few factors may have affected the average, after transitioning from the Honda Rebel 250 to the Suzuki GS500F, I have noticed that because I can go faster I generally do so to keep up with traffic, where as on the Rebel, I avoided the faster lanes. Even though the Suzuki is more of a standard bike, the gearing still gives it a sporty feel, thus should you feel the need, the power is there at a twist of the throttle, unlike the Rebel where at highway speeds there is the feeling that the bike its at its limits. Finally due to weather conditions I am generally decked out in full gear, and even when not wearing rain gear I still carry it, thus weight wise the bike is pulling around more than just a rider.

As the GS500F is billed as a crossover of a beginner bike and a transitioning bike, the handling is very friendly and forgiving.  There are a good deal of reviews that discuss this issue in depth so I will just go over the main points. The low seat height gives a good grounded feeling and the solid handling will give riders a feeling of confidence in turns as the bike does not feel as if it is tipping over when compared to more traditional sport bikes.

A second benefit of a low seat height is being able to stand flat-footed at a stop light, this scores big points when riding through the city or local streets and generally through stop and go traffic. It is much more comfortable to be able to stand on both feet to support the bike than it is to have to lean on one leg trying to balance the bike. One point of contention that I do have with the bike is the riding position, this may be an individual nit-pick but if you are considering this bike make sure you get a few test rides in and generally sit on the bike to make sure you are in a comfortable riding position. For me the riding position is a odd mix of sitting upright and a half riding tuck, I suspect this is due to my height ~5'6" my arms, hands and wrists are tired after a few hours of riding. (I end up supporting my weight on my wrist when riding.)

Finally livability, by this I mean a combination of all of the above factors rolled into one, cost wise fueling up is not too bad as at even my calculated 55 mpg you are still beating a good deal of half liter and up bikes out there. However as Suzuki calls for among many things : valve checks, nearly every major check up this adds up and will get quite expensive, as most places will be charging 3.5 to 4 hrs of labor. My next bike I will definitely be checking out the maintenance costs and factoring that into the over all life time cost of the bike. In terms of daily useability, the bike does not come with any easy points to mount luggage, thus to haul anything substantial you will need a good backpack or pick up a luggage box and rack. Accessories are difficult to find in the United States, one necessary accessories are slider pegs or crash bars and if you lay this bike down it is expensive as the casing juts out past the fairing. This bike is definitely not for long road trips; the seat is a little too hard for that and depending on the rider, the riding position may leave you sore. In short as a commuter, learning/transition bike, it fits the bill, as being more of a jack of all trades it does not do anything perfectly, but rides the line with a little of everything.

Edit: Also see my take on everything 2 years later.