Suzuki GS500F Review - After more than 2 years

Rain or shine, snow and ice, now with more than 18,000 miles on the odometer, it has been more than two years since I first rode my Suzuki GS500F out of the dealership, so lets take a look back. Much of what I have felt overall about the bike has not changed much from my last review, which you can find here. This would be more of my thoughts on problems that have arisen over the years of riding my Suzuki. There are times when I feel like I have a case of Stockholm's syndrome, especially when my bike acts up and I can't figure out why. Then there are other times when the bike is running just right, the sun is out, the roads are clear and the air is crisp. The open road calls. You understand why you put up with all that grief in the first place; That clear blue sky, the soft warmth of the sun on your skin, the crisp fresh mountain air, the slight recoil of the throttle under your hand, the hint of exhaust, this is why.
 
After spending hundreds at a bike shop with them making wild-ass stabs in the dark on what they think the problem is, and just ending up being angry. Then scouring hours on the internet, I find various cases similar to mine. Off to Youtube (BaltimoreGS), and the DIY section and various forms, where I end up teaching myself a little motorcycle maintenance. It turns out my problem came with the great symptoms of "wavering" idle with the inability to hold at a reliable idle speed, sputtering at low idles, a "dead zone" in the idle when using choke, and the sudden jump to an extremely fast idle. This translated just as bad when on the road, anything under 5000 rpm would not sit stable, and at stop lights I looked like a beginner, fighting to not stall the engine. What would cause this strange set of symptoms? Well, after spending a few hundred dollars at a shop and getting my carburetors squeaky clean, I can tell you it is probably not the carburetors.

For this little adventure we are going to have to break out the service and repair manual (which I highly recommend by the way even if you are not going to do any maintenance by yourself, if you can at least isolate the issue you can approach the shop with an idea of what you want done). Under maintenance schedule, every 4000 miles (6000km) or 12 months there are the usual check battery, brakes, spark plugs, tires, oil filter, oil change, and then there is check valve clearances. Well it turns out usually in the cause of the valves merely checking them will not be enough as in my case nearly like clockwork, every 4000 miles or so after the initial Cinderella period of the first 8000 miles, it will act up signalling another valve adjustment. For the Suzuki GS500F, the valves are adjusted by changing the shims that sit under the camshaft. While this is not indicative of all GS500's this is just my case so take it for what it is worth. Doing this maintenance work yourself will save you hundreds if not thousands in the long run so I highly recommend you roll up your sleeves and be ready to get your hands dirty. This video might help.

All in all after all this rambling what does this boil down to? Well if I were to distill all this I would say with the ownership of a motorcycle, you will either be spending a fair amount of money to keep your bike running, in ship shape and to deal with the problems that arise; or be putting in blood, sweat and tears to do the maintenance and the repairs (within your ability) yourself, and with that comes an investment of the heart and soul. Why do you ask, are so many motorcyclists so attached to their bikes? Well this would be one of the reasons why. Unlike many modern cars, where outside of changing the oil, much of the engine and components are covered and hidden - difficult to reach and thus much of the maintenance is left to the shops. Motorcycles are generally more accessible, especially those in the more reasonable price ranges, and with the hourly rate charged at motorcycle shops, it is usually far more economical to do most of the maintenance and light repairs yourself.

Thus my final thoughts on my 2009 Suzuki GS500F? Well if I were to do it all over again I would definitely look at the overall maintenance costs and factor that into my estimates for long term ownership. Perhaps get a bike with longer intervals before needing major services, look at the track record for repairs needed, and the general community supporting the bike. Yet, do I have any real regrets for purchasing my GS500? Well, No. Perhaps I can understand a little and even sympathize with the classic British bike owners, where there is that strange love for those stylish and unreliable machines, cause when they are running, it is glorious. While my Suzuki has never been unreliable in that sense, I defiantly has its hiccups. Yet in its wake, I have learned so much,  not just about motorcycle maintenance but maybe - just maybe a little about how to approach life as well. Would I do it differently next time, perhaps. Do I have any real regrets? Hell no. I have learned so much, and even when rolling with the punches and occasionally having life's left jab connect - roll with it and counter. So if you were sitting on the fence about getting a bike, all I'll say is it is a helluva time, so even if it isn't biking, go have some fun. Oh and don't forget to wear sunscreen.