Suzuki GS500F: Easy times

It’s hard to imagine now, but in the late 80s/early 90s the middleweight all-rounder class was limited to a smattering of 500cc parallel twins

Suzuki’s offering was the GS500E. Launching in 1989, it went through incremental tweaks every five years. The final throw of the die was adding a fairing in 2004 for more practicality (and compete with the remodelled GPz500S). It disappeared from the showrooms in 2007.

We took out a 2007 bike with 28,418 miles clocked post-test.

Give me some spec

A steel twin-spar frame houses a 487cc air-cooled parallel twin putting out 35.1kW/45.5bhp @ 9,200pm with maximum torque of 40Nm/4.1Kgfm/29.5lb-ft @ 7,500rpm with a top speed of 105mph. Stopping power comes from a single 310mm, 4 piston caliper front disc and a single 250mm, 2 piston caliper rear. Dry weight is 173Kg/384lbs and seat height is 31.1 inches.

So what is it like to ride?

Ever wanted a bike that feels really light, easy to paddle about and you’ll feel safe you can hold up if it starts to topple? Say hello to the GS500F. It’s a nice place to sit. Pegs are far higher and further back than I’d expected, seat is spacious. The aftermarket Renthal bars are flat and narrow; it feels odd at first, but they help the GS in the corners. This is a softly-sprung bike so it’ll never be on-a-sixpence sharp, but it turns in easily enough and can lean further than you imagine.

Looking at the stats, you should be chasing the revs into the upper end of the range. I found, in the lower gears, this made things vibey. It did smooth out in higher gearing, but it was a nice ride round the 6k mark, building speed decently enough.

The brakes are never going to win any awards, but they stopped the GS without fuss. Mirrors work really well, the clocks give bags of information up front, and you could live in the saddle without ever getting an ache. The fairing deflects most windblast; upping the pace it hits the top of your shoulders.

The dealer is marketing this as an ‘ideal commuter’ (amazingly, it is ULEZ exempt!). The fairing, hugely comfortable saddle and riding position that doesn’t make too many demands on your spine also let the GS500F act as a low-budget milemuncher as well.

What nick is it in?

For the age and miles, it’s in good condition. Some very light scratches on the end can, the odd stone chip on the fork legs (clearly some of that era’s better Suzuki legs), otherwise it’s decent.

What’s it worth?

The dealer wants £1,499 for a 2007 bike with 28,418 miles logged. I only found one more in dealers, a 2005 bike with 33,030 miles for £1,495. There are a few naked GS500Es available, with prices ranging from £1,250 for a 2004 bike with 26,000 on the clock, to a 2002 bike with an incredible 2,453 miles clocked for £2,700.