Suzuki GS500E (1989-current)

just want to start by saying that I think that a score of 2 is very unfair for this bike, overall quality and reliability may let this bike down a bit but the engine (as long as its well maintained) is fantastic,has plenty of torque and power to get you into trouble and great fuel economy if not ridden like a maniac, have had 70mpg on it before by being super frugal. suspension a bit soft and can wallow out if a pillion is on the back but is very forgiving and can almost bounce out of pot holes, a great little cheap roadster.

The GS500 represents probably the best budget middleweight buy out of any of them. I say that because it's so cheap, and cost's very little to run, and is so easy to maintain. Boring? yes maybe, but the point of biking is to get the best value for your hard earned cash. I own another bike just for leisure,and the GS is my daily hack and is ridden all weathers all year round. My GS500 has done 60k miles and still on it's original motor, and sounds and looks no different to when I purchased it new. That's testimony to a recipe that hasn't changed since it was first introduced to the UK. So anyone who expects more from this old gem, I say look elsewhere. For me. I'll run it til it drops. Cracking value for money motorcycle. But I've only been riding bikes for just over 36 years, so what do I know?

Better than the Kawasaki er5 and up there with the Honda cb500 (almost). For the money the best 500 your gonna find. Cheap fuel, cheap insurance and very reliable. The perfect commuter or first big bike. MCN's 2 stars is way off the mark!

And it is good! I picked up my GS500EY a couple of years ago in near pristine condition with only 6k miles for under a grand. The thing is, you can get on the twisty mountain roads and take this bike to its limits - but you have to do this - other bikes will ride themselves to an extent. With this one, you need to know exactly what you're doing to get the best out of it at 7k revs+ where it flies. Mine is totally reliable, uses no oil, cruises at 85 on the M4 all day if I need to crunch miles, is comfy and returns 50+mpg. Finish is still good if you use the modern cleaners - ACF 50. Been biking for 29 years now and this twin is great fun.

I got my gs500 after passing my restricted licence, and had it restricted to 33bhp. For the first few months I loved it, better than scooters and 125's I'd been riding before, but after that I soon got bored (and still am) with it. The restriction doesn't take too much off it but I will be trading it in as soon as possible! To give it credit, it does the job for the 2 year restriction, good economy and easy to ride. Had a few problems with oil leaks but not too expensive to get fixed. What MCN say about corrosion is 100% true, no matter what you do it will start deteriorate. Would recommend this to any first time rider who wants a restricted 500 as its cheap to insure and run, but I cannot see why anyone would choose to have one of these for any other purpose when there are plenty of great naked 600s out there.

So I picked up my 2001 Suzuki GS500 at the weekend from deepest darkest Kent, ready for the ride back to Bristol. This was my first time riding this particular bike, having previously been using a Honda CB500 which I enjoyed, and was a little worried about the GS being smaller or more uncomfortable than the Honda. No need to worry, the bike was incredibly comfortable (I'm 6'6") even on such a long journey back, and I was surprised to find that my wrists didn't ache as they used to on the Honda - not sure what this is down to - maybe the handlebar position, as the Suzuki bars seemed to have a wider grip? Who knows! I did stop after 100 miles to check the fuel usage, and was happy to see that I'd only used half a tank, so topped it up with £12 and of I went again. It handled really well and at no point did I feel I would lose control or that the bike would punish me for any minor mistakes I'd make. Even with a large Givi box on the back, I managed to get it to north of 90, and would have been able to exceed that had I a) not had the box on, and b) not wanted to be disqualified for breaking the 100mph barrier... The wind was quite rough that day, and my neck and head took quite the barrage, so I will be adding a wndscreen to deflect some of the resistance - even by pretty much lying on the tank to be more aerodynamic, you feel it would benifit from having the screen. Around town and in built up areas it handles nicely, and has a nice safe lean feeling even at low speeds. Great for filtering through traffic, even on the motorway, and has a nice burst of speed for getting away at lights and overtaking, even in top gear there's enough power to get into the overtaking lane and push past those dreaded middle lane crawlers! All in all this is a quality bike. Yes, it's a commuter and not a race bike, you won't be able to throw it around corners with reckless abandon, BUT, you will enjoy it and not feel out of place on the motorway or in areas where speed is required.

I brought this bike off my brother just before passing my test. A month later and I passed, I couldn't wait to get on it. It is restricted to 33bhp which is enough power to start with. I went out on my own on a Friday afternoon on roads I was very familier with and soon learnt how fast this machine is when you've just passed your test. There is more than enough power to get you in to trouble if you're silly enough. It took about 200 miles to start to get used to it, to ride it without thinking hard about the machine you're on. The brakes are excellent. With the restrictor in, 1st, 3nd and 3rd gear don't seem to be effected when solo which gets you up to 60 in about 4 seconds. Drop it in to 4th and the speedo needle starts o creep up abit slower, and you seem to hit the restrictor at 8,500, knock it up to 5th and you hit the restrictor at about 7,500 knock it up to sixth and you'll not get a lot. Down the bottom end of the rev range there's plenty of torque. In 6th you'll do 40 to 60 in about 5 seconds. However, you do notice a difference in the power when you're two up. 0-60 is about 7-8 seconds, and when want to overtake a car, make sure you knock it down a couple of gears and be ready to knock it back up when you hit the restrictor. I found changing gears at 6,000 revs solo and 7,000 revs two up is best when riding this bike restricted. MPG is good brilliant. On a good run two up I've calculated 68mpg which is great, solo must be about 75mpg and thats excellerating as i've described above. Commuting 4miles acorss town does drag that right down though, about 55-60mpg on cold mornings. The big bikes might grin when they overtake you, but you'll be laughing out loud when they've all pulled over to refill there tanks and you go sailing past. After 4 months and 2,500 miles I ride it confidently and I feel ready to take the restrictor out as I now feel as though its a hinderous hitting that flat spot. The only things that have needed to be done is a new chain and sproket that were previously abused by my brother. There is also some rust around the swingarm and the brake torque arm rotted right through. Other corroding area's highlighted as a winter cummuter are the little nuts around the handle bars and brake lines. Overall a great first step after passing your test.

i got my gs500e...back when i traded in the old 125...a tzr125l.... my first "real" bike.... being sensible i read review after review about most bikes i thought would be a sensible step up... bandits 600, cb500's and the like.... but i fancied a bike i could buy brand new... plus insure without the need to sell a kidney or two!!! first ride from the bike shop was fun, after 2 strokes the bottom end grunt was awesome!! let the clutch out and off it pops!! once run in, i got my nerve.. and decided to hear what it sounded like!! the engine was fun, compared to my fireblade now it was dull and gasping for breath at the top end of the rev range, but back then it was great!!! and the handling even after a sporty 125 was good!! the brakes did there job, and it was actually comfy!! i took it two up to the isle of man TT ... me and my mate, but two up, up hills was a little bit too much for the gs, but we had a ball, overall it was a great bike to start on ... fuel consumption was great, comfort was good, and it actually sounded good too!! performance was actually rather impressive at first, although once used to it it was hardly heart stopping!! build qualtity was not as bad as the press would tell you, just wash it after a winter run!! but the rear break did seize!! .... the mirrors were a but crap though, vibrating so much you could not see what was behind you!! but overall, it was a fun bike to start real biking on!! it was the first bike i ever got to 100mph... something ill always remember!! and too be honest, even after owning yzf600's and fireblades, i do miss it!! it had a real good charector!!

my second 500(the first being a cb500)although not as fast i find it to be more reliable,top bike

This was my first big bike, took me time to get used to the handling but I can certainly corner fine on it now (just had to give it a chance). Set the shock to the hardest setting and helped my riding alot. Don't see why people slate the riding position? Why buy it in the first place if its not comfortable? Only thing I don't like on the bike is the clocks, but at the end of the day you dont expect state of the art clocks for the price.