Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

the background stuff .....

My job covers a large patch of England and a bit of Scotland and Wales .. I visit 50 different sites regularly project managing computer network installs. I always bike it as traffic is a nightmare and I hate time stuck in jams and gridlock .... means I cover around 40,000 miles a year on average. This covers all weather and times of day. The bikes I use get punished.

Before the GSX I ran a handful of Honda VT500e bikes .. all from Ebay and cheap ! Slowly they all died until just one was left. It had covered 108000 miles when the front big end failed at speed on a motorway. I always did my own maintenance on them and bought spares etc from Ebay or breakers ..

This left me having to cover work on a 1972 Honda 350 four ... far too classic to be thrashed all year long .. particularly as exhausts are rare as hens teeth and pricey ..

the choices

I needed wheels fast and rapidly narrowed it down to either the GS500f or GSX650f .. a good price in a local dealer soon made the GSX the option.

so how do I regard it ?

basically as a tool to let me do my job ... but a tool I really enjoy using. It is comfortable,quick,capable and fits me a treat ... I can spend all day on it between visits and cover 500 mles some days .. and carry the tools of my trade .. laptop/paperwork etc ... and at weekends my missus loves a blast on the back ...

Im 30 and have ridden streeet bikes since I was 17. There was a period of about 5 years where I didnt't have my own bike due to School and Work.

I have ridden old Suzuki 400's, an 84 Honda Night Hawk S (red) 750, Kawasaki cruisers, GSXR600, FZ6, old FJ1200, my uncle's Harley and gold wing, a GS500, Ninja 500, Shadow 750 and 500, Concours, and a KLR650.

Last spring I decided to go get another bike. I decided that because I don't commute far and may only be able to ride around 5000 k per year all I would need is a 500.

I wanted something reliable. I chose a GS500. A solid little machine. Simple inexpensive and easy to ride around town.

I liked the little GS. Never caused me any trouble. Was fun and nimble.

But of course I quickly craved more. The cold carburator starts and the planning it took to pass cars started to bother me. I got great gas milege and did have fun.

Then a year and a half later I found the GSXF. The dealer, what a nice guy. Preped it off the show room floor in a half hour so I could test ride it.

Wow! Fuel injection, a gas gauge, a shift indicator, effortless passing, smooth shifting and the sweet hum of an inline four with a useful faring.

I'm sure that the heritage in the GSXF engine will make it last.

I hold this bike in very high regard. For the cost you get a lot of motorcycle that does it all with ease.

I might sound bias because I own one however this bike seems to serve its all round purpose better then the rest. IMHO.

High Regards,

Pete

I'm pretty much a rookie rider (riding since late March of this year), and I don't know much about motorcycles with regard to the mechanics of them yet.

Hughes, you have so so much riding experience and practical hands on mechanical experience with your bikes. I figure what ever you report about the GSX650F is going to be really accurate. I also figure, now that I see you have so darned much mechanical experience, you probably know more than most of us are ever going to learn. So, I figure if you mention something concerning the mechanics of your bike, you really are an authority.

I really like my bike. I do not know yet whether it will be a reliable, sound bike for the next several years. I hope so. I believe any bike that gets a workout for a long time is going to have mechanical things happen that need to be fixed.

For those who have owned their GSX650F's since early '08, I too would like to hear how well the bike holds together without a lot of fix-ups.

Agree with the sentiments. Commuter bike for me, not high miles (it's only 50-100 miles a day), but I ride every day what ever the weather.

I've ridden for ... well ever... (my teenagers remind me that I'm OLDER THAN DIRT ) I've always done my own maintenance, cars and bikes and this is by far the lowest maintenance bike I've ever owned. Gas it up, check it over and go!

Highly recommended from me and several friends have now bought the same bike, one unfortunately in BLUE (sorry pratik)

Hmm, how do I see my bike?

...

F-IN' AWESOME, that's how!

It's a great means of transportation, certainly in heavy traffic as I hate traffic jams -- even though I only have go 10km (6.2miles) to get to work
I don't mind the extra time and effort it takes to ride my bike to work (= getting the bike out of its shed, putting on my gear, opening the gate, trying not to slam into the ground as I have to ride on mud and wet grass to reach the gate I just opened). It saves me a lot of frustration and time on the road, and I arrive at work with a big grin on my face.
Oh, I also love the looks, compliments and thumbs up I get from some of my co-workers It also makes a great conversation topic, people I'd otherwise never talk to, ask me questions and talk to me about bikes and riding

However, I didn't buy this bike as a commuter (well, not in first place, although I try to ride it to work as much as possible). I've always dreamt about riding a bike, and about a month ago (oct. 2nd) that dream came true. I saved up the money, and the second I could afford gear+bike+insurance, I went to the dealer, signed the contract and made a deposit. 2 extremely long days and a lot of euros later, I was the happiest and proudest man on earth It took 2 days because the black bike wasn't in stock and had to be ordered in. Those two days possibly shortened my lifespan with a few years.

I had never even ridden a moped, scooter or anything alike, so the delight was all the greater when I got to ride it the first time (after taking the obligatory lessons and aquiring my learners permit).
I tend to get bored of things very quickly, but it seems that the more I ride this bike, the more I want to be on it I'm still very inexperienced (1 month, 1500km [~940 miles]) so I guess the fun only gets greater as experience comes and you ride the twisties harder and harder It won't be long before I eat, watch tv, and sleep on my bike. Long term plans include people having to drag me off of it, kicking and screaming

This thing has quickly become a great money-sucking passion and pleasure, and I'm sure we'll spend many happy kilometers together. Best ~7000 euros I've ever spent (in my mere 22 years of existence -- 23 in exactly one month).
The end!

BTW Did I mention I think this bike is AWESOME? It being my first bike and all possibly might have something to do with that

[EDIT]It seems I typed a lot more than I intended to Sorry for that (and for my possibly faulty grammar and spelling)[/EDIT]

I would like to add my little bit. passed my big bike test in April 08. Went to local dealer and asked if i could test ride a 4 cylinder (only had two on the test bike, but had heard how smooth they are).

Nice man let me ride an 2003 Fazer, I liked the bike, couldn't believe how smooth the engine was, spent about 30 mins on bike (showed the wife, said nice). Next bike I borrowed was a Bandit, That was really smooth, but even has a novice i felt like it needed another gear). Told nice man I enjoyed the test rides, but it would be nice to have something a little sporty.

So he took me to the workshop and showed me the GSXF (still in its box) I thought mmm pretty. That was me hooked, put me money on the table and said when can i have it. He said 3 days, best day of my life picking up my baby.

To date, have covered 10000 miles, me and the wife enjoy so much the trips out on the bike. Whether its a long journey or a short one. In fact, we love it so much we go camping with her, pack up the tent and just enough to last us for the weekend and the rest of the world is our oyster.

The one little tradition i have when we are ready to go on a friday, is to leave my watch at home and use the sun for the clock, so when it gets nearly dark, we just pitch the tent somewhere, and get up early next morning.

But hey, I ramble on and could do so for a long time. What was the question, oh yes, the bike, my baby, absolutely friggin brilliant. No bother at all (had her regulary serviced), only thing had to do is put new tyres on her. A little treat for my baby, new shoes.

Hows this for being sad, when we get caught in the rain on the journey we don't care we just smile and enjoy the bike, look forward to finding a nice spot for all three of us. I simply cannot wait for the 'so-called summer' to come again, i know we will spend more time seeing the sights of the UK, and there really are some lovely places.

Thanks for reading my ramble. Pops

What kind of tent do you use. We do a lot of camping when traveling by our car, or our van. But I want to camp when riding.

Some tents are large enough to roll a bike into them, and still have room to sleep. Just a moderate size tent can do that. So, I'm browsing the outdoor stores for a tent with the poles that are short enough, when folded to put into a saddle bag. I can always toss a tarp over the bike, if it's going to get wet.

Hi Olequa,

Have attached photo for you, tent weighs 11kg.

here is pic of bike, fully loaded.

http://www.imageposter.com/uploads/get/548060


Pops

REALLY COOL TENT. HOW MANY DOES IT SLEEP

hmmmmm. well i bet this will come in handy when i want to hit route 66... not a bad idea. do you roll your bike into that tent pops? i want to get a tent that i can roll my bike into for when i go take it camping. lol i love that concept. a garage thats portable!

as for the topic?

i bought this bike back in early june of 08. the only things i have done to this bike is give it the first 600 (i did it at 800) miles check up, then i changed my own oil at 3000 miles. this bike has needed NO maintenance! it still runs like it did the day i took it out of the dealership! the power is a never ending adrenaline rush! i love this bike. i have ridden it in the extreme heat of the summer, the cold of winter, the wetness of rain, hail at one point, and light snow. i have had so much confidence with this bike that i am tempted to try driving on ice (maybe.... just maybe...) and with this bike all these weather conditions only make the ride more fun. i have had no problems whatsoever with the bike since i bought it. but just in case i have a suzuki service manual. i have ridden this bike through the valley (a riding area in delaware which is all through the woods. twisty's as you guys call them) this bike kept up with a cbr600rr in the woods, i have ridden on the highway to the beach (dewey beach in delaware which is a 1 and a half hour ride) and this bike makes it feel like im sleeping face down on a recliner and i love it, i have ridden through the city (which i hate doing because its a maze in delaware), i have ridden in local areas and this bike has proven its worth to me. this bike has earned her own name (scarlet) and i have treated her like a girlfriend (like a jem i dont want to let go). i recommend this bike to anyone who is looking for a bike.