Sam´s corner

A defence of my mediocre GS500

5 Aug 2024

Comparison is the thief of all joy, and crusty old motorcycles rock!

Motorcycles. They are unnecessary, obnoxious, dangerous and anti-social. Despite all this(or maybe because of it?), many men build their identities around these mid life crisis machines.

In the spring of 2024, having worked a few months as a grunt at a Slovenian tech company, I could for the first time in my life seriously consider buying a motorcycle. One weekend, a deal that I could not resist popped up: A newly serviced and inspected Suzuki GS500E for 14 000 SEK(~1300$). I knew this was an ok bike to start on, having seen the review by Brian at RegularCarReviews, but I decided to read more about my newly acquired possession. I admit to being a bit shocked when I read the following about my new bike on MotorCycleNews.com:

“Oh dear. The soft, wallowy suspension makes for laborious riding and bad handling whilst lack of feedback means the rider’s unable to corner with confidence, let alone speed on the Suzuki GS500 E. Furthermore, it all gets worse over time. Brakes are dreadful but the gearbox is good.”

“A sturdy lump, if ever there was one, but it’s ancient and lacking in power.”"

""…the GS500 E’s a chore to get it up to speed"

-Motorcycle News review of the GS500E

This 2-star review of my new purchase was of course a bit discouraging, had I just bought a turd of a bike that will be a constant pain and chore to ride? That was a real possibility, and I was slightly concerned that I was going to hate the bike and sell it within a few weeks. A week later, it was time for my first ride. Having only ridden mopeds and on occasion 125cc scooters, I decided to (illegally) take the old Suzuki for a spin around the block. And all my concerns about the bike were instantly gone!

The brakes felt grabby, the ancient 44hp inline twin motor felt extremely powerful, getting me up to 55km/h(twice as fast as my VeloSolex!!!) in second gear with only a quick twist of the throttle. The bike felt stable enough and the suspension kept the tires on the road. In the 2 minutes it took me to ride around the neighborhood, I knew that I was going to like this machine way beyond what MCN´s review suggested.

One could say that my positive thoughts of the GS500E are because of lack of experience, and that I simply didn´t know better because it was the only real motorcycle I had ridden. As a part of getting my motorcycle license, I got to ride other bikes. I took 2 riding lessons on the refined and well handling Suzuki SV650, took the mandatory closed course session on the brutally powerful Yamaha MT-09, and passed my test on a colleague´s beautiful Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled. All of these bikes were better handling, better looking and significantly more powerful than my old Suzuki, that I am aware of. But does this have to detract from my overall perception of the GS500E?

There´s a saying that I think applies well in this situation: “Comparison is the thief of all joy”. In a time of social media and increased access to information, it is easier than ever to compare oneself to others. Especially with algorithms that feed you more of what you´re already interested in. “You like running? Here´s content of people running faster than you. You like styling your apartment? Here are some stylish houses that you will never afford”. I am not saying we should bury our heads in the sand and avoid all information that could be compared to our own lives. I do however believe there can be value in choosing which comparisons are necessary and beneficial to make, and what comparisons we can disregard and avoid making.

As a writer at a large motorcycle magazine, of course you have to compare the bikes you write about to what is available, that is the entire point. The writers at MCN are not wrong for saying the GS500E is old and poorly handling in 2022 when the review was written, because compared to newer bikes it is. What´s important is to not let that comparison take away from our own experiences. Because for me, “Suzanne” the red GS500E is great. Just the thought of riding it puts me in a childish state of excitement. It starts up every time, accelerates to 100km/h faster than most cars, and lets me feel close to the landscapes i traverse on it in a way no car ever could. It might be the base model Honda Accord of motorcycles, but it´s still a motorcycle, and I often see other riders who seem to share my view. Riders on clapped out CB400ns or Ninja 250s from the 80´s with drum brakes and barely enough power to ride on the highway. These old machines are still motorcycles: unnecessary, dangerous and anti-social, and that´s probably what these riders like about them.

Only time will tell if I will be able to stoically enjoy the simplicity of my GS500E for the coming seasons, or if my constant search for something new will get me to buy something completely different.

Suzanne the GS500E at the lake
Suzanne the GS500

I will leave you with a video of a guy riding his GS500E like Valentino Rossi. LINK