Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127179
~ ~ All things to all people? . . (Above) Heart of the little Suzuki is a torquey 487cc twin . (Below) In stock trim, there's little to protect a rider from the elements. (Left) The GS500 is as close to a "standard" motorcycle as can be. but add a fa iring and cowling (below) and it's a sport bike. By Brian Catterson Since the in troduction of Kawasaki's GPZ series in 1981, the Japanese motorcycle manu facturers have been caugh t in an arms ra ce ,' But ' along, w i th this esca l at ing p erfo rm an ce h as co me increased costs. And a dearth . . . of n ew parncrpants entermg our sp ort. Suzuki has 'been setti ng th e sport bik e pace since the GSX R750 hit , these shores in 1986, but in the race for mark et domination, their prices have skyrocketed. Add to that the intimidating nature of the latest sport bikes and it 's no wonder our sport isn't attracting new rider s. . With thi s in mind, Suzuki introdu ced the GS500EK - not quite a sport bike, but certainly sporty. 10 Suzu ki wanted to create a bik e that' would su it the beginner, yet also be appreciated by more expe rienced riders . It had to have a fresh, sporty design, enough power for commutin g an d sport riding, and be comfortable eno ug h for touring. The heart of the GS500 is the venerable air-cooled GS450 fourstro ke twin, the mos t recent incarnation of which was seen in the 1988 GS450LJ cruiser bike. Suzuki engineers wanted the motor to produce the most possible torque over the broadest possible rev range, so they began by boring the cylinders 3mm, 'increasing displacemen t to 487cc. Larger valves dictated the use of a new combustion chamber shape whi ch the makers designated New . Twin Dome Combustion Chamber (NT DCC). The benefit of the new combustion chamber is a larger squish area . T he pis ton domes are slightly thinner , but weigh the same as the old ones to maintai n crankshaf t balance. The' I80-degree crankshaft rides on pl ain bearings, with a gear -dri ven coun terbala ncer doing its part to smooth vibra tion. T he 450's en gi n e cases were cha nged slig htly due to a differen t co u n tersha ft a n d cl u tc h relea se mechanism. The clutc h uses longer sp rings with a lower sp ring rate to reduce lever effort. T he outp u t sha ft was lengthened to move th~ cha inline outboard of the new WIder rear wh eel. The h oll ow three-spoke wheels are the same as those fitted to the 600 and 750cc Katanas, but with narrower Bridgestone Exedra tires. The cam ttmmg and igruuon adva nce curve were also changed from th e 450. Suzuki also design ed the GS500 for ease of maintenance. A maintenancefree tr an sistorized ignition a nd au toma tic cam chain tensioner are used but v,:e feel they missed on one aspect - the two-val ve-per-cylinder, cha in-driven, double overh ead cam powerplant requires sh ims to set va lve clearances rat her tha n the much simpler screw-type adjusters. Su zu ki represen ta tives,how ever , point out that the sh im meth od holds its adjustment longer. T he GS500's valve adj ustment interval is 4000 mi les. A crossover tub e between the head pipes of the two-in to-one exha ust helps optimize the fuel in take charge during valve overlap and a stain less steel-covered muffler body brightens the rear of the machine. The perimeter-style chassis looks like it's mad e of aluminum, but it 's reall y square-section steel: Nonadjustable 37mm Kayaba forks grace the front end , while Suzuki's Full Floater rear suspension sports a si ngle Kayaba shock with seven preload adjustments (adj usted with a special tool included in the tool ki t). Single hydrau lic disc brakes are featu red at both ends -' a fully floating 310mm disc at front and a 250mm unit at rear. ' The Cali forn ia-onl y models will see the addition of a charcoal cannister located u nder the tai lpiece and different igni tio n adva nce curve to meet the sta te 's more stringent emiss ions standards. a Suzuki hosted a press conference and demonstratio n ride at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel, California, o n February 15-16. In itial im pressio ns o f th e GS500 we re favorabl e. Straddling the bike for the first time , one notices tha t the rubbermounted forged aluminum handlebars are low and narrow, requiring that the rider lean forward. Tho!:!gh this may lie disconcerting on the showroom floor , it 's the ideal riding pos itio n once in motion. T all er riders (in or arou nd the six -foot range) may feel too big for the bi ke, bu t not necessari ly cramped. . Power is torquey from low rpm up through the midrange, inviting smooth acceleratio n, though the Slingshot 33mm Mikuni Ilatslide carburetors are overly sensitive wit h a hesitan t Oat spo t.j ust offidle, T his is not a desirable trait in a beginner's bik e, but certain ly a barrier he can overcome. Redline is 10,000 rp m, and there is no rev limiter. Shifting action of the six-speed tra nsmission felt mus hier than most bikes we've ridden lately. Nevertheless, no shifts were missed. Action of ' th e cab le-actua ted cl utc h is extremely light. . Handling of the 373-pound dry machi ne is excellen t. It's extremely fJicka bl e a nd ea sy to ma neuver around town . T he fro nt b rake, sim ilar to the ones fitt ed to the GSX Rs, is strong - even experience d riders won't want more. The rear disc brake is also strong, perhaps too mu ch so. It 's easy to lock up the rear brake du e to the lack of feel throug h the pedal. The design concept behind the GS500 is not en tirely new - the idea