My first bike was a '93 GS500e. It was a pretty fun little bike, although underpowered. As for a beater track bike, I don't think it would be that bad of an option. I picked mine up for $1200 and sold it for $800 so I know you can get 'em up pretty cheaply. Lately, I've been thinking about doing the same thing and getting either that or a ninja 250 to play around with too. Personally, I'd feel more comfortable with the GS, since I've had one already.

 

Don't read the article in the recent Roadracing World about the new Ninja 250...you'll be checking your bank account and wondering if you should just write a check.

 

I've owned 2 GS500s. They were great bike's although I didn't go to the track with them. There is a GS website.....www.gstwins.com. It's much like this one but not as nice. You may want to go over there and just visit to get some better info.

 

The GS is a good bike, but it's about the same weight as the SV, with 25 or so fewer horses.
Plus, it's tough to get a better rear suspension under it.

You'd be better going w/ an SV for the track. Much easier to upgrade.

 

i rode a friends 04? model i think. maybe it's just his but i didnt care for it. and yes i realize it's a cheaper 500cc.

the transmission felt very sloppy, it wasnt a smooth "click" between gears. it handled.... weird. i dont know how to describe it, i only rode it a few miles. the fairing seemed like it stuck forward about 10 feet, but thats probably because i like naked bikes better anyway.

like i said i rode it once around town, so my opinion probably doesnt count too much.

 

i had a 99 and i like it alot, put on telefix clip ons, changed the whole bike. In noe have a 89 ninja 500 i paing about 700& for that was an ex racebike (clipons, safety wire, exhaust, ect) I am in the preocess of upgrading it to 17" wheels. Is i nice cheap bike, but i was looking for a gs50 first, since i liked mine a lot

 

An EX500 Ninja would give you a lot more motor for the same money. That's why it's a more popular choice for track use, with more mods available.

 

I have a broken one in my garage if you want it.

 

How broken?

 

I owned and tracked a GS500e for years. It's a fun bike, don't get me wrong, but if you're looking to modify it as a track bike, a Ninja 500R has more power to start with and also has more mods/parts available for it.

 

I'd also go with an EX500 Ninja over the GS500 - not that either one does anything for me but the GS500 does less.
Why not pick up another SV cheap and track it? Or track your SV and get something a bit different for the street. I like the idea of having 2 very different bikes in my stable.

 

Too much cosmetic work into my SV - it's a streetbike and will stay that way.

I'm not really after speed as much as control, and @155# I think I'd be happier going bananas on a physically smaller bike than the SV.

The ninjette sounds best so far. I just haven't heard squat about the GS500 so I thought I'd ask. Thanks all.

 

My first bike was a GS500e, and I loved that bike..

 

Even weaker forks than an SV, easy to track air-cooled engine, really wide and low. I'd guess the EX500 or a Bandit would be a better choice. (Bandit has a very high COG, though.)

 

This guy races a GS500; check out his website:

http://gstwin.com/racers_corner.htm

But consider this quote: "They [GS500s] show up in race trim all over the country, but are not generally competitive with machines like the 8-valve Kawasaki EX 500 unless the track is tight and technical."

 

I had a '90 EX500 for a couple years. It was an ok bike, but it had major shortcomings. Seriously weak forks, 16" wheels on the older bikes, bendy frames...but lots of straight-line power. At my local track's club races, the GS outnumbers the EX like 5-to-1 or more, so there's got to be something good going on there. There's a much bigger race aftermarket for the GS.

Plus, the EX is fugly. I had a lot of fun on that bike, but it always looked like a can opener to me.

 

I've tracked an EX500 and I race an EX250. I can ride both bikes to their limits on the track. Finding upgrades for them is challenging though - can't do nearly as much to them as you can to an SV. But it's a riot to ride a 250 around the track, wide open throttle, grab two downshifts and throw it into a corner, suspension chattering at you all the way as you do your best to drag your elbow on the asphalt, and giggle like a schoolgirl cuz it's just so much fun.

 

Hey Todd,

How about one of those 450cc dirt bike modded for roadracing. 65hp 250lbs. I saw a CRF450 on craigslist for $2700 and the mods are well within your abilities.

There's also an FZR400 track bike listed for $2000. lots of bolt in upgrades for those.

I've seen ex race GS500s go for $1500 on the CRA website. They get tired of fixing them is what i hear.

Are you heading to the track this year? give me a call.

 

I did 2 years and 20K miles on an '02 GS500. Lots of people track em. They don't make big power, but they're big on reliability. There's all sorts of little mods you can do to make em more trackworthy. You can add a katana rear to get it up to 4.5" from the stock 3.5", which lets you run better rubber (although the pirelli sport demons are available in a 130/17/70 and work amazing for the bike), you can get sonic springs for the front, or swap front ends fairly easily for double disc setups, katana shocks swap in for better adjustability/damping, and they change the rake a bit for quicker turn in. I've never had a problem with my transmission, it felt sharp, just like my SV. You can get case guards for the nakeds that'll stand up to just about anything you can throw at em (and double as highway pegs, to boot). You can add clipons if you get sick of the standard bars, or add Suburban Machinery bars. Changing the gearing lets you get more snap off the line, as long as you don't mine hovering around redline all the time (and as a tracker, you shouldn't mind). Seating position may not be comfortable if you're over 5'11 or so, I'm 5'3, and it was fine for me. You can chop the subframe to lose weight. Keep the oil changed in em, and they'll run over 100K miles no problem. Parts are plentiful as they haven't changed mechanically from '89 to '02, and in '04 the only mechanical changes were a switch to an electrical tach instead of cable driven, and the addition of an oil cooler.

that's all I can think of off the top of my head. As you can tell, I'm something of an enthusiast.

 

NiceGuy - reliability as in... take a total beating for 40K and not spin a bearing? A bulletproof engine is definitely a bonus.

 

Yep, the guys over at the gstwins site definitely seem to like theirs. That was one of the bikes I was going to upgrade to when I sold my old '75 KZ400. But I found this Ninja 250 first as the GS500s weren't as common. I still think about buying one, but according to some people it wouldn't be much of an upgrade over my 250. ..shrug..
Just my $0.02 worth, Tony

 

the new Ninja 250's are pretty cool... they now look much more like their big brothers... haven't ridden one but have ridden a 93 model. It was a blast really. I remember I was WOT most of the time but... it was fun and nimble.

I owned a 500R for about a year. Friend told me his GS500 could probably keep up with me on it... but it did have $1500 worth of engine mods. I had considered GS500 previously but extra 10+ ponies swayed me to 500R. I found the 500R has quite a following as a track bike too. Lots of little mods to be found for them... many add ZX6 front ends and even seen one with swingarm and rear wheel as well.... with race bodywork... would never know its only a 500. The 500 engine is slow to spin up the revs but... it does have decent midrange and pulls pretty good if you keep it up about 6 or 7k. I kinda feel it will be a more fun track bike than a fun street bike.... I was always speeding on it as I waited for revs to come up and make the ride interesting ;D