Road Test: The Suzuki GS 500 E does exactly what it says on the tin, writes John Wheeler.
Suzuki's motorcycles range from the mind-boggling 182 mph Hayabusa down to the 125 cc vee-twin Intruder and single-cylinder Marauder. The range, with a reputation for bomb-proof engines, has examples of machines in every class.
They list just one machine, the GS 500 E, as a commuter bike. This is a 487 cc, air-cooled machine with a parallel twin-cylinder engine producing 44.5 bhp. It has a six-speed gearbox and weighs 172 kgs. Perhaps its chief attraction is the relatively budget price of €6,570 and the fact that it falls within the 34 kW limit which now applies to those within two years of passing their test. A lower powered version designed to qualify for cheaper insurance is also available.
In appearance the machine is conventional. It has both the look and feel of a 250 rather than a 500. The hand grips are set rather low in sports bike-style; not particularly suitable for a machine likely to spend much of its life between the outer suburbs and city centre. Higher placed grips - thus reducing the weight and strain on the rider's wrists - would have been better. Commuting speeds are rarely high enough to justify a crouched, "sports" posture.
It is completely vice-free, well-equipped and has both side and centre stands. The only other significant faults are the mirrors and the warning lights. We do like to know what is going on behind us, the mirrors barely do that. Instead one gets an all too generous view of one's elbows.
It would be easy enough to source better after market mirrors at almost any bike shop, but one should not have to do that. In a triumph of form over function the warning lights are set below the speedometer and rev counter. To see them, wearing a full face helmet, one has to take one's eyes off the road.
If they were placed above the instruments they would be within one's peripheral vision. Having to take one's eyes off the road to check if all is well is not recommended, especially in the commuting environment.
In their present position the single, small indicator warning light is all too easily overlooked and one can end up leaving the indicators on, misleading other road users as to one's intentions.
Those whose hair is now greying, thinning or long since gone will recall bikes with parallel twin engines, such as the 500 cc Triumph Tiger 100 and the Norton Dominator 88 - both "great" machines of yesteryear.
They might expect that Suzuki's GS 500 would be as delightful to ride and bristle with as much character. Sadly not. This Suzuki is all it claims to be - a "commuter". It relies for its performance not so much on torque, which is negligible, but on high engine speed; maximum torque of 40Nm requires 7,400 rpm. It completely lacks any of that élan, vital one might expect from a parallel twin 500.
The GS 500 is thoroughly un-intimidating, bland enough in looks as to be almost unnoticeable, and utterly unexciting to ride to the point of being almost boring. For many buyers such "characteristics" are, in fact, the attraction.
There are many motorcyclists who simply want to get from A to B without drama or fuss. Rarely if ever would they want to carry a pillion passenger. For them a motorcycle is not a way of life, just a reliable and efficient means of getting the commuting done. And, in fairness to this machine, it fulfils such needs.
It is not an enthusiast's machine nor, I suspect, likely to turn the newcomer to motorcycling, at which it is aimed, into an enthusiast. It will not gather crowds wherever it is parked. Small boys will not be asking: "What will it do?" I doubt that anyone buying this machine will do so with the dream of heading off to far distant places or riding in an Iron Butt event.
If all you want is a straightforward, no nonsense, reliable workhorse well able to get you to and from the workplace and with enough performance to cope with the occasional trip down the country, the GS 500 is perfectly suitable.
Add to that a reasonable price, reasonable running costs and, by Irish standards, a not too frightening insurance cost and it all adds up to a practical solution. There are many car commuters who would happily settle for that.
TechSpec:
ENGINE: Parallel twin-cylinder, air cooled, DOHC 4-stroke producing 44.5 hp at 9,000 rpm.
PERFORMANCE: claimed 112 mph top speed, 0-60 mph in 14.2 seconds.
CONSUMPTION: on test 57.9 mpg.
PRICE: €6,570