Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hi all

I have the opportunity to pick up a 1988 GPZ500s, I have a thing for old/square n heavy.

Any ideas what I should look for, keep an eye out..expect to have probs with in the future? Tis in schmicky condition and hopefully will be my daily commute.

Thankey in advance.

Carly

The gpz 500s is a great bike, old yes, but not really square and not that heavy. I think they looked pretty good. I had one for many years as my first road bike.
The engine was pretty good and carried on into the er5, kle500 and was the basis for the motor in the er6.

Not much go but enough to get you into trouble. The suspension was very basic as is most things on the bike.

Never had a problem with mine and it did a couple of 2 up trips to P.I. and back fully loaded...

oh, and they are learner legal so will hold there value and be an easier seller than a 250...

I briefly had a GPz500s..and my mate still has it

they are pretty foolproof ol'jigger
not much really goes wrong..but they are not a new bike anymore

in assessing one..have a look at my used bike buyers guide on the site
http://www.ksrc-au.com/index.php?itemid=16

hth

Smitty

Thanks peeps.. mucho appreciated.

The guide is great, since I have the mechanical capability of a gnat. I go oh look its pretty - can I have it now?

Cross fingers, I will have it home in the garage beside the 9 & 6 soon

well as posted in the other thread.

She is home safely tucked up beside the 6 & 9.


If anyone has any manuals etc...

oh and the prev owner has De-baffled... Bruce is going to wake the dead. . if anyone has any suggestions as to how to shut her up a little, it would be appreciated.

Congrats, that's as neat as a button. Good pick-up!

that looks great! Good score !

Congratulations, it looks to be in great nick!

good pick up ... looks lovely...

kawasaki US are still selling this bike, they call it a ninja 500R but it looks to be basically the GPZ500....

if the owner debaffled it and its too loud... rebaffle it!!!

if the owner debaffled it and its too loud... rebaffle it!!!

am madly googling on how to rebaffle, no idea where to start *laffin* but I shall work it out.

Husband is rolling his eyes already, I could of had any brand new bike I wanted.. n what do I go out and buy ... BRUCE - the new love of my life.

A little note on my new toy:

I have been struggling on the bike riding for some time. Just cant seem to get the grove.... get the feel and my riding ability feels like it is going backwards and while I ride every day to work.. riding anywhere else hasnt had any appeal. I have a ZX6 & a ZX9.

That is.. until Bruce arrived.

Now she is not a nice swanky, pretty n sparkly new bike.. far from it. Its a 1988 GPZ500S.
But I am in love..........

I bought her on a whim, I have a thing for chunky and old (bikes & owners I can hear you say)... and I gingerly took her to Peter from Tyres for Bikes and announced.. I have another piece of poo for you. He rolled his eyes and placed his head in his hands. The state my ZX6 was in when I presented her was a bit poor shall we say.

Well to my surpise when we picked her up from her new shoes and going over. Nothing wrong, nothing needed doing!!! .

So I finally took her out on Sunday...... it was like a breath of fresh air. I was immediately comfortable and confident. The twisty roads I normally battle to sit on 60kph on were wizzing past at considerably more . Now for me this is a huge thing.. I dont call myself Nanna for nothing.

We came down a hill to some lights, with heaps of traffic.. the boy laffed and said.. lane split? This phrase normally puts me into total panic, I just cant do it... but with Bruce.. I smiled and headed straight to the front, and took off with mucho gusto when those lights when green. Giggling the whole way.

So for those that say.. they have found THE BIKE for them.. I can finally understand.

For me its not a nice new shiney bike that will go from zero to a tonne in a blink.... its Bruce.

So hopefully I will be able to get out and about and get onto some nice country rides.
........the hubby better watch out.. there is a new man in my life and I am totally Bezotted.


Now.......... how old does a bike have to be to qualify for Historic??