Found this on Craigslist yesterday. Well, Daniel did. It is exactly what I want. Naked Suzuki GS500 (can’t tell what color it is or why the photo is BW).
1998 Suzuki GS-500 with 22,000 miles. Small, light, fast, easy to maintain, 50+MPG. Great commuter/ lanesplitter. Some dings and scratches but bike needs nothing. Just buy it and ride.$1600.00
Totally hot and totally in my price range. So why am I not rushing over to look at it? Because I’m nervous. I’ve been hanging out with this boy lately who works in the ER at County Hospital. And he’s just full of horror stories. Of course, we all know motorcycles are dangerous. But now that I’m finally so close to getting one, I’m finding myself filled with trepidation. He says before I get a bike, I should spend one night with him in the hospital.
It’s also hard for me to commit to buying something so expensive. I mean, I have the money. But still, making the commitment to hand over that much cash is almost as frightening as a motorcycle accident. I’m just not used to having expendable income. I feel like I should hoard it away just in case. Ack! I should just call the guy and go look at it, right? Right?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Man…what a pick up line. Come spend a night with me in the hospital. He is smooooth….
He’s right, they are dangerous. I think that instead of buying the motorcycle, you should just buy a really warm security blanket and hide under it forever. Even better if the security blanket is made by Volkswagen.
Hmm… bikes are hot… but I dunno’ – are you gonna’ be one of those people who is always driving down the middle of traffic? Cause that freaks me out… and you could get hurt, which is bad
Right on. I can totally see you on this. Good luck.
the sun is out again BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY – canyon season is only 4 or 5 months away!!
i’m buying a new bike this weekend too! ‘85 Honda Sabre V65 1100cc badass… super fast classic in perfect shape. You’ll be seeing it on the roadie show and of course, the best damn tech show period!
Buy it, wreck it, tell stories, and show scars.. It’s just a bike.
my dream bike too…
I’d love to have this bike too. Great mpg, low insurance, etc. I accidentally bought a ducati 4 years ago – yes, accidentally, as in “oops, I won that ebay auction I thought I had no chance at winning”. Went out and took the 8hr permit course, had the bike a week later, and jump right on. With the help of some extreme fear and respect for the dangers of motorcycling, I’ve made it 4yrs with nary a tip over. Then again, in Maine we don’t exactly have LA traffic to deal with. YMMV – literally.
Of course it’s dangerous… but like they commented, are you going to be dodging in and out of traffic? Riding a lot at night? Commuting with it everyday? You don’t strike me as Fast and the Furious type.
I’ve also wanted a bike for a long time. They are just too cool. But, we are living in critical times. The gas-powered engine is so passe’. Go electric! Depending on your needs-other than the need for speed-you can get a $1000 Ego electric bike or the $11,000 Vetrix just unveiled earlier this month (see article below). I used my Ego as much as possible in town, drive when I have to and take public transportation (Amtrak) as much as possible to commute to work. I was taking my Ego on the train earlier this year but Amtrak put the kaibosh on my commuting plans because they are close-minded bureaucrats with no vision of an alternative-transportation future. The organ-donor argument is also very compelling too, though. Good luck. J.
New scooter zips along nicely for pennies per mile
Michael Taylor, Chronicle Auto Editor
Friday, August 10, 2007
Bay Area zero-emission advocates got their first test ride Thursday on a zippy new all-electric motor scooter that can take two commuters on a silent freeway ride that will cost them just pennies in electrical power.
The plug-in hybrid automobile crowd, in the news these days because of advances in the technology of fuel-efficient hybrids, gathered at San Francisco’s Presidio to see the latest wrinkle in emission-free transportation – an electric motor scooter called the Vectrix that can whiz along at 60 miles an hour.
At $11,000, the Vectrix may be a bit pricey, but it is a first of sorts and it will probably appeal to the same high-income people who have ordered the $100,000 all-electric Tesla sports car. “We want to get to the right consumer demographics,” said Jeff Morrill, Vectrix’s managing director for marketing. “It’s for urban commuting, and it targets environmentalists, active (electric power) enthusiasts.”
One of those was Marc Geller, a San Francisco photographer who owns a rare all-electric Toyota RAV4. He said of the Vectrix: “I’ve ridden it and it’s fantastic. It’s all about the (electric) plug and environmental concerns, petroleum concerns. I think it’s totally cool, compared to that noisy piece of crap.”
He was referring to a loud gas-powered vehicle that sped past as a few Vectrixes quietly tooled around the Presidio’s main parade ground in a public demonstration of the new electric-powered scooter.
The Vectrix is a lot like other scooters – it has the normal right-hand twist grip for power, similar to motorcycles. On a 20-minute ride, a Chronicle reporter found it was pretty good in the zippy department, quite comfortable and, yes, very quiet.
It handled well, its fit and finish seemed good, and it had a trunk under its passenger seat that was large enough to accommodate a motorcycle helmet. But overall it wasn’t much different from other, much less expensive, gas-powered scooters.
The 462-pound Vectrix scooter takes two hours to recharge its batteries on 220-volt house current and three hours on a 110-volt current. Its makers say it has a top speed of 62 mph and, when traveling at a constant speed of 40 to 45 mph, has a range of about 60 miles on a charge. It is freeway legal and is sold in San Francisco by British Motor Cars.
The Vectrix looks a lot like modern scooters made by Honda and Suzuki. Its major departure is the fact that it is powered by a small electric motor affixed to the rear wheel. Otherwise it feels the same as its gas-powered brethren.
But it’s the price that gets people.
“Eleven thousand dollars? It’s bloody insane,” said Morris Friedlander, a veteran scooter and motorcycle dealer. Friedlander, who said he last operated an East Bay dealership for about a year, said most prospective scooter buyers are looking for economical transportation.
He said a typical scooter buyer might spend $3,000 or more – sometimes up to $8,000 – for a new gasoline-powered scooter that will run circles around the Vectrix and still get 50 to 80 mpg.
After riding the Vectrix, Friedlander said, “the speed is acceptable and the weight is well balanced and the brakes worked well. The downside is that its appearance is derivative” of other motor scooters.
Greg Beemer, who commutes 55 miles roundtrip each day on his $7,000 Aprilia 500cc scooter, said he was impressed with the Vectrix.
“To begin with, it’s silent,” he said, “and it’s inexpensive to run and to maintain.” He paused for a moment, then added, “But that price. That’s something they’ll have to overcome.”
E-mail Michael Taylor at mtaylor@sfchronicle.com.
Get The Bike and Get lessons Riding The bike to stay out of the Hospital.The Bike is only as dangerous as the person’s ability to ride it. It’s a great first bike.just make sure the frame is not bent. That makes them handle a little funny. It’s comfortable for day long rides and worth the money.