Buy it for the right reason! (Kawasaki GPZ500S)

Member Name: dje71

Product:	Kawasaki GPZ500S
Date:	25/03/04 (6850 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap to buy, Cheap to run, Better than other 500cc twins

Disadvantages: Quality of finish, Handling, Power

I bought my 1997 GPZ500S in 2003 upon returning to biking after a 15 year break. I had previously been riding around on 12 hp 125cc bikes and, having passed my test in 2003, decided that the 60 hp of a GPZ would be more than enough power to get me back into the swing of things. A lot of riders considering the GPZ500 also consider buying a 600cc sports bike, so in this review I'll include some comparisons of the GPZ with the sports 600 I had after it, a Yamaha YZF600.

Specification

The GPZ500S is a parallel twin sports bike, although nowadays it's often thought of as a commuter due to its upright riding position and low power compared to the latest sports 600s with nearly twice the power output. The GPZ500 was designed in the 80s and has all of the corresponding design traits - narrow tyres, twin exhausts and low tech brakes and suspension. The choice of a parallel twin engine meant that the designers could use a steel frame and still keep the weight down to around 180 kg which was respectable at the time.

Performance

The GPZ500S is a good bike for commuting and town work. The engine produces enough power low down the rev range to be able to ride smoothly in slow moving traffic without the engine snatching or having to slip the clutch as is the case with full on sports bikes. The high handlebars allow you to steer full lock without getting your hands trapped between the handlebar and tank which is always useful when you're weaving in and out of stationary cars. The upright riding position also means that you are putting virtually no weight on your wrists, so there are no wrist/arm/back aches even after riding for hours. My bike did get quite hot in the summer in traffic even after the radiator fan kicked in although the temperature gauge never went into the red. The bike had plenty of power for city use and is capable of out-accelerating just about any car at the traffic lights. With its manouverability and comfort, thi

s bike was superior to my YZF600 for city use.

It is on the open road and motorway that the GPZ500S shows its shortcomings. The fairing is neither high nor wide so the rider gets only minimal protection from wind blast. In spite of the bike's weight, it is not very stable in cross winds. At motorway speeds it's very common for a sudden gust of wind to push you a few feet to either side. Being so small, the fairing doesn't offer any protection from the rain to the upper body and as it has no middle fairing, none at all to the legs. There is enough power for overtaking up to about 90 mph, after which the engine runs out of steam somewhat. The quoted top speed of the bike is 120 mph, which I don't doubt but it would take you a while to get there. With such minimal wind protection and stability it gets pretty tiring cruising at anything over 90 mph. By comparison, a more modern bike like the YZF600 is much more stable and offers much better protection from the wind. The sportier riding position does not cause problems at speed as the wind pressure takes some of the weight off the wrists.

The GPZ has very soft suspension. The forks easily bottom out under heavy braking and the rear bounces around a fair bit under cornering. The steering is not very accurate and you feel a lot more detached from what the bike is doing than on a modern sports bike. Earlier GPZ500s have a 16 inch front wheel which has a reputation for letting go in corners with no warning. My bike had the 17 inch wheels but still didn't give all that much feedback about the amount of grip remaining. Flicking the bike through corners is possible but it tended to be a case of "turn the bars, lean over and hope for the best". In spite of the YZF600 weighing more, it was much more flickable with much more precision to the handling - all in all a more involving experience.

The brakes on the GPZ500S are also worthy of mention. The rear brake is ok whil
e the
front is very weak. My bike had a single disc up front and required a hefty squeeze of the lever to slow down quickly. I was once riding in London in traffic around 20 mph in the pouring rain. When a car suddenly pulled out in front of me I grabbed both brakes but nothing happened! If the car driver hadn't seen me at the last minute I would have hit the car. Suffice to say that in the wet don't count on the brakes to get you out of trouble. More modern brakes work much better and are not affected so much by water.

Fit and Finish

The GPZ500S is built down to a price and it shows. The steel swing arm is reknowned for rusting all over. It is only covered with a thin layer of paint and stone chips soon let rust form. You need to check this on any GPZ500 - if the rust is serious enough it can affect the structural integrity of the component. If the swing arm collapses when you're riding it's game over. The exhaust down pipes are made from mild steel and are extremely prone to rust. Most GPZ500s that I have seen over 5 years old have had aftermarket exhausts fitted. The paintwork on the tank, fairing and body panels however is of good quality with a good finish.

Reliability

GPZ500s don't like starting from cold, even less if it's raining. My GPZ never failed to start although it did require a few presses of the starter button. The GPZ500 has a few known problems - steering head bearings tend to fail after around 10,000 miles. To test this, ride the bike along at around 15 mph and then brake sharply to a standstill. If a clonking noise comes from the head stock then the bearings need replacing. Another way is to put the bike on the centre stand and move the handlebars from side to side. If any notchiness is felt then the bearings have had it. Head stock bearings are an MoT item and cost around £150 to replace at a dealer due to the amount of work required. Another problem is the cush drive. This is a ru
bber disc
in the rear wheel assembly that smooths out the drive from the rear sprocket to the wheel itself. When this goes the bike will feel "snatchy" upon appying and taking off power to the back wheel. The alternator can also give problems on higher mileage bikes.

Costs

Fuel economy on the GPZ is around 50 mpg. This is good when compared with a car but the combination of a non-aerodynamic shape and 20 year old engine design makes the bike non-competitive compared to modern bikes. I got the same fuel economy from the YZF600 when not riding it at warp speed. The tank range of the GPZ is around 180 miles including reserve.

Insurance is a big plus for the GPZ. The bike is group 8, cosing me £300 TPFT compared to twice this for the YZF600. The bike apparently gets overlooked by thieves in favour of sportier bikes, which means that insurers don't offer big discounts if an alarm/immobiliser is fitted although having the bike Datatagged will get you a small discount.

The other big cost advantage that the GPZ has is the purchase price of the bike. At the time of writing this (spring '04) it is possible to get a one year old GPZ500s with low mileage for a little over two grand. A similar 600cc class sports bike would cost double that amount.

Overall

The conclusions that can be drawn are that the GPZ500S is an excellent bike for town work and for people who don't want or need a 150mph sports bike. The GPZ is beaten in just about every category by the newer 600cc bikes but then again the GPZ is really in a completely different category itself. Lots of riders new to biking or returning to biking buy the GPZ500 over a sports 600 while they improve their riding skills. However, if you think you may eventually want to get a sportier/faster bike then my recommendation would be to get that bike straight away in preference to the GPZ.

Summary: