Started on a GS500 almost 9 years ago and I'm still riding it. Sure it runs out of steam on a long straight, but it's plenty fast enough to be fun and I can still smoke a poser on a sportbike when the road gets twisty. And honestly, I can hang with good riders on much bigger/faster bikes in the twisties too, as long as there's not too much open road for the hp to make a difference. Parts and insurance are dirt cheap too. When I get a little bored with it...I modify something.