handlebar mishap

[Rweimer]

Hi, everyone.  my name is robert weimer, i am from mobile alabama, and due to the strong response for the gs500 in this website, i decided to get it as a starter bike, rather than becoming a statistic and getting a gixxer.

I have had the bike for going on four days now, new 04 gs500F, and am in love with it. but i have several questions.

1.  I had a minor spill, scratched up the muffler exhaust, the handlebar weight, and a tad on the engine metal thingy that says suzuki.  Everything seems to be ok, and i haven't had another spill, but something did happen.  It appears that my handlebars have been knocked out of alignment, and are shifted to the left.  Well, i looked at the nut on the bottom of the handlebar, and got a 14mm socket, and attempted to turn it left. (righty tighty, lefty loosey, right?)  try as I may, it didnt seem to loosen any for me to reposition the handlebar, and retighten it.  it seems to be really tight.  I dare try any harder.  Am i doing it correctly, or do i need to bring it to my local suzuki salesman to adjust it?

2.  I have ridden the bike all the time now, and am very happy with my purchase, i wonder, though, what does a 'liter' bike have to offer that the gs doesn't?  simply more top end speed? which i am completely not conernet with, the 140 that the gs can do is more than i ever dare go.
Would i still be able to keep up with my friends in low end torque, start up acceleration, etc?

3.  I have pretty normal to big sized hands, but i find that having to extend my fingers over both the clutch with my left hand, and both the throttle and front brake with my right hand, it just simply doesn't reach comfortably.  I am having to depress the front break a bit at all times, which scares me that i will be grinding away that front break.  is depressing it a bit, normal?

4.  My bike is new, it has 95 miles on it now.  Never ridden/owned/rode on a bike.  Whenever i go through the gears, which i have gotten real good at, no stalling or anything, i hear a clank, as the gear is moving into place ( i assume). is this audible clank normal?  It is not anything frightening sounding, just a bit of a clank.

5.  Last question.  thanks for the patience.  My buddy has a gixxer 750.  He noticed my chain, when at rest, on the kickstand, was very slack, but as soon as i set the bike ride up, and got on it, grew taut again.  his didn't do this.  at first he was alarmed, but then, seeing how it didn't impede performance, he said it probably was nothing.

Thank you for all of your time.  I have been a long time reader (bout a month), and a first time poster.

Thanks again
Robert Weimer
noob extraodinaire.

[Kerry]

3.  Does the 2004 not have a multi-position brake lever adjustment?  If it does, find out what difference each position makes by using a ruler to measure the distance between the bar end on the handlebar and the ball end of the lever.  If I recall correctly, each position is worth about 1/8 of an inch on my bike.




4. Some "clunk"ing IS normal.

[goat]

welcome and congrats on your purchace. the 500f is a sexy bike  

I'm going to leave the handlebar question for someone else. I'm pretty sure you can do it yourself, but I do not know specifics.

A "liter bike" has more power. It goes really fast, and it gets to speed really fast. Most of the higher performance bikes stop more quickly, too.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but you shouldn't have your hand over the brake while you are on the throttle. Do one at a time.

There is a little bit of a mechanical "clank" of sorts when gears change.

There is a spec for chain slack. I don't know what it is off the top of my head, but you should fix that/have it fixed. A slack chain can break and if it does while you are riding, bad stuff will happen.

I would suggest getting a clymer manual if you want to do any of your own maintenance (through this site, of course. there is a link at the top of the page). I would also suggest getting some good gear (helmet, jacket and pants) if you haven't already done so. MSF training courses are really good. They can help you ride more safely, and many insurance companies will give you a discount if you have finished the training.

Again, enjoy the GS and welcome    

[scratch]

#1. needs some clarification - is the 14mm bolt on the forks? Is it the  forks that need straightening to make the handlebars perpendicular to the wheel?

[Rweimer]

Im at work right now, (At&T wireless), and do not have my bike in front of me, but i do not believe that there is an adjustment knob, but i surely will check just as soon as i get back to the dorms.

That is reassuring about the clanks.  I had a co worker ex-bike messenger from San Fran just assure me that the clanks were quite normal.

I was told that at all times, one should 'cover' both the brake lever and the clutch lever, so that you would be prepared for a hardstop.  

About the MSF course: it takes an entire weekend, and the nearest one is in Pensacola, FL.  bout an hour away.  im really trying to get over there, but i am finding that it is hard to do.  Believe me, i know of its benefits, and think of it as an eventual must-do, but i dunno when.

Thanks for the responses guys.

Rob Weimer

[Rweimer]

scratch - about the handlebars.  Disregard the 14mm bit, i am not even sure that that was the size of the socket.  I know nothing about mechanics, but plan to learn as much as possible, ordering my manual now.

Basically, underneath the handlebars, there is a bolt and nut.  These nuts are on either side of the handlebars.  These nuts appear to be the tightening mechanism on the clamp like things that hold the handlebars still.  You can see where there the bars were shifted to the left because of the slight spill.  I need to loosen this clamping mechanism to shift the bars to the right, back to the original spot.  Unfortunately i believe that if i turn any more to the left, i may mar the bolt/strip it/ break it.

i work a lot on cell phones, doing repair and all, and am used to working with tiny tiny screws.  These big ones scare me. ...Humble me is a better word.

[Kerry]

I was told that at all times, one should 'cover' both the brake lever and the clutch lever, so that you would be prepared for a hardstop.

There are many times when you should cover the levers, but certainly not at ALL times:

* When you enter a congested area.
* When you see brake lights coming on up ahead.
* When riding down a quiet little neighborhood street where children or animals might come out from behind a car.
* You get the idea.[/list:u]But otherwise, no.  The throttle is tricky by itself (as is the front brake).  Trying to mix the two, especially when you need to use only one of them (for accelerating, or stopping) can trip you up.

[pantablo]

welcome to the world of motorcycling and to this site!

1) make sure you have good tools and are using the proper size for that bolt. The bolts that hold on the handlebars should have a little chrome cover on them that pry off with a screwdriver. 4 bolts in total. They'll likely be really tight from the factory but you can muscle them off. Once you break that 'factory' tightness they'll come on and off as you please when/if you need to change them.

2) if your friends have bigger bikes the only way to keep up with them (in the twisties) is to get to be a better rider. You'll learn about maintaining corner entry speed, etc. On the straights you'll lose. Dont think you need to keep up with them though. The gs will make you a great rider in that regard.

3) in addition to what Kerry said you might try tilting them lower. you can take the clutch and brake lever assembly, loosen them and twist them up or down to suit where your hand is comfortable.

4) clank is normal. if you ever have trouble shifting or esp. finding neutral check your oil level. Bike is particularly sensitive to oil level in regard to shifting.

5) chain happens because the rear suspension is crap. it compresses quite a bit when you sit on it, esp. compared to a gixxer. as long as the chain is properly adjusted when under load(when you're on the bike) then you're fine.

Congratulations on your new bike.

check my site out for lots of useful info too.


pablo-

[scratch]

Just to make it known, you should always cover both brakes and the clutch. You have to be ready for anything. If you can train yourself to use all your fingers, great. The throttle can be controled with as little as the inner palm and the thumb. Um, inner palm clarification: the area underneath the first two knuckles. As a former racer, throttle control is everything. But, it is the first thing that will get you into trouble. I'm of the (old) school that uses the first two fingers to cover the brake; expecially in the twisties. And using the pinkie and that other finger next to it to help grip the throttle.

Handlebars: can be adjusted by removing the four plastic caps on top of the handlebar clamps, revealing the 6mm Allen head bolts that can be loosened (you don't have to remove them) and freeing the handlebars. Be prepared for the bars to twist down suddenly when you are loosening. Don't want to damage your tank.[/u]

[Rweimer]

awesome, you guys have been really helpful.

i am trying to take it all in.
My girlfriend is pissed that the bike takes up more of my time what little there is, than she does.  

I go to school full time (summer 19 hrs, fall 21), and work full time.  

The real funny thing about it all, is i am currently garaging my brand new gs500f in my dorm room.  hehe, i know i am going to get some questions about logistics on that one.  so, when i roll over in the early morning to go on my ritual drive, it is sitting there looking at me, in its blue brilliance.

The dealer tried to talk me into a sv650, although a nice bike, the gs is so practical, ( i pulled 65 miles to this one gallon given to me from the dealer, before it finally ran out of gas this morning.)

i don't believe i will be purchasing that gsx 600r as fast as i thought.  i kinda dig this, it zips.

ive taken one spill, and my ballistic mesh (mesh is a necessity in humid mobile alabama, realfeel temperature 117, actual 94.) jacket, and helmet performed wonderfully.  I wasn't wearing gloves, and guess where i sustained an injury?  my right palm.  

I didn't purchase gloves because all of the ones they had at the dealership were bulky, medievel looking racing gloves. I want something that will work with me, and protect...

suggestions?

[davipu]

dirt bike gloves.

[cummuterguy]

I think one thing needs to be clarified here...

COVERING the brake is good

DEPRESSING SLIGHTLY on the brake is bad... for two reasons

Reason one--safety... your brake light comes on with even just a slight bit of pressure (maybe 1/8th lever movement)
so basically, the drivers behind you see your brake light all the time, and will not be able to tell when you are REALLY stopping.... ouch!

Reason two--- mechanical... your brake master cylinder has a itsy bitsy port called the 'pressure return port'
The function of this port is to allow brake fluid to return to the master cylinder when it expands due to heat. It is located so that it gets blocked off by the cylinder immediately when the lever is enguaged..(less than the time it takes to turn your brake light on)
Once your fluid heats up, if it cannot expand and return to the master resevoir, it only has one other direction to go.... the caliper. this introduces a ever so slight drag on your brakes that will increase until you release the lever. It also is impossible to a mechanic to detect when your bring your bike to get looked at for overheating brakes, premature brake wear, warped rotor, etc...  simply because he doesn't drive it that way.

By the way, still holds true for all hydraulic master cylinders, clutch, brake, cars trucks, motorcycles whatever... people rest their left foot on their clutch or brake lever while driving a car often have the same problem


In short... COVER, by laying you fingers over the lever, but don't DEPRESS

congrats on a great choice of motorcycle!

[Stephen072774]

Welcome man... I'm up north around Tuscaloosa.  I've got some buddies that live in Mobile and Summerdale.  Good luck with the GS!

[snapper]

Take the MSF class.. no matter what you have to do!  Take it!  Also folks here have recommended a few books in the past.  The Twist of the wrist series is a good start.  Proficient Motorcycling is pretty good too.  

For gloves.. I bought these very cool mesh gloves from NewEnough.com.  
They are Joe Rockets Phoenix gloves.  I love them.  Course they are womens gloves.   :lol:

Do you or your buddies have a digital camera?  Take a picture of your handlebars and forks.  Post those pics and let us take a look.

Good Luck!  

[Rema1000]

I'm with Kerry: cover the clutch and break with all 4 fingers of each hand when you are "on alert" (going through construction zones, passing, parking lots...).  The rest of the time, have all fingers on the grip.  You need to make a concious decision when you need to cover the levers, and then focus on the threat while the levers are covered.

The reason is that, as a beginner, the bike knows what to do to stay upright better than you.  New riders often cause accidents by grabbing a handful of brake.  For example, you lean into a turn, and the rear wheel crosses a painted white stripe; it slides 8 inches to the side, then regains traction.  If you feel the back-end slide out 8 inches, and reflexively grab a handful of front brake, then you're going down for sure. But if you have to take the time to move the hand from the grip to the lever, then you're likely to use it only when you intend to.  I can barely count the number of times when the bike did a little skip, or hop, or bounce, and before I could react, it had already fixed itself.

When you get experienced, and only give the bike the inputs it needs and nothing more, then you can cover the levers with a couple of fingers (this is what racers do).  But it causes more accidents than it prevents among new riders.

BTW, there's a whole forum for new riders to talk about riding, or learning to ride, called beginnerbikes.com.  It's even got a few MSF instructors answering questions like these.  Guess what?  The GS500 comes highly recommended from them.

Question about the front wheel: is the mudguard straight, or is it closer to the tire on one side (especially at the back of the wheel)?

PS-Take the MSF if you can; it's well worth the time.

[perfdrug]

i definatly don't cover either the clutch, nor the brake.. and my MSF said not to as well. i cover when i see a car is about to cross in front of me (if they're taking a left from the opposite direction, or crossing from a stop-sign or something) and i let off the throttle until i cross that intersection
otherwise, i've got both hands comfortably on the grips.

//www.newenough.com or //www.kneedraggers.com are two good gear sites. the customer support at new enough are 2nd to none. i've dealt with them many times, and they're great. kneedraggers had a very (very) wide selection of items.

the people at new enough understand it may not fit, since you're buying blindly for the most part, so they do free exchanges. i couldn't recommend them more.

[scratch]

HOLY $#!T!!!  I can't believe you guys are not going to cover the front brake!!!    Squirel, deer, traffic, cat!?!  

TRAIN yourself early to avoid bad habits!! If something happens how long do you think it is going to take for you to uncurl your fingers from your throttle and get them over the front brake lever!?

[noodle]

Interesting. We were taught NOT to cover the clutch or brake while riding and to have both hands firmly (but not tightly) gripping the handlebars, even during the emergency stop procedure.

I can stop PDQ

[Kerry]

you should always cover both brakes and the clutch. You have to be ready for anything.

 I can't believe you guys are not going to cover the front brake!!!    Squirel, deer, traffic, cat!?!  

And _I_ can't believe you would have me hold my hand in that "ready for anything position" while I'm riding a straight, flat, dry road through the desert or across the plains.  Good thing you didn't read that post about sticking the thumb of my throttle hand in my boot when my hand/arm needs a rest...  

That's the trouble with words like "always" and "never", I guess.  Your point is well taken about being prepared for anything, but you probably didn't mean to say that one should cover the brake when stopped at a light by themselves, or when accelerating through the gears ... or did you?  :dunno:  (Maybe so, if you're encouraging the "habit" aspect.)

[Ed_in_Az]