Wow I feel retarded

[Jusiat]

Will do, but the nearest Suzuki dealership is about 30 minutes away. I cant ride it, and I have nothing to lift it up on a truck. As for the brake pads. He did say the front brake may need to be changed soon. So right now I should change (Oil, Air filter, lube/clean chain) Would you reccomend I change the oil myself once I get the manual? I think I can do that with the right instructions, and as for the chain lubing. I can find all this at the Suzuki dealership, correct?

[raylarrabee]

the oil change is very simple.  Here are some instructions (with pictures   ) from the How-To page on the main site.

http://www.gstwin.com/oil_change.htm


Brake fluid replacement:
http://www.bbburma.net/HowTo/BrakeFluid_Replace/


The manual will help you figure out the rest.

[Jusiat]

I just ordered the Clymer book from the link on the front page. Cost me 22 dollars What oil would you reccomend me? I dont wanna put anything but quality in my baby :p

BTW: Thank you all for being so damn helpful and patient. Im amazed t how the biking community is so tight-knit and so willing to an extend an arm out to their fellow riders. Thanks again!

EDIT:Ok. I went outside to just turn her on to see if it was an problem with the battery or not.The first start up I gave her she caughed and then died out. Every other start was two coughs and clicks under my seat. Last night I remember sitting on the bike a good 20 minutes without turning the engine off, but I would imagine that a battery would last longer than just 20 minutes of sitting.

[scratch]

Just charge the battery with a motorcycle-specific battery charger, which would probably be found (or ordered) at a motorcycle shop. Look for one near you in the phone book.

And, thank you for your service, shipmate (do you guys have shipmates, or are they "buddies"? I remember "buddies" was the first part of a two-part word...)

[raylarrabee]

That clicking is the starter solinoid closing the ignition circuit.  It's possible to have enough juice to activate the solinoid and/or headlight but not have enough to turn the starter motor.

Walmart sells battery chargers with variable settings (will work for car/boat/bike).  I got mine for around $25.  Having a trickle charger is never a bad thing.  The bike will not charge under a certain rpm level (can't remember exactly what level), so if you are turning it over a lot, but not actually riding it, it will drain the battery pretty fast.

They sell new batteries there, as well, if you end up needing one.  I would check the water level in the battery first, though, before buying a new one.  Mine was low on water, and it made a big difference (remember to use only distilled water to refill;  you can get it at any drug store).

[Jusiat]

We call eachother brothers Water level huh? I'll go ahead and check that out later today. Is it correct that the gs500 has a 12 volt battery? Im guessing that they have different volts for different battery sizes in the Wal-Mart battery charger.Also. I was reading on the oil changing ,and yes the "Oil" light does turn off when I take it off gear. The chain lube can be found at places like Wal-Mart? Or should I buy a can at the Suzuki dealership?

[scratch]

You can buy a can at the dealership, but you can get a decent can at almost any dealership or motorcycle accessory shop. Suggestions? Liquid Wrench (available at most auto stores) to clean the chain and Maxima chain wax or PJ1. Don't switch between wax and oil. Stick with one.

Our batteries are 12volt.

[Jusiat]

I called the Wal-Mart thats a block away, and they said they had 12volt battery chargers.I asked him if they could be used with ANY 12volt battery. Be it scooter, motorcycle, boat etc and he said yes. So I'll be picking that baby up later today. I cant wait to get my repair manual though. Its gonna be great when I can wrench my own bike B-). While Im there Im gonna purchase some WD40 and two cleans rags. Ill try and look for that Liquid wrench, and either Maxima chain or PJ1. Is there a certain one you would reccomend over the other? Should I wait for the repair manual to arrive to luve the chain? Or is it pretty much just spraying it, and rubbing it in with a rag?

[scratch]

You can use the WD40 to clean the chain (I prefer Liquid Wrench), and use one rag to clean the chain and the other to wipe off excess lube. A few others and I prefer the Maxima.

You don't have to wait for the repair manual to lube the chain as a few of us have outlined what to do here: http://gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15969&highlight=chain+cleaning

[Jusiat]

Thanks for the help, Scratch. Ill purchase the charger, and the WD40 in a couple of hours. Would you reccomend I wait a couple of minutes after I clean the chain with WD40 before I put the lube on the chain, or can I just put it on right after Im done? Also I was reading in that link that you should ride the bike before hand so that it is warm. This is not a neccesity, right?

[callmelenny]

Welcome to the GS world!

Watch your fingers while working around the chain or you will end up with a nickname like "stumpy".  

Best wishes,

Stumpy

[Jusiat]

I have a question about charging my bikes battery with a battery charger. I googled "Jump starting motorcycle", but all the info I got was jump starting from a car and how to safely jump it that way, but found nothing about jump starting from a charger. Do I have to take caution on how I connect it? Is there a certain way to connect it? How would I check the water level of the battery? How long does it usually take to charge a 12 volt battery?

[raylarrabee]

read and follow the instructions on the charger.  Also, the charger will not jump the bike;  it will slowly re-charge the battery.

[scratch]

To check the water level in the battery, you will use the key in the lock on the right side of the bike below the plastic body panel, near the passenger footpeg, to unlock the seat. You may have to press down on the 'hump' of the seat and turn the key clockwise to do so. It will be easier for you to remove the battery to see the water levels. Disconnect the negative first (should be the terminal on the right) and then the positive (left).

Normally, you don't jump start a battery with a charger. We want you to charge the battery. With the battery still out of the bike, the red connector of the batt charger (+ positive) should connect to the + pos side of the batt, and the black to the - negative side.

Please tell us what the water levels are, they should be at the high level marks. If not, you may need to fill them with distilled water, before you charge the battery. Charging may take as little as 4 hrs, to as much as 8.

[Jusiat]

Geez you guys are so helpful. I get all my questions answered at this forum! Thanks alot Scratch. I cant head over to Wal-Mart and buy it just yet, but ill be sure to check the water levels before I charge it up. Am I in danger of getting spalshed in face with hot water if I open the cap up to check the water level?

[raylarrabee]

nope, unless you check your car's hot radiator instead of your motorcycle battery.  But, if you do that, you deserve to be burned  

you can check the level without opening anything.  The side of the battery is clear and has +/- marks for each cell of the battery.  Pull out the little plugs on top and refill as needed.  If it was low, filling with distilled water to spec will make it work much better.

[Jusiat]

I just bought a 10/6/2 amp charge rate, 12 volt battery charger by Black and Decker. Im gonna check the fluid level, and if thats all tip top, then I'll clean the terminals and charge the battery. I also bought some wire brushes too clean the chain with. I also have some WD40, but I couldnt find the chain lube (at wal-mart at least) Do I have to lube right after I clean the chain? Or can that be done anytime before?

Well I just started to charge my battery. It has 2.5 displayed on the screen. So Im guessing its a 2.5 amp batter, and it also showed that it was a 12.7 volt battery. I asked my stepfather if there was such a thing as a "so so" battery. Meaning that if a battery can only be dead, and only be charged, no in-betweens. He said that it can only be dead, or only be charged. Mine is charging right now, so I guess mine was dead.

[Jusiat]

"When should you place a battery on charge? Whenever the open circuit voltage drops to the low 12V range. I usually hook up at 12.3V and charge till the voltage across the battery terminals reaches the mid 14V range and then disconnect the charger. One day later, your open circuit voltage will be in the high 12V range (12.9V)"

Well Ive been charging my battery up for about an hour and a half now, and when I click the volage button it shows it at 13.3. By reading that, Im guessing that I shouldnt wait for the charger to indicate a fully charged battery, but that I should disconnect it once it hits 14v. Is this correct? Another thing is, when I connect the battery it said that it had 12.7v. Wich is higher than what Pantablo usually connects it at. Does that mean that the battery wasnt dead? My battery terminals werent corroded one bit. Is there something going on other than a dead battery?

[Kerry]

If you got a good charger, it should turn off when the battery is charged, or at least go into a "topping off" cycle.

How were the water levels in the various cells?

[Jusiat]

It just said "FULL". So the battery is completely charged. As for the the water, is was a little over the "Max" line. So that seemed fine as well. Can I pop the battery in right now? Or should I wait a while? What terminal do I connect first? The positive or negative?