Wow I feel retarded

[ghettorigged]

Just so you know, the MSF course teaches you from the very beginning. As in, "this is how you turn the bike ON". So please do you and your new bike a favor and just wait for the class. Your Ducati friend may be a great friend, BUT may or may NOT be a very good motorcycle instructor. If you want to remain friends and perhpas ride together one day, don't find out what kind of instructor he is.

Once your MSF course is over you will have the rest of your life to ride. Just wait the month.  

[red_phil]

The fuel petcock has 3 settings.

North = Prime
In this setting fuel flows in hindered into the float bowls of the carbs.
If your float valve is knackered you can overflow the carbs and fill your engine with petrol. This is BAD (TM)
You use prime to get fuel into empty carbs when your trying to start a bike that has for some reason emptied it's float bowls.

West = Reserve
In this setting you get fuel from the bottom of the tank but only when the engine vacum acrivated a valve in the petcock.
This stops the danger of overflowing your float bowls.
You use reserve when there is too little fuel in the tank to run the bike in the 'on' position.

South = Run
This is a vacuum activated supply setting like reserve.
In 'run' however you get fuel from a pipe that stands up inside the tank.
this means that you can't get the last gallon of fuel out unless you switch to 'reserve'
The GS500 ain't got no fuel gauge, so to save you from running out of fuel you use 'run'
This is good because when you run out of fuel in 'run' you can flip the switch and it gives you about
30 miles worth of fuel to get yourself to a gas station. Far better than pushing the thing.

[Caffeine]

Yes, just leave it in the "ON" position.   There is no "Off".   You don't want to leave it on PRIme.   And DO take that MSF course.

[pandy]

Congrats on the new bike, and welcome to GSTwin. And a huge thank you for serving our country.      

I hope you'll give your new bike a try. We really care about our members here, and we don't want anyone to get hurt. Sometimes that caring comes off a little ROUGH from some of our members.  

It sounds as though you've got your head on straight since you've already signed up for the MSF.

I'm glad you were able to get your new bike moved, and don't let some of our....uh...rougher....members scare you away.  

pandy  

Hey guys. I was given a gs500 yesterday by a friend of mine. I am completely new to the motorcycle scene, and have only been two up on one. I signed up for the MSF course, but its not until next month. My question is....How do I start the GS500? I put the key in the ignition, the lights start, but the key doesnt go any further than that? I just wanna start it and rev it a bit.

[Jusiat]

Thank alot for your info, guys. I'm about to go outside and wash her off and make her nice and shiny. All I have around is a rag, water, and some dishwashing soap. All I wanna do is take some dirt off of the frame and off of the exterior of the pipe. Would dishwashing soap hurt the steel or the bike? Or should I just use water and a rag?

[vfrocket]

That will be fine, just use a little soap, not a lot. Also dry it off real good with a towel when you are done.

I start and let the motor run for a few minutes to let it dry.

In the future, you may want to use some stuff made by Honda, call pro clean/polish. It is waterless. You spray it on, then wipe it off. Then buff with a clean rag. It looks like you waxed it when you are done.

[Roadstergal]

I take care of my bike the same way I took care of my car; the long-term lazy bastard route.  I wash with dish soap when I'm doing a wax strip, dry with a microfiber, apply Meguiar's #26 (High-Tech Yellow) liquid on metal and plastic bits, buff with another microfiber.  In-between washes (I strip 3 to 4 times a year) I do with a non-stripping car soap (Meguiar's Gold Class wash; I have a jug that will last through eternity).  To keep the black trim shiny and black, I spritz a little WD-40 on a rag and wipe it.  Old car detailing trick.

Do a search for "chain lube" while you're here and read the lengthy debates.  

[Jusiat]

Ok well I took a little stroll (5mp) down my parking lot. I started off fine. Went about 100 feet and was supposed to turn, but it was too sharp so I walked it. I didnt turn it off though, I just let go of the throttle and it would turn off. Ok so I tried turning it on, but it would make the normal sound but then start clicking under my seat. Id feel every click as well on my ass. I would rock the bike back and forth, but it will wouldnt turn on. I was talking to my friend and he said it was probably because i didnt turn the engine off with the red button, but it sounds more like a battery thing to me. it just clicks clicks and the lights flicker with every click. My friend who gave it to me said that he had just put a new battery in it two months later. Any suggestions?

I know I know. I said I wasnt gonna ride it, but it was only at 5mph.  

[davipu]

anyway, it sounds like the battery is dead.  I thought you were just going to throw the key in a drawer?

[Jusiat]

I did, but damnit I was so tempted. I did very well if I say so myself, and im not exaggerating when I say that I didnt go over 5mph.  I only drove about 100 feet, and was gonna turn back. I wanted to know wether I could at least balance myself on it. It sounds like the battery to me too. It just clicks clicks clicks until I let off of the "Start" button. Also, since I didnt turn it off with the "OFF" button, did I do any damage to it? How can I jump the bike back up?

[cobalt135]

anyway, it sounds like the battery is dead.  I thought you were just going to throw the key in a drawer?

There is always road rash pics

[Jusiat]

The lights are fine when the engine is on, but as soon as I put it in gear and push the start button it just clicks. It kinda coughs like it does when it starts, but it coughs two times and then clicks until I let off of the "start" button.

[vfrocket]

Really, I am glad you got a bike. But seriously, please take the MSF course before you do anything else. I had ridden motorcycles before I took the MSF, and knew what most of the controls were and thought I knew how to ride. But they start at the basics, and gradually work you into riding it.

I thought I knew how to ride, and took it initially for lower insurance, but I quickly discovered that I did not know that much.

they teach you how to ride defensively, and good riding habits.

Based on your posts, I stongly urge you to not ride the bike again until you have completed the MSF course.

you will learn how to ride properly, and you will be much safer, and more confident in the end.

[Jusiat]

Will do. Its just that initial temptation I guess. You understand dont ya? What do you think is wrong with the bike though?

Im putting it in storage tomorrow anyways. I dont have room for it in the new house.

[Ed_in_Az]

It sounds like you have drained the battery of its charge. If you've had the ignition on for some period of time while trying to figure out how to make the motor go, the lights have been on during that time draining the battery's power. Usually a dead (drained) battery is a bad thing. Today, for you and the bike it is a blessing. Just leave the motorcycle alone until you take the MSF course. If you know someone capable of removing and charging the battery, let them do it. If you attempt it yourself and fail you will likely ruin something and have to buy parts and perhaps have the machine repaired further. DO NOT ATTEMPT IT YOURSELF. You may have traveled slow on the bike, but you started too soon.

[Kerry]

For the record, davipu is an ex-Marine, honorably discharged within the past year.  I have no idea what combat or war-zone experience he has, but I imagine that his "jarhead" comments were of the "been in the service myself" variety.

Deep breath, everyone!  (You too, davipu.... :kiss: )

Jusiat, congrats on scoring a free GS!  You DID get the title ... right?  

[Caffeine]

The guy I bought mine from didn't even know it had a back brake.  He wondered what that "other lever" was for!   He had never taken the MSF course, he just bought a bike and started riding!   He also never checked tire pressure, never checked the gap or condition of the spark plugs, and NEVER LUBED THE CHAIN (or adjusted out the huge amount of slack)!   Thankfully, he only had the bike for a few months and kept it in his garage.  He had to sell it in a hurry because his company shut down and he lost his job.   It probably saved his life.

Order a replacement Owner's Manual, then buy yourself a repair manual and spend a few hours really getting to "know" the bike.   And keep reading the posts on this website...these things have a few quirks that will help you out later if you know about them in advance!

[vfrocket]

For the record, davipu is an ex-Marine, honorably discharged within the past year. I have no idea what combat or war-zone experience he has, but I imagine that his "jarhead" comments were of the "been in the service myself" variety.

Well thats nice to know now, and I'm sure since Jusiat did not know that, I did not know that.

That being said, I apoligize if I jumped to the gun, but the "keep out of the sandbox" comment closely mirrored some comments I recieved from some anti-war type people before, and I took execption to it.

Anyway, Glad we are all back, in one peice.

[Jusiat]

I guess it is a blessing in disguise. Now I can work on the little problems she has.I read multiple posts with the search feature and pretty much know to stay away from jump starting from a car, and read something about walmart probably having the battery as well. One question though. Is installing the battery hard? I read another post of some type of draining tube thats attached to the battery? Also. I noticed some slight rust on the chain. How much can I expect to payfor one, and is it quite easy to install myself? Too tell you the truth Im quite hesitant to do any 'wrenching" on this bike myself. The check engine light is on right now, but when I took the dipstick out I noticed that the oil was slightly darker than an amber color. What oil wuold you reccomend me? Is having the dealerhip change my chain, change my oil and replace my battery really a bad idea?

I was at the front page and read that a rag wet with some WD40 would be great for the rims and work to take off any grease. I noticed that on the engine theres just a little bit of grease. Would it be safe to use that on the engine?Sorry for all these questions. I just wanna know as much about this bike as I can. I tryed to search for an owners manual online that I can download, but didnt find a free one   . Im about to order the repair manual from Amazon.com thats on the front page, but is that the best one out there for the GS500? I wanna get the easiest and the best one there is, money is no object.

[raylarrabee]

Buy the Clymer manual.  Betwen the clymer manual and this site, you will have plenty of noob-friendly advice and instructions.

FYI, the oil light is always on when the key is "on" but the bike is not running.  As long as it goes off when you get the engine running, it's completely normal.

If you just got the bike, the first thing I would do is change the oil and filter.  It'll cost less than $20.  Remember, you have NO idea what the previous owner  actually did, as far as maintanance.  

You should probably check the brake pads for wear, as well.  Bleeding the brakes and/or putting in new fluid wouldn't hurt, but I would wait untill you get your Clymer manual.

As far as the chain, it is probably just surface rust from being stored w/o lubing it first.  Clean with a rag sprayed with WD-40, then re-lube with chain oil.  If it needs replacement, take it to a shop.  Once you get some more wrenching under your belt, it is a DIY, but you are not there yet.  Best to just shell out the $$$ and KNOW that the job was done right.

And, sorry to beat a dead horse, but do NOT ride that thing untill you PASS the MSF.  I know firsthand that those "5 minutes, just around the block" rides can, and will, turn into riding all over the place without a license (and without and skills).  Take this time to familiarize yourself with the bike in terms of maintanance and safety checks, and leave the riding for after you learn from a competant professional rider coach.