OK! Decided to go for it...

[97gs500e]

don't get a GS
you'll be bored with it in two weeks
get a bigger bike like a sv650

seriously..

[pandy]

HAHAHAHA!!!!!!! You know what I mean!!!  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

pandy

Go over every inch of her!

pandy  

[Roadstergal]

seriously..

To the noob - welcome, enjoy the bike, blah blah.  Change the oil, lube the chain, get new tires unless the ones that are on there are new, have fun.

Do a search on breaking in new tires.  They're a little slippery for maybe a hundred miles.

[RVertigo]

I got my '01 at 12,000...  I needed new tires, new chain and sprockets (old owner didn't seem to lube it... ever), and the "12,000 mile tune-up."  Which ended up being plugs, oil, oil filter, (oil-filter-cover-stud :lol: ), and valves...  I also found that I needed to replace the bent handle bars and cut off half the rear fender...

Not to mention clean the bike about 15 times to figure out what color it was...  I guess the old owner wasn't into chain lube or soap and water.

If nothing else, make sure the chain tension is right (mine had about 3" of play in it) and the tires are properly inflated (mine weren't even close).

[scratch]

Welcome!

Yes, be careful not to overtighten the oil filter cover nuts. Do have the valves adjusted every 4000 miles (and the oil, and the filter, and sparkplugs...carbs synchronized...)

Chain slack should be between .8 and 1.2 inches when you push up in the middle of the chain between the front and rear sprockets (it's about where the centerstand foot is), with the bike on the sidestand.

Tire pressures: 33 front, 36 rear.