i'm new - 2006 gs500f blue

[kellyelliott_rock]

i'm a new rider.
i did take the begginner safety course.
i did try to find a used bike, and found a couple but were only a few hundred dollars less than new.
still, i am very happy with the purchase.
i have ridden it a total of 300 miles and have owned it for one week.
i already feel pretty comfortable riding it to and from work on the highway.
the rush i get from riding a motorcycle is 80% fun and 20% fear.

what are some must do performance modifications?
what is the one thing i need to know?

[Alphamazing]

Must do performance modifications: None. The bike runs great stock.
Typical performance modifications: High flow filter, slip on pipe (since yours is an '04+), rejet, fenderectomy.

One thing you need to know: When that 20% fear goes away, you still aren't ready.

[groff22]

Welcome to the board. You shouldn't need to do any performance upgrades but that's up to you. Seems Wyleco exhaust (slip-ons) are popular around here but I'm not sure if they improve the bikes performance other than making it sound like a better performing bike...

Ride safe.

JG

[TarzanBoy]

Some people are fond of replacing the rear shock, and others have been known to swap the stock 130 rear tire out for a 140.

The most daring among us repace the front end with a katana wheel + calipers for dual rotor front brakes (which makes the squishy brakes on the gs work better).

It depends on what you want to do... just about the only thing you can't do is increase the torque.  One guy had a turbo on his gs500... but you have to ask yourself why

[kellyelliott_rock]

what about rejetting?

should i? will it make a difference?

[scratch]

Welcome!

How does the bike feel now?

If it feels fine, then you really don't need to do anything.

The one thing to know about this bike is to become familiar where the petcock is and which way to turn it to PRIme, while riding.  Why?  Sometimes there is what we call a 'fuel starvation' problem; usually at high speeds (60mph+)  Not everybody gets it, and I've only experienced it twice, but I think it's because of other reasons (crosswinds, crosswinds coming off cars...)

[samhkang]

The one thing to know about this bike is to become familiar where the petcock is and which way to turn it to PRIme, while riding.  Why?  Sometimes there is what we call a 'fuel starvation' problem; usually at high speeds (60mph+)  Not everybody gets it, and I've only experienced it twice, but I think it's because of other reasons (crosswinds, crosswinds coming off cars...)

Yeah, I practice this at least once everytime I ride. Never experienced the fuel starvatation problem yet but I am ready if that happens. The reserve knob is pointing UP for the F's.

[Alphamazing]

It happens on the F models for extended periods of time above 85mph or so. It happens sooner with higher speeds.

[pantablo]

Must do performance modifications: None. The bike runs great stock.

disagree.
first must do mod is progressive fork springs! the stock springs are needed back at the BIC pen. You'll find yourself bottomin gthe forks out just riding up a driveway apron. Check my page for a simple write-up. Best $60-$70 you'll spend.

the rest is optional. rejetting? you dont really need it. you might notice the bike idles high when warm, like 3000 rppm. when warm set it down to about 1600 and it will still be easy to start.

Fenderectomy is a good cosmetic mod you can do to personalize it and is free, so long you have a dremel or a warmed up x-acto knife. also see my page for an idea or the home page here, gstwin.com for another idea.

ride the snot out of the bike and dont worry about anything else. enjoy the bike. winter will be here before you know it and if you live where people put their bike's away you'll have plenty of time to mod the bike then.

welcome!

[Alphamazing]

Must do performance modifications: None. The bike runs great stock.

disagree.
first must do mod is progressive fork springs! the stock springs are needed back at the BIC pen. You'll find yourself bottomin gthe forks out just riding up a driveway apron. Check my page for a simple write-up. Best $60-$70 you'll spend.

I dunno. I've run 5000 miles on stock suspension and only now am upgrading it. However, I haven't felt the difference of an upgraded fork spring, so I might be "OMG OMG UPGRADE YOUR FORKS NOW" when I do feel the change. It'll give me something to compare it to.

[Cal Amari]

You've asked about performance mods, and the one thing you need to know, but I'm going to expand on that...

First, I suggest you upgrade the front suspension right away, and replace the rear shock with a used (early- to mid- '90s) Katana 600 (GSX600F) shock as soon as you can, especially if you ride two-up, or if there are any good "motorcycle roads" in your area; the stock suspension leaves a lot to be desired, unless maybe you're a living paperweight (like Alpha). IIRC, Pablo (pantablo) and Brian (AlphaFire X5) are about the same height and weight, and Pablo has already advised you to fix the front end right away. Once Alpha gets the chance to ride a motorcycle with a good suspension system that has been dialed-in for his weight and riding style, he'll agree with Pablo on that point...

After you have the suspension work finished, make rejetting your carbs the next priority; the engine runs a LOT hotter than it should due to the excessively lean carbs, and you'll be amazed at how much smoother, cooler, and more responsive your engine can be with proper jetting. Your throttle inputs will be smoother and less abrupt, even though you won't have changed your technique at all; getting the carbs dialed-in provides a lot of subtle benefits, and a skilled rider will notice them. Many new(er) riders overlook this type of stuff; they're happy with what they have, and are completely oblivious to the less-obvious improvements that rejetting can make, but that is only due to their ignorance...

MANY new riders want to make their motorcycles LOUDER; they seem unconcerned about making it BETTER, and I can't help laughing every time I read their pathetic posts requesting information about how to MAKE MORE NOISE... They can't RIDE well, they don't know or bother to learn jack-shaZam! about improving their skills, they're just whiny little attention-deficit attention-whores who want people to notice them posing with a motorcycle. Most soon lose interest in motorcycling (or destroy a perfectly good motorcycle by being stupid), and move on to something else with a higher (perceived) "bling" factor; what an ignorant term that is... sadly, that describes a LOT of people who shouldn't be allowed to even LOOK at motorcycles, including several who post on GSTwins.com...

If you really want to be a MOTORCYCLIST, then dedicate yourself to learning how to ride well; become a real student, a true disciple of motorcycling, and you'll be amazed at how quickly your riding skills improve. Too many new riders (again, including several who post in these forums) think they know how to ride well because they haven't killed themselves yet after a few thousand miles in the saddle. They have tremendous gaps in their knowledge (which they are COMPLETELY unaware of), yet they often buy a more powerful motorcycle because they THINK they've mastered the GS500, which is a pathetic joke they'll NEVER understand...

Though this has been posted elsewhere countless times already, it bears repeating... it is more fun to ride a slow motorcycle fast, than a fast motorcycle slow(ly)... IOW, until you can ride the rings out of the GS, you don't "need" another motorcycle, so recognize the difference between "needs" and "wants". As has also been posted previously, the GS might seem underpowered, but it is just fast enough to kill you, and that should be fast enough to satisfy you for a long time to come.

FWIW, Pablo devoted himself to learning how to ride well, and his frequent trackday excursions put his skill level far beyond most relatively new riders; I'm sure that once he finishes school and has more "disposable" income, Alpha will move into that category. Back when I was still spending a pile of money club racing (my last racebike was a '93 EX500), I watched some guy toss himself and his brand-new STOCK '95 GS500 down the track because he insisted he couldn't afford to upgrade the stock/junk rear shock, though he DID install Progressive Suspension fork springs before his first day at racing school. He'd already burned through a small fortune on an Arai helmet (he could have bought a very nice Shoei RF200 for less than half what he paid for the Arai), Vanson one-piece leathers (he could have bought a Bates suit for a lot less), racing slicks (DOT radials would have been MORE than sufficient for his new-rider / new-racer needs), he bought five gallons of racing fuel (at $5 a gallon), when just about everyone else was using (premium) pump gas... somewhere in there, he could have set aside $200 - $300 for a quality Fox racing shock, and done without some of the really fancy equipment for a while... Anyway, the second-lap crash was pretty spectacular, and he sold the wrecked GS and his gear for pennies on the dollar...

Moral of the story is, know when to economize, and learn to recognize false economy for what it is... if money is tight, do one improvement at a time. After you upgrade the front end, invest in a new / used rear shock; follow that with rejetting, then start saving for new / better tires... you'll learn and improve both yourself and your GS as you go, and you should be able to avoid any substantial financial hits by upgrading gradually. Don't forget to set aside some cash for a  trackday during riding season, but wait until you've got the new tires installed...

[galahs]

As a new rider, I have just learnt the benefit of 'counter steering"

It has opened my eyes up to a whole new way of riding.


The learning curve for a first time bike rider is steep. Just make sure you take your time and try to prevent yourself from getting into dangerous situations.

My first trip in the rain was a real eye opener to my understanding of the word traction, as was the multiple instances I have already faced from cagers (biker's term for cars).

Keep alert and be prepared to avoid trouble before they occur. Defensive driving techniques are a must on the bike, as you soon realise you often don't have a 2nd chance.