new gs owner... possible repairs to check???

[zenangel13]

hi guys! my name's Kyle and im a new rider from maryland that is currently in the process of getting a 92 gs500e from a friend of mine.

the deal with the bike is that its a 92, with 7000 miles, and thats kinda worrying me. i would love to get this bike as i have heard excellent things about them, and its not so overpowering that i wouldnt be able to handle myself while riding it. but with it sitting for so long i was wondering what kind of problems do you think i should check for?

a few friends of mine ride considerably bigger bikes (one has a honda 954rr with completely redone motor and some trans work, the other a near-stock gixxer 1000) and have been pointing out things on older bikes such as internal gastank rust from sitting over time and condensation, carbureator may need to be rebuilt and/or re jetted depending on the gas in the bike (which im pretty sure if there was any gas in it has completely gelled up), and other things like cycling the bike after an oil change to make sure the old oil is flushed out and the new oil takes over... along with me planning on a battery, possible new starter, and definately new tires, plugs, and wires... phew

anyways, if im  missing anything i should go over to fix or bring up to par, then please please let me know as this will be my first bike and i would love to get it road worthy!!   thanks guys and pray for warm weather and sunny days this summer 

[Hawkster]

Kyle,

It sounds like you've got it covered pretty well.

If the bike has remained dry the whole time, rust shouldn't be a big issue.  A quick look in the tank with a flashlight should tell you about rust there.  New fuel, a battery, and a carb-cleaning will probably be necessary.  If it's been sitting that long, the fork seals are likely going to leak as well, but they're not a big deal to replace.  That's actually a really low mileage machine!  I'd put new tires on it because you're probably not going to be interested in sliding them for quite a while.

I've bought and brought-to-life machines a lot older than that and it's really not all that hard. 

The best advice that I could ever offer a new rider is that they find an OLD rider willing to look over them.  That's where the wisdom that will keep you alive and well resides.  The local shop may know someone willing to help you get acquainted with both your machine and how to ride it well.  Please don't ever let someone put you down because you don't ride a one-million.  (It just means that they don't know how to learn and that you do.)

Best of luck,

H~

[mach1]

what are you paying for it?
as far as the bike goes its great fpr a first time rider i myself just got my 04 and its my first it sat for about 6 months so all i really needed to do is change the gas and replace the battery and she fired right up ran for crap for a little while but the more i rode the better it got and i also added some fuel and carb cleaner to the tank before i filled. so when you get it first charge the batttery and see if she starts if not replace it and change the gas and add some cleaner for the carbs and tank. check the breaks and tires if the tires have no cracks or lumps you should be fine im still running the stock tires and its an 04 and it sat outside. check the plugs and wires. check the brake lines for internal damage and clogging they may look good outside but be crap inside. clean and lube the chain. change the oil and filter. check the air filter if clean your good if not replace. maybe change the fork oil and seal but im not sure about that one but hey why not. now you may think its not worth the time but the more you work on your bike the more you get familiar with her and how she works. so like i said start with the gas abd battery then go from their. good luck and welcome the the site i hope you enjoy.

[scratch]

Fork oil needs to be changed every 2 years.  Same with brake fluid.

[zenangel13]

the bike itself is going to cost 500$, i still gotta get another buddy of mine to inspect it and then ill be doing repairs for reinspection, and the legwork for getting the title put in my name (i think that'll cost about 150 at the very most)... so figure everything is still under 1000 dollars...

and to everybody that posted up things for me to check off, thanks so much, that'll make this process very easy for me!

[pandy]

Sounds like a great deal! My first baby was a '92, and he also had 7k miles on him.....  '92 was a good year (and a GREAT colour!) Bwahahaha!!! 

Welcome to GSTwin! 

[zenangel13]

haha, yes purple is a very nice color.... just not for me, im a big guy and i cant be seen on a purple bike with pink racing decals... its just bad for my reputation at work lol

ill post before and after pics of all the repairs and before and after of all the body and paint im doing
everybody have a good one and pray for warm weather! 

[pandy]

haha, yes purple is a very nice color.... just not for me, im a big guy and i cant be seen on a purple bike with pink racing decals... its just bad for my reputation at work lol

REAL men ride purple proudly! 

ill post before and after pics of all the repairs and before and after of all the body and paint im doing 

especially about the BEFORE pics! 

[ducati_nolan]

I wouldn't "cycle the bike after an oil change" if you mean thumbing the starter button or starting it for a brief time with the drain plug removed. You'll do much more dammage than a little bit of old oil will do. Just change it now with some cheap car oil before you try getting it started and then once you have the thing running and have put a couple miles on it, then change the oil and filter again. This will flush out virtually all the old oil and crap and you'll be good to go. 

[zenangel13]

hey hey, how can i upload the image into a post instead of referring you guys to a link?

[Alphamazing]

hey hey, how can i upload the image into a post instead of referring you guys to a link?

Searching for "How to post images" I came up with this thread:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=15370.0