New to GS and Forum, Tire and spring advice please?

[Teek]

I have been living in front of my 'puter reading this forum into the wee hours since Wednesday afternoon when my DH and I brought home a 2001 GS, 7K mi, cleeean and purty, blue and silver.
I must say, you guys ROCK!    I have crammed more stuff into my head quicker than I thought I could, just to get a feel for the quirks and inherent issues plus the sweet stuff of this particular and apparently sometimes fussy, sleek beast. I am in love with it after only a 10 minute spin, after DH rode it first and dismounted with a funny look and said "You gotta ride it" cuz "I dunno, it's got a stumble..." I didn't want to ride something I wasn't used to that wasn't mine, as he's the pro (46th bike so far) and I got on it thinking it was going to be bucking and unruly and ill tempered rolling into first and at low rpms, and I had to laugh, as he obviously hasn't paid much attention the few times he's ridden my current bike! It was a bit stumbly but nothing serious like my beast when it's cold (which has to be choked forever after it finally starts, and sometimes into the first mile, then revved for another few miles and it still will surge a bit just maintaining speed for a good 15 minutes), though I'm sure it will be, since I rode it after it had warmed up. So we called the Suzuki shop in front of the owner and got a likely suspect ("carbs") and minimum price ($250, he told the owner $275. knowing it would add up to more than that). So we haggled $300 off the price, figuring we'd run carb cleaner through it first.
Any recs on a carb cleaner and how much per tank? Someone posted to run some through every few tankfuls.

Short background: I learned to ride in my teens on what used to be called Enduros (so I love dual sports), then got an old hand me down '78 Honda Hawk from my ex and rode it a couple of years. Sold that and rode hubby's '82 Honda Silverwing (also a 500, much bigger, I could just toe it, back when I was young and still had knees and hadn't broken any bones yet from 30 years with horses). Rode his Sportster a couple times. Then just rode horses for the next 20 years, and mountain bikes in the dirt for the last 5 years. Four years ago at 46 I got back into motos too with latest DH, on a little '93 Yamaha XT225, also a notoriously cold blooded beast but bulletproof and nimble! Taller than the GS, even with the ride height adjusted all the way down. After riding it on crappy knobs and having both ends goosey in turns I got fed up and put Avon Distanzias on it and that sweetened up the handling considerably; and I took it up in the canyons with confidence. I really wanted to supermoto it with smaller wheels and a sprocket change so I could flat foot it (5'5) and lower the center of gravity because it's light, but we decided not to put that much money into it.
Meanwhile DH sells his Suzuki DRZ 350 for a DRZ 400, then about 3 weeks ago, swapped that for a DR650 (he can only stand to keep a bike a year or two max). He's madly in love, but imagine me now trying to keep up with THAT! All I do is wind up my poor little pony and play catch up for the entire length of every ride together. So he says "You need a bigger bike" which he's been saying since the 400. So I took him up on it, and we were looking for a Blast for a month or so, then I finally read some reviews and said Huh Uh, no WAY! I didn't need that big of a headache, easier and cheaper to bang my head against a wall. So I decided I liked the looks, size, specs and reviews of the GS. So I go buy one and hear about this site, then of course find out about all the idiosynchracies. I knew the front shocks were soft before I rode it from reviews, and felt that first hand, it's ridiculous, and also that they were cold blooded, but didn't know about the fuel starvation issues.     DH rode it home 60 miles, and had to pull off the FWY to refuel, and it only took 3 gallons (not sure how much was in it when we left previous owner). He thought I was mistaken that it held 5! Then I read here that that is about as far as it can go without a fresh drink.

So where we are now with it is planning to put in new springs, and it needs a new front tire. The rear tire is two weeks old, but it's a Bridgestone Battlax  45 140/70 (and it has about 1/8 inch clearance to the right!) and I haven't had a chance to really put some time on it to test the handling, but DH thought it was fine, as he rode it more extremely than I did. It has an Exedra on the front that needs to come off.

We ride streets and canyons, WHAT does anyone who cares think about option of staying with the new Bridgestone on the rear which is a sport touring tire, and putting on a match or something similar that has a better review on the front, or just biting the financial bullet and putting on a set of sportier tires with a grippier compound? I couldn't find a newer Metzeler that was sized for this bike but didn't look very hard (are they out there??), and would have to get a matched set. Since I don't use it to commute, just for fun, anything will last me years barring road damage. I've seen people are happy with the Pirelli Sport Demon, for example. What's the latest fave? I know it's really subjective, but I do expect to have this bike spending a lot of time in canyons, and I want sticky and sweet, confident handling.

The other question is who is happy with their SONIC springs? The chart recced .85s for my weight with gear (140) and the bike wet and full of gas, but DH will ride it too. He's tall and skinny, so that's only another 20 pounds. What about the 15 weight fork oil? Happy with it? DH says he'll just pop off the caps, pull the old springs out, put the new ones in, I said wait a minute, Bubba!      I want it done right, which means I have to do it with him and watch his cute but lazy rear. I said no way you aren't putting clean oil in! We don't have a garage of our own either, it's a community garage with crappy light. I don't know our local Suzuki shop well though all our motos have been there, I wouldn't truly trust them to put MY springs in if I wasn't watching them... give me some junkers maybe instead! But then I've learned the hard way to be preventatively paranoid.    I'd expect they would and just charge me a lot extra for customer supplied parts. I'll call them first and see what they charge to get them. Thought of DH doing springs makes me nervous...

Sorry to be so long winded, just wanted to say "Hi" and "THANKS!" for such a fabulous wealth of info and insight, and for all the people who take the time to share here. It's truly a great gift to the GS community!   
I'll put a pic of her up when I get a chance to get her out in the sun, though I know you all know what they look like! I've probably spent an hour sitting on the concrete floor of the garage just staring at it, (this is my first truly gorgeous bike) but I have to be discreet, it's parked right next to my XT, and if I make the XT unhappy I know it will pull some kind of stunt on me when I'm trying to sell it.     If we had our own garage and more than two parking spaces, I'd keep it.

[werase643]

welcome


get the matching B-stone....they are actually pretty gud street tars
1000 % better than the excedra

the diff between a 0.85 and 0.90 is probably un-noticeable...get the one between you and DH
if the seals are good just pull the leg off and dump the crap and replace with 15 wt should only take about an hour to do both legs

re jet according to anybody but ....srinath   oh he never had that new of a gs before....never mind

if you want to pull out of a corner.... down 1 T on the C/S sprocket
if you want to really have fun...down 2T
treat it like a 2T and wring the crap out of it   it will impress you at 6000-10,500 rpm  and you won't hurt it as long as you check the oil before you ride


is DH his initials or something else......all i can come up with is something not nice....

[GeeP]

Welcome to the nut haus!   

Werase pretty well covered it. 

GS's are cold-blooded stock.  They take a looooong time to warm up if they haven't been re-jetted.  If anyone has been in the carbs, check to see if they blocked off both of the compensation ports in the slide body.  That can cause a pretty severe stumble around 4,000 RPM whether warm or not.  One blocked off is more than enough!

I'd definately install a new BT-45 on the front.  It makes a fine street tire for the GS.  For what it's worth, if you're pushing the limits of the tire on the street you need to take it to the track.

I like my Sonic Springs.  Most definately better than stock.  I ditched the plastic spacers and made some out of aluminum tubing, mainly because I'm anal.  Many have gone the plastic conduit route and had no problems.

LOL at staring at your bike.  As I walk away from my Baby G, I always turn around to look at it.  She's taken me many places and we've enjoyed a lot of good riding days together.  Not the fastest, sexiest, or fanciest mount on the planet by far, but I don't care.   

[ohgood]

Welcome long winded one !

One of the first things we whine about here (besides fuel starvation) is a new user not posting pictures of their ride, action or still. So... get on with it.

You've got a great deal experience, likely a talented jockey, and don't mind learning a few things. Cool. We'll all likely learn from you too.

Your questions are already answered, so this is basicly just a welcome.

[Teek]

Hi All,

Thanks so very much for the info and the warm welcome! 

Werase, thanks for the confirmation on the BridgeRock, I surfed the 'net a couple hours total then figured dang, just match it up, the back tire felt nice but it will get some twisty action tomorrow. Nothing too drastic until there's a new tire up front as it's not in great shape with a lot of age cracks. Then I have to scuff in the new one, then me n the GS'll get better acquainted.

DH is shorthand for "D ear H usband" on lots of forums with ahem lots of women on them, sorry that's a bad habit. And yes, I know *exactly* what you were thinking, which I do call him sometimes (in my head) but you're right, it's not nice, and he's a really good hearted and genuinely nice guy, even though he was born on a raft and raised by wolves.. 

Thanks for all the advice on the springs, I'm ordering them ASAP. Seals on the forks look very good, I was actually the one on the ground crawling all over the bike looking for evidence of problems, and here husband was in motorcycle setup for years and still works for Honda automotive, but he just doesn't think about the minutiae like I do on mechanical stuff, I guess because it's his job all day. He just goes, "Ooooh, pretty!" and rides the bike.

I plan to rejet it also, we'll have a look see in the light tomorrow and check out the carbs, I'm pretty sure everything non cosmetic is stock. Right now the chain is a little loose which can cause some symptoms so he's going to adjust it tomorrow and check the wheels for true. I usually can feel if anything is off though better than he can (I think 35 years of riding dressage horses and jumpers makes one's seat reallllly sensitive to the least little thing that's off). I also plan on checking the oil as a pre-ride habit, and wringing the crap out of it (safely of course!  ) because that's what I'm used to so that's how I rode it, since it seemed that was what it wanted to be happy. I love for my bikes to be happy! Hubby rode it at 55 in 6th on the trip home (told me tonight) and said it was running at about 4.5K and felt weak. Well, yeah, I said, you should have been doing 90 in sixth.

Geep,

Thanks so much for weighing in, I wondered how long it really takes for these beasts to warm up stock. I'd read several posts where rejetting made a huge difference, so after the main safety issues of new tire and springs, the carbs are next on the list. I got tires last year for my birthday (I was tickled silly), so this year I guess it will be new jets for Xmas. 
So far it doesn't have seem to have a severe stumble, but it has potential I'm sure. LOL! As for the tires, no I won't be pushing any limits on the street except for speed in small defiant bursts, I try to ride very safe and careful and aware. I can't believe sometime all the dumb stuff we have all done as younger folk and made it through. Older now, I appreciate what the bike can do, but I'm more into the dance and improving proficiency and finesse and avoiding anything dumb and dangerous (we save that for the mountain bikes on the singletracks!). We have too much traffic here, and deer and rocks in the canyons, and cagers and big trucks who drift over the center line on blind curves! Hubby is the wheelie man. His record on a back tire is a mile, but he's old school and that was before everyone was doing all the stunting, and he was 20 years younger. We just watch that stuff on tv now. And I appreciate your feedback and suggestions on the springs, I liked what Sonic had to say about them on their site and it made sense to me.

Yeah, how much of my life has been lost to long lingering looks at all my machines over the years... bikes, trucks, motos. Sigh. I didn't dare even look at her today, too much to do, but SUNDAY, well! It will be a lot of this    on that cool blue! (But NOT in front of the XT...)

Ohgood, thanks for the welcome! I will post a pic of her when I can get one that doesn't have a dumpster in the BG, which is what the online ad had. I hardly noticed then, just had eyes for the bike! And yes, I am always wide open to learning, I believe the person who already knows it all, whether riding, wrenching, cooking, whatever, is just cheating themselves. I really appreciate people here who will take the time to teach and help others, it's a great kindness and very good karma! 

Thanks again, I'm wishing you all an awesome Sunday ride, at least in your head if you can't get the bikes out. 
Teek

[GeeP]

Just by reading I can tell you're an addict.

Fortunately, there is no cure.   

[CndnMax]

at freeway speeds the gs accelerates like a car but if you keep it above 5.5k it will still put a smile on your face  have fun wringing it out, thats the good thing about smaller bikes you can actually redline it without loosing your license 

[Teek]

Hi Geep! Yes, I guess I qualify as addicted to motorcycles in general, and this one was love at first sight (I put the whammy on her on the 'net so no one else would get there first!), I think it must be in my blood. Grandpa was a rare MBZ collector and also had vintage motos, Mom had a Fiat, Ferrari and Lancia store, uncle had 4 '60s Beemers just in the family room, 25 or more other stuff all foreign in the garage, 3 were Ducatis, and a couple Vincents, but I never got influenced by them (didn't grow up with it) except that the love is sure there. Trucks and muscle cars and mountain bikes too, ooooo... Love 'em as much as I do fine art! My hubby likes to brag (I dunno why, rubs off by association I guess) that when he met me I had a huge truck, all sorts of guns, big knives lying around, and tattoos, and a much better mountain bike than he did! And I'm just an aging artist and antiques dealer with a bad back and a trick knee!    Just a collector. It's all gone now but the MTB and 2 nines, the shotgun and the tattoos...

CndnMax,  Thanks for the fwy advice and revs info. I have always appreciated smaller bikes, I still have one and wish I could keep her, and set her back up for dirt. I was just having to wind her up too hard for the street, she can take it but it wears me out, and she's not really quick enough on the throttle response to make me happy safety wise. If I have to work that hard I should be in the dirt. I grew up when a 750 was a "big" bike, so I'm more impressed by guys who ride 400-500s with skill than by the ones on Hayabusas who can go real fast in a straight line. OH, BTW I LOVE your BLUE instument lights, that is just NEAT!

Okay, I'm rattling on, if I don't stop posting about this bike to other people who love these bikes, I will dream about it all night and be too tired to ride in the morning... having ridden it all night!

Sweet dreams!

[gsJack]

We ride streets and canyons, WHAT does anyone who cares think about option of staying with the new Bridgestone on the rear which is a sport touring tire, and putting on a match or something similar that has a better review on the front, or just biting the financial bullet and putting on a set of sportier tires with a grippier compound? I couldn't find a newer Metzeler that was sized for this bike but didn't look very hard (are they out there??), and would have to get a matched set. Since I don't use it to commute, just for fun, anything will last me years barring road damage. I've seen people are happy with the Pirelli Sport Demon, for example. What's the latest fave? I know it's really subjective, but I do expect to have this bike spending a lot of time in canyons, and I want sticky and sweet, confident handling.

Yes there are newer Metzelers out there, the latest and greatest in bias ply sport touring tires, Metzeler Lasertec, Michelin Activ, and Pirelli Sport Demons are available in our 110/70 and 130/70 OEM sizes as well as other usable sizes.  The BT45 which came out quite a bit earlier than these was recently updated in both tread compounds and tread profile.

There are also supersport and sport touring radials that can be used on the GSs.  I've used some of the sport touring radials, here's all the tires I've tried on the GSs from touring tires to sport touring radials in over 130k miles of GS riding:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500tirelog.jpg

A front BT45 with your 140/70 BT45 rear would be a good choice for now although I've mixed a lot of front and rears on the GS.  I've worn out a dozen different front tires and all have beveled and cupped rather badly except the Metz Laser/Lasertec types which remain my favorite front tire.  They will run with most any kind of a rear and are now my favorite fronts. I run them with sport touring radial rears too.

[gsJack]

at freeway speeds the gs accelerates like a car but if you keep it above 5.5k it will still put a smile on your face  have fun wringing it out, thats the good thing about smaller bikes you can actually redline it without loosing your license 

Keep in mind Teek that a GS500 redlines at a bit over 100 mph in 4th gear, I used to keep mine in 5th gear on the freeways when running with big twin friends to match their roll-on speeds.  Approx speed in gears at redline is at the bottom of this page:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500tests.jpg

[pandy]

Yes, as the others have said, welcome!! 

And...I'll repeat....

[Teek]

Okay, okay, went out in my jammies to the nasty dank dark garage with my camera!      Is that windscreen an aftermarket or?? It's painted to match, we hadn't seen a GS with this fitted screen before, sure do like it!







This is her competition visible in the background...  now I should be able to keep up, at least if it doesn't have a coughing fit and I have to pull over!



Okay, off to recheck the chain, oil, and put on my gear and go!

PS: Any confirmations on adding some carb cleaner to the tank as being helpful? Any preferences? And what about "Seafoam" as an option I've read about here, it's new to me, do you have to order it from FRANCE?!   

[Teek]

Please excuse my poor manners!

gsJack, thanks for the input on tires, I had actually been looking at the Lasertec as an option for the front and had wanted to ask about mixing bias plys on this bike. I wasn't uncomfortable with the idea, I liked the reviews on the tires as well, but noted too that the BS45 has been updated as new in 2007. Do you remember anything about the Bridgestone up front vs. the Lasertec, it's your new fave because?? I did actually already go pour over your tire lists, it was very impressive! I also saw your speeds at redline in the gears and I think my chin was on my chest and I was thinking "Holy Mole', what have I just put in the garage??!" I'm going to go look at it again now. I don't think I'll even be getting it out of fourth today.

And Pandy, yes it was your boot in my rear made me go get my first pics, I was going to wait for sun but doesn't look like we're getting sun today along the coast. They're not great pics but I now HAVE some so I can share with family, Thanks!   
We ride the motos, gaze lovingly at them, and take endless photos of them.. yes, it's an addiction. One I don't want any 12 step program for.

[Kasumi]

   We just put a new door from the house into the garage so now if your sat in the kitchen you can have the garage door open and stare at some bike pOrn hehehe.

It looks alot better with the ZXR in front than my dads FJR1300.


I love the Suzuki motorcross btw that thing looks like great fun. Ive ridden quite a few off road bikes but not one of those yet.

Good luck with the riding!

[Affschnozel]

That there is one beautiful GS 

I used to study with a guy on DR650 and at the end of each day we'd ride together , he was able to lay that DR so hard in corners

it was scary for me going behind him with the GS      ,of course the bike was shod with dual sport rubber not knobies   

[Teek]

YeeHAW! What a SUH WHEEEET little moto! We rode Sunset to PCH to Topanga Canyon then up Old Topanga Canyon to the top, stopped and took pics, and walked around the bikes going WOWWWW! Two hours counting pulling over, and traffic; and 35 of the best miles I have ever ridden!

I am SO SMITTEN!!!!

I'll be braver on it when the springs are swapped out, I didn't have 2" of travel and ran over a manhole cover (supposed to be there, just inset in the road) on PCH and what a jolt. My MTB has weak seals on the front Fox shocks, and I check them and pump them up every other ride now cuz a new set is $400. plus install, a rebuild is $150. If I don't, I get jolts like this. Literally = a headache. I miss the Dual Sport's abililty to suck that stuff right up. No more jumping off curbs!

Affschnozel, yup, I won't even try to keep up with my hubby on his DR when he goes at his REAL pace, and he only has 50/50 tires now. If he supermotos it, well, buh bye!    I'm not that competent or brave yet, but I love it anyway. Every time I ride I improve something, and this was my first ride on this bike, I think I took some corners at 20MPH over the posted limit, which is just a bit over car speed, if that, up there. But they were smooth. The GS likes to corner. I was surprised how fast I adapted to the riding position, as it seems more forward of standard then it actually feels. It feels like my MTB. I sure appreciated the peformance, man was I ready for that!

Kasumi, wow, I would love to be able to do that. Every trip I make to the garage is slowed way down by having to stop and loooook!
That's why I took pictures; I have a bunch in my phone now and need to put one on the bathroom mirror. (We put all our neat pics inside the medicine cabinet door). Yes, I'm a member of "Bike Porn" on Flickr and my Stumpjumper got lots of looks. As soon as ithe GS cools down I have to get the cover on it so I can't see it...  Yes, I can tell by the grin on hubby's face everytime he rides the new 650 (a 2005) that it is a really nice ride. Softer than the DRZ400, smoother, he says it's effortless to ride. He took his windscreen off today though, said it caused buffetting, so it's all stock again. He really makes it move too, what a ballet, did some small wheelies too. It's amazing to us that we both upgraded 3 weeks apart! Fortuitous!

Okay, the photos I REALLY wanted to wait to put up are here:
















Now that I have made her mine, and I am her slave, I'm off to order springs and a tire. Looking for other stealthier mirrors too, in black. I want to see what's in back of me, but want to narrow my width for splitting, which I also don't do a lot of, but sometimes one has to in the traffic around here. That was a DS advantage. The headlight cowl says Mitsubishi on it..... nice aftermarket, or?
We already sold one of the helmets that came with it and got an extra armored jacket too. But they were maybe not quite truthful that it was never dropped, the vibration dampener on the left handlebar is bent, but it could have just got whacked. We used that plus the stumble plus the shocks to dicker down the price.
Monday her rear gets properly re-lifted and her signals tucked up better, her plate frame put on and repositioned with proper bolts.
Was $2100. a good deal??? 

[Kasumi]

She looks gorgeous i think you got a good deal 

[GeeP]

I believe that is the stock headlight fairing offered as an option by suzuki.

Nice ride!  I think you did fine.   

[Teek]

Hi Guys!

Good morning and thanks for answering.

Hubby was saying well, I'm glad YOU like the bike, then I pointed him to the forum and he started looking at the pics first, and began to realize what a nice stylin' bike this is. Once he rides it with the revs at 4.5-7.5 or more, he'll appreciate the performance. Then I suggested he check out the Wiki before he messed with dismantling the rear bits to clean up the fenderectomy and raise the turn signals, and he found the pic of the '89. I came downstairs to find him on the pc drooling over the '89;  the fairing looks the same, and he is coveting the chin spoiler. So the stock fairing is an added bonus.
The PO had a bag on the fairing, which scratched the clear part, he was 19 year old kid who didn't appreciate what he had so much maybe. So is the fairing an option for the 2001, or is it likely 89? Can we polish out some of the scratches? Wondering if anyone has experience with that.

The chin spoiler would so make the bike...

[Teek]

It just got a b**t lift, go see new post!     (I can say "b**t", right??)