Hi... New to the forum

[London]

Hello, My name is Katie, I'm new to the forum & new to riding. I had a Ninja 250 for a couple months & just upgraded to Suzuki GS500f. So far, I'm loving it. It sits low enough for me to reach the ground easily. I've only had the GS 500 for about a week now. I wondered if there are any concerns that may arrise that any of you have experienced yet? Also, are any of you GS500 riders in the Carlsbad Ca area???
  Katie

[gsJack]

My only concern with my GS500 is that I can't ride it today with blizzard like conditions ourside here in NE Ohio.   

Welcome Katie.   

[beRto]

Hi Katie... welcome to the GS forums!

[ohgood]

Hello Katie. Welcome to the board.

Well, it depends on the milage of your bike. Get a Clymer manual for maintenance and a buddy or two to help out with keeping things clean and lubed.

Check your tire pressure before you ride and all those other little pre-ride things. Otherwise, the gs will last and serve you a long time. Enjoy the cheapness

Was there any particular reason you came to  a gs instead of the ninja ex500/500r ? I'm jealous of your location.

[Yev]

Welcome Katie,
The only little thing that bothered me on my GS is that the speedo cable kept vibrating off.. That's an easy fix though.
Have fun!

[scottpA_GS]

Welcome 

[frankieG]

welcome

[Jenya]

Not necessarily a concern but a suggestion - replace springs in the forks. The front suspension is the weekest part of a GS that compromises handling greatly.  All that needs tobe done is the springs need to be swapped from the puny factory ones to nice aftermarlket springs.  After that you will be all set to just enjoy the riding.

Jenya

[ajaxgs]

welcome!!!

[Jay_wolf]

Welcome 

[London]

thanks for the welcome

[Teek]

Welcome Katie, and +1 on the front fork springs. Also go check out the GS500 wiki, it has a ton of good info, as does this forum. I'd also say check the oil often, they get to burning it.
Yes the cheapness factor is nice, it's a sweet ride for the money. A responsive, nice handling yet forgiving bike. I love my GS! 

[Dan02GS]

Welcome Katie, what everyone said is good stuff. Just have fun, hey Carlsbad, good surfing down there.

[scratch]

Welcome from an old cat!

Where is Carlsbad in relation to San Jose?  I guess I could look it up...

[The Buddha]

Carlsbad is by San Diego ... right.
Cool.
Srinath.

[toyopete]

Hello Kate,
there all wrong aren't they ? Carlsbad is in Germany.
and forget about the front springs, you won't notice the difference the firts years, exept if your a tiger for corners and braking.

welcome to the club.

[Domindart]

welcome.  one thing I like and dislike at the same time is how low it sits.  Its easy to handle cause I reach the ground so easy, yet sometimes I wish it were a bit bigger bike.  But I love the GS , its a great bike to own.

[Ronin]

G'day mate......Welcome aboard the U.S.S. GS500 

[Jlittle]

Welcome! U picked a good bike to upgrade to, i was going to start with a ninja 250 also cause i never been on a bike before but i started with the GS.

hehe its funny how many welcomes a female gets over a new male to the forum

[London]

Wow! I don't read the forum for a few days and I come back to find so many welcomes! To answer the question a few of you asked is... Carlsbad is just North of San Diego... about 20 miles north! Great surfing here... not that I know how to surf, but it's a blast to try from time to time. Wake boarding is the hot sport around here lately. I've gotten pretty good. That is IF you consider being able to stay up for more than 12 seconds without face planting at 22mph into the water being good. But hey, it's a blast anyway. Out here, we can keep up with water sports in the middle of winter! Hell, I was out on Christmas day wakeboarding. (full suit, 4mm lol) Then went for a nice long bike ride! Yeah, we may pay greatly for living here... BUT SOOOOOOO WORTH IT! As far as my GS500, i've almost hit the 200 mile mark on it. It's still brand new. So far the only thing wrong is that the little reflector on the rear fender wiggled itself loose and fell off. Not a huge big deal because I think that fender is goofy looking anyway, so I'm planning on talking hubby into performing a "fenderectomy" to remove that big wasted piece of plastic anyway. I just hope it's just simple things like that that wiggle off instead of a tire or something!  Tomorrow I will far exceed the 200 mile mark and with weather permitting (as it usually does here) I may even hit the 300 mile mark tomorrow. Safe riding everyone!
Katie