New rider just dropped his bike.. some questions..

[noobrider]

Hey everybody.. I got a new GS500F two weeks ago, and while making a right turn the bike stalled.. and I dropped it on its right side. I was going really slowly, and so most damge was minor.. (scratched bar end and brake lever, scuffs on pipe). but the main problem involves the turn signal. The signal popped through into the fairing, in the process cracking the upper fairing.  I tried to pop the turn signal back through but that only worsened the crack in the upper fairing. Any help would be appreciated..
Thanks, Jon

[starwalt]

Cracked plastic has only two cures - total replacement or welding. You could drill a small hole at the far end of the crack to relieve the stress. This will buy you some time but the crack is there to stay unless you plastic weld the back side.

The turn signal stalk is keyed to not rotate in the hole. There should also be a nut to clamp the stalk to the housing.

You got a drop over with. You should be good to go for a while. 

[beRto]

Sorry to hear about your drop 

You could always consider turning it into a naked version while you are getting the hang of it. You can always replace the fairings later on, if you like.

[ohgood]

Sorry to hear about your drop 

You could always consider turning it into a naked version while you are getting the hang of it. You can always replace the fairings later on, if you like.

+1
Besides, dropping the bike is part of learning. Nothing wrong with it, and preventing damage by making it naked just might grow on you.

[waiho]

don't worry, I droped it twice in the first month.

then I decided to install frame sliders... everysince they are on... I never dropped it again 

[frankieG]

every one drops a bike some time some where some how some reason

[pandy]

Welcome, noobrider! 

Glad to hear your drop was minor. I concur that getting it out of the way early is the way to go! 

Hi, starwalt! 

[speeddemon190]

yeah it happens, ive dropped my bike 3 times now since last april, the were all very low speed under 5mph, but i havent dropped it in a long time. i would invest in some frame sliders, its also something i want to invest in. but now that your drop is over, and the  OH shaZam! feeling is over you will watch what you are diong alittle more carefully. sorry to hear about the fairing though.

[noobrider]

Hey guys-
Thank you for the warm welcome and the help. Im currently trying to loosen the nut that connects the signal stalk so i can push the stock out of the fairing. I will probably end up dropping it again at some point so the frame sliders sound like a good idea. I think i may be too mechanically inept to remove both fairings and put on a different headlight, but i will check out the naked modification to see what it entails..

[galahs]

After dropping my bike, I found that air must have got into the brake system. The front brakes felt spongy.

Bleeding them fixed em right up.

[gaspy]

Hey guys-
Thank you for the warm welcome and the help. Im currently trying to loosen the nut that connects the signal stalk so i can push the stock out of the fairing. I will probably end up dropping it again at some point so the frame sliders sound like a good idea. I think i may be too mechanically inept to remove both fairings and put on a different headlight, but i will check out the naked modification to see what it entails..

I'm sorry to hear about the drop, but glad to hear you're ok and the bike's damage was isolated. i scratched and cracked my fairing (2005 gs500f) this past fall and wound up taking the entire fairing off to see what it looked like. I'm not at all mechanically inclined and it wasn't too difficult. It took a while for me to get the cowl/upper fairing (I think - what holds the headlight and the wind screen, etc.), but apart from that it's definitely doable for us thick-headed folk. In sum I actually really like the F model without the fairings as the frame is painted black so it looks great on my black/red bike. I recommend it.
Let us know what you wind up doing!

-G

[philward]

Also, another unexpected by-product of taking the fairings off your F might be to do more work on it yourself.  Without those fairings it's reallly easy (and fast) to get to all the components for maintenance, etc.

I noticed that when mine came off, my interest in tinkering increased dramatically.  ymmv...

[mikedubya]

i did the exact same thing to my 08 the second day i had it lol, i installed flush leds and literally put a bandaid over the crack and wrote "oops" on it for laughs

[noobrider]

hey everybody-

I ended up spending some time working with the fairing and was able to pop the mirror out and attach it again.. so the major problem has been solved. Thanks for your help and support,
Jon