Brought 'er home, '06 GS500F. I have questions for the pros **with pics**

[kdbolt70]

Hey everyone. I wanted to thank you guys for the help in my previous thread about buying a GS. I went and picked it up today, I am so happy with it! Its an '06 with 9800 miles on it, not a scratch on her.







Now for the questions. First off, tires. Here's the front and back shots. They look pretty worn to me. I'm looking for suggestions for new ones. Is there any generally accepted "Best" tire for the GS?






Next up: Brakes. My rears seem to squeak pretty bad when I get on them. Coming from a lot of dirt riding, I tend to use my rear brake quite a bit, though I'm getting better at it. If they are squeaking, should I replace them? Any links to some good pads?

Onward: decals. I have some bubbles in the stickers on the upper fairings that face me while I'm sitting on it. See picture below. Is there any fix for this? Is this common? Is it easy or cheap to replace?



Now on to the fairings themselves. I was having a closer look inside the fairings and noticed this:



It looks as though whatever held these two pieces is no longer there (and they are arranged backwards, I presume) The other one is missing the pin as well. Is there a part number for these?

Lets see what else. Now that the bike is reaching the 10k mile mark, what else should be done to it? I am loving this bike and have had it home for 2 hours and been on it nearly the entire time, just riding around the neighborhood.  Thanks for all the help everyone!

[06GSF]

Nice looking bike!  Although I'm new to the GS also and therefore not in a position to offer a lot of advice, I will however note that the tires look in need of replacing and also my '06 rear break squeals a lot also.  I haven't noticed any uneven wearing on them or any degradation in stopping!  I am the only owner of the bike and it has been happening since the ride home from the dealer.

Here's a link for recommended maintenance schedules...  http://gstwin.com/maintenance_info.htm

Congratulations! 

[mach1]

the rear squeals cause the way its sitting if you want to make them quiet you'll have to mount it under the swingarm or just get new pads that are better. or lay off them a little I never used my rear brake since I got my bike about 7k ago. as far as the sticker bubbles go those are not stock they look like someone couldnt stand the reflection from the white paint, but just use a needle and rub the air out.

[ben2go]

Both tires need to be replaced.The front tire is cupped because the GS front suspension is to soft.The rear brake squeal could be the rear tire is out of alignment.Never trust the markings on the swing arm when lining up the rear tire always measure from the pivot bolt to the axle bolt.To check the rear brakes pop off the plastic cap on the caliper and look down the pads.There should be a small groove down the center of the pads.No grove they're bad.Replace them with stock replacements.I have EBC HH pads and the rear brake locks up very easily with them.Didn't happen with stock pads.

[bombadillo]

Ben, what do you see that I don't about cupping.  I don't really understand the concept well and am interested in more info on this.

[kdbolt70]

I believe he's referring to the fact that a portion of the tread is actually sticking out. When you examine it closely it looks very bad. I've circled the areas that are actually raised on the surface of the tire:



Does anyone have recommendations on tires. I've read through the guides, but there are way more tires then are mentioned in the guides, and I just want to be sure I'm getting the best I can. I'd like it to be somewhat aggressive, and maybe go wider then stock on the rear (140 or 150).

[kdbolt70]

After reading a few reviews, it looks like I'm going with a Conti Road Attack Rear, and possibly a Metz Lasertec front. Thoughts?

[bombadillo]

well, I know gsjack will approve as I think thats what he's running currently with great luck.

[guitarking135]

ok i have the same squeaking problem with my 06 its not your pads or the way its mounted What it is is road dust get in our pads and causes them to squeak.  Take an air hose and theres a little plastic cap on your brake caliper its the bigger square cover pull it off and blow your brakes out if you don't have an air house but a can of air. do this every so often or when it starts to squeak. also check your brakes they could be worn but unlikley. I have over 10,000 on my stock pads. and also A motorcycle is not a dirt bike you use your front brake for most of your stoping 80% of it

[scratch]

Welcome!  Bike looks great!

I always thought cupping, especially on the sides of the tread, or in the areas of the cornering tread, was due to braking, or off-gas/no throttle in the middle of turns.

The good thing about those Bridgestone BT45's is that they indicate, really well, if you are not riding properly (not saying that you are; I know you just got the bike).

[gsJack]

I am running the Roadriders right now but still think the Lasertec/RoadAttack combo was the best I've used so far in 135k GS500 miles.  The RoadAttack was the stickiest rear I've had and the best all around for the first 8k miles, after that they remained as good on tarmac but started getting too slippery on the tar snakes.  Ran it 10k miles.  The Lasertecs were/are the best all around front tires I've used on the GS's, all others cupped and/or beveled badly for me even after I added Progressive front springs.   The Roadriders cost about $40 per tire less than the Lasertec/RoadAttacks did and are looking very good for the peice.

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

I've said a few time that a GS500 rider should have over 100k miles of GS experience before putting HH pads on the rear.     I do use a lot of rear brakes every day, you only have 2 good disc brakes on the whole bike.  My current HH rears have finally quit squeaking.   

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500_brake_pads.jpg

[kdbolt70]

Thanks Jack, with your recommendations and some of the reviews online, I think I'm going to spend a little extra for the Road Attacks. Same with the Lasertec fronts. Did the 150/70 rear fit on the rim and on the back of the bike with out any rubbing? I'd like to go for the 150's if they fit fine (and the local shop doesn't whine because the tire is too wide for the rim).

I tried the air compressor tactic but still have quite a bit of squeaking. there is still a decent center gap area, which I assume means I have plenty of pad left. I guess it will just be there to yell at me when I use the rear to much. It is my biggest challenge in switching from dirt riding to road riding. Everything else has been smooth as silk. Man I love this bike. My bro took it for a spin and now he wants one too (he rides dual sport).

[pbureau69]

1) those stickers are first of all improperly stuck on... factory ones are perfectly aligned with holed dead center, and I never seen a factory sticker bubble up like that... my diagnostics is , bike was dropped, replacement of side panels (comes without stickers, and yours are missing the 2 OEM warning labels (one on each upwards part of the fairing, which is another indicator) and last owner added stickers to it to make it look new. and did a poor job... The black sticker on the white fairing IS OEM.

2) Tire cupping is a combinaison of things, a soft front suspension, over braking/braking in turns etc ect/... it varies alot from tire compund to tire compund, but you can never really get away from it. the Metzler on OEm spring are the worst offenders (I use to get cupping at 6-7000 miles), I switches to progressive front springs, and Avon Stv45 110/80-17 and cupping appears about at 11,000 miles (tires is basically hitting the indicators and need replacing anyways.

3) squealling rear brakes, could be a lot of things I know mine don't (and whom said it earlier check the rear wheel is straight) but I live on a farm, and if I don't ride the bike for a few days annd it windy... the brakes squeals when I use them for a while, then it goes away, and it is due to dust/clay dirt/powder on rotors.

4) placement of the body kit, yes its imporperly mounted, tabs are always UNDER fairing. and the POEM connecting components can be had for cheap at http://www.bikebandit.com where I got all mine (PO owner broke body kit) to replace them all, I think all bolt/clips totalled like 22$.

Cheers

[kdbolt70]

Wow, thanks for the help pbureau. I guess those fairings must have been replaced at some point. I do like the look of the black stickers on there, I just wish they didn't bubble up. I'll see hat I can do.

Thanks for the info on tires. I plan on going with some progressive front springs as soon as possible, perhaps in the next few weeks.

I'll look into getting the connecting components this week as well. Thanks again for the help!

[510]

. Did the 150/70 rear fit on the rim and on the back of the bike with out any rubbing? I'd like to go for the 150's if they fit fine (and the local shop doesn't whine because the tire is too wide for the rim).

The stock rim fits 130's and 140's just fine. With a 150, there are some issues to deal with. The tire is going to be pretty "pinched" because the rim isn't wide enough. I hear it feels kinda unpredictable in turns because of its profile. My local tire shop made me sign a "unsafe condition exists" waiver just to put a 140 on the rim. I would imagine that they would have even more beef with putting a 150 on.

I would replace the rear rim with one from a Katana 600. Here's a pretty comprehensive guide: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=25426.0 . It requires some work, but nothing major. The chaincase and the brake torque arm will not give enough clearance for a 150, so you'll need to cut a notch out of the chaincase and bend the brake torque arm. As an alternative to bending the torque arm, I swapped it out for the one on a Bandit 600, and it seems to give enough clearance.

As for the rear brake squeal, I took the pads out, sprayed some "disc brake quiet" on them, and after some riding around, the problem seems to have disappeared.

[ohgood]

welcome- or did i say that already ?

enjoy the ride

[gsJack]

Actually the preferred rim widths for both the 150/70 and the 140/70 tires have always been 4.0" for both.  More recently the Sport Demons and the Roadriders in the 140/70 size have been shaped for a 3.75" rim and are an equally good fit on both.

Traditionally the 150/70 bias tires have been approved by their makers for fitment on 3.5-4.5" rims.  The 150/70 radials are approved by some makers but not by others for fitment on 3.5" rims.  The RoadAttack was not generally approved for fitment on the 3.5" rim by Conti so I questioned them on it, their reply:

Dear John,
Our head technician in Germany confirmed that you will be OK to run a 150/70ZR17 in either ContiForce or Road Attack on your 3.5" rim.  I have attached some detailed information on the Road Attack for your review.

Safe Riding & Best Regards,
Greg Reich
Continental Tire North America, Inc.
Sales Manager/Motorcycle Tires

All of the 150 tires I'm aware of when mounted on a 3.5" rim will have ample clearance all around on the GS500 except they will come close to the brake torque rod and just clear in some cases but require bending the rod a bit for clearance in other cases.  Putting the 150/70 on a 4.0" rim will make it a bit wider and closer to the chain guard too.

I ran both my 150/70 Lasertec and my 150/70 RoadAttack for 10k miles each and found no handling quirks, they were amongst the best handling tires I ran.   Had both mounted by my local supplier, no problem.

[ben2go]

I believe he's referring to the fact that a portion of the tread is actually sticking out. When you examine it closely it looks very bad. I've circled the areas that are actually raised on the surface of the tire:



Does anyone have recommendations on tires. I've read through the guides, but there are way more tires then are mentioned in the guides, and I just want to be sure I'm getting the best I can. I'd like it to be somewhat aggressive, and maybe go wider then stock on the rear (140 or 150).

bombadillo

This is exactly what I was talking about.Dgyver and I went over my bike when I got it.3000 miles later that's what my front tire looked like.The front end would shake and bounce because of it and weak front suspension.I weighed 205 in my gear and soft front end was nearly collapsed.Remember my bike is an 89 with 4763 miles when I purchased it.Everything was sound and in good unmodified condition.89 has the softest fork springs.So I upgraded last year to ride.Now it's down for a make over. 

[frankieG]

your bike looks great and i am pleased to hear that the forum was a good source of info and helped in your purchase.  safe riding

[kdbolt70]

your bike looks great and i am pleased to hear that the forum was a good source of info and helped in your purchase.  safe riding

Thanks!

Sorry to keep reviving this thread, but I'd rather ask in here than start a new one. Is there some place recognized as "the place" to get the manuals for our bikes? The previous owner didn't have one with his, and I'd like to get it. I plan on ordering front springs this week! Ordering tires right now

Edit: I did go with the Lasertec front and 150/70 Road Attack rear. Can't wait to get them mounted!