First streetbike = project or not

[Rickyz80]

Hey guys,
This is a sweet forum and it helped me make the decision to buy my first street bike, a 1993 Suzuki gs500e.  With all the support and information this forum has put out about about problems and fixes, I was less hesitant to drop 900 bucks on a 15yr old bike.  At first sight I loved the gs500e and it had something you just don't find in the faired bikes that I was looking at  and are all so popular(i.e. R6, katanas, ninja 500) and newer bikes.  This and I thought I'd spend a lot less on my first bike and put a few buck into it to pretty it up a bit so I can ride it around school next spring (I go to university in ohio).  So, this sweet deal came around on craigslist, when I was searching around the dealers for a newer bike (500-600cc sport bike)  with 10000 miles or so.  Went to go see it, and I loved almost every part about it; 4200 miles, naked bike, no rust, almost no scratches, new tires, restored carbs last year, black, and everything else there is to like about gs500's, oh and did I mention the price!!
So here I am a week later, picked it up last Monday(day befre I left for school)  and all I can think about now I what I can do to it.  First things I'm guessing is getting it tuned up by my local dealer and a safety check, although the guy I bought it from said it ran great (I started it up and ran decent, except for not idleing well w/o choke>> causes it to stall w/out babying it). and there was no physical damage I could see.

There are a few things that bother the hell out of me though:
1. The paint- he took the decals off, can't blame him they were pink! but it left clearcoat marks and ugly lines.
2. Purple wheels- the previous owner painted the white ones or powdercoated them, i can't tell.- he said they grew on him, but i'm thinking purple wont grow on me.
3. that idle problem- he said he would just give it a bit of throttle at lights to keep it from shutting off but I don't want to have to do that.
4. Battery was dead the next day when I tried to start it.

SO, here I am with a few ideas and a few bucks to put into my new machine; I was wondering for your guy input.
-I have a good place to work on stuff in a barn and every tool I could need(air comp, sandblaster, welder(hope i dont need)..., space to work on stuff)
-I wanted to refinish and paint the tank and fenders myself. Got quotes but not below 4-500,$.
-Powdercoat wheels to a better color (powdercoat quoted 150$ for both for a couple nearby shops) or paint these myself also-rattlecan method.
-Put new suzuki stickers on tank, possibly from a 1999-2000 cause I like the color schemes from then. or just simple 'suzuki' tank logos

The questions I have for everyone is how do I paint the plastic- is there a special procedure to keep it from cracking or peeling when bending I heard? Or do I simply( blast, sand, prime, base, clear).
Should I use duplicolor rattlecans or get something better w/ a gun.
Whats the deal with this idle thing?
Do I need a battery, or something beyond that and more expensive?
Did I do the right thing buying this?
Finally, should I quit whining and just ride it and buy something newer when I get familiar on a motorcycle, or spend some dough to get it looking how I want and enjoy it for a few years?
What do ya think?

Pics

Another view

One more

Thanks a lot in advance and I hope I came to the right place!

P.S. I cant really copy and paste my pics I'm guessing so Ill upload them as soon as I figure that out. Thanks!
Edit: just uploaded them

[The Buddha]

Wheels are easy to paint. Buy wheel paint at a auto parts store and paint away.
Light sand and paint. Powdercoat is excellent to sand, do so lightly and it will stay there protecting anything underneath, and paint will stick well to it.
Cool.
Buddha.

[Rickyz80]

One thing I forgot to mention was that the guy I bought it from said he'd recommend replacing/tightening the chain.  Its kind of rusty, and I just want to be safer than sorry so I might have to do that too.  Also, the battery like I said, can't keep a charge, and barley cranked the engine when I got it, so hopefully that'll be the only thing I need in that department, yet I dunno.

Thanks for the info on the wheels, I'm thinking a black or metallic charcoal grey to match the frame a little.

FYI, In the last pic you can kinda see where the decals used to be.

Thanks again.

[AyeKay]

Wow, thats a beautiful bike man for 900$!

[bucks1605]

Where are you in Ohio?

[Toyota83]

the chain is a deffinent need to change. but you cant do it before your next ride, at least lube it up. I also paid 900 for my gs, but it was not in as good of shape as yours is. sweet bike, ride safe.

[Rickyz80]

I live in Cleveland(go browns) but go to school in Columbus.  I want to work on the bike at home during the winter when I get some time, and make it look a little cleaner, and ride it like hell when the weather breaks, maybe i'll bring it down to school too.

[The Buddha]

Battery wont charge ... maybe it got goats ... gggggooooooooaaaaaaattttttsssssssss .....
Goats beware ...
Cool.
Buddha.

[fred]

Very nice bike! You got it for a good price.

I'd check your battery fluid levels, then check the charging system. More than likely the battery is low on water, and if so add more distilled water and see if that works. If that doesn't work or it doesn't need water, rev the bike up to 5K and put a volt meter across the battery and look for a voltage of 14V or more. If you've got that, you probably just need a new battery. If not, you'll have to start debugging your charging system. It should be pretty fast and easy to at least narrow it down to which is the weak component in the system.

As for the idle, does it idle well after you've ridden it for a while? My bike needs choke and babying for the first mile or so of riding, but after that, it idles fine...

[pkhoff]

I love the wheels, I think they would look great on my purple '94

[Juan1]

On the rough idle, check the mixture screws first. 

[scottpA_GS]

I love the wheels, I think they would look great on my purple '94

Trade... 

And

WELCOME TO THE SITE!!!

You made a good purchase. With this site you will find your winter project easy and fun. Everyone here is eager to help, just ask!

I was in Cleveland today  3.5 Hr drive Went to Terminal Tower to install a video confrence system  Fun fun... 

[Rickyz80]

Thanks for all the help, I'll be sure to check the volts on the charging system Asap. But as far as Goats, am I missing out on something? Or don't I get it? 
Yah Ill trade someone my purple wheels for some black or gray ones as long as they're in the same condition as mine, cause these are spotless.  I just ain't a purple guy.  I have to admit though, they kinda match the black w/ purple specks(Novelty Black I think) 
I only had it running for a little while, 10-15 minutes. Ain't that a shame. But you are probably right, the battery needs replaced, I think it's an original w/ GS on it, and it looked a little corroded.  And the bike was sitting for a while being as old as it is with 4200 miles.  It could be worse.
I checked the gas tank and it seemed fine also, no rust as far as I could see, but I may be wrong.  Yeah, and the best part of the deal was I got a tank of 93 gas cause it was just filled up, That's like $500 for free 
Thanks again and any suggestions are welcome!