Stuck in a debacle! Need expert opinions =)

[Sbag0024]

I am 3 weeks in love with my 2006 GS500f and 3 months in love with the GStwin forums, however I am in need of some help. I will start by saying that I do have some general knowledge on engine mechanics tho not a ton, but I am always up for the challenge of figuring things out for my self I just feel this one is a little over my head. So here goes....

I have been looking for my first bike to learn on for several months and happily decided to get a gs500f. I finally found one on craigslist from a local seller and I scooped this beauty up. The bike came w 12k miles (most miles were from Spain as the guy toured most of Spain and Europe on it and then had it shipped back to the US when he got out of the service). The bike has been kept in immaculate condition and I was even handed a maintenance log w all the services and dates showing when the bike was serviced. Anywho, as most GS riders know the bike is super quiet on the road which is a little scary for me as I am afraid that people as well as deer will not be able to hear me coming so I ordered a Full Jardine exhaust kit for my bike as well as 2 k&N pod filters (su-5589). Now from my understanding I will need to put in a jetkit and I understand why, but here is where my problem comes in.  Every shop that I have called to get a price to install a jetkit will tell me that they will not touch my bike unless I bring the bike in with a stage 3 dyno jet kit. As many probably know, they do not make a dyno jet stage 3 kit for a gs500f. (I even called dynojet manufacture to ask for help with this, they told me to leave the stock air filter and air box and just use a stage 1 kit). Not really the answer I was looking for as I have read forums and seen pics of people using the same pod filters with a full exaust and stage 3 kit on a 2006 gs500f. I was also told that you can use a stage 1 kit but find a different needle to make it a stage 3??

So what are my options? I understand that this is not a mega sports bike and I will not be breaking any sound barrier on it. Which is fine by me as I am not into high speeds but love the thrill that this bike offers from 0-60. Lets say money is no option with in reason. I just know that this bike has more potential (as i read  ) then its current stock condition (minus the 47 or 49 tooth sprocket that is on it currently). I have read that the mods I want to do have been done (sorta where I got these ideas lol ). So what do I do?

If all else fails I will try the Lunchbox build (K&N ru-2970 ? ) with my Jardine exhaust and just run a stage 1 kit.

Any other ideas? Or does anyone know if there is a different bike jet kit that will fit mine as a stage 3? I am looking for a mod that will add some more power but also still be reliable and fuss free.

Thank you in advance for your time in helping me find a solution and I am honored to now be apart of the gstwins group.   

Chad

[Paulcet]

Are you planning to have a shop do the work, or are you going to do it?  Changing jets is fairly easy to do yourself.  Look at http://beergarage.com/GSMatrix.aspx for inspiration.  Black and Silver Twin seems to have the most power, but he did quite a bit of time on a dyno.  The Buddha can source you the jets you need for a reasonable price. 

[007brendan]

Don't do the dynojet.  Get the Mikuni jets from The Buddha.  You can still use the pods.  You can install everything yourself in a couple hours, tops.

[Sbag0024]

wow Quick response ty . I will be attempting to do this my self as the shops said that they will not work on my bike unless I bring only a Dynojet stage 3. so now i am looking for a good diy guide, and I think I can take care of this my self. so Buddha we need to talk =) I got pay pal and ready to buy. With this said.. What are the setting that I will most likely use for my 2006 main/pilot .. ect.. with full exhaust, 2 pods, ?  Thank you for the help so far =)

Chad.

Buddha, my email is sbag0024@gmail.com, I will be at work and will not be able to get on the forums sadly =(.

[Trwhouse]

Hi there,
I know you are new to this board, but...
Buying a loud exhaust to "scare off deer" and alert other motorists is the stupidest thing I have heard of on this board lately.
And you're not the first to say such a thing here.
I've been riding for 35 years. We need quiet motorcycles so motorcycles don't get banned from urban areas.
Get loud horns, and I mean superloud dual electric Fiamm horns, if you want to be heard.
Then blast them when you need them.
That will tell motorists you are there.
Skip the exhaust.
The GS500 is no superbike. You'd be wasting your money.
Ride it and enjoy it.
Best wishes,
Trwhouse

[adidasguy]

My dealer said that loud bikes are involved in more accidents.
You don't need a loud bike.
You want a bike that is fun to ride and easy to ride while being quite nimble. A stock GS500 fits the bill.
Go stock. Ride a few months before deciding if you really feel you need to change things.

[romulux]

If you think its OK to be obnoxiously loud, be it with loud exhausts or loud stereos, you're an ass.hole.  You'll distract people and heighten aggression towards motorcyclists in general.  If you want to reduce accident risk, wear a solid white helmet -- this has a provable, significant impact on lowering accident rates.  Loud pipes don't.

I suspect non-riders would be more impressed with a quiet bike.

Trwhouse has it right.

Just my curmudgeonly opinion (opinions are like ass.holes, etc. etc.).

[joshr08]

you guys do realize he said jardine system they arent loud...not even close to loud you want loud put on a D&D Just because you guys think loud or louder then stock exhaust makes the person with it an @$$hole then you yourself are an @$$hole....seriously if a jardine exhaust makes him an ass then theres alot of assholes here.  With all the comments i see why we dont keep many new people here very long.  Now that im done with my rant for now....lol

Like it has been said before just get the jets from boodha and do yourself a favor and get the allen head replacement bowl and upper diaphram botls from him as well.  Trust me youll be ordering them before you install your new jets when he sends them....lol  I think the jardine sounds good.  I wouldnt spend the money on it but im not you.  I would just get a used SS slip on off ebay for cheap and fab it up to hook to your stock pipe or goto a muffler shop and get a pipe made to fit it up.  Anyways enjoy your bike and dont let anyone here talk you out of any mod that YOU want to do because at the end of the day its not THERE bike.....

[007brendan]

seriously if a jardine exhaust makes him an ass then theres alot of @$$holes here

Word!  Still laughing.

[Sbag0024]

haha wow guys =] ty for the replies,  no hard feelings. I guess I shoulda said that I would like my pipes a little louder then the stock ones but not retarded loud like a harley.. just enought so I can hear my bike at 30 mph other then wind mixed with motor and same with 55 mph ( I do a fair amount of city and highway ). Again  when I drive my car I ofter will hear a bike w a louder exaust before I see it and I am then more aware of them and have been told by more experienced riders that people just don't pay attention to motorcycles and I should try to make my self a little more noticeable for safty ( and not in an @$$hole way =] ). this is where I was going w the whole deer and people thing. Ty for the horn idea, idk why i never thought of that lol , I will be looking into that also. The Jardine full exaust was $280 new free shipping on ebay so why the heck not...


anywho, I understand that this is no superbike.. but I also know its got more potential then stock, sorta like a computer cpu.. I'm just overclocking my bike =]

thanks again for the help =]

[bassmechanicsz]

I must me one of the a$$holes cause i have a jardine exhaust.  anyways the budha is propably the best way to go as far as getting jets since it seems like more people have rejetted using his jets than have used a DJ setup. 

As far as deer noticing the bike with a jardine system i can personally say that atleast the deer near me now run away from the road when i come riding down the road with the jardine exhaust system on but before when i had the stock exhaust they wouldn't even lift their heads.  I don't really know which way is better since you really never know which way a deer is going to run so by having the loud exhaust triggering them to run might lead them to run into the road and into your path.  Also if you keep the stock exhaust a the deer doesn't react he may at the last minute decide to run and then you are unprepared for it.  I find the best way to deal with deer is to just slow down until you see which way the deer is running and then ride past.  I see to many dead deer on the sides of the road to just ride by and not think about the deer that is standing right there.

Do what makes you happy as far as upgrades.

[mister]

seriously if a jardine exhaust makes him an ass then theres alot of @$$holes here.  

Yeah. And they probably eat MacDonald's in no biodegradable foam containers, and have baby-seal fur seat covers and do more than 55 on the freeway. And.... and... they buy non-American stuff... like Japanese bikes made in Spain  



In Aust, the biggest road threat are Kangaroos. They react the most stupid. They will sit and watch you (car, truck, whatever) and then as you get close, start running in the same direction you are and Then they will dart right in front of you - WTF?

*I* have found with roos... obviously, ride a little slower. Then, as you're almost upon them, go 100% OFF the throttle. This changes the exhaust note from the higher pitch to a sudden Deeper rumble - somewhat like a growl I think of it. Doing this, the roos have, so far without fail, all turned away and stay standing still. I view this as... They now think I am a predator due to the growl and have turned away in readiness to flee away instead of try to run to me.

Maybe they think the rumble is like a growl, or maybe just the exhaust note change startles them a little. Either way, I haven't had one jump out in front of me yet on the bike - can't say the same for driving my car though.

IN other states, Wombats pose a problem. Not cause they are fast. But cause they are slow and tend to just stop in the middle of the road. So hitting one is like hitting a large dark rock. Goodbye diff.

Both are essentially night time threats. In the day, it's the non-attention-paying bipedal primates you need to look out for in pretend-control of 4 wheel death cage machines. They see you, they just don't care.

Michael

[romulux]

you guys do realize he said jardine system they arent loud...not even close to loud you want loud put on a D&D Just because you guys think loud or louder then stock exhaust makes the person with it an @$$hole then you yourself are an @$$hole....seriously if a jardine exhaust makes him an ass then theres alot of @$$holes here.  With all the comments i see why we dont keep many new people here very long.  Now that im done with my rant for now....lol

Yeah, my rant was kind of harsh, and honestly I have no idea how a Jardine compares to stock (but, I didn't refer to Jardine, just "loud pipes" in general)...

...I just get tired of hearing people miles away winding up their sportbikes or earsplitting Harleys (there goes one now!) putting along in traffic, revving their engine at the stoplight so everyone can hear how much of a badass they are.  I love motorcycles and I think it's incredibly obnoxious.  Drivers are homicidal enough, I don't want them even more pissed off because they associate all motorcyclists with the minority who are self-centered.  Non-riders vote and there are more of them than us.  Laws are being written that impact all motorcyclists because of obnoxious habits like noise pollution.

The AMA is against loud pipes and holds that "the single greatest threat to motorcycling in America...is excessive exhaust sound".

Oh, and Harleys are not loud from the factory.  They're really pleasant until people swap the pipes out.  I love the sound of Harleys.

haha wow guys =] ty for the replies,  no hard feelings. I guess I shoulda said that I would like my pipes a little louder then the stock ones but not retarded loud like a harley.. just enought so I can hear my bike at 30 mph other then wind mixed with motor and same with 55 mph ( I do a fair amount of city and highway ). Again  when I drive my car I ofter will hear a bike w a louder exaust before I see it and I am then more aware of them and have been told by more experienced riders that people just don't pay attention to motorcycles and I should try to make my self a little more noticeable for safty ( and not in an @$$hole way =] ). this is where I was going w the whole deer and people thing. Ty for the horn idea, idk why i never thought of that lol , I will be looking into that also. The Jardine full exaust was $280 new free shipping on ebay so why the heck not...

It's admirable that you're looking for ways to be safer on the road and suggests that you're a conscientious rider but the "loud pipes save lives" claim is dubious at best.  The few situations where it might be helpful (riding parallel to someone who wants to change lanes) are, in my opinion, better dealt with through smarter riding (don't ride parallel to someone who wants to change lanes and use a horn that makes you sound like a semi truck).


Sorry for hijacking.

[romulux]

Also, we need photos of your new bike.  With and without the new exhaust.

[Sbag0024]

ok I'll get one up soon

[Trwhouse]

Hi again,

Here's a link for the horns I am talking about:

http://www.ridesafer.com/Fiamm_Dual_AM_80_High_Performance_Trumpet_Horns_Ki_p/h0011.htm

These are LOUD. I hit the button and the drivers look all around wondering where the tractor-trailer is coming from.
If you want to be heard, this is what you need.

I can help with wiring if you need help.
Best wishes, and be careful out there, man.

Yours,
Trwhouse

[Sbag0024]

Ohh sweet. ty so much for these. ima order them up in the am
=] . I should be ok w the wires. .but if not ill be bugging you

[mister]

How 'bout a horn like this guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjR5K_Fb6r4

Michael

[The Buddha]

Shops suck, yea do mikuni jets yourself, and maybe bribe a near by GSTwinner with beer to help you.

You need 147.5 main and 20 pilots and I am on the trail of the da-bling washers ... again.

Cool.
Buddha.

[Ugluk]

This is ridiculous. If you ride a GS in the same area as a few custom bikes with their usual porker pipes and litre and a half engines you need to watch your tach just to make sure your bike is still running. Regardless of your choice of exhaust..

No matter what you do, the GS will scare no grannies..