Howdy, bought my first GS500f (09) and I have a few questions!

[brendan87na]

Deep SE King county, Maple Valley region

[yamahonkawazuki]

Heated grips would be FANTASTIC.   Living in Seattle, Sonar would be nice too....

they are jetted lean from factory HOWEVER.y first and 3rd gs' were  stock jetting.  never changed. and never a problem either.

[applecrew]

As far as rain goes, have at it! My 07 has over 50,000 commuting miles, and I ride year-round here in Pennsylvania through rain and anything else as long as there is no ice on the road. I've ridden through rain so heavy it was washing across the highway and up to my ankle in spots. I've never had an issue with water-tightness, and the bike runs very well in the wet.

I think everyone should ride in the rain and learn to be comfortable in the wet. Someday you will get caught out in it and you should have the experience to ride safely and calmly!

Great bike for commuting, get used to the higher RPM range (do not lug the engine!) and go have some fun!