just got my first bike 08 gs500f

[justblade]

hey guys i got my first bike today 2008 gs 500f. I don't think i have ever been happier in my life i was nervous at first because i haven't been on a bike in ten years besides my safety course cruised around  for a bout an hour to get used to it, have to say very easy bike to use clutch is perfect definitely enough power for the next couple years. I am definitely a speed junkie and was very pleased with the torque i thought it would be a lot less considering it's a 500 only played a bit got up to 160 easily. I was wondering if theres is any tips for a gs noob thanks again glad to be part of the gs crowd

[SS Adrenaline]

Congrats and welcome to GSTWINS.  You will love your new bike.  They are a hidden gem.  Is there any sort of tips you are looking for?  Riding, maintenance ect...
You will prob hear this alot but,
If theres no pics then it didnt happen..... lol, get some pics up.
Cheers.

[justblade]

thanks yea ill get pics up asap i work tonight and its supposed to rain here in Ontario tomorrow morning it will probably my first wet ride kinda nervous. any maintenance tips my bike didn't come with a owners manual or anything like that and I'm new to working on bikes i would prefer to do things my self and some performance tips i plan on getting the jardine exhaust and getting a dremel and cutting the fender off along with k&n airfilter and jetting to match but fender first I'm getting raped for insurance since I'm only 22 so it will take time

[BaltimoreGS]

Valve clearance check would be high on my to do list on any GS I just bought no matter when the previous owner claims it was done last.

-Jessie

[dmartins]

Welcome! Where are you in Ontario? I'm in Brampton  lol

Keep the chain well cleaned and lubed and check your tire pressures every week or so. There's lots of small maintenance things to keep on top of but those are the most frequent. I use a standard bike pump to fill my tires up with air on the GS.

[justblade]

thanks yea i got to get it looked at i bought it from a dealer so i was hoping everything was fine but i drove her to work today all was fine i ran into some family issues so i had rush to the hospital she ram fine drove home fine and i got to the intersection right before my house and she just dies started it again wouldnt go tryed again gave her gas and she started but almost felt like she was outa gas just chugging gave her gas and kinda went and then stopped again and the she died again as i pulled into my garage i just wheeled her in parked it started it sounded fine gave it gas sounded fine let it run for a bit and sounded normal 
kinda a buzz kill for having a great day on my first bike

[justblade]

Welcome! Where are you in Ontario? I'm in Brampton  lol

Keep the chain well cleaned and lubed and check your tire pressures every week or so. There's lots of small maintenance things to keep on top of but those are the most frequent. I use a standard bike pump to fill my tires up with air on the GS.

I'm in kitchener

[Paulcet]

thanks yea i got to get it looked at i bought it from a dealer so i was hoping everything was fine but i drove her to work today all was fine i ran into some family issues so i had rush to the hospital she ram fine drove home fine and i got to the intersection right before my house and she just dies started it again wouldnt go tryed again gave her gas and she started but almost felt like she was outa gas just chugging gave her gas and kinda went and then stopped again and the she died again as i pulled into my garage i just wheeled her in parked it started it sounded fine gave it gas sounded fine let it run for a bit and sounded normal 
kinda a buzz kill for having a great day on my first bike

Ran fine sitting on the side stand?  I would bet it's out of gas.

[BockinBboy]

... I'm getting raped for insurance since I'm only 22 so it will take time

BIG TIP: Shop around for insurance.  I was quoted 1500 a year from State Farm... same coverage from Progressive for a third of that and I'm 22, first bike, etc...

thanks yea i got to get it looked at i bought it from a dealer so i was hoping everything was fine but i drove her to work today all was fine i ran into some family issues so i had rush to the hospital she ram fine drove home fine and i got to the intersection right before my house and she just dies started it again wouldnt go tryed again gave her gas and she started but almost felt like she was outa gas just chugging gave her gas and kinda went and then stopped again and the she died again as i pulled into my garage i just wheeled her in parked it started it sounded fine gave it gas sounded fine let it run for a bit and sounded normal 
kinda a buzz kill for having a great day on my first bike

I know this may sounds stupid, but: Check to make sure you haven't forgotten to turn fuel valve on - I've rode 5 miles without it on before i realized it, and it still wasn't sputtering yet.  If it is on, try switching to reserve, the regular "on" line could be plugged up.

- Bboy

[justblade]

yea it ran fine on on the stand, i checked to see if it was out of gas it had a little less then half tank. I'm not sure where the reserve switch is lol i thought there was only a on and and prime switch?

[justblade]

... I'm getting raped for insurance since I'm only 22 so it will take time

BIG TIP: Shop around for insurance.  I was quoted 1500 a year from State Farm... same coverage from Progressive for a third of that and I'm 22, first bike, etc...

state farm wouldn't insure me because i don't have my full g licence. I shopped around quite a bit and the cheapest was Aviva for me i don't know why everywhere is so expensive everyone is telling me i pay a lot but i went to all recommended company's and they all like 7000 a year for me

[BockinBboy]

yea it ran fine on on the stand, i checked to see if it was out of gas it had a little less then half tank. I'm not sure where the reserve switch is lol i thought there was only a on and and prime switch?

There should be three positions on your fuel valve.  Down is 'on'. Horizontal is 'Prime'. and Up is 'Reserve'. Just switch to reserve when you start sputtering to let you know you are getting low on fuel, and get to a gas station soon.

- Bboy

[SAFE-T]

Under 25 new rider in Ontario ~ that's the price of insurance there

[SAFE-T]

British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario all stupid expensive for motorcycle insurance, particularly for young and inexperienced riders, and sportbikes and Harley Davidsons for people of all ages.

[justblade]

yea insurance in Ontario isn't fun at all unless your over 25 and even then its still a bit pricey. OK ill go see where the switch is on the fuel valve thanks again guys for all your help and how do you upload pics on here

[BockinBboy]

yea insurance in Ontario isn't fun at all unless your over 25 and even then its still a bit pricey. OK ill go see where the switch is on the fuel valve thanks again guys for all your help and how do you upload pics on here

Check out this thread below.  I would suggest using another website to host the image such as photobucket.com

- Bboy

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=15370.0

[Formori]

yea it ran fine on on the stand, i checked to see if it was out of gas it had a little less then half tank. I'm not sure where the reserve switch is lol i thought there was only a on and and prime switch?

There should be three positions on your fuel valve.  Down is 'on'. Horizontal is 'Off'. and Up is 'Reserve'.  You should turn this off every time you shut off your bike, but don't forget to turn it back on before you start up... switch to reserve when you start sputtering to let you know you are getting low on fuel, and get to a gas station soon.

- Bboy

Just a note about that petcock, the RIGHT position (between UP and DOWN) is not, NOT off, it is PRIME on the GS500!

If you leave the bike with this on for any amount of time you will flood the carburetor and this can even filter down and let gas into your oil! If you haven't started your bike in a while (a week or more) you can move the petcock to Prime and it lets gas into the floats to start the bike easier.

Otherwise, this is the exception to most bikes, leave it on ON all the time!

PS: most bikes have a OFF position, and when parking the bike you should definitely turn your gas off, otherwise you could end up with a mess if your bike tips. The GS500 is vacuum fed and doesn't have this issue, therefore, no off.

[BockinBboy]

Just a note about that petcock, the RIGHT position (between UP and DOWN) is not, NOT off, it is PRIME on the GS500!

If you leave the bike with this on for any amount of time you will flood the carburetor and this can even filter down and let gas into your oil! If you haven't started your bike in a while (a week or more) you can move the petcock to Prime and it lets gas into the floats to start the bike easier.

Otherwise, this is the exception to most bikes, leave it on ON all the time!

PS: most bikes have a OFF position, and when parking the bike you should definitely turn your gas off, otherwise you could end up with a mess if your bike tips. The GS500 is vacuum fed and doesn't have this issue, therefore, no off.

Guess you just have to read the actual valve to see that... I'll modify previous post and remove that so no one else is confused or steered wrong. Thanks!

- Bboy

[justblade]

i just want to say thanks for all the help i found out that i put it into reserve and she ran fine i did not look for the reserve i just seen prime and on lol i guess i misjudged how much was in the tank i filled her up on put it back into the on position. thanks alot for help i would of been lost without the help

[Paulcet]

i guess i misjudged how much was in the tank i filled her up on put it back into the on position.

That, and "My first bike" go together. 

We're pretty helpful here... But you could have easily gotten a response like: "You're out of gas you twit!"