New Rider

[Zanthar]

Hey everyone,

Im new to the forum, new to riding, and just bought my first bike. Its a 2001 GS500 and i am very excited to start learning more about it and learn to ride. I just completed my MSF course so that helped me get started. I was wondering if anyone has any advice as far as good ways to learn about how to take care of my bike and do the work on it myself (sadly i do not have any experience mechanically) so any advice is welcome. Also what kind of upgrades should i consider for my bike? Or should i keep it stock?

Thanks for any advice!


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[Worm]

First off, welcome to the forum!!

Secondly, there's a link at the top of the forum for a Clymer manual. Get you one! And anything you are not sure about, search on here. If you can't find it with a search, post a thread and include pictures whenever possible.

Keeping the bike stock, at least for a while, is the best way to go. It makes troubleshooting problems easier because you aren't creating any yourself by making modifications. Plus, you may love the way the bike runs as is!

Make sure you have all the gear and wear it EVERY time out! If you are riding with friends, go at your own pace. Ride at a pace that is comfortable to you. Practice in a parking lot some of the maneuverability stuff you learned in the MSF course. And just ride, ride, ride! The more you practice, the better you'll get at it!

[Zanthar]

Hi Worm,

Thanks for the advice. Do you recommend the Clymer over the Haynes manuals? Also what type of gear is recommended? I have been looking at the Joe Rocket Comet jacket (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/joe-rocket-comet-jacket) but am open for suggestions. Temps can range from about 15 in the winter to high 90's in summer where i live. Trying to find something good for all seasons.

Thanks

[weedahoe]

I know it is tempting to mod and more so when you see pics and others doing it. But get comfortable riding first and then later look at mods. That's my opinion.

As said before, wear your gear! ALL the time!

[Worm]

If you plan to ride year round, you're going to need several different levels of gear. To me, once it gets below 40F, it's REALLY cold on the motorcycle. I park mine for the winter but I've seen people out and about with snow falling around here. And on a naked bike, you have zero wind protection!

I have a TourMaster Intake Air 2 that I use. It's great in the summer because it's mesh but doesn't work as well in the early spring or late fall. It does have a couple liners (thermal and rain/wind) that can be zipped in to help with the weather. This let's me ride from March-November in the Cincinnati area.

Find a good helmet that is comfortable to you. They should be pretty snug when new, especially in the cheeks. Some people like the lid type helmets, I'm a full face helmet guy. If it's a quality helmet, this reduces wind noise and doesn't obstruct your vision side to side at all. I currently have an HJC C-16(I think!). It was cheap and works but is pretty noisy at higher speeds. I'm looking at the Scorpion EXO-500 for the next one this spring.

Decent riding gloves make life better too. They keep road debris from drawing blood(still will sting) and they keep your hands comfortable. Summer gloves have vents to move the air around to keep your hands cool and dry. Winter gloves are more like ski gloves with a lot of wind protection and insulation and hopefully, gauntlets (big cuffs that go over the cuffs on you jacket to keep wind from going up your sleeves).

Riding pants are a great idea. I've personally never worn any but this is another item I'm looking to pickup this spring. I know they have some that look like jeans but are reinforced in important areas.

Over the ankle footwear with good outdoor tread is a must. Riding boots are preferable as they protect your ankles from being crushed by the motorcycle in the event of a low-side or tip over.

I hope this helps and I'm sure some others will be chiming in on their favorite gear!

[NjDan]

I'll give this a shot

I prefer Haynes but it's debatable make sure you get the one for your particular bike not much changed but there are minor differences over the years

As for gear I am also new to riding and I live in jersey were temp are anything but normal so far I have a hjc cl-16 first gear rush jacket and tcx riding boots/shoes I really haven't started riding everyday just parking lot and up and down my street I take my course in a few weeks but as far as comfort I'd recommend it definitely I dot have many gear storesaround me so iI went on revzilla. Com and looked at the video reviews and all the comments left about each product but of there is a store near you I'd definitely check it out at least for sizing purposes

Now for maintenance I was never really a mechanic except for oil changes but have performed so many things on the gs this forum helps a lot trust me you ask a question and have an answer within an hour just take it slow research h through clymer/Haynes video tuts that members have performed so far I've done fork oil, oil , shock, springs, and a couple other mods but make sure you get the bike running rite before you start tinkering that was the best advice someone on here gave me..good luck bro

[Zanthar]

Cool!

Thanks for the info all. I am really excited to start learning more about my bike plus to become a better rider. So far it has been very enjoyable with the little riding i have done and cant wait till i am riding all the time.

Has anyone ever had any issues when shifting from 1st to 2nd and have the bike feel like it did'nt engage at first and then out of no where it picks up goes?

[adidasguy]

Hi Worm,

Thanks for the advice. Do you recommend the Clymer over the Haynes manuals? Also what type of gear is recommended? I have been looking at the Joe Rocket Comet jacket (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/joe-rocket-comet-jacket) but am open for suggestions. Temps can range from about 15 in the winter to high 90's in summer where i live. Trying to find something good for all seasons.

Thanks

I have both. My preference has been Haynes over Clymer. I find that Clymer tells you how to take everything apart and then goes "put back in reverse ordere". Haynes tends to be a better novice book. It takes one item then walks through removal and walks you through putting it back.

[wayne242]

+1 on Haynes

[Zanthar]

Well it sounds like Haynes it is then. Thank for the info all.

I was wondering if anyone has had any issues when shifting from 1st to 2nd and have the bike feel like it did'nt engage at first and then out of no where it picks up and goes? (Sorry if my description is not clear. Im a noob).

[SD_GS500E]

do the revs increase, or it's just kind of a dead spot for a second then it goes?  Mine used to do that, most noticeably coming off of onramps when I'd decelerate then accelerate..the shop I took it to said it was quite common and they filed down some pin in the carb and now it's quite responsive. 

Just out of curiosity, if you shift, the revs go up, but the bike don't go nowhere... that sounds like clutch to me.

[wayne242]

have zero problems with mine from first to second. Only time it as ever done anything like you have said was when i was way low on fuel and on a hill, that was interesting when i full throttled it 

[Zanthar]

When i shift and then turn on the throttle the bike doesnt go anywhere, it decelerates. After about a second or two it catches and starts accelerating again.

It has gas so in the tank so that shouldnt be an issue. Could the carbs need a rebuild or cleaned?

[wayne242]

sounds more like carbs then clutch to me. adidasguy could probably walk you through checking carbs I'm sure.

[Zanthar]

Ok, i will see if i can find sometime this weekend to check the carbs. Thanks for the info and advice everyone.

[gsJack]

Check your clutch first to eliminate it as the cause before messing with the carbs, it just takes a minute.  With the bike standing still hold the front brake tight, rev the engine up to 2-3k rpm, and slowly engage the clutch with the tranny in gear.  Clutch will kill the engine if it's OK and slip if it's not.  Engaging clutch very slowly helps induce clutch slippage.

We used to check car clutches that way except we'd put the front bumper against a telephone pole while doing it but that was back when everyone had clutches and bumpers on their cars, real steel bumpers not the plastic decorations they put on cars now.   

By the way is your bike engine well warmed up when this slippage happens or is it still a bit cold?

[Zanthar]

I will definitely give that a try. And the engine is not warmed up fully yet. I did'nt even think about a cold engine as the cause...

[wayne242]

I will definitely give that a try. And the engine is not warmed up fully yet. I did'nt even think about a cold engine as the cause...

haha you cant ride these cold(like anything with carbs needs warmed up).. Mine will just say screw you and shut off if i try to start it up and try to take off at 40-50 out. Heck drive it to a restaurant when its cold, come out and still have to let it warm up again. When cold it could do what your talking about, bog down and then just take off at random.

You should warm up any bike you ride, even fuel injected ones when its cold will bog if not warmed up.