Bit the bullet, happy new motorcycle day!- here comes the questions!

[AnonRider]

I'm a new rider, took the MSF course, purchased a 2002 Yamaha V Star Custom in October, found a great deal on a 2000GS500e a few days ago and before you knew it-- I now have two bikes that I don't know how to ride!

(To be fair the Yamaha is now my girlfriends as she also took the MSF course and passed it with a higher score than I did. -at any rate they're both in the same garage-)

So, I bought the bike without getting a real good look at it because:
A- I have no idea what I'm looking for other than rust, strange sounds, smoke and dents.
B- It was 8F degrees with snow on the ground so I couldn't see it running (wompwomp)
C- Even if I could see it running I wouldn't know what to feel for

So, without further adieu I have some questions:

A huge HOLE on the side of the exhaust can which looks horrendous but apparently doesn't effect anything?- does it effect anything? Should I repair this or get a replacement?

Rust on the chain- obviously I'm going to get rid of the rust ASAP but should I replace the chain? is it difficult to do?

Generally--- what should I check for before riding this to know that I have a safe ride.

inb4: you shouldn't have bought this without knowing- I got this amazing bike for peanuts, no big loss if it is complete garbage.

[Big Rich]

Get a factory service manual and go over everything......yes, everything in the "maintenance" section. Brakes, oil, chain and sprockets, etc, etc have probably all been neglected / abused. Where are you from? There might be somebody nearby to help.

Oh yeah - welcome to the site, and post pictures. They are worth a 1000 words.

[AnonRider]

Get a factory service manual and go over everything......yes, everything in the "maintenance" section. Brakes, oil, chain and sprockets, etc, etc have probably all been neglected / abused. Where are you from? There might be somebody nearby to help.

Oh yeah - welcome to the site, and post pictures. They are worth a 1000 words.

Thanks for the response, the bike is currently in storage until the weather gets at least 50F so no pictures until then.

I'm in New Jersey! (Lyndhurst) less than a mile away from the motorcycle mall in Belleville

[AnonRider]

actually, here are a few pics from the original ad

[yamahonkawazuki]

Welcome to ze Nüthaus my friend. any questions, ask away. yes get the Mexican friend. manual. and the Russian friend. KGB ( known good battery)  check oil, ( per specs and instructions) chain tension, tire pressure, tread depth,  fluid levels, etc. as it is cold now, gives you time to get her roadready for warmer temps.

[AnonRider]

Welcome to ze Nüthaus my friend. any questions, ask away. yes get the Mexican friend. manual. and the Russian friend. KGB ( known good battery)  check oil, ( per specs and instructions) chain tension, tire pressure, tread depth,  fluid levels, etc. as it is cold now, gives you time to get her roadready for warmer temps.

Yeah, that was my plan- get the bike ready now for when the time does come around! Is there a free manual online or do I pay the 5 dollars for the pdf and print it at staples?- So far I can't find a free version. 

[mister]

For a copy of the Owners Manual - not service manual, owners manual - go to the Wiki http://wiki.gstwins.com/ and look under Maintenance / How To Books

Any "Service Manual" you find online will be an illegal copy. You won't find any links to one from here.

As for checking...

Yeah chain. Give it a clean if you think it will help. But it might be a waste of time. Toss in a photo of the chain and rear sprocket and we'll let you know.

IMO, all new bike purchases should be followed with an oil and filter change - BUT BE WARNED - if you change the filter you need to be Very Careful with the filter-cover bolts. Too much tightening and Whoopsy snappy.

Have a look at the front forks. Where they push in is a black ring. Is their oil seeping from the fork tube down and onto and over that ring - usually at the rear. Also examine the small dark grime ring which occurs on the fork. It is Overly oily and the forks all oily themselves?

Check the date of the tire. Oh look.... I'm not going to retype all this from a day or two ago. Here, for a start read this from another thread about things to look for when Buying a bike http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=66340.msg797741#msg797741

I'm sure others will chime in anyway with storage requirements et al.

Did the seller have a center stand to go with it?

[yamahonkawazuki]

don't we have a linkie to the service manual; here at some location, clicks from this results in site getting a bit of it?, I know it used to, don't know if it still does. but yes chain mainly.  if you strip the filth off of it, ( if any) relube immediately

[Electrojake]

I occasionally eat lunch in the Arlington diner. 
Haven't been to the "new" motorcycle mall since they moved it into the car dealership building.
The old shop was over-packed with bikes. Not even enough room to walk!
My 2007 GS500F was purchased from there bran-new as a left-over model in late 2008.

Welcome to the best GS500 forum on the planet. This crew will get you up and running fast!
-Ej-

[AnonRider]

For a copy of the Owners Manual - not service manual, owners manual - go to the Wiki http://wiki.gstwins.com/ and look under Maintenance / How To Books

Any "Service Manual" you find online will be an illegal copy. You won't find any links to one from here.

As for checking...

Yeah chain. Give it a clean if you think it will help. But it might be a waste of time. Toss in a photo of the chain and rear sprocket and we'll let you know.

IMO, all new bike purchases should be followed with an oil and filter change - BUT BE WARNED - if you change the filter you need to be Very Careful with the filter-cover bolts. Too much tightening and Whoopsy snappy.

Have a look at the front forks. Where they push in is a black ring. Is their oil seeping from the fork tube down and onto and over that ring - usually at the rear. Also examine the small dark grime ring which occurs on the fork. It is Overly oily and the forks all oily themselves?

Check the date of the tire. Oh look.... I'm not going to retype all this from a day or two ago. Here, for a start read this from another thread about things to look for when Buying a bike http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=66340.msg797741#msg797741

I'm sure others will chime in anyway with storage requirements et al.

Did the seller have a center stand to go with it?

I didn't realize the service manual had to be bought, lol- but i'll make sure I get it the legal way. Thanks for linking to your OP about new bikes, it is really appreciated. I want to do as much preventative maintenance as possible, I can buy new filter cover bolts I assume? (before I go overboard with the tightening)

No center stand, he had it propped up on a few 2x4s.

[AnonRider]

I occasionally eat lunch in the Arlington diner. 
Haven't been to the "new" motorcycle mall since they moved it into the car dealership building.
The old shop was over-packed with bikes. Not even enough room to walk!
My 2007 GS500F was purchased from there bran-new as a left-over model in late 2008.

Welcome to the best GS500 forum on the planet. This crew will get you up and running fast!
-Ej-

Cool The motorcycle mall is nice but way too pricey (15 dollars for an OEM oil filter  ??), I really like the cycle exchange in andover though, it's where i got my yamaha for a great price.

So far I can tell that this is a cool forum, seems pretty active, which is nice as most forums i've come across move at a snails pace.

I'm off to work for the day in this 6F weather. Thanks for all the replies, I'll check back in when I can get some good pictures.

[AnonRider]

So, I'm trying to find an exhaust that fits the machine, I'm looking at the wiki but everything that is a direct fit is out of stock at bikebandit.com (the vance and hines supersport exhaust and the jardine) can someone link me directly to an exhaust system that will fit this? I want something under 400$ and with a nice throaty sound. I don't own any machinery to fashion a new piece and I'm not too sure that the dealership by me will be reasonable in pricing when it comes to custom fit exhausts.

[radodrill]

A number of Vance & Hines full systems are on eBay new for $300-350.

There are also slip-ons from Yoshimura, Delkevic, etc for <$300; these simply require that the stock pipe be cut after the 2 into 1

[adidasguy]

Keep in mind that ANY exhaust for the GS500 from 1989-today will fit. You can ignore the year for the GS500. They all fit the same.

[mister]

I quite like the sound of the Screaming Demon system  that Twisted has on his GS.

[dkidd2004]

I quite like the sound of the Screaming Demon system  that Twisted has on his GS.

I second the screaming demon.

Just fitted one to my 05GSF. It was really simple (20 minute job). My first time properly working on my bike (rejet, filters, repaint and some other things) and the exhaust was really easy. Sounds great, looks great, didn't dent the bank.

[AnonRider]

Thanks for the replies, it looks like I'm going to need the full system rather than just a slip on as what I've got is in extremely poor condition. The screaming demons are 600 dollars (unless i'm looking at the wrong site) which is a bit over my price range (it wouldn't of been if i was only going to fix that exhaust, but i do have to do a major overhaul it seems)  i'm also going to have to get new tires, a chain, cables- etc I wanted to deal with what seems like the biggest issues first then work my way down.

[GS500F2004]

Big congrats on getting the MSF course done and being engaged with the aspects of maintenance and safety already, first big step!

[GS500F2004]

As to your questions, it would be hard to know what to work on until you've been riding it, but in short:

1) Inspect the oil level and colour. Best best is to change the oil and filter
2) Inspect your chain and sprockets, clean it and keep it lubed up even in storage.
3) Inspect the electricals, do the high-beam lights work? Do the indicators work?
4) Put the bike on the centre stand and turn the steering around evenly and slowly, does it catch anywhere? Is it smooth? If the turning is not smooth you may need some service for the steering head bearings.
5) Inspect the front fork seals, is it damaged, is anything leaking? Is it sealing out the dust nicely?

As for the running of the bike, it would be hard to describe to you what to look for as you haven't ridden yet. But if there is something wrong you will most likely feel it. After about 6000rpm, the bike will become more powerful and in first gear the throttle will be a bit more responsive. The GS500's power is nothing to write home about, but as a first timer just watch out.

If the exhaust is damaged, change it out to something of your choice. If it's not, I wouldn't worrying about modifying things, first get used to riding before dropping $$$, rather use it to invest in quality gear. Also remember, changing out the exhaust and such will require a rejet of the carburettors, whilst you're at it you might as well change the air filter. There's a good page in the wiki about what jet sizes you will need.

This is a great bike to learn on, service and modify! I no longer have my GS500F as I have upgraded to a CBR600RR, but I have nothing but fond memories of it! Good luck!

[SAFE-T]

This is your first bike ? Before you spend $600 on an aftermarket exhaust only to fall over on it and damage it, try a used stock exhaust. Depending on where you are they should be plentiful and cheap.

Also, systems like the V&H are single-wall steel, so the paint will burn off in a season or two and then the uncoated steel will turn a fabulous rusty brown color.