gs500f

[J_Walker]

if its dying because of dead battery, could be a bad battery. or maybe the R&R. to easily check the R&R its the little thing under the seat plastics that has little cooling fins on it. just pull it off and look at the back, if it looks burnt/melted then the R&R is toast.

[Slack]

if its dying because of dead battery, could be a bad battery. or maybe the R&R. to easily check the R&R its the little thing under the seat plastics that has little cooling fins on it. just pull it off and look at the back, if it looks burnt/melted then the R&R is toast.

Hadn't herd that trick before

[jaynavajo15]

No clue how old just got the bike last week. We'll see what the shop says about it. I asked them to check it out as well. And they said it shouldn't die while riding and it could be the charging system. As of what Ive heard once you let a battery die it never fully charges again. And ive let it die a few times now so ill probably pick one up today Anyways. But ill definitely check that r&r if i can find it.

[Janx101]

Batten down the hatches. . Old sailing ship nautical term, if heavy weather and/or dangerous conditions were approaching, they would not only close the cargo and access doors/hatches but place timber battens across the face of same into locking clamps/blocks to keep the water out! .. apart from the bilge and drinking water excess water inside a ship is generally frowned upon!

[Janx101]

Slack! You said there would be an oil war!! ... I bought popcorn and a drink! ... no war!?? ...

Bike dying while riding? .. fuel level?, partly blocked fuel lines/ petcocks? Or vacuum issues! , loose/damaged ignition circuit wires/switches?, jiggly killswitch?, bad battery cable connections!? ... could be simple stuff or painful stuff. .. start with the simple!

... I was gonna use Dolphin oil in my bike! .. but PETA and Greenpeace got all antsy about it!?

[jaynavajo15]

It was the battery. Starts right up now. the battery died to many times so its life decreased. After the 3rd time dieing while at warm up this time. I plugged it in to charge so i can make it to the battery store. But it fully charged in 15 minutes so I knew something was off. Then i put it back in the bike and wasnt enough juice to start anymore.

You had me looking forward to a oil war as well slack! and dolphin oil no way am I falling for that one haha good one though.

[jaynavajo15]

shop recommended I do a O-ring chain and sprocket kit next as well as a rear shock. I noticed mine is really bouncy so I asked about throwing in a R6 shock and they said 200$ what do you guys think fair? How hard is it to do yourself? As well as the chain and sprockets?

[Slack]

I don't know how it didn't start. . .
Congratulations GStwins forum at large   



Everyone knows Royal Purple is the only oil worth using. Might as well not even change the oil if you aren't putting in Royal Purple. And I only recommend changing the oil filter when the cicadas come. 

[ragecage23]

If I can change the chain and sprockets I'm sure you can lol

[Slack]

I really can't recommend enough that you get some basic tools, if you don't already have them, and get your hands dirty. Properly maintaining a motorcycle is crazy expensive if you always wheel it off to a mechanic. And really, there isn't any maintenance you can't do without a bit of searching on the forum, occasionally supplemented with a question for clarification. But, if $200 is a drop in the bucket, and your time is too valuable to do the research and work yourself, then by all means take it in.
Another benefit of working on your own bike is you'll have a better idea of how it works and might be able to fix it if it ever breaks down on the road.

Riding a motorcycle well is a Zen art form. You must know your bike well to ride your bike well.

[ragecage23]

A Haynes manual wouldn't hurt either.

[Janx101]

And a milk crate with cushion or low workshop stool if you got cash! .. great for saving the knees beside bike, lets you relax and focus on what you are doing/looking for other things also. .

I'm adding a cup holder to my milk crate soon! ... and maybe an ashtray.. can't figure out easy way to put fuzzy dice on there though! lol

[The_Paragon]

This is my second bike although my first was also a gs500f but was impounded on me by highway patrol 

Just stuck my curiosity there a little...
Was it cheaper to buy a whole nother bike as opposed to get your old one back from the Hwy Patrol?

[jaynavajo15]

Went to jail for 10 days for evading an officer and speeding over 100 mph. First time in jail at 19 years old worst time in my life I was so pissed. The towing company charged me for hauling the bike and a daily fee that increased everyday I think it started at 75 dollars a day and eventually reached  over a hundred a day. Since I went to jail i lost my job, When I was released my bike was over a thousand dollars to take out And I was now broke and being heavily fined. So I just lost out on it. Had it for 3 months then I decided to evade. Went to jail didnt ride for about 6 months after made my come back 2 months ago. Bought a truck with a blown head fixed it and then found a guy on craigslist that i traded it to for a 86 honda shadow 750 rode that for a month then traded it for a 86 honda civic and the guy gave me 1000 cash on top. Sold the civic for 1000 and then stumbled upon another gsf for a dirt cheap 1200$ and now im where im at now like it all never ended

[cWj]

If you got the truck going again, the chain, sprockets and rear shock should be nothing too challenging. The shock may be easier to do with the removal of the chain (more swing arm slack). Search the forum for R6 shock install. Plan to do the same for the front springs.

Have fun, be safe.

[Antwan95]

shop recommended I do a O-ring chain and sprocket kit next as well as a rear shock. I noticed mine is really bouncy so I asked about throwing in a R6 shock and they said 200$ what do you guys think fair? How hard is it to do yourself? As well as the chain and sprockets?

Buy a used Katana 600 shock or R6 on eBay for probably less than 50. For me it was pretty easy to swap out as long as its on a jack. I've heard that you have to grind off some of the swingarm for the R6 to fit though. Sprockets are pretty easy in my opinion. For the front you just have to remove the cover and pop the C- clip off. For the rear you take the wheel off and take the bolts out. For the chain its easy as long its the right length of links.

[Iarn]

Antwan is correct about the R6 shock. I installed an R6 shock on my GS and had to grind the swingarm a bit for clearance.

[jaynavajo15]

Grinding down my swing arm is definitely something im not comfortable doing. What year was the shock off of. Isnt there a certain range of years that fits without modifications? If the katana doesnt require mods id rather go that route. But is it a good enough shock? I weigh 150lb. Got my chain and sprockets yesterday so im going to install those in a few hours. Also got some cool adjustable levers.

[Iarn]

2008 - 2014 model r6 shock. I think all r6 shocks will require modding. Kat600 shocks will drop right in, but you're very light for that shock. They're quite stiff, and you may find it an uncomfortable fit for you and/or your bike.

Look into the SV650 shock, that might be better for you.

[Janx101]

150lbs for a katana shock??! 

.... That might be a little stiff!!! ...

Everyone has their own way they mentally rate the stiffness... But when I installed my katana shock ... It was set on preload 5 ... Left it there to see what it was like..... Short ride later I decided to take it back down... To 1 !! .. And it's fine for me..... And my 300+ lbs geared up

I also fiddled the damping a little but the preload was the thing..

When the guys say remove material from swing arm ... They don't mean HEAPS ... A few mm of it is enough IIRC!! Something you could probably do with even a metal file!! ... Or a dremel maybe?