Newbie question

[ziggyjoe21]

Hi guys, this summer I decided I wanted to start riding a motorcycle so I took the MSF course, passed, and bought a '08 GS500 as my first bike. Before I bought it I had ridden a motorcycle a grand total of 2 times, so needless to say I'm a novice in every sense of the word.

The bike I bought was used, had not been ridden in a year or 2, and was not inspected. However, it was is great shape (not a single scratch) and only 2300 miles. The only maintenance I've done on it was change the oil and recharge the battery.

I've been practicing riding in a nearby cemetery, unfortunately, I've dropped the bike a few times. Most recently I dropped it on its left side and now whenever I ride it there's a knocking noise and the bike stutters and shakes. Whenever I come to stop the bike just turns off completely. Does anyone know what this problem may be?

[yamahonkawazuki]

2 questions. btw great choice on 1st bike.
1st question is there any damage on the lower covers of the engine?, next question/s is she leaking fuel? or has the airbox by chance been jarred loose?. lastly welcome to the nuthaus

[Slack]

When you've dropped it have you picked it up right away or let it sit for a bit before resurrecting it?

[ziggyjoe21]

When you've dropped it have you picked it up right away or let it sit for a bit before resurrecting it?

I picked it up right away.

[ziggyjoe21]

2 questions. btw great choice on 1st bike.
1st question is there any damage on the lower covers of the engine?, next question/s is she leaking fuel? or has the airbox by chance been jarred loose?. lastly welcome to the nuthaus

Yes, I scraped the round cover/lid that says "Suzuki". In fact, it came off and can't be put back on because it was bent too much. I didn't see any other damage around that area.

As far as leaking fuel.... there are 3 small hoses that extend down the right fairing that sometimes drip fuel. I did some research on this and this apparently prevents over flooding of fuel in the engine. Is this correct? I have not seen any leaking fuel outside of these 3 hoses.
I have not touched anything to see if it's loose because everything was too hot to touch. I will check tomorrow after work.

thank you. Glad to be part of the club   

[yamahonkawazuki]

wonderful thing about our beloved gs is that you can buy it, use the heck out of it and provided you dont destroy it, you can sell it at a profit. that being said  everyone here i think has damaged the suzi covers lol. lord knows i did. those hoses are there like you said for that purpose. come think of it when i first dropped mine in 2003 she ran rough as a cob once i got her started mainly because you lay her down its going to flood. this is normal. glad you are okay. btw practice 2 things. 1 clutch walking. this will help on inclines too once used to it. straddle bike with it running. squeeze clutch lever put into 1st. do this on flat ground. slowly release lever until bike starts pulling fwd. no throttle at this point. squeeze lever again. you get to know your clutch really well here. repeatedly do this.  ( youre only rocking bike here. ) now comes the walking part. right hand is covering brake lever. when you feel ready slowly release clutch  lever until bike starts moving fwd.  no throttle. and walk withh bike. feathering clutch so you keep at a SLOW walking stride.. now once you get used to riding her a bit, comes the 2/1 panic stop. ( do this in a flat as possible EMPTY  lot. ccelerate up into second. heres where it gets hairy and a drop may happen. i know it did for me lol. but youre in 2nd,  downshift to 1st AND HIT BOTH BRAKES. coming to a complete stop in a very short distance. lower both feet to ground. and szqueeze clutch. if you time it right you wont stall engine or lay bike down.. we did this in msf. calls it the holy sh*t stop. i think cause that was the two words out of my mouth. this covers the car animal or person that pulls out in front of you and just stops and stares lol. sorry i got long winded there. was fun to reminisce. start your bike in morning or next chance you get. im 99% certain shes fine. she was being grumpy for being laid over lol. anyhoo. if you take care of here you may make the 100k mi. club. ask gsjack. and the buddha. both are well respected. staff here. gsjack also knows all things gs500 tires. speaking of which learn to remove wheel yourself. will save you ALOT of money when it comes to tire changes. just bring wheel not whole bike to tire ppl. oh last tidbit of advice i can think of tonight. a toolkit. if you dont have one make one up. 2 spark plugs a wrench which will fit under seat. i always packed sockets to fit axle botlts and a pair of pliers. in case oil filler cap got heat seized. but the minimum is 2 spark plugs and wrench. that way youre not trapped somewhere with 2 fouled plugs. if i can think of anything else which would be beneficial ill post it here.
Aaron
p.s i remembered something about the quirks of this board. Dont qask for a custom title lol. because it is 9 times out of ten not flattering. and youll be at the whim of whichever mod/admin lol.
my first was piss ant cause i stole johns avatar my latest one was because again i aggrivated john ( head admin and site owner ) again my firend welcome aboard. youll enjoy this sit and our beloved gs500

[ziggyjoe21]

wonderful thing about our beloved gs is that you can buy it, use the heck out of it and provided you dont destroy it, you can sell it at a profit. that being said  everyone here i think has damaged the suzi covers lol. lord knows i did. those hoses are there like you said for that purpose. come think of it when i first dropped mine in 2003 she ran rough as a cob once i got her started mainly because you lay her down its going to flood. this is normal. glad you are okay. btw practice 2 things. 1 clutch walking. this will help on inclines too once used to it. straddle bike with it running. squeeze clutch lever put into 1st. do this on flat ground. slowly release lever until bike starts pulling fwd. no throttle at this point. squeeze lever again. you get to know your clutch really well here. repeatedly do this.  ( youre only rocking bike here. ) now comes the walking part. right hand is covering brake lever. when you feel ready slowly release clutch  lever until bike starts moving fwd.  no throttle. and walk withh bike. feathering clutch so you keep at a SLOW walking stride.. now once you get used to riding her a bit, comes the 2/1 panic stop. ( do this in a flat as possible EMPTY  lot. ccelerate up into second. heres where it gets hairy and a drop may happen. i know it did for me lol. but youre in 2nd,  downshift to 1st AND HIT BOTH BRAKES. coming to a complete stop in a very short distance. lower both feet to ground. and szqueeze clutch. if you time it right you wont stall engine or lay bike down.. we did this in msf. calls it the holy sh*t stop. i think cause that was the two words out of my mouth. this covers the car animal or person that pulls out in front of you and just stops and stares lol. sorry i got long winded there. was fun to reminisce. start your bike in morning or next chance you get. im 99% certain shes fine. she was being grumpy for being laid over lol. anyhoo. if you take care of here you may make the 100k mi. club. ask gsjack. and the buddha. both are well respected. staff here. gsjack also knows all things gs500 tires. speaking of which learn to remove wheel yourself. will save you ALOT of money when it comes to tire changes. just bring wheel not whole bike to tire ppl. oh last tidbit of advice i can think of tonight. a toolkit. if you dont have one make one up. 2 spark plugs a wrench which will fit under seat. i always packed sockets to fit axle botlts and a pair of pliers. in case oil filler cap got heat seized. but the minimum is 2 spark plugs and wrench. that way youre not trapped somewhere with 2 fouled plugs. if i can think of anything else which would be beneficial ill post it here.
Aaron
p.s i remembered something about the quirks of this board. Dont qask for a custom title lol. because it is 9 times out of ten not flattering. and youll be at the whim of whichever mod/admin lol.
my first was piss ant cause i stole johns avatar my latest one was because again i aggrivated john ( head admin and site owner ) again my firend welcome aboard. youll enjoy this sit and our beloved gs500

thank you for the friendly advice. I appreciate it! How long does it take to "un flood"?

I forgot to mention in my previous post that the tachometer stopped working. It jumps around like crazy and doesn't stay still even when I'm going at a steady speed. Is this a by-product of flooding?

thank you again for the replies

Serge

[yamahonkawazuki]

 if it sat overnight it SHOULD be fine err good to go. mine when i righted her even though she was warmed up, had to use choke to start it. after a few mins she was like it never happened. except for the new scratches lol and comically bent clutch lever. rode with that lever for a while. if shes still hard to start check plugs. these minor laydowns happen to all of us. its part of the learning process. after all theres 2 types of rider. those that had one of these or more, and 2 those that will. hold off on trying the panic stop (im assuming you did this @ msf) a bit till you get more acquainted with her. although the HS stop, is a good skill to know . practice what they taught you when able. makes a better rider out of you . my first D$%&!t was when i tried to practice a tight TIGHT 180 the slow one lol it just fell over. to the right never happened to the left well lol 2x.. im mostly right handed cept i draw and run a cash register with left. so i figured i could pull this off.......... wrong lol. anyhoo sorry again for long winded reply , but your story reminded me EXACTLY of my first days on a bike.. enjoy the gs. our little sewing machine is nearly bullet proof. and loads cheaper to repair  versus others.. ( FS/FT usually a good source of parts and deals)
Aaron.
p.s looking forward to hearing more. when youre ready. no rush . ride safely

[ziggyjoe21]

if it sat overnight it SHOULD be fine err good to go. mine when i righted her even though she was warmed up, had to use choke to start it. after a few mins she was like it never happened. except for the new scratches lol and comically bent clutch lever. rode with that lever for a while. if shes still hard to start check plugs. these minor laydowns happen to all of us. its part of the learning process. after all theres 2 types of rider. those that had one of these or more, and 2 those that will. hold off on trying the panic stop (im assuming you did this @ msf) a bit till you get more acquainted with her. although the HS stop, is a good skill to know . practice what they taught you when able. makes a better rider out of you . my first D$%&!t was when i tried to practice a tight TIGHT 180 the slow one lol it just fell over. to the right never happened to the left well lol 2x.. im mostly right handed cept i draw and run a cash register with left. so i figured i could pull this off.......... wrong lol. anyhoo sorry again for long winded reply , but your story reminded me EXACTLY of my first days on a bike.. enjoy the gs. our little sewing machine is nearly bullet proof. and loads cheaper to repair  versus others.. ( FS/FT usually a good source of parts and deals)
Aaron.
p.s looking forward to hearing more. when youre ready. no rush . ride safely

It's good to hear on multiple occasions how the GS is "bulletproof", however, I have a feeling my inexperience will still find a way to break something. 

I paid $2000 for this 2008 GS500f with 2300 miles on it. Uninspected but without a scratch. Do you think that's a good deal? I'm in Pittsburgh, PA in case location affects the price.

thanks,
  Serge

[yamahonkawazuki]

imho you did well. when i bought my first 97 march of 03 paid 600. she was wrecked. forks bent brokenblevers. found a set of forks here for 150 shipped. far cheaper than ebay. replaced both levers changed oil lubed chain etc and overhauled carbs. and she was alive.  a few weeks in installed a k&n lunchbox punched exhaust and rejetted. also -1 on front sprocket. after this didnt do anything else. except ride her. anyhoo i digress, tbh i think you did decently for an umblemished f. lower miles etc. shell serve you well. ive nicknamed it a sewing machine because of how it sounds when running, plus ( someone correct me if im wrong) but suzuki when they first  opened up for production WAAAY back made sewing machines.

[TR]

I think Suzuki made not sewing machines but looms, to produce the fabrics rather than sewing them, but other than that, I agree that the factory sounds is similar to a sewing machine. BTW, I put a lunchbox instead of the airbox, and the bike grunts nicely low, so, an unaware cager, who behaves not nice to me, feels rather than hear the bike and jumps when I give some thottle. It's not the exhaust, as it remains stock, but the intake which lets that sound to come out.

[Slack]

my first D$%&!t was when i tried to practice a tight TIGHT 180 the slow one lol it just fell over. to the right never happened to the left well lol 2x..

The little drops are funny. I've had quite a few recently trying super tight stuff with cones and attempting to learn how to balance while stationary, trials style, at traffic lights.

[Big Rich]

Is there a removable Suzuki emblem on the left side of the engine? I thought there was only one on the right side....

Anyways, if the knocking sound is coming from the lower left side of the engine, you may have damaged your stator (and it is getting chewed up). A loss of output from the stator may affect your electronic tach as well.

[yamahonkawazuki]

uh oh hope not sound like a case of goats?
btw rich if you want em i do have a set of fork lowers from my tempter. i saw them as well as frankenbikes original forks lol.. i do hope his  letdown was nothing more than that. scuffed up sure but still usable. hoping for the best
Aaron

[Big Rich]

I'm good Yama. First thing I got rid of when upgrading my GR = the forks. Suzuki made much better options, even back in 1983. Thanks though boss!

[ziggyjoe21]

Is there a removable Suzuki emblem on the left side of the engine? I thought there was only one on the right side....

Anyways, if the knocking sound is coming from the lower left side of the engine, you may have damaged your stator (and it is getting chewed up). A loss of output from the stator may affect your electronic tach as well.

Would the motorcycle start if there was an issue with the stator? Everything sounds and works fine until it starts to move over 10mph.

[Big Rich]

Yep, it would still start & move. But it doesn'tmake any noise uuntil you are around 10mph? That's odd...

[ziggyjoe21]

Tried the bike out today and it works fine! I moved the fuel valve to "pri" but forgot to change it back to regular. I think you guys were right that it probably flooded after I dropped it last time.

I have a couple more questions for you guys...

1) When do you typically shift gears? My GS is all stock. Typically I don't let the tachometer go above 4k rpm. Is this ok? I'm also still having trouble knowing when to downshift when I'm slowing down or coming to a full stop.

2) What is a good brand of gloves under $90? I prefer the short cuff. Are these good? http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dainese-essential-gloves-closeout  They're CE certified (which is different than CE approved from what I understand).

thanks,
  Serge

[yamahonkawazuki]

will have to locate the gs shifting points it nay be in the FAQ may not but will locate soon.

[Big Rich]

Have you ever seen this site?

http://www.motorcyclegear.com/

I get almost all my gear from there. In regards to shifting: up shift whenever you feel comfortable. Personally, I shift around 6-7k rpm. And downshifting will come naturally after a while. At a normal stop (red light, stop sign, etc) I'll drop down a gear after pulling the clutch, and then let the clutch out slightly to let the engine assist in braking. Pull in the clutch, downshift again, let out the clutch a little, and so on. Mainly trying to keep the engine speed around 4-5k rpm as the bikes speed decreases.

Making a turn and downshifting is another story though. Letting out the clutch while leaning can upset the bikes suspension, causing a pretty uneasy feeling....