I just picked up the bike and I'm very excited to see a board like this up. I found this type of board very helpful with my maxima. This is my first bike and after reading up on the gs on this board, I decided that this would be my best choice for a bike to learn on. The really cheap insurance helps a bit too since I am a new rider. I picked up a blue 04 with 10660 miles for $2300. I bought it from a person that bought it from a dealership with 10500 miles on it. She thought she would be able to pick it up easily, but decided that riding would be too difficult for her. She also transferred over a warranty that is good til 06/09. There are a couple of things I need to do before I can get my new baby out on the road. I have to put on a left side mirror since the previous owner broke it off when she dropped her bike in the parking lot. I need to replace the battery since the bike sat for a couple months and it won't hold a charge now. I was looking at the battery though and it seemed a little loose. I know nothing about bikes, but I would think that the battery should be secured a little tighter. Someone also mentioned to her that the chain tension should be adjusted. I'm not sure if that is something I would be comfortable with doing even though they give you directions in the manual. Anyways, happy to be part of the board. Thanks in advance to anyone that can be of help with questions with my bike. I'm sure I'll have plenty of them.
Congrats! You'll get many miles of enjoyment out of yur GS. I cant believe you found an F model for 2300 thats a good deal, w/ warrenty too! Most of all I cant believe you got that kinda deal from a Dealership, which are nothing like the name would imply. You may just want to put the battery on a trickle charger. Chain tension adjustment is easy you want about 1.2 inchs of play you'll need to put it on the center stand if you have a guide book its pretty easy only a 15 min or so job.
-ash
Hey! Welcome to the Forum and Congrats on buying your first bike, and probably the bike that will be your favorite for many years to come! (as it is for many ppl on this forum!)
You can pick up some pretty good mirrors on eBay for cheap that would look pretty cool. One of my friends bought some mirrors that have 3 LED's built into the front of the mirror and since they have such low resistance, I was able to splice them right into the existing circuit withouth changing the flashing speed. Now her signals are that much more visible from the front, and she loves the look and functionality of em.
As for your battery, if it won't keep a charge from being charged by a good trickle charger, then you have to buy a new one. You can buy one from Walmart from pretty cheap. I'll be buying one soon since I'm pulling my bike out of storage and my battery was getting pretty weak last year before I stored it for the winter. Also if your battery is loose, just put some cardboard in there to close the gap.
Chain adjusting is actually easier than you think. If you look at the back of your swingarms, you'll see a castle nut with a cotter pin thru it on a threaded shaft on both swingarms. a little further forward and you'll see a slot where your shaft goes thru the swingarm and there will be a gauge with a set of notches on there. simply remove the cotter pin, and adjust the nut so that the chain has about 1" of play. Make sure that the adjustment is the same for both sides (that's why there's the notch gauges there!). And replace the cotter pin. I like to use a new cotter pin when I do this, they're real cheap, and for the cost, you have the peace of mind that your cotter pin won't break or fall out and allow your rear axle to vibrate itself out of alignment.
Ride Safe,
Have fun,
and most of all...
Enjoy your GS! :thumb:
Congrats on your purchase. You came to the right place for all of your GS needs. There's just a ton of resources here that you must utilize. A little advice, ask all the questions you want and don't use that stupid "search" thing-a-ma-bob for anything. It's way overrated and simply not worth a damn. Welcome to the boards! :thumb:
Congrats on your new bike! What a deal!!! And welcome to the board! :icon_mrgreen:
I got some after-market mirrors (both sides) for my GS for about $20 from a local motorcycle shop (not a dealer). They weren't at all difficult to replace. Just about everything on the GS is fairly simple and easy to fix yourself. You'll be amazed at what you'll find you can do! Give it a shot! :thumb:
Congrats and welcome to the board.
Yeah you did get a great deal on it. By the way which color '04 F did you get?
Congrats and welcome!
Quote from: joedude on April 05, 2006, 01:18:21 AM
Chain adjusting is actually easier than you think. If you look at the back of your swingarms, you'll see a castle nut with a cotter pin thru it on a threaded shaft on both swingarms. a little further forward and you'll see a slot where your shaft goes thru the swingarm and there will be a gauge with a set of notches on there. simply remove the cotter pin, and adjust the nut so that the chain has about 1" of play. Make sure that the adjustment is the same for both sides (that's why there's the notch gauges there!). And replace the cotter pin. I like to use a new cotter pin when I do this, they're real cheap, and for the cost, you have the peace of mind that your cotter pin won't break or fall out and allow your rear axle to vibrate itself out of alignment.
There is only one castle nut on the left end of the axle. With the bike on the sidestand, remove the cotter pin, and loosen that first. Then adjust each nut on each end of the swingarm the same amount of turns, to maintain wheel alignment, and to obtain proper chainslack of 1" (push up on the chain right around where the centerstand foot is, or the edge of the tire).
Oh that's strange, My 96 GS has one on both sides
My bike is the blue and white one. The original owner took the decals off the fairings though so it is just a plain blue. I already have the new battery that I will put in tonight. I've been calling around for a mirror, but everyone i talked to has to special order it. I might just get some aftemarket ones because I am itching to get this thing on the road. I need to get my insurance set up and I should be all set. I read something in the owner's manual about the chain tension, so if it is as easy as you guys say it is, I'll probably give it a shot this weekend. Thanks again for the input.
Welcome... smokin' deal at $2300.... we gonna see some pics soon?
I'll try to get some pics up soon. The fairings look really plain in pictures without the decals, but the bike actuall still looks good in person without them. Can anyone suggest a good online place to get parts for this bike? I was thinking of maybe getting a different style seat, but it looks like they don't really make too many aftermarket items for this bike.