Bought my bike last thursday (after about a year on a CMX250), locked the back wheel up lowspeed earlier today and down the bike went. I'm fine. But the handlebars bent, and the right mirror shattered. I have a couple questions.
1. What is closer to stock, superbike or datona (Bikemaster) handlebars? I actually wouldn't mind something that pulled back slightly more to increase comfort, but I really just want something like stock, but cheap.
2. What do you guys think of bar end mirrors? Im interested in them because I felt the stock ones vibrated too much, plus I'd imagine they'd offer better vision (despite the awkward position).
3. What are some less obvious things I should check for damage? The bike fell on the right side.
By the way, my name's Jon. I'm sure I'll be here awhile. Thanks for having a look.
Quote from: JonM1211 on October 12, 2009, 06:01:34 PM
3. What are some less obvious things I should check for damage? The bike fell on the right side.
By the way, my name's Jon. I'm sure I'll be here awhile. Thanks for having a look.
Pull the "Suzuki" cover off, make sure it didn't squish any of the parts in there.
Welcome to GSTwin!
IIRC, the Daytona is probably closer to stock, but there should be people who can answer that more definitively - that's just what I've picked up over the past year and a half here - I'm still on the stocker.
Any crash you can walk away from is a good crash. Bikes can be repaired.
I have not put bar-ends on the GS yet, but I loved the Napoleons I put on the Maxim after I crashed it and swapped its cruiser bars for a flatter, wider bar, which made the Maxim mirrors on the mounts set up for cruiser bars be in very useless places - I bent the stock mirror's stalks first, but swapped over to the bar-ends later. Much better. The positioning need not be "awkward" - they are quite adjustable, and they can be out far enough that you don't have half a mirror full of you. Depending where your head and your arms are, under or over the bar can make more sense, and in or out for the mirror position. Play with them.
(http://www.bikebandit.com/assets/product_images/08BikeMasterNAPMMD.gif)
Fans of the cheap-ass cateye bicycle mirror will comment shortly - that style I do find awkward, and that version more cheap than inexpensive, YKWIM?
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31FDPA2A2ZL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
Check the battery fluid level, and give the bike a wash just in case any acid did leak out.
I've used cheap bar end mirrors. The $10 from bicycle shops. They were cheap, but they worked, especially if you just want to try them out without spending a lot of money. At one point one of the mirrors came unglued from the plastic body, and I lost it while I was riding. Either way I'm a big fan of bar end mirrors. The position is much better for seeing behind you, since you don't have to try to look around your elbow. Now that I know I like them, I'd buy nicer ones than the cheap ones, but if you're not sure, just get whatever.
Also, I'd just check around ebay for random stock bars. Even if you don't find stock GS bars, I bet there's a million pairs of random bars on ebay from people upgrading. You could try checking somewhere like SVrider.com. sv650s come with similar bars, and people upgrade everything on those bikes.
Thanks.
I've been having trouble finding any stock bars on ebay, or anywhere else, from either a GS500 or SV650. Think I might just go with the Bikemaster ones. I'm gonna check my local Cyclegear tomorrow for em. If anyone has any other ideas, feel free to share.
I'm gonna try some bar end mirrors, might get some Napoleon knockoffs from ebay.
JonM1211
Couple a things...
Thing # 1: Pics or it didn't happen
Thing # 2: What situation were you in that caused you to lock the back wheel? (How'd it happen?)
Thing # 3: What lessons do you take away with you following the crash?
Michael
1. I'll get some pics when I wake up this morning - watch for the edit -
2. I was coming out of a gas station, quickly switched to the left lane, aiming for the u-turn lane. As I was coming up to the turn, I was going faster than I thought, and slammed the back brake (a bad habit of mine). The bike immediately fishtailed to what felt like a 90° angle to the right. When I let off the brake the tire caught pavement it swung back left, then right as it fell on its side. I flung off of it, I think I rolled once on my side and elbows as I came up to my feet. I think the road was dusty, or dirty, I didn't take too much time to examine it, as when I got up I was kind of in shock.
3. Although I consider myself a smart rider (even though I've only been riding for about a year), I definitely needed more time to learn the bike, five days wasn't enough. Coming from a 250, I've noticed myself going abit too fast in situations where I'd have to really twist the throttle to get up to speed on my 250. That's basically what happened here. I definitely have a greater respect for the bike, and motorcycles in general now that I've felt the pavement. I'm just glad it only took a minor accident to get the point.
Quote from: JonM1211 on October 13, 2009, 12:53:09 AM
2. I was coming out of a gas station, quickly switched to the left lane, aiming for the u-turn lane. As I was coming up to the turn, I was going faster than I thought, and slammed the back brake (a bad habit of mine). The bike immediately fishtailed to what felt like a 90° angle to the right. When I let off the brake the tire caught pavement it swung back left, then right as it fell on its side. I flung off of it, I think I rolled once on my side and elbows as I came up to my feet. I think the road was dusty, or dirty, I didn't take too much time to examine it, as when I got up I was kind of in shock.
I'm glad you're all right. I just wanted to say that your mishap was cause and effect. You don't have to go to a MSF course to know that your rear brake is there to assist your front brake. It is not the primary for the exact reason you experienced. BREAK the bad habit and create a safer and better one. Use the front brake as a reflex, you can control where the front wheel is going with the handle bars, you have 60-80% more stopping power, and if it starts to slide you feather the brake with manual anti-lock your hand!
You're exactly right. That 'bad habit' is no longer. Every moment on the GS from now on I'm going to be aware of it.
I would definitely suggest trying some barend mirrors. I use one of the cheap "Third-Eye" ones from the local bicycle shop. Yeah, it's cheap. Yeah, you could spend $140 on a pair. But they don't vibrate and I have had no problem out of them.
Hell, you could spend more than that; stupid prices abound.
On the other hand, the napoleons are a quality item at about $27-29 each, most places that sell them. That's under $60 the pair.
I didn't know the napoleons were that cheap, but I still wouldnt want them on my bike. I could see them looking good on a fully-faired gixxer or the like, but a narrow bike like a GS shouldnt have anything sticking up like that, at least not that far out(at the end of the bars). I just think it would add to the skinny profile, whereas the little round barends help give it a little width. Just my personal preference I guess.
Im kinda not feeling the bar ends anymore.
Does anyone have the Napoleon AJ GPX? They are listed in the wiki but I have had a hard time finding opinions through search.
http://www.bikebandit.com/bikemaster-napoleon-aj-gpx-mirrors
I'll probably just get those and call it a day. I want to fix my bike up asap.