I used to have a red one back in the day that I had purchased new. I have to hunt a picture of it. Friday I found one close by and I think I got a good deal on it. It has 11k miles on it. It was stored indoors since 08 with the tank and carbs drained and battery removed. These are from saturday after I just washed it. My only gripe so far is that part of the vin decal that is on the frame side , the black part washed off. numbers are still very visable. I have an air filter and a replacement clutch adjuster screw comming this evening. Fueled it up saturday and put a new battery in and it cranked up immediatetely and runs great. Took it for a short spin around the block and it runs just the same as I rembered. I would love to find a chin fairing for it. Not sure about the upper yet. I think the rear tire is maybe a bit too big for it. What should be on it?
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Yeah, that rear tire looks HUGE. What size is on there now?
Stock rear size is 130/70-17, but you can go safely upto 140 or even 150 (barely) with the stock rims, swingarm, and brake arm.
- Bboy
Wow. I checked and there is a 130-90 on it.
I put a couple 130/90 rear touring tires on my 97 first GS and I liked the quick steering with them, the rake is about 1* steeper with a 130/90. But the GS wanted to go around corners faster than those touring tires and I was soon on radials.
My current 02 GS came with a 130/90 rear and I used it until spring putting about 5k miles on it. Replaced those tires with the Azaro radials with a 140/80 rear which is almost as big as the 130/90 in dia and a bit wider too.
http://www.gs500.net/gallery/data/500/GS500tirelogs.jpg
the tire is quite large. Looking at the underside, there is not much clearance on the swingarm and it kinda chewed up the bleack plastic hickydoo fender like thingy under the swingarm. I thionk I will ride it until it needs changing and then get a more appropiate tire. No sense in replacing the black thingy until then.
Today we are having beautifully weather. Went on a 100 mile ride with my ridding buddies thru the TN mountains. Bike was a little hesitant initially, but now its running smooth as can be. I am not too excited about that huge tire I have on there. Does not seem super sticky and it seems to be hard to lean. My only problem today was starting up. I think I have a problem with that little switch thingy that hooked to the clutch lever. I might need to get a new one of those tiny plastic contraptions or just bypass it. Anybody suggestions?
I bypassed mine when it broke from my wreck. Just be sure to pull the clutch whenever you start it, or start in neutral. Cause it sucks if you don't (thankfully not speaking from experience).
Then again, it's probably extremely cheap and easy to replace the plug. I guess it's up to you whether you prefer backyard fixes or genuine parts.
The old bikes have a real goofy switch. You can buy the switch from a newer bike and connect it up. I think 1996 or so is when they went to a better switch.
The switches often get broken when someone changes the clutch lever and doesn't know the switch has to be removed before you can take off the clutch lever - or you WILL destroy the switch.
I show it in my clutch lever video
The 4 Hondas I had before the GSs and put 230k miles on didn't have a clutch switch so I found the switch inconvenient on my first 97 GS. For example I like to give the engine a quick thumb over the hole compression check when changing plugs and that required tying the clutch lever back since I didn't have 3 hands. So I connected the wires at the clutch switch and tried it and found it worked like the old Hondas. When I went back to pull the wires into the light housing I discovered they had the male/female connectors in opposite directions so I just pugged the wires together inside the housing and left it that way.
When I replaced the 97 with the 02 GS I was going to do the same thing but found the wires to the clutch switch had connectors in housing both in the same direction so I left them that way. That was 10 years and 90k miles ago so I like them connected but not enough to care I guess. I don't consider it a safety issue either way, just a convenience to have them connected.
With the wires connected the bike can be started in neutral with the stand down but not in gear.
Thanks for the advise. I goes along what I have been thinking. The part is probably cheap, but the shipping crazy in comparison. I think I will bypass it for now and put it on my I need to get next time when I have and order comming in.
I have made it a habit to check neutral and pull the lever before I crank even when other bikes didn't have this "savety".
Chin fairing painted and installed. Have not done the silver stripes yet.
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For a few years I had that same color scheme (its a 91 BTW) on my 89.
Then I sold the 89 after swapping the body out.
Then I intended to put it on my current 10 year project runner ... but found out the black frame isn't that good a match for the blue and silver ...
So I am running the white 89 scheme on it.
But I love that color.
Chin fairing ... meeeh ... never warmed to it. But hey you like it, enjoy ... The 89 pin stripe pattern gives well to the chin fairing though.
Cool.
Buddha.
Thanks. I also swapped the 190 rear tire out to a normal size. Much better. I am not sure why the PO put on a 190. It handled really weird in the twisties.
I found a picture of my 90 GS500E. This picture is from 1990 shortly after i picked it up at the dealership.
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