Hi All,
I recently passed my DAS Test (UK) and am going to buy a 2007 GS500F with a bout 15000 miles on the clock. I am buying it as I start a new job soon and will be commuting to London each day. This will be about 50 miles each way and as it is for work I will be using the bike all weathers and throughout this winter. I have read that the bikes suffer from rust etc really easily. What advise, tips can people give me ie will I have to hose it down every day? Give it a good scrub? attack it with oils and lubes etc etc. When at home the bike will be kept in a garage.
Many Thanks in advance
Mark
I don't know that they suffer from rust any more than anything else. It's a matter of whether the protective paint is worn in areas that you can't get to. I would spend the time looking it over with the fairings removed, and touch up any areas that look like they are worn. Not sure what the road maintenance is over there, but if it were here where the use of salt all over the road is common, then I would certainly give it a good wash once a week. Generally though, if there isn't any major rust showing now, then I would just be sure to maintain it well. Being an F model you will have a little harder time cleaning out certain areas without taking the fairings off, but on the same hand you may have less crud in others.
Quote from: Maverick_3000 on January 01, 2014, 12:43:27 PM
Hi All,
I recently passed my DAS Test (UK) and am going to buy a 2007 GS500F with a bout 15000 miles on the clock. I am buying it as I start a new job soon and will be commuting to London each day. This will be about 50 miles each way and as it is for work I will be using the bike all weathers and throughout this winter. I have read that the bikes suffer from rust etc really easily. What advise, tips can people give me ie will I have to hose it down every day? Give it a good scrub? attack it with oils and lubes etc etc. When at home the bike will be kept in a garage.
Many Thanks in advance
Mark
It's messy, but one way to keep rust off is to paint a layer of automotive grease on all parts that will be at risk for rust. This of course assumes that the bike is 100% rust free. Then, when the spring season arrives, degrease it all and clean normally.
I guess the question is -- what's the current condition of the bike?
Crotch of the swing arm, just behind the lower shock mount is a notorious spot on the old GS for rust. All the crud gets flung off the back wheel and that's where it lands. Sponge it off regularly and keep it clean or it will soon start looking tatty.
DONT be tempted to use a jet wash on your bike, all that high pressure water will find its way into places it shouldn't.
Uk roads are covered in grit(salt) this time of year, your best bet is to rinse the bike down with cold water every night, this will wash most of the salt off the bike, there are chemicals that protect your bike too, what I know of is scottoiler 365, it's like a thin oil you spray everywhere minus your brakes(never spray oil or anything other than water and brake disk cleaner on your brakes).
It creates a barrier and salt and grit are less likely to stick to the bike, but it still requires you to thourghly clean the bike once a week and re apply the 365 spray,
There's also a product called acf50 again it's a spray but it's in a can not a bottle, expect to pay £15 a can($25) but you don't tend to use as much, again you thourghly clean the bike, spray the act50 spray on,it's thicker than the scottoiler spray and should last silk spring with just a regular house down and topup of certain areas.
Also worth considering getting or looking out for bikes that have a scottoiler chain oiler fitted, these systems automatically oil your chain as your riding, you do still have to chela your chain every 1000 miles or so but as long as the oiler is topped up with oil regularly you should get at least 20,000 from a chain.
Hope that helps, there's plenty of YouTube vids on winter preparation and protection
Thanks guys really appreciate the advice. Its in very good condition and has been well looked after. Hopfully i can do the same.
when i bought mine a year ago it was prestine , no rust or paint blemishes etc the guy had it garaged and only brought it out on sunny days etc but after 12 months if daily use its soon lost yhe perfection with rust on swing arm and all over the frame and my bike gets washed regularly and antirust maintenance spray used as well as wax polish on the the paint.
these things rot worse than a er-5 which i had as my first big bike for 18 months i then had a bandit 600 for 2years which was used daily and never rotted well after i change the exhaust to a full dtainless system. sold the bandit for a cbr1000 which i didnt have to use every day , had that 2 years then had to sell due to needing another comuter bike and after 12 months of the gs500 i honestly wished i had gone for another 600 bandit
as soon as i mot the gs in april im.selling it it has been a good bike but its not fun i miss the power of the cbr and how good handling the bandit was but yea its the rotting that gets me down the most