Hello, I've been lurking this site for a long time but tonight I finally picked up my first bike, a red 94 GS500E with 25k miles for $1500. The ride home was too much fun. It has some flaws but runs like a monster. I've never worked on bikes before but I wanna learn as much as I can with this bike. I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, I got a heavily modified 99 civic si. I was wondering what the best way to learn would be, I've read up on all the tutorials and such that I could find. I was also wondering what kind of mods I should do first to make the ride as smooth as possible since the bike is 100% stock. I got a nice chunk of change to work with since the bike was a lot less expensive then I was planning on spending for a diff bike. Thanks :thumb:
(http://i18.ebayimg.com/03/i/01/7b/3b/44_1_b.JPG)
oh yeah, and one other thing, until I get a manual I was wondering what the tire pressure should be (its really low at the moment). Thanks again.
33 up front and 36 up rear (2up is 41 rear).
darn it the server fscked up and lost my post.
okay here are the mods:
progressive front suspension and rear katana shock
cut that fender off (pantablo 's fav mod)
get the clymer repair manual from the link above.
Sweet, just ordered the manual, never noticed that link before. Thanks for your help :thumb:
Hi Smash,
Well done on buy your GS , I hope you have as much Fun as I have with my GS. I have only had it for three Weeks ( Well I haven't taken it out this week so far) so just in two weeks of riding I clocked my First 1000km Service :mrgreen: anyway Enjoy your GS & Taken Care riding.
all the best Matt :) your friend
Hey dude welcome to the madness.
:cheers:
First off, what do you want to do with the bike, and what is your "vision" of it?
Nice civilized commuter? Snarly cafe bike?
Keep in mind that the money and time you put into it probably won't be recoopable. Thats just the nature of the bike market, and especally tight wad GS owners in particular.
:nana:
Either way, the first order of business is suspension. The stock GS suspension is too light for anything beyond putting around the parking lot. Progressive springs are good for the street. The rear shock you can probably wait on unless its toast. Similarlly engine mods can wait until you are ringing the throttle to death and screaming at red line from stop light to stop light.
But you can start doing cosmetic stuff. The omnipresent fenderectomy and flush mounts will give the bike a bit more of a streamlined look, and cafe handlebars will both look more aggressive and give you a bit more feel of the front end.
Beware of getting to bling-bling. No matter what you do, its still "just" a little GS500E.
Welcome!
First mods I ever do to every bike I've owned is to rip out those brass plugs over the idle mixture screws and for this bike get the size 40 non-bleed pilot jets. Instant smoothness and cuts your warmup time.
And I just had a thought, check your brake pads to make sure you have enough.
I plan on using the bike as a daily commuter to work and school since gas is currently $2.50 a gallon and my car burns through it like nothing. But I want it to have some style, handling and get as much power out of it as I can. I already ordered progressive springs, windshield and I picked up some LEDS since the guage lights were burned out when I bought it. I'm having a hard time working on it though since theres a bit of rust on all the nuts that I'm trying to clean up. I had another question though, where can I pick up the jets?
www.sudco.com
Quote from: Smash. But I want it to have some style, handling and get as much power out of it as I can.
Dont worry about the power just yet. I wring its little neck in the canyons and my engine is (mostly) stock.
You've got the progressives on the way. Good start. Probably all you'll need for a bit.
Cosmetics? Well, you could start with that fender...and those turn signals. Flush mounts from lockhart-phillips are nice (esp the real small ones that adhere onto the body-tight looking. You could get some orange pinstriping tape and add a stripe to the rim edge like MotoGP racers have...looks trick without too much bling. Handlebars are a good idea-srinaths knock-off's of the Suburban-Machinery bars (or the real deal) are a good place to start. You could also do drag bars but not quite as comfortable.
Upgrade your suspension and tires first. Probably the best you can do right now with the biggest bang-for-the-buck.
Look through my site for lots of ideas.
and welcome.
Nice to meet you all and thanks for all your help and suggestions :) I was working on my bike all night and stumbled upon a few problems. First, I tried to get rid of the rust on the metal frame with rust removing solution, but that didnt work. So I busted out the sand paper but realized that the frame is painted. Is there an easier way to get rid of the rust or should I just sand/repaint. Also my guage lights still don't work with new bulbs, what is the next step? Check the wiring? Thanks! :cheers:
Quote from: SmashI plan on using the bike as a daily commuter to work and school since gas is currently $2.50 a gallon and my car burns through it like nothing.
Wow...when did that happened??? When I was in college in So Cal in the early 90's the price was like 94 cents. Geez.
Anyhoo, congrats on geeting a GS500E. You will learn to love it and the accompanying madness very quickly. :mrgreen:
Yeah just saw that on TV. Even here in the SE where gas is "cheap" its heading north of $1.50 for regular...
Rust- Yes the GS has a mild steel frame that is prone to corrosion if the paint is damaged. The easiest way to fix it is to sand the rust off and then use automotive touch up paint to paint over the sanded area. You will still be able to see it, but it will stop the rust.
A better way is to mask off the engine, tank and rest of bike and then use "import color" Honda silver spray paint after sanding the rust and fethering the surrounding paint. Looks good as new.
The rusting fasteners, especally the engine and frame bolts are annoying. I usually clean them off every 6 months with some WD40, and have toyed with the idea of replaceing them all with high grade No.7 SS bolts.
welcome to the board.
progressives are great first choice. that was the first thing i did to my bike last year because the front bottomed out on everything.
since then.
katana rear shock.
drag bars and then dirt bike bars.
bar end mirrors.
new tires - necessary.
K&N pod filter
V&H exhaust
new jets to go with the improved air flow. 150/40, 1 washwe 3 turns out.
new plugs
damn this list is geting long.
jake