Hey All,
I just bought my first motorcycle, a purple 1994 gs500e. Its been a great bike so far but i just had a few simple questions to ask. My first one is what should be done about the reserve switch when the bikes been turned off. I've noticed there are three positions, one being normal, the other being reserve and then theres a third one i'm not sure about. I'm worried i might be losing gas if i just leave the switch on the normal position?

My second question is how much slack is there supposed to be on the chain. If i wiggle mine up and down at the place with the most slack theres about 1 to 1.5 inches of movement...i'm figuring this is too much.

Third question was if anyone here wears mx boots for riding and if they're any good for riding. They seem much sturdier and in some cases cheaper than street riding shoes.

Thanks in advance

The fuel valve should be left in the on position when parked.  The gas won't leak out.  The GS uses a vac system to draw gas.  The reserve is for when you run out of gas.  It gives you about .9 gals in reserve.  The prime position would be used to start the GS after sitting a long time if the carbs have dried out.

My 2000 owners manual says that the chain slack can be between .8 - 1.2 inches.  You might be OK.

Never used MX boots.  I use an 8" high leather work boot.

Forgot to say welcome to the forum.  This is a nice group and  the GS is a great choice for a bike!!

"ha ha! he got a purple bike" - nelson













oops so do i...damn..welcome to the forum  

 Another purple GS....

Hey i really appreciate the input. I have one question i really have to ask, but i'm sure its been asked a million times already...how do you adjust the chain?

If anyone could link me i'd really appreciate it.


hehe..and yes its purple

remove the cotter pin by the rear axle bolt
loosen the axle bolt
adjust the two adjuster nut at the back of the swing arm
turn both equally...1/4 at a time
check the chain slack
eyeball the straightness of the chain while turning the wheel
tighten the axle bolt to torque spec
replace the cotter pin


..i think

dont forget to adjust the chain to the proper slackness! (is that a word??)

I remeber a thread where some said to check the chain tension while it was on the kick stand as per the suzuki manual...

Welcome (fellow purple bike rider)!

The fuel selector has three settings: ON - the normal position for while the bike is running or not; for the reason Larry stated. PRIme - See Larry's post. And, REServe - which is exactly like ON, except it draws the last little bit of gas in your tank; used to get to gas station (that is hopefully less than 25 miles away).

Chain slack is between .8 - 1.2 inches, measure in, at least, three spots of the chain (move the bike about a foot, measure, move it another foot, measure...), adjust slack at the tightest point; all measurements and adjustments (be sure to remeasure after adjustment) to be done on the sidestand; preferably on a warm chain (wait 1/2 hour after a ride, it's pretty hot).

Sure you can use mx boots, get black, they look the meanest (and scratch door panels really well...).

i once had a purple gs...NOT anymore!  

welcome to the club!

mine was purple in its previoius life, as well.  Then all black...now in the process of painting it dark metallic green.

Does yours still have the totally sweet decals on it?  

nobody steals a purple bike
my last GS was anti-theft PURPLE

amen to that  :mrgreen:

Eh..you never know about the theft. I'm getting insurance just to be sure..i saw this guy sneaking around the neighborhood looking at cars the other day.

Any of you in southern cali?...i'm in the san diego area....


Yeah...mine is in really good condition..its been garaged its whole life..paints in perfect condition.

so did you buy your bike from a guy in craigslist?...i saw that post some weeks ago..it looks nice... im in orange county  

yeah..the same.

THe bike was a bit overpriced..but eh..its summer and i want to ride.

Quote from: banner..paints in perfect condition.

other than being purple, of course  

Quote from: LarryMy 2000 owners manual says that the chain slack can be between .8 - 1.2 inches.

YIPE!!  Mine is about 2"...  (and just started making noise.  

You think it's pretty easy to do yourself?

I'm in LA...hit me up if you ever come down this way...purple and white...If only the wheels were black....

Jonah,