I just did a deal today with conflicttheorist, a member of this very board, and became the proud owner of a 95 sexy teal GS!  I've got the boots, jacket, and pants (thanks again D), but no helmet or gloves yet and I won't be taking it out for a spin until that gets done (tomorrow ideally).  She's a beautiful bike and I'm freakin excited!  :mrgreen:  Can you not upload photos to GSTwin?  Web url's only?

Conflicta who, someone out there got a dictionary    Enjoy the ride...

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      

You have to host the pics. Try www.photobucket.com


pandy  

 

Quote from: Mickey_D100Can you not upload photos to GSTwin?  Web url's only?

Well, technically..... But don't let john the admin catch you abusing the privilege!

(See the "PLEASE" in that post.)

Welcome to GStwin!

Hmmm....I don't see any duct tape or twist ties......time for you to get busy!

pandy  :mrgreen:

Sweet -looking leathers.... oh ya, nice bike too  :mrgreen:

welcome to the circus.  get that lid, and watch the meet and greet section for BAGS (bay area gs) rides.

Does this mean we have yet another local yocal from the bay area?

Welcome to your new addiction

Yup!  

Quote from: 70 Cam GuyDoes this mean we have yet another local yocal from the bay area?

Welcome to your new addiction

Hey kid, that's really great. I've lurked on this forum on-and-off for more than four years now (first found it in July 2001), and the older I get, the more I enjoy simple motorcycles like the GS5. It reminds me of my first motorcycle, a 1972 Honda CB 350, which was stone-axe simple AND reliable (for its day). Update the CB with a bigger engine, CV carbs, electronic ignition, better suspension (still a weak point), mag wheels, dual-cams, tubeless radials, and a halogen headlight, and you have a GS-clone.

You need to practice and learn, including learning what NOT to do. Get good gear, including earplugs, and wear your gear every time you ride. Learn what the good noises coming from the bike are; it will make diagnosing the bad noises easier when they occur. Learn how to do the basic maintenance your GS requires, because those skills will come in handy for the rest of your life. Most important of all, take care of your motorcycle, and it will take care of you. Make it obvious to anyone who sees it that you ride a motorcycle that is loved, not abused. The GS is your new best friend, so treat it that way.

Now go clean those nasty white wheels!


PS -- I realize that you want everyone to see your new ride, but maybe you should resize the big pics; Irfanview (freeware) can do that for you without a fuss. Good luck!

Quote from: Hugh JardonNow go clean those nasty white wheels!

WERD!

congratulations on aquiring a fine example of a gs500...

Quote from: Hugh JardonHey kid, that's really great. I've lurked on this forum on-and-off for more than four years now (first found it in July 2001), and the older I get, the more I enjoy simple motorcycles like the GS5. It reminds me of my first motorcycle, a 1972 Honda CB 350, which was stone-axe simple AND reliable (for its day). Update the CB with a bigger engine, CV carbs, electronic ignition, better suspension (still a weak point), mag wheels, dual-cams, tubeless radials, and a halogen headlight, and you have a GS-clone.

You need to practice and learn, including learning what NOT to do. Get good gear, including earplugs, and wear your gear every time you ride. Learn what the good noises coming from the bike are; it will make diagnosing the bad noises easier when they occur. Learn how to do the basic maintenance your GS requires, because those skills will come in handy for the rest of your life. Most important of all, take care of your motorcycle, and it will take care of you. Make it obvious to anyone who sees it that you ride a motorcycle that is loved, not abused. The GS is your new best friend, so treat it that way.

Now go clean those nasty white wheels!


PS -- I realize that you want everyone to see your new ride, but maybe you should resize the big pics; Irfanview (freeware) can do that for you without a fuss. Good luck!

Great tips, and I appreciate the advice.  Seems like there's a bunch of us new owners up in here tonight.    The gear will be worn every time and seems to be the right stuff for me; the remaining helmet and gloves will be purchased tomorrow.  I will definitely be doing as much of the work on the bike as I can; seems like there's some cool cats in the Bay here who are down to help out, and I want to keep it nice for my own enjoyment and safety.  Again, I appreciate the kind words and encouragement.

And yes, I will clean the wheels!  She just got home tonight and I haven't had a chance.    I'll see what I can do about the pics tomorrow; bedtime tonight.

Hey, I was just having some fun with you... It's pretty obvious that you're highly motivated, and we need more like you to replace the ornery old cranks like me!

Just think of it; by the time you get to be MY age, YOU'LL be the old crank with 30+ years of wrenching and riding, and you'll be screwing with noobie's heads too!

To be honest, I'd rather you PAINT the wheels (dark silver / gray / dark gray wheels would look REALLY good on your bike), to erase the stupid-ass "white disco shoes" mentality of the closet-case who originally chose the GS500 color schemes.

Check THIS link to see a good photo of a nice silver wheel.

Quote from: Hugh Jardon

To be honest, I'd rather you PAINT the wheels (dark silver / gray / dark gray wheels would look REALLY good on your bike), to erase the stupid-ass "white disco shoes" mentality of the closet-case who originally chose the GS500 color schemes.

Check THIS link to see a good photo of a nice silver wheel.

Can you tell me how you did that PLEASE. I don't like white wheels either. HELP!

and adjust that chain.

Hey....do I sense a Bay Area GS get-together for painting white wheels???  :lol:    :lol:

Quote from: pslamp32
Can you tell me how you did that PLEASE. I don't like white wheels either. HELP!

First, I cannot tell a lie, or more correctly, I WILL not tell a lie (this time) ; I hijacked that photo (and linked directly to it) from dgyver's webpage. HE spray-bombed / rattle-canned his wheels (that's the rear wheel of his '91 GS racebike you see in the photo). I've had my wheels powdercoated, but since all the parts of a racebike tend to be transitory (due to crash-damage), using spray paint from an autoparts store should be more than sufficient to make the wheels any color you prefer.

Stealing from dgyver again, this is a link he provided when someone else asked the exact same question in July of last year:

http://gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8389

Read through that thread; you'll find some some good information in there (including excellent advice from dgyver himself). Be sure to read BOTH pages, and DON'T expect the picture links to work, because they don't. Of course, someone will be happy to answer any other questions you might have about this.

A few last bits of advice; I've been spray-bombing stuff for years. There are HUNDREDS of great tutorials (Google) about how to get professional quality results from spray cans, especially on the computer modding websites. The simplest thing for you to do is to decide on what color you want, then buy the materials: wet/dry sandpaper in both 400 and 600 grit; a small sanding block (or make some from blocks of scrap wood); the paint itself; for the wheels, I'd use the paint that dgyver recommended, since his results were so great (he used Rust-Oleum Hard Hat spray paint, though I don't know where he bought it; I've seen Rust-Oleum at Home Depot, and many other hardware stores); denatured alcohol, for prepping the surface before you paint (NOT rubbing alcohol, which has mineral oil in it!).

Most importantly (quoting dgyver again), "Just do not rush." Apply LIGHT coats, allowing time between coats for the paint to dry (try 20 minutes). The lighter the coat you apply, the quicker it will dry, and the better your results will be. If you spray too much in any area, the paint will run, drip, or sag, and you'll have to wait for it to dry completely before you can sand the blobs off and try it again, which SUCKS!

For practice, just get some cardboard, stand it up against something, and start spraying. You'll quickly realize just how cruel gravity can be to paint (we already know what it can do to motorcycles). THAT will teach you how critical LIGHT coats of paint really are. You WON'T be able to cover everything with one coat, so don't try, or you'll ruin your work. Just spray a light coat, wait for it to dry, then spray the bare spots with the next coat, and repeat until you've got everything covered evenly. Believe me, this is easier than it sounds; if the local nine-year-old taggers in my neighborhood can ruin every vertical surface they see, you can paint your rims. If the WORST happens, just wait for the paint to dry, sand it off, and start over. Sooner or later, you'll accomplish your mission.

Now, the rest is up to you. Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress. Don't forget to take photos before, during, and afterwards; your experience can help others in the future.