Hello everyone,
I'm new to the site, and just bought my '04 GS500 today.  It is my first bike and I am excited. Just wanted to say hi.  If anyone has any really good tips for me please share them.

HELLO, and welcome. If theres one thing you will remeber from me it is...........................







.....ROCK N ROLLL

Welcome to the forum Sterling.  I think you will find it a great place with a lot of great members.

Quote from: ECB on June 17, 2006, 09:44:09 PM
Welcome to the forum Sterling.  I think you will find it a great place with a lot of great members.

...and then there are people like myself!   

Welcome!   

I have a few good tips...

Lube your chain frequently.

Change your underwear daily.

Don't eat snow if it's yellow.

Never pet a burning hamster.

Always wear a helmet.

welcomke and great choice on rides. now about this site. youll have people youll prolly disagree strongly with or perhaps severely dislike, or people that might piss you off. or make you laugh (omw?), now if you ask a question, and you get a smart-a$$ed reply, man dont sweat it, heh weve got a widfe range of peoples here. a wide range of personalities etc. so iff you can handle a good ribbing once in a while lol youll fit right in man i am envious as hell i do miss my gs   all i have right now is a gr650 tempter and a kawi kz400 but hey i remember where it all started soooooooo, wecome aboard and enjoy the ride  

[j

Welcome!

Advice?

Take the MSF course if you haven't already.  www.msf-usa.org  It has lots of good info for first-time riders.  If you pass the course you'll be given a certificate to get your endorsement.  Cost varies by state, but it's free in IL.  I suggest you keep the GS in the garage until then.  Crash their bikes, not yours.   

Take it slow and easy.  Practice being smooth.

The saying goes "Look down go down." and it's very true at low speeds.  Don't look down.   

Buy gear.  Helmet, boots, gloves, jacket and pants.  Wear it ALL whenever you ride.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN! 

Hm..advice..

Keep your bike properly maintained. It might be tempting after a while to add "mods", but remember to keep your bike tuned and up to snuff and safe, first and foremost. It is way more important to pay attention to the maintenance on your bike than it is on a car, IMHO. Maintain proper air pressure (33f, 36r), clean lube your chain every 600 miles, check your oil frequently, change your oil, and all the other stuff in the Maintenance Schedule:

http://www.gstwin.com/maintenance_info.htm

Buy a repair manual from the site to help yourself through the maintenance (most of it you can do, even 5 thumbed monkeys can do basic GS500 maintenance, trust me I know):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0892878339/ref=nosim/104-1195044-2435909?n=283155

Don't ever - EVER - shift your focus to try to "look cool". Keep your focus on the road, yourself, and your bike. Looking cool comes naturally as a byproduct 

Be wary of taking passengers for for the first few months. Learn to control the bike as second nature for yourself, and then you have to re-learn it all over again when you bring on a passenger. So as tempting as it might be, I advise against it.

Get a magnetic tank bag - it will come in handy 

Sweet!   thanks guys

Quote from: Sterling on June 19, 2006, 07:04:02 PM
Sweet!   thanks guys

Where in Texas are you?

good choice on the first bike
my GSF is my first bike too



don't fall

I'm surprised that the MSF courses only came up once before my post.  So I'll add that again...

MSF = 

+1 about keeping your shiney new GS garaged until you complete the MSF

If mine had been shiny I would have been paranoid!

My tips:

Counter-steering

Counter balancing

Slipping the clutch


Practice this stuff, and of course the emergency stops and you'll be fine!

First of Welcome  Great site i don't even have a GS and im welcome 

Definatly take the MSF, nothing like a bit of practice.

Take it steady

Try not to get hooked into keeping up with the other bikers until your confident

Enjoy yourself!!


ps. Why does everyone say learn counter steering - the more you think about it the harder it gets, it comes totally naturally. It did for me doesn't it for you?

until I understood the priciple of countersteering I had real trouble taking fast corners.

Now that I can understand the concept, my cornering abilty has improved 400% and now I don''t think about it. Just comes naturally.

But my cousin picked it up naturally. But he has a CBR250RR and without countersteering you wouldn't be able to turn fullstop 

you should also go to a parking lot just to learn the bike..... and see how it reacts to different movement.... congrats have fun...... burn rubber not your soul like will says in b.b. ...... have fun riding

I'd say try not to go riding with anyone else on sport bikes for a while, unless they are very understanding of the fact that you need them to NOT haul ass around town and take corners like they'd usually do, because if you try to keep up with people who have been riding for a long time it can prove costly.

If you must ride with other people (that you may not know very well) just keep in mind your speed at all times and even if it means lagging behind don't try and push beyond your comfort level just to keep up and be like them.

+1 on taking the MSF (you'll learn some great tips and you might even meet some cool people)

+1 on wearing your helmet (and jacket and gloves and boots at the very least)

+1 on getting a tank bag (I don't think I could live without mine)

+1 on getting the shop manual and keeping everything up to snuff (especially the chain and oil)

Welcome!

Look where you want to go.  Our sport is such a visual one, that your vision and what you can see (and can't see), is very important.

You are invisible, even when they are looking straight at ya.

Remember how you steer a bicycle?  Same thing, only heavier and faster.

The clutch is kind of a safety "off" switch, except when leaned over in a turn.

If you are iffy (unsure) about something, don't do it.

When you turn, commit to the turn (see the last two above).