I hope this isn't too obvious a question, but...

I've been riding my GS for a couple of months now and loving it. Every now and then I get frisky (clear road, high enough speed limit) and I open her up. I take her up WOT to redline in 1st and 2nd, and by then I'm breaking the law if I keep it up. I'm watching the road and the tacho together, so there's a chance I'll go over the redline.

I know all the engineering theory; stresses, reciprocating forces etc - but practically speaking, how important is the redline?

Will the falling off of power and torque naturally limit the dangers of going over, or am I risking serious damage by taking it so far and not religiously staring at the tacho?

Of course there's no limiter on the GS, so the consequences could be quite serious. What are your experiences with redline - is it something to worry about, or just keep a casual eye on?

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=43284.0

'nough said.

At 10999 rpm everthing is cool. At 11001 rpm your entire engine will turn into a cloud of red hot expanding gas.

NOT.

The faster you rev it the more the wear, there's no point revving past 9000 as you're past the peak of the power curve. IMHO the redline should be at 9500 or maybe 10000, but I reckon someone in marketing at Suzuki said it'll sell better with a higher redline, as it looks sportier . Its a simple, reliable engine designed before a lot of people on this forum were born, treat it with the same respect you'd give your mother and it'll be kind to you!

simply put, revving to and past redline=bad things happening.    IMO, its cheaper and safer for yourself, and the bike to just shift at 10k and be cool.

floating valves ( best case scenario) = $$$$ sometimes, if mr piston meets ms valve  and a few secs later, comes some broken parts 

Redline on many motorcycle engines is just below the point at which piston/valve interference.  It could be called "valve float", but the valves are off the lifters under spring controlled action at speeds far below redline. 

Eventually, this will fatigue the valve stems, or it could cause a valve to stick momentarily.  The result is a messy engine.

Shift at 9k unless you have a reason to use the top end (go over 95 or so).