Hello everyone!

Further to my newbie post earlier on - I took the dive and picked up my GS500.  It's a great bike and I love it; however - to my dismay, I low sided yesterday due to gravel and cold pavement.  I'm ok but can't say the same about my beloved bike.  The alignment seems a bit off and the technician at my local bike shop said that the fork brackets might be misaligned or worst case scenario, the forks might be done (as it showed signs of leaking).  My question is here - I'm very conscious of my budget and would like to minimalize the cost of repair by trying to source parts from eBay rather than through the shop.  My question is - do you guys think this will be costly? Second, I looked on eBay and found this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2007-GS500-GS-500-FRONT-FORKS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2eac444a6bQQitemZ200458652267QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

I ride a 2001 GS500 - will 07 parts work?

Thank you all in advance,

- Winston

before you go ebaying, lets get a look at your forks. pictures of the triples, the sliders, the axle, etc will help decide if they're toast.

if it's only superficial scratches and minor alignment, you can loosen the triples and watch things go back to good before you eyes.

support the bike with straps n ladders (like me) or whatever, and loosen the triples, turn the tubes and see if things go wobble wobble. if so, they're bent.

$150 for used forks may sound nice, but sight unseen (un inspected) might be more headache than worth. i'd go for loosening aligning first.

keep us posted.

Hi Ohgood!

Thanks for the response - the bike is already in the shop and they'll be charging me 100 bucks just to look at it, another mistake I guess - sigh.  But if I let them fix it - they'll waive that fee.  However, will let you know how it goes when they get back to me on Tuesday.

Thanks again!

my bike had bent forks and a bent lower triple. replaced both of them for $100 total. there are a lot of parts on these forums.

Hi Jrains - thanks bud, but do you know if new forks (02+) will fit on an 01?

That dealership has quite a scheme going there. Just like Ohgood said, loosen up the triple clamps with the front end off the ground(I use the center stand and a ratchet strap to the ceiling, but you can also put it on the center stand and just have someone push down on the rear seat for the 45 seconds it'll take to do it) and then tighten it all back up. Twisting the forks inside the triples like that is pretty common. Your bars would most likely bend before your forks did. As far as the leaking, you probably just need some new fork seals. You can do it by yourself if you don't want to pay someone, but if you're not sure you could just have the dealership do it while the bike is there. If you're out $100 anyway you might as well just have them do it as it's probably the only part you need.

Good luck, and don't worry about the lowside. You'll probably take a couple low speed spills on gravel turns or in parking lots before you really get the hang of things.

Quote from: mcnub on April 11, 2010, 06:57:42 PM
Hi Jrains - thanks bud, but do you know if new forks (02+) will fit on an 01?

Yes, actually I have 2001 forks on my 04. the only difference in the forks that came with my 04 F is that there was an additional mount for a reflector on each fork. All forks for the gs will work on any year. if you need any instructions on how to replace any of the hardware if you decide to do it yourself please ask and I can help you out 

Thanks  tt_four and Jrains, I definitely feel a bit better.  I guess this spillage will teach me to be less hasty and keep me in check

I'll keep you all posted!

I rode for a year on a 18 year old dual sport before I got a nicer bike, and I'm definitely glad I did. I dropped and crashed that thing more than I care to remember. In my defense, it was huge(yamaha xt550) and I'm small, but still. Even after that I still have managed to drop shinier bikes since then, which hurts a lot more than a beat up old one. People always assume they'll just take it easy when they pick up a brand new gsxr off the showroom floor even though everyone tells them not to, without realizing that even if they manage to keep the front wheel down, they'll regret not having a starter bike the first time that $12k thing falls over on rough pavement.

First mistake was taking it to a dealer. But I think you've learned your lesson.

here's another, you can have either mechanical inclination or money, but I don't suggest getting a motorcycle if you have neither.

If you don't feel comfortable doing these checks and/or replacing parts on your own (very simple) You maybe should consider another hobby.

Quote from: rohde88 on April 12, 2010, 11:52:22 AM
First mistake was taking it to a dealer. But I think you've learned your lesson.

here's another, you can have either mechanical inclination or money, but I don't suggest getting a motorcycle if you have neither.

If you don't feel comfortable doing these checks and/or replacing parts on your own (very simple) You maybe should consider another hobby.

Agreed.  If your first inclination is dealer than you might want another hobby/toy.  If I can't fix/change/swap/modify anything I own on my own, I still wont take it to any dealer.  You need to learn. 

We're being a little harsh for not doing the work yourself, but I think you just got into the wrong shop.  A few GSTwinners (could probably count them on one hand) do let a shop do the work, the price is worth it to them. 

If you want to really save some money, buy a manual and do the work yourself.  If you want it done right and done by a shop, find another shop.  Ask around for a reputable one. 

Oh, and tell us who you did take your bike to, so maybe your experience can help someone else avoid them!

That's fair - however, we all learn from our mistakes - so let's see if I'll get screwed.  I dropped by another shop today to source parts just incase things decide to get messy.

Will keep you all posted.

Thanks again

dont want to hijack the thread, but for me, i most likely wouldnt be able to work on the bike due to annoying HOA rules and stuff. Living in a condo takes away all the good benefits...

So the shop called me back today after looking after the bike and I have good news.  The forks aren't bent just misaligned and the seals aren't leaking - so all that is needed to be done is to have the forks aligned again.

Thanks again for all the insight and support .  A side note - I do understand that motorcycling isn't a cheap sport - however, even if one isn't mechanically inclined or lack the knowledge to "diy" - I don't believe that they should be shunned from experiencing the joy of cycling

Thanks again everyone, and ride safe!

Quote from: mcnub on April 13, 2010, 11:45:31 AM
So the shop called me back today after looking after the bike and I have good news.  The forks aren't bent just misaligned and the seals aren't leaking - so all that is needed to be done is to have the forks aligned again.

Thanks again for all the insight and support .  A side note - I do understand that motorcycling isn't a cheap sport - however, even if one isn't mechanically inclined or lack the knowledge to "diy" - I don't believe that they should be shunned from experiencing the joy of cycling

Thanks again everyone, and ride safe!

Glad it worked out for ya! Fast, cheap or reliable. Normally, I'd say the GS is cheap and reliable because I've lowsided about 15 times with no real damage...

Amen brother !

Mcnub, you say that you are all right from your lowside - did you have proper motorcycle gear on?  Don't forget to invest in good gear.  It doesn't need to be expensive, but good boots, a good motorcycle jacket (with armor), a good pair of gloves, and a decent helmet goes a long way in keeping you out of the medical profession. 

'Glad that you and your GS are all set - enjoy your ride...

hi iamahug

thanks for your concern - but yah, I'm alright - just sprained my ankle but no rash or anything (so thank goodness).  I did indeed invest in gear though - one of my astar smx2 boots was scuffed however did its job.  my jacket has a little bit of rash - but I'll let those serve as reminders to be more careful next time around.  +1 on gear - if I was rocking my Chucks instead of my boots - this could've been a completely different story!

be safe!