Haven't posted much on here, fairly new even though I registered awhile back. I always look for advice on the forums for it wealth of knowledge on the GS. I need some advice now, and thought who better to turn to than fellow GS'ers.

I bought the GS 1 year ago. It is an 05 that only had 400 miles on it. The guy I purchased it from was a police officer that bought the bike as a toy, and then had a kid, so he never got around to riding it and decided to sell it. It had been sitting in his garage the whole time. I have since put on 1800 miles, since I use it mainly for work, and I only work 6 miles away roundtrip. I used to have a scooter but the damn thing couldnt get above 35 with the wind behind it. It was rather embarassing to have old ladies give me dirty looks. The GS was a major upgrade, and I really enjoy it, sometimes I debate whether I should go bigger now, however for 95% of my riding the GS is quite adequate. 

So that leads me to my series of questions.

Do I need new tires? Like I said they only have 2200 miles on them, but do tires go "bad" It was sitting for awhile. I live in Miami if that makes a difference, though the bike was garage kept. I feel them slipping a bit, but that might also be me needing new brake pads. Which I am also getting.

What tires should I get? I've read the post for diffrent tire sizes and such, and I'm still confused. I would like to get the BT45 but it seems like there are two diffrent ones in that same class. The BT45 High Performance, and the BT45 Street motorcycle. The place(CycleGear.com) I am ordering them from has a good deal now. They have the stock size, the 110/70-17 and 130/70-17 in the BT45 Street. However, I wanted to go with a wider tire in the back. The 140/70-17 which they only make in the BT-45 High Performance model for 20.00 more, but they don't have a 110/70-17 for the front, they have 110/80-17. For the rear tire can I use the 140/70-17? I'm doing it mostly for aethetics, but if have to I will get the all stock version. Would it better or hinder performance at all? And as far as the front tire is concerned, should I get the 110/70-17 Street, or the 110/80-17 High Performance? And what is the difference between 110/70-17 vs. 110/80-17? If I do go with the street, can I have a one tire be High Performance, and the other tire be the Street. I guess the compund they use on the high performance and the street are different, so my question is would there be any diffrences in the ride?

My second issue is paying for a "complete service". The previous owner never got to 600 miles so even though he had the bike for 3 some odd years, he didn't do it. I think I probably should have, but also neglected to do so. So it hasnt had an initial service, and I'm right at 2200 miles ready for the next service, I did however change the oil(by myself thanks to the How To page). But am weary of doing the other things that I got quoted  $592.00 for. Yes that's five hundred ninety-two dollars. However I dont know how to do a valve clearance check, bleed the brake lines, replace front and rear brakes, check and clean air filter,  and the other services the shop listed off that they are going to do. The good thing is this shop comes highly recommended, albeit a bit of a drive from where I live. Everyone seems to swear by him as being especially thorough. I guess my question which really can only answered by me( Is it worth it?). But i thought I'd ask on here and get some opinions.

Is there anything else that I should also do with a bike that been around for 5 years? I need to replace the battery, which I found a link from on here, and went ahead and ordered it. It's the sealed battery by Scorpion I believe. How does it compare with the "wet cell" battery. I just wanted a maintance free battery, and not have to worry about it for atleast a few years. Anybody have an opinion on this battery over prolonged use?

Thanks for taking the time to answer, hope to get some great insight.

generally the only thing for tires you wanna worry about is mixing radial with bias-ply. but, considering theyre the same tire i am assuming theyre the same style so it should be ok to mix and match between the "high performance" and "street".

as far as the major service.. it really isnt much considering the bike is so simple in nature. you did an oil change, that means you could definitely do a simple brake caliper bleed.

you should invest in the handbook and just do it yourself. if you buy it through our site here itll support the site but if you dont that's fine too. just get one and give it a read through. it's really simple to do much of the necessary service for the bike. just takes some determination.

also, where are you located? there are plenty of people around.. maybe you'll be lucky enough to have someone nearby who can help you.

I also have an 05 as well.   I replaced the tires this year with Avon Road Riders after reading a series of reviews.   I think the tires are great and have had no problems.   From also reading about tires, the rubber does deteriorate over time so that's why they suggest replacing them every 4 years.   Personally, it if was stored inside and you have plenty of tread, just keep and eye out for cracking and keep riding them.   As for valve clearance, I think this might be part of the initial service so most likely it should be done.   I'm sort of doing the work as required so you might be able to reduce your shop time and labour by just getting done what you need to.     Also, I wouldn't worry about your brakes, most likely you have lots of pad... you might want to change your brake fluid though.

Alot of the initial maintenance was checking and inspecting.  http://www.gstwin.com/initial_service.htm

RealTrade,

I prefer the 110/70/17 and 130/70/17 over the 80 aspect ratio tires. 130/70/17 vs 140/70/17 is going to be a personal choice - both work fine on the GS. The 130 is a little lighter; it will accelerate slightly better, turn slightly better, and the rear suspension will work a little better. But I doubt it will be perceptibly different.

Because you don't ride your bike very much, the sport tires would be a fine choice. You should get plenty of life out of them. With that said, few riders push the limits of a typical street tire, so go that route if you want to save a little money.

I take it that you are on the original tires? If so, yes, they need to be replaced. Your tires are probably more than 5 years old at this point, which is about the longest I'd comfortably run a set of properly stored tires. If they've sat in the sun, spent time exposed to sources of ozone or temperature extremes, 3 is probably the safe limit.

Do you have a few tools?  Valve clearance is easy and doesn't require a ton of tools.  You might need to buy a feeler gauge if you don't have one.

Want a manual?  I have a Clymer sitting here I don't need; I'll send it to you for $3 shipping.  It's for '89 to 2002, but all the major mechanical stuff is the same.

As for tires, don't over think them.  Save money by putting them on yourself.

Bleeding brakes is also easy.

Don't be afraid to jump in.  Where do you live?  Maybe you're nearby a helpful gstwin'r who could show you the basics.

I live in Miami, Florida. Would greatly appreciate it a fellow GS'er showing me the way around the bike. I wouldn't mind getting a manual and I guess buying some tools, but I live in a condo. Doing anything other than really simple things would be difficult given the limited space. Oil change was a bit of a pain to do indoors. Is a valve clearance check neccessary? I just feel like a sucker if I were to pay close to $600.00 for mostly a mere inspection.

there are quite a few riders from florida. toogoogy comes to mind first, but i remember there being a few others.

valve clearance check isnt difficult and would be good to do. helps you get familiarized with the bike.

did you get the book yet?

Don't pay $600, watch the video and do it yourself for free!  My GS has over 19,000M and never did the initial service, sure you should check your valves every year, but as long as it runs fine don't worry about it.  If your bike runs like crap then do some maintenance.  Changing the oil and filter and plugs is pretty easy, if you change your tires, I would recomend a new chain too, my bike loves it when it gets fresh tires and chain at the same time.  When your bike starts to stall out when you come to a stop, then your exhaust valve(s) is too tight, and its time to watch Kerry's video on how to change out the valve shims.  I think you got the perfect bike to learn to wrench on. Have fun!

Welcome fellow Floridian. Would love to travel down to Miami but alas I am in Orlando and school starts very soon  Yes, I'm excited because it is my last class for my associates degree.

I do most of the maintainance on my own. Although, I haven't gotten to the valve clearance yet I just did the rejet and with everyone's help it has gone pretty smooth just a little glitch here and there that everyone will be glad to help with!

Again welcome 

Mary