Hey everybody, been reading here for a little bit, and it really seems like a great community here.

I am 21 years old, and located in north carolina, i have wanted a bike sine about..hmmm 6 years old? haha, but yea i finally made a "dream"(more or less a goal) come true.

It was a toss up between this or the ninja 250. man oh man am i glad i choose the 500.  a little bit about the bike: it's an '09, i bought it brand new with literally 1.2 miles on it. i got the bike itself for $2,800 but then added low-jack and 5 year warranty on it. STILL was an unbelievable deal to pass up. basically i went to a local dealer to sit on some bikes to see how i felt just for kicks, i walk in and they tell me this craazy deal about the 500..i was blown away, i wasn't looking to buy a bike for about 6 more months, but honestly, i couldn't pass this up.

I currently don't have my motorcycle endorsement yet, but i am taking the MSF course april 1st,2nd,3rd at my college. (VERY excited, gonna be fun)

a little about me, My name is Dan if you hadn't figured out yet i'm extremely down to earth. I am also very into cars. been into them since i popped outta the womb. My first car was a 1989 toyota supra 5speed non turbo, i bought it for $300(big hunk of crap) to learn how to drive a standard. the water pump went 2 weeks later    then my next car was a 1995 eagle talon tsi awd 5speed. put a lot of work into that car (still miss that car the most out of ALL my cars..that was my baby, truly was..)  Then i sold that and bought a 2004 honda s2000, very fun car, but lacked torque like it was its job, i know its not a car for power but wow, gutless lol. then i sold that and bought a new 2010 370z (current car) and it truly is a blast.

I'm definitely up for any one that would maybe want to go cruising that lives near the clayton/garner area.

That is a VERY quick summary about me, lets get to the pics

This is the bike when she was brought home: all stock






The second day of owning the bike i trimmed the rear license plate area, some before and afters:

before:


after:


before:


after:


before:


after:




Bought a pro grip tank protector(yes i know carbon fiber is played out like oeanut butter and jelly sandwhiches, but i still love it haha)



I had to special order my helmet so that didn't come in till yesterday, but..it's a perfect fit

my jacket, gloves and helmet:



Here is 2 little videos of my first ride ever on my first ever motorcycle yes they're pointless videos, but i wanted to make sure i got my first ride on tape, it's a big landmark in my life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l5a-ImpiRs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrZuWOZ-tX0

p.s. i'm giving a peace sign in the first video, not the middle finger lol

Quote from: GS_Dan on March 09, 2011, 08:05:58 PM


Bought a pro grip tank protector(yes i know carbon fiber is played out like oeanut butter and jelly sandwhiches, but i still love it haha)

Don't f%$king pick on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. haha The bike looks great! you'll enjoy the MSF class. I took it 10 years ago but plan on taking it again this spring. I'm sure I've forgotten a few of the things they taught me. Even more importantly, it just sounds fun playing on those 250s again! Enjoy the bike and take it easy until you get through your class!

lol! ok ok fine, played out liiiike...megan fox?? And yes i will most definitely enjoy it i only put around the neighborhood at 20 mph TOPS and yet it is still amazing to be one 2 wheels..i can't wait to get on the open road

yeah i hear the riding course is actually pretty fun, lookin forward to it

Word of advice I noticed your ankles in a pic. a 0 mph drop can cause 3 torn ligaments in an ankle! Ask me why I will never wear tennis shoes and ride a moto

Mary

I thank you for your advice but yes, some riding boots are definitely on my list. i just don't know what i want yet :/

Nice looking bike Dan! Its good that you've stumbled across this site.

It looks like your right side front turn signal is a little tweaked. You can try to twist it and see it falls back into place, if not there is a bolt inside the fairing panel you can loosen, then you can swivel the stalk into place.

Thank you thank you yes it's very good. This site has TONS of great info, i'm very happy i found it, this is sort of a 'niche' bike so to say, not very popular in the after market category, and for the forums as well! haha, but it doesn't matter, this could be the only gs500 forum in the world and it is definitely the best. i actually just noticed that today(thank you for pointing it out to me though) but just yesterday when i picked up my helmet, i actually ordered all four smoked turning signals, they'll hopefully be in this friday.



Also, regarding the boots. i have read a lot of reviews on this boot and heard a lot of good things..anyone have any input on these?? i really like the price and tey seem to hold up pretty well..

Hey Dan,
Congrats on the bike! I know the feeling as I just got my 2000 GS500 about three weeks ago! I even purchased the exact helmet you did...Enjoy your new purchase and ride safe!

Tim

personale opinion but those shoes are huge. like big to the point that they will impede ur ability to get ur foot out from under the clutch or somethin..id check with the dealer u got the bike from and test out some shoes/boots there..the boots i wear cover my ankle at least but not half way up the shin so as to be uncomfy.. that being said im not the authority on this stuff i jsut know my personal experience. go with what you like brother, thats what 2 wheeling it is all about

Quote from: GS_Dan on March 09, 2011, 09:48:06 PM
Also, regarding the boots. i have read a lot of reviews on this boot and heard a lot of good things..anyone have any input on these?? i really like the price and tey seem to hold up pretty well..

I have those boots, and they aren't too bad. I find they are more suited to distance riding though, as a short commuting boot they are a bit of a pain in the arse.
Definitely try out a few different pairs/styles though to find what is comfortable for you.

Looks good, I have the same '09 only in black

http://i46.tinypic.com/16t169.jpg

I picked these up at a bike show in January for 79 bucks, Waterproof and very comfortable, I'm looking forward to actually trying them out..This winter is ASS and if it doesnt clear up soon Im goona lose it!

Welcome. That is a friggin good deal!!!!!! If i walked into a dealer and heard that i think i would have 2 bikes!

Quote from: GS_Dan on March 09, 2011, 08:07:04 PM
p.s. i'm giving a peace sign in the first video, not the middle finger lol

Yea, right. That's what they all say.
Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: bkrtim on March 09, 2011, 10:11:33 PM
Hey Dan,
Congrats on the bike! I know the feeling as I just got my 2000 GS500 about three weeks ago! I even purchased the exact helmet you did...Enjoy your new purchase and ride safe!

Tim

Oh nice! you got the l.e.d. light on the back thingy, it's so awesome, hey anything for added safety

As far is the boots go for all that commented, i think i am going to try a couple styles on and see how they feel. I'm hopefully picking up my l.e.d. turn signals tomorrow so i'll probably get my boots tomorrow as well

Quote from: Twism86 on March 10, 2011, 02:34:38 PM
Welcome. That is a friggin good deal!!!!!! If i walked into a dealer and heard that i think i would have 2 bikes!

LOL i shoulda got 2 at that price! but in all seriousness, if anyone is in the north carolina area around smithfield area, i HIGHLY recommend team powersports, their service was absolutely top notch
Very very friendly and helpful crew there

Quote from: The Buddha on March 10, 2011, 02:38:03 PM


Yea, right. That's what they all say.
Cool.
Buddha.

haha it's true buddha!
and thats what they all say, is what they all say!   

My remarks on the boots is that I am terrified of Strings. I passed up on a pair of practically new Icon Super Duty boots last week. My pain management DR. is an avid cyclist and she didn't put on her regular shoes one day the string got caught in the deraliur (sp). Humerous, radius, and ulna all broken with a dislocated elbow on her right arm OUCH! If that can happen at 10 mph imagine what "could" happen on a moto. I have a pair of Frank Thomas boots that I got off of Pronator. And they are the shiznit! Now the soles are starting to wear I've got two choices get a new pair or spend $75 + shipping and have Frank Thomas do it decisions decisions!

BTW I'm trying to wrap my head around a 21 y\o in school affording the payment on both a new Z car and a new 500F?

Mary

Quote from: Toogoofy317 on March 10, 2011, 09:46:54 PM
My remarks on the boots is that I am terrified of Strings. I passed up on a pair of practically new Icon Super Duty boots last week. My pain management DR. is an avid cyclist and she didn't put on her regular shoes one day the string got caught in the deraliur (sp). Humerous, radius, and ulna all broken with a dislocated elbow on her right arm OUCH! If that can happen at 10 mph imagine what "could" happen on a moto. I have a pair of Frank Thomas boots that I got off of Pronator. And they are the shiznit! Now the soles are starting to wear I've got two choices get a new pair or spend $75 + shipping and have Frank Thomas do it decisions decisions!

BTW I'm trying to wrap my head around a 21 y\o in school affording the payment on both a new Z car and a new 500F?

Mary

Wow, that is quite a bit of damage especially at only 10mph..ouch :/

Alright Mary, you got me to spill my job history 
Ok, so two years ago i joined the 'family business'<---lol.  which was installing entry doors, storm doors, patio doors, finishing basements, installing windows, doing decks etc etc, it was general contracting, and you know what, it payed pretty damn well, now don't get fooled though, it was hard work for sure (patio doors arent that light haha) we'd also work 14 hour days quite frequently, so again, the money was there, but so was the hard work.

This was all in new york by the way. Two years go by and the parents and me are really interested in going to North Carolina, we just really like the atmosphere here, and it was definitely one of the best things we've done relocation wise.
but i want to rewind for a second, I am the type of kid that will skip going out with my friends on the weekends for 2-3 weeks just to save some extra money to put towards things i want, i heard it all the time from my friends that i should just come out and have a good time, but then they would always wonder how i was able to get some of the stuff i wanted. i am EXTREMELY good with my money and know how to save if i want too.

So i sold my s2000(paid off in a year) and put the money in my bank, i let it build interest for a while, while i also saved money. Lo and behold, i now have an awesome down payment for the 370z, low monthly payments are the way to go! haha

But yeah, now that we moved here, i decided to go to college full time, and i would like to thank my parents for that, they're paying for my education (plus it's dirt cheap with the resident tuition ) and now i work at Lowe's 20-30 hours a week.


So Mary, hopefully with this little biography of me your head can rest now


Also Mary, the Frank Thomas boots, are they female riding boots, or both male/female? that's a pretty good price and i want to check them out, thank you for your time

-Dan


p.s. strings on a bike are pretty much a phobia to me  so I always have my laces tucked in when i putt around the neighbor hood, so I will hopefully be buying a pair today.