i was going to cut that ugly piece of plastic away today...but my friend suggest not to since i ride in all weather conditions...the rain and dirt will just fly up onto my back...
anyone have problems after they cut it off?

oh....and by the way...
i changed my oil today...it runs smoother now...

but the screws on the filter cap just doens't seem to stop tightening...i can easily just screw it on more...
does this mean i stripped the screws??

No problems what so ever!  I hacked mine off as much as I possibly could and have no issues.

That stock fender is SO ugly in my not-so-humble opinion.

One thing; you might want to keep the rear reflector, If your taillight ever goes out it will be nice to have something reflective back there...

Yeah, you done stripped the screw. :x  I did mine, and I just took a dremel, slotted the ends, and unscrewed the entire bolt. Replaced it with some metric bolts I had lying around from my MTB. Much better.  

riding in the wet I get dirt and crap on my license plate and taillight but never noticed it on my person.

check my site for how to fix the oil cap screw and to see how much of the fender I cut off...

i didn't strip the drain plug screw...
i think i striped the oil filter cap screws...
how do i fix it?... :x  :x

cut a slot in the end with a dremel, and use a flathead screwdriver to unscrew it. If you don't have a dremel, maybe try vise grips or needlenose pliers, cause you can't really get in there with a hacksaw. Then replace with allen bolts, or new threaded rod, or chewing gum

hold on a sec...by stripping the screw...does it mean stripping the threads on the screw or the socket?...

the screw on the oil filter cover just keeps on turning and turning...i can get it out...just can't tighten it...

Quote from: Frosti didn't strip the drain plug screw...
i think i striped the oil filter cap screws...
how do i fix it?... :x  :x

thats what I'm talking about.

http://pantablo500.tripod.com/pablosgs500page/id10.html

oh, well take a look at the threads on the end. Do they look stripped?  If not, then you probably just need to replace the nut. Much easier fix. You can get it at any hardware or auto parts store.

hey Pablo...maybe i'm just stupid...but i have no idea what the things in your site is talking about...
is it teaching me how to get the screw OUT?...


I just wanna wanna know how to fix a broken(stripped) thread...

If the threads are gone, you'll need to replace the STUD, not the NUT. The stud is the rod with the threads on it. You remove the STUD by doing the slitting method I described earlier. If it it just a stripped NUT, then you just need to replace the NUT

so the NUT is the HOLE right?
what happens if I strip that??

seems the most common way to strip either of those is to strip the STUD. The nut rarely strips. If you do strip the NUT then you can buy a replacement for a few bucks at a hardware store or at the suzuki dealer. If you strip the STUD you have to get it out of the engine. Either do as above with slotting the end or jsut put a vicegrip on the end and turn it to get it out. Replace the STUD per my link.

Yeah, if you strip the nut, the threads on the stud will look normal. Do This:  Take one of the nuts off the other studs, and switch them around. If one specific nut seems to be not screwing on, it's the nut. If not, take vise grips, and lock them to the end of the stud that was giving you problems. If you can screw it in a billion time over, you have stripped the stud, at which point you will need to re-tap the hole, or helicoil it.

can i ride with ti stripped???...

You could ride with it stripped, but you'd most likely be leaking oil. As this is not only dangerous to the wellbeing of your GS, oil patches on the road pose a hazard to other motorists . Get it fixed, it's an easy fix. 1-2 hours tops

Frost: Are you saying that the threads in the engine case where the oil filter stud screws in are stripped out? It is very easy for an over-zealous mechanic to strip out those studs. :guns:

When I got my used GS the bottom stud was stripped out of the case. Tightening the nut just turned the stud infinitely. I solved it with a 6mm Helicoil. The installation kit costs about $40 with a drill bit and requires you to drill and tap the stud hole to oversize. It fixes the problem perfectly but I don't recommend that you try it unless you've done it before. Get an engine shop to install the Helicoil.

or if available practice on a junk engine