Quote from: MistahT on October 19, 2011, 04:51:40 AM
Wow, thanks for all the great info - and in less than 24 hours 
Thank you all for being a valuable resource!!

MistahT, I have never seen anyone as eager & excited about developing riding skills as you are.

As time goes by you will get a feel for the machine and things will fall neatly into place.
At this point in time I think you may be "over-perfecting" this a little bit.
Don't push the envelope, just ride comfortably and give your basic skill-set some time to mature.

As for hurting the bike. . .
I really don't think you can.
Just ride sensibly and perform regular maintenance and your trusty GS500 will run forever.

And last but most important. . .
Thank you MistahT for checking back here at your thread!
Many people post a question and then never check back. You asked a question and then posted a "thank-you" follow-up and that is good forum etiquette.
Nice work 
-Ej-

Quote from: Electrojake on October 19, 2011, 07:57:07 AM

Quote from: MistahT on October 19, 2011, 04:51:40 AM
Wow, thanks for all the great info - and in less than 24 hours 
Thank you all for being a valuable resource!!

MistahT, I have never seen anyone as eager & excited about developing riding skills as you are.

As time goes by you will get a feel for the machine and things will fall neatly into place.
At this point in time I think you may be "over-perfecting" this a little bit.
Don't push the envelope, just ride comfortably and give your basic skill-set some time to mature.

As for hurting the bike. . .
I really don't think you can.
Just ride sensibly and perform regular maintenance and your trusty GS500 will run forever.

And last but most important. . .
Thank you MistahT for checking back here at your thread!
Many people post a question and then never check back. You asked a question and then posted a "thank-you" follow-up and that is good forum etiquette.
Nice work 
-Ej-

And thank you!! I really appreciate everyone on the forum and your knowledge. I am a perfectionist, but I take it slow on the bike. I usually stay off the highways, haven't even hit 80mph yet, and don't hang off the bike. I'd rather take my time, make sure I'm safe, and enjoy myself. I don't take many chances on my bike, the most probably shifting 1k or 2k shy of redline on the first two or three gears occasionally.

I'll keep coming back to my thread as long as there is information that can make me a better rider!

And if anyone is in the Gaithersburg/Montgomery County area, I'd really like to find some riding buddies. Let me know.

As stated before, whatever method you are comfortable with will probably be the best way for you. 

Also, I wanted to say that there ARE techniques from the track that can be used in the street. For example, if you come in a corner too hot accidentally and can't really brake, you can shift your butt off the seat, hang off the side and lean your ass off and hope you make the turn safely.

Also, I live in Prince William County, not too far from you 

Quote from: redhawkdancing on October 19, 2011, 06:55:53 AM
Get the Twist of the Wrist II DVD and practice.  Blipping the throttle isn't necessary on the street most of the time, but I like to have as many tools in my skills box as possible.   

Just checked Amazon and ordered both..
DO NOT order the set of both - that's like $50. Order them separate - then its like $15 for one and $20 for #2.
They have the books and the DVD - be sure you order what you want.

rookie observation:

If, when coming to a slow stop on the street, you let it drop all the way to about 3500 rpm, you can then shift very smoothly. blipping will actually hinder the smooth transition sometimes, if you let rpms fall that low.

I think you'll notice, that letting it fall to 3500, matches the downshift speeds actually recommended in the owners' manual. But i'm just going from memory so could be wrong there.