Hello again to all.  After owning my bike for a little more than a week, and having put about 300 miles on it, I have a couple of questions that I'm sure someone will know.

#1 is an occasional backfire normal when cold?  Last weekend it got down in the low 40's (F) at night.  The next morning after 30-40 seconds of idling up to 3500-4K rpm with the choke full on, I backed off the choke until the idle was down to around 1500.  While I was putting on my helmet, I was gently reving the bike from 1500 to about 3000, just to get a feel for how cold the engine was.  I would sometimes get a pop (sounds just like a backfire) from the air intake just as I applied the throttle as the revs came up.  It doesn't do it when warmed up, and doesn't do it at all now tha the low starting-temp is in the 50's.  I ask because my old bike didn't ever do that.  Should I ask the dealer at the 600 mile service to make sure the carbs are set correctly?

#2. Does anyone know what size bolts hold on the fairing on the '04 F?  While wiping the bug goo off last night I discovered that the bolt on the right-rear lower side of the fairing, right next to the battery vent tube has fallen out.  There's a silver colored bolt through the fairing that attaches to a metal bracket, then another bolt attaches the bracket to the frame.  It's the bolt at attaches the bracket to the frame that is missing.  The thing is that I don't see any other brackets like this at any of the other mounting points for the fairing, so I don't know if there's a bolt I can remove for reference at the hardware store.  I gently tried a few miscellaneous bolts of similar size from my toolbox, but none wanted to thread.  I'd rather go pay $.10 for a new bolt and be done with the problem, rather than riding around for 300 more miles and having the dealer fix it at the 600 mile service.

#3. Rust prevention.  I've read a lot here and other places that the one achilles heel of the GS series is corrosion.  I have plans to keep this bike for several years, and want to keep it looking as new as possible.  What are some tips for keeping things as rust-free as possible?  The bike is stored in a very sheltered-on-three-sides area next to my garage (won't get wet from rain, never noticed any dew, but can get dusty) at night and usually will only be ridden in fair weather.  Are covers recommended or not?  I've heard stories that they can trap moisture and be worse than leaving the bike uncovered.

#1 Don't rev the motor while cold, let it warm up on its own, if it doesn't learn to warm up on its own, you'll have problems down the road. It's almost like training a puppy. You have to teach it what you want it to do.

#2 Don't know yet. Bike is too new. Dealer.

#3 Again, your bike is too new. We don't know what Suzuki did to address that issue. You do have a black frame, and black is the best color to prevent rust, it causes quick and fast evaporation. Rust likes hot, humid(wet), stale places. So the opposite would be a cool, dry place with good airflow.

Quote from: scratch#1 Don't rev the motor while cold, let it warm up on its own, if it doesn't learn to warm up on its own, you'll have problems down the road. It's almost like training a puppy. You have to teach it what you want it to do.

I'm not talking about 10K revs here, just a little blip to get the feel if the engine will respond to throttle yet, maybe once every 30-60 seconds.  I thought this was how you knew when the engine had warmed up enough not to stall out the first time you take off into traffic - when the throttle response becomes normal.  That is what I have witnessed others doing.  Perhaps I am very wrong though!  

So if this is not the case, and I should just let things warm up without touching the throttle, how do I know when it's ok to ride?  I realize that it's a good idea to be gentle for the first 5 or 10 minutes anyway, but how do you know when it's best for the engine to start off?  It's kind of a dumb question, but I honestly don't know.  The manual says to leave the choke on for 30 seconds after starting when cold, but I know that's not enough.  If I try to take off 30 seconds after starting the bike cold I either stall or have to over-rev and feather the clutch.

It's okay, ideally, you don't want to use any throttle, but as cold-blooded as our bikes are you want to slowly roll on the throttle while it's warming up. A fast snap of the throttle while cold causes the valve faces to smack into the seats unnecessarily, potentially dishing your valves and deforming the seat. You may have to use the throttle to keep rpm's up until it is fully warmed, but you should be able to ride away after a minute or two of choke.

Quote from: scratchIt's okay, ideally, you don't want to use any throttle, but as cold-blooded as our bikes are you want to slowly roll on the throttle while it's warming up. A fast snap of the throttle while cold causes the valve faces to smack into the seats unnecessarily, potentially dishing your valves and deforming the seat. You may have to use the throttle to keep rpm's up until it is fully warmed, but you should be able to ride away after a minute or two of choke.

Ok, that makes sense.  Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it!

the choke being on and reving is whats making the backfire.  Mine does it too.  Close the choke when you start reving it.  YMMV

Regarding rust prevention:  GS's do have a bit of a rust problem on parts (the consequence of a cheap bike: most things are made of steel).  It's important to touch up any painted part to prevent rusting.  Since the frame's black, finding touchup paint is quick and easy.  The dealer might sell bottles of touch up paint for the body.  Rusty fasteners also detract from the looks of a bike in a hurry.  I'd take a q-tip and dab a little grease in all the sockets in allen head screws, as well as inside the cuts on phillips and regular screws.  Don't gob it on; a little dab'll do ya.  Any silver fastener that isn't hard chrome is zinc-plated (just barely), and a prime candidate for rusting.  Replacing them with stainless steel fasteners is the surefire way to eliminate the problem.  Don't forget the washers--  they'll begin rusting first.   Otherwise, the best defense against rust is to keep the bike scrupulously clean and waxed.