Hello there guys and girls! I am an (almost) happy owner of a 2004 gs500f! I got it a week ago, the same day I got my licence, so I am a new rider and the little gs is my first bike 
My  first impressions of the bike were a bit on the down side. I learnt to ride on a gsf 750, a 4 cylinder and 120 hp monster, so when I got to ride the gs I thought that I was riding, well, something closer to a bicycle... The thing is that after a few days riding, after I got to know the gs a bit better, see where its torque peaks etc etc, I realised that although its not a 120hp 4cyl bike, it is, nonetheless, quite capable of getting you at instant death speeds quite fast... To illustrate my point, the first 2 days of commuting, I do commute 38 miles dayly on the gs, I had 2.9lt/100km fuel consumption, which got increased to 4.4lt/100km during the last 2 days of the week. So, I got used to the bike a bit, and now I am sure that its power is MORE than enough for my abilities, which objectively suck at the moment.
In the beginning I said that I am almost happy. Well, that is due to the sound my engine does when revved, a hissing like sound, not tapping or ticking or whatever it doesnt do it at all when idling. Its almost exactly like the sound in this video. Maybe the sound is completely normal and I am getting anxious without reason?
Anyway, in 2.500km I am due to a nice, overall check up at my mechanic.
Oh, almost forgot, that gs is really prone to get knocked around when there are crosswinds... I dont mind it much though, as I get more experience the wind scares me less and less.
Guys, I really think that a bike like the gs is the ideal bike for a novice rider, and this forum did help me decide on the bike, I did lurk here for a while.
Glad to meet you all.

Squid




My  first impressions of the bike were a bit on the down side. I learnt to ride on a gsf 750, a 4 cylinder and 120 hp monster, so when I got to ride the gs I thought that I was riding, well, something closer to a bicycle...

Welcome to the site, glad you are learning to appreciate all the GS has to offer!

I used to notice crosswinds when I first started riding... now I guess I have gotten used to them.

Good luck and keep us posted 

Quote from: twocool on July 24, 2015, 02:41:06 PM
Squid




My  first impressions of the bike were a bit on the down side. I learnt to ride on a gsf 750, a 4 cylinder and 120 hp monster, so when I got to ride the gs I thought that I was riding, well, something closer to a bicycle...

Well, it was not a gsf. Actually it was a gsx750f  Still,I did need some adjustment to see how to get the available power from the gs, which it really has plenty, at least for my skill level. You have to admit though, the gs does handle like a bicycle! Its just so nimble!
Showbixwolf, I do appreciate our beloved gs. In fact I appreciate it more and more every day! Its a perfect commuting bike with enough power to be able to tour well. What else can someone ask from a first bike?

(so, guys, you think that engine sound is normal after all?  )

Totally agree about how nimble the GS is!!  I am sorry I cannot help with the engine sound, I am at work and they frown on playing videos on the work computers.  Surely someone will be around to comment/help soon 

I learned on a Katana 750 as well. An 89 - bought it when I was still in high school. I don't know how I survived!
I thought they had 90ish HP?

Well, they do have 90ish, but my teacher's katana is a bit.....improved?  (according to him anyways)
The good thing is that I learned at my mid 30's, this month to be exact, so I could restrain myself a bit.....though barely.

The push and pull of the wind is drastically reduced if you loosen up a little.  I ride expressway every day in, of all places, The Windy City and its never an issue for me.

One of the best and most counter-intuitive things you can do on a bike is to be gentle.  The bike is very stable, and will naturally correct for many things.  The looser you are on the bars, the more naturally the bike will track and the easier it will be to steer.  The more you force the bike and the harder you grip the more you hurt yourself.

Hold the bars as if you are holding a sparrow.  Firm enough it can't wiggle free, but not so tight you crush it!
All support should come from your lower body, your arms shouldn't hold any of your weight.

Watcher, thats what I started doing and the wind stopped throwing me around so much. As a new rider I am sure I am still a bit tense, but I do try and be conscious about it and relax as much as I can.
Oh, I live in Athens, the wind here can also be really strong, but as you said, riding in a relaxed way helps a ton.
All in all I am more than happy with the gs, it is a bike capable of many things, its got good fuel economy (managed 2.9lt/100km.............), and most importantly, its more capable than I am, or will be for at least 2 years of riding.

Hissing sound at higher rpm? ... check your exhaust bolt/nut tension and maybe gaskets/flanges. ..

.... and Well Done to You on recognising your own limitations being a new rider! ... and admitting it!

There are a lot of people at times that don't recognise the skills they do/don't have. . Ambulance workers call these people "customers"!

Quote from: Janx101 on July 26, 2015, 11:39:41 AM
Hissing sound at higher rpm? ... check your exhaust bolt/nut tension and maybe gaskets/flanges. ..

.... and Well Done to You on recognising your own limitations being a new rider! ... and admitting it!

There are a lot of people at times that don't recognise the skills they do/don't have. . Ambulance workers call these people "customers"!

Well, at my mid 30's I would have to be a special case not to recognise the skills I lack  By the way, I started reading Twist of the wrist II and I am amazed at how many things I dont know. It feels like it was pure luck I didnt crash till now.... I highly recommend that book to everyone that rides.