well first was curious about the right brake lever... if i rest my foot on the peg in a position where i dont have to move it to brake, then im actually riding the brake... is it possible to shift the brake lever down so i can rest my heel without touching the lever ?

next question...

i believe im going on my first long ride, any suggestions? i have no windscreen and i can imagine im gonna get blown around alot. just looking for any small hints or tips.

next is about the clutch lever. should the clutch be engaging at the very end... like when my fingers have almost completely let go of the clutch lever.. just seems far to me

thanks!

No windshield? You're not just gonna have a windy ride, you'll be eating a lot of bugs too.  Even with a windsheild (GS500F) I get bugs all over my face shield and upper shoulders.

Quoteshould the clutch be engaging at the very end... like when my fingers have almost completely let go of the clutch lever.. just seems far to me

That's a good spot for it; that way when you pull in on the clutch, it has a better chance of being fully disengaged (you should still pull it in as far as you can when using it).

Enjoy your trip.  

hopefully it wont be too rough its 150 miles but it is half mountains so will be windy!

Never had a wind screen on any of my bikes. Never had a problem.  Word of advice...Wear a full face helmet, for any number of reasons.

the brake lever trick would be too much trouble

1) There is some adjustment for the rear brake lever at the master cylinder.
It's a hassle to adjust. I would suggest riding with the ball of your foot on the peg. It will help you steer the bike as you put weight on the pegs. It will also keep your foot from getting injured. When you allow your foot to dangle down and go around a corner, you can get caught on a reflector or rock in the road.

2) Get some good earplugs and a full face helmet. Earplugs cut down on the wind roar, which causes fatigue on long rides. Wind conditions can vary. So it might not be too bad depending the terrain. Open highway is usually the windiest. backroads (especially canyons) are more protected.

3) Take the cable adjuster at the lever and back it off a little. If there is no adjustment left at that point, you can use the adjuster at the engine case.
Set it so the clutch engages about mid way. There should be a small amount of slack in the cable when the lever is all the way out.

Like Bob says, it's best to move your foot rather than adjust the bike. It's a confidence thing, when we are new to the game there is tendancy to "hover" over the brakes. It you have to do any emergency braking your stopping power comes at the front anyway so the microsecond delay on the rear wheel is no bad thing.

Windscreens are very much a horses-for-courses issue, some people are quite happy without, my preference (see avatar) is for one you can get behind but the small flyscreens are preffered by some. I found that before I got a screen every time I opened her up this little demon sat on my shoulders and tried to rip my head off, he stays in his bottle nowadays. The unexpected bonus from a big screen was keeping the gloves dry in the rain.

I see that others already gave you the scoop while I was off "being visual".  Please excuse any duplicate info....

Quote from: pprideris it possible to shift the brake lever down so i can rest my heel without touching the lever?

Yes!  But not by much - without modifications.

Here's the assembly in question (photo courtesy of the Midnight Photographer   ):



The picture probably speaks for itself, but to lower the brake lever:

• Remove the foot guard so you can get at the adjustment nuts.


• Loosen the pushrod locknut.


• Turn the pushrod adjuster clockwise (push wrench from right to left) until the lever is where you want it.  The pushrod won't turn very many times before its lower end contacts the linkage below.  I suppose you could disassemble everything and grind a few threads off the end of the pushrod ... but you'd want to be pretty darn sure of yourself!


• Don't forget to re-tighten the pushrod locknut when you're done.

Before doing ANY adjusting or cutting, see if you can't live with the lever in its current position.  One technique is to always keep the ball of your foot on the footpeg.  On trips of any length I have to change positions every so often.  I tend to point my toe outward so it doesn't contact the lever even when it (my toe) angles downward.

You may find that either of these compromises is better than not being able to fully apply the rear brake when you need to.  Adjust if you feel  like it, but only grind if you MUST.

PS - The Haynes manual says that whenever you adjust the brake lever position you should also adjust the brake light switch - by holding the switch stationary and turning the adjusting nut until the light comes on just before the brake engages.  The picture below will give you an idea of where the switch and adjuster are located, but you will probably get better access from the top with the foot guard removed.

Kerry, i would give money to watch you give "the birds and the bees" speech to a child.

*imagines Kerry whipping out a portfolio of diagrams*

ya well i love those diagrams, really helped me when i want trying to change the fuse on my gs and was just replacing the spare  

i have a f-15 windshield and it makes all the difference in the world. of course you could go with the queen mary windshield like kerry  

ok thanks people, i think ill leave the brake alone. i wish i had the wind screen, but it probably wont kill me my first trip anyways. thnx guys