My first bike GS1100

[Shook 1]

Hey everyone.

With some ivestigating and help from members here I was able to start and fire up my Suzuki gs1100.
So this was my first time on a motorcycle and was told it was a bad idea to learn on one of these bigger bikes.

I approached this very cautiously and respected the bike.
So this past Sunday I started in a small parking lot and withing and hour I was riding up and down the streets in my town.It went as planned,I stalled it so many times but now im comfortable with the throttle,shifting and the weight of the bike.by the end of the day I was able to hit curves and sharp turns without much worry.

Overall a great experience from a first time rider.

Im wondering if other experienced drivers of this bike or similar have any tips or tricks for me.

Bike maint schedules
Tips riding
Products to use to clean and maintain bike
And any other things i should consider.
I know basic machanic skills but any tips are welcomed!

Never owned or worked on bikes before.

About me.

Im about 5,9 190lbs
The bike is a 1982 GS1100 rigid frame.
I plan to take the safety course next month it becomes available.

20160828_140636.jpg

[trevor]

"Rigid frame, I plan to take the safety course next month"...what could go wrong. Wow

[Shook 1]

I did say my first bike, not my only bike I will own.
People take risks rigid or stock,theres a style for everyone.

Cheers

[Burque73]

Tip: keep alert and sober on two wheels. Watch what's happening in front of the guy in front of you and anticipate as much as possible what others will do.

Lots of good stuff in here if you haven't seen it yet.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?171846-Top-10-Newbie-Mistakes/page15&highlight=top+ten+newbie+mistakes

[ddaniels]

"Rigid frame, I plan to take the safety course next month"...what could go wrong. Wow

Sheesh, trash the guy on his first post. Hey to each his own shook 1 and welcome to the forum. You'll find lots of good folks here willing to help out. Have fun with the new bike.

[geol]

I am sure once you have ridden for awhile and gone over some bad roads and railway tracks you will learn to appreciate rear shocks hehe... One thing... as far as safety; If you drive a car, toss the 4 wheel (aka cage) attitude completely. Everyone on the road wants to kill you. Be aware and don't be afraid to think for the other driver. Keep in mind... TRUCK VS CAR = TRUCK WIN OR TIE AT BEST. TRUCK OR CAR VS BIKE = BIKE DOESN'T EVEN COME UP A TIE EVER EVER EVER. Avoid accidents through awareness and always have your head on a swivel. You will quickly learn the controls on a bike and how to ride fairly proficiently but it takes a lot of time (and fear built up) to keep from becoming road kill no matter how well you learn to ride. Riding skill is only a part of staying safe. Anticipation is a lot more important. AND DON'T DRINK as this is really bad news; not even a single beer. You will stay much healthier with reflexes 100 percent. And don't ride tired; same issue.

[trevor]

Sheesh, trash the guy on his first post. Hey to each his own shook 1 and welcome to the forum. You'll find lots of good folks here willing to help out. Have fun with the new bike.

Yes, you're right, probably a little harsh. My apologies to the op....I guess my thought was that it's dangerous enough riding a bike for the first time with no training but to do it on a bike that has been modified to not handle as well as it was intended is just not such a good idea imo of course. But to each his own I guess.

[Burque73]

Good morning Shook1. My response to your post yesterday has been bugging me. I got out my MSF book from 2004 and wanted to share the info with you in a more complete way than a quick chopped up sentence but there's so much! Hope you have fun and are enjoying the bike.

Lately my wife has been uncomfortable with the bounce on the back seat of our 850, and those shocks are pretty efficient. How do you like the rigid rear end? Just curious, I imagine your knees have to work to absorb the bumps huh?

[rudeman]

I'd be real concerned about that fitting between the header collector and megaphone. It looks awfully low. I urge you to address that before you "hit" the road.

[Shook 1]

Good morning Shook1. My response to your post yesterday has been bugging me. I got out my MSF book from 2004 and wanted to share the info with you in a more complete way than a quick chopped up sentence but there's so much! Hope you have fun and are enjoying the bike.

Lately my wife has been uncomfortable with the bounce on the back seat of our 850, and those shocks are pretty efficient. How do you like the rigid rear end? Just curious, I imagine your knees have to work to absorb the bumps huh?

Having never been on any bike before i cant say Im missing out on rear shocks but can imagine all the benefits of them.I rode around for about 3 hours.
The roads by where I live are pretty awful but under cobstruction.They are laying new pavement in the area.There were some nasty looking speed bumps that I was really nervous to drive over.I did not know what to expect or how rough the ride would be but I can say that i felt 100% by the time I was done and cant report anything negative about the hardtail so far.

Rode again today early and bike has been a smooth ride so far.No back pain or scares or even having to jump on the pegs hasnt been an issue.

Learning to ride this thing has been going smooth so far.
I was imagining a rough ride and sore ass but nothing happened

[Guest]

If you live by the philosophy that "everyone is out to get you", you should be alright.

[posplayr]

Please check the Jetting; those exhaust valves look very hot.

I'm, guessing someone did pods and pipe and forgot about jetting

[limeex2]

When I was in the biz, my first advice to new riders and my children was to learn how to ride slow. Very slow. In a empty parking lot set up a couple water bottles and learn how to do figure 8's until you can turn confidently go from steering lock to steering lock. You mentioned you were out at normal highway speeds. Find a road with no traffic and practice stopping. Start with front brake only. It will not lock up or cause a stoppie. Once confident and proficient, try some panic stops and get a feel for your braking distances, then add in the rear brake. Learn this before you take your safety class and you will get much more out of your training classes.

[GSXR7ED]

Great advice limeex2,

During my MSF training, those two areas you mention (figure 8s & emergency stopping) were the most coordinated efforts for me. We had one chance to complete the riding tasks given without dropping the bike.

Once proficiency is gained and confidence builds that's when the real challenge takes place. All the best to the OP in his training.


Ed