Gsx-s1000f

[Steve]

What do you guys recommend for maintenance stand(s), since there's no center stand?

I'm not sure which is crazier, a company producing a road-going, chain-driven motorcycle without a center stand, or somebody actually buying that bike?

Is a center stand available as an option? I have no idea what chain maintenance requirements are, but it seems to me that if you go on a week-long trip (or longer), you will likely be doing something to your chain. Having a stand back home in the storage unit won't do you much good.

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[azr]

You could build one of these



Or buy one of these

http://www.packjack.ca/

[Buffalo Bill]

Wow, that Packjack is clever idea, kinda minimal, but something useful on the road for chain maintenance.
Not enough for taking the wheel off, gonna need wheel jacks in your locker.

About your new bike, looks good, butt that seat and handlebar combo looks too cramped for me.
It's a sport bike with handlebars, not a comfortable touring bike. Only a tiny monkey would fit that back seat.

[Joe Garfield]

I'm not sure which is crazier, a company producing a road-going, chain-driven motorcycle without a center stand, or somebody actually buying that bike?

Ha! Well the guy who bought this bike spent 99.9% of his riding career on a shafty, so that might explain some of the craziness.

Is a center stand available as an option? I have no idea what chain maintenance requirements are, but it seems to me that if you go on a week-long trip (or longer), you will likely be doing something to your chain. Having a stand back home in the storage unit won't do you much good.

.

No option for center stand from Suzuki. I've found one company that offers one as an add-on but there's no pics or other information on it yet, other than a $275 price tag.

It looks like what AZR showed above is what most people are doing for chain maintenance. Apparently it's pretty common for these bikes to not have center stands...

Wow, that Packjack is clever idea, kinda minimal, but something useful on the road for chain maintenance.
Not enough for taking the wheel off, gonna need wheel jacks in your locker.

I think I'm gonna get the Abba stand. It comes apart into basically 2 pieces, attaches securely to the swing arm pivot, and lets you attach and lift the bike from the side stand. There's also add-ons to raise the front wheel, add casters, etc. I like this idea better than using spool and steering head stands.

About your new bike, looks good, butt that seat and handlebar combo looks too cramped for me.
It's a sport bike with handlebars, not a comfortable touring bike. Only a tiny monkey would fit that back seat.

It's definitely meant to be more of a sport bike. Suzuki said they designed it for 40 year old riders who were into sport bikes but want something more comfortable and daily-use friendly. They also came right out and said the bike is meant to be ridden solo. I don't plan on having a passenger for more than a short ride to a park.

The riding position is really comfortable for me (5'10, 175lb). The bars are decent but the seat has too much of a crown and forward slope. Easy fix for the seat pros...

[Jedz123]

I'm not sure which is crazier, a company producing a road-going, chain-driven motorcycle without a center stand, or somebody actually buying that bike?

Is a center stand available as an option? I have no idea what chain maintenance requirements are, but it seems to me that if you go on a week-long trip (or longer), you will likely be doing something to your chain. Having a stand back home in the storage unit won't do you much good.

.

One of the reasons why I dropped my B-King and went with the Connie (shaft drive FTW) but a chain drive bike without a center stand SUCKS! I had to pack a jack for my huge BRP ride with the B-King. Which sucked for I already was short on space and heavy on weight...

Oddly enough the Connie does have a center stand!!!

My Tu doesn't have a center stand either, I have a spare GS center stand I'm going to try to add to fix.

[Joe Garfield]

You guys were right (as usual) about the oil - it was pretty gross, lots of metal. The bike really smoothed out after an oil change. Now I get to play up to 9,000 rpm. Wow.

[Wingsconsin]

Safety Gear - not seen on that picture of you ?

Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a proper riding jacket some motorcycle specific boots.
If you want to keep it ..cover it !

www.motorcyclegear.com

[Joe Garfield]

Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a proper riding jacket some motorcycle specific boots.
If you want to keep it ..cover it !

www.motorcyclegear.com

He must not like my hand-made Israeli leather shoes

Kidding aside, I'm not ignoring the suggestion.

[Joe Garfield]

I had my first motorcycle adventure with the S1000F on Thanksgiving. I took Rt 1 from LA down the coast to Dana Point, then across Route 74 to Palm Springs. 74 has two mountain passes with some really nice, tight turns and ascents/descents. The next day I took an extra loop on Route 243 through Idyllwild (which is on Mt San Jacinto), then back toward 74 and 1.

This bike is totally ridiculous!! It is so much fun!! The bike is much more capable than I am - I was nervous at points during the ride and found myself to be pretty tensed up, but the bike had no problem initiating and maintaining tight linked turns at 55+ mph. That's about as fast as I was comfortable and I know the bike had a lot more in reserve.

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[Joe Garfield]

One thing I realized is that I need to do something about the stiff rear shock. It's a monoshock with adjustable rebound damping, but no compression adjustment.

Where do I start?

[dorkburger]

Geat ride shots. Glad you're having fun.

[limeex2]

Yeah I heard about break in procedures but I follow this one to the T with my Brand New TU:

http://www.ntnoa.org/enginebreakin.htm

I'm coming up to the 600 mile service which includes a valve adjustment. But I'm bringing it right to red line now. Very responsive, the engine and transmission are both Gems.

Glad to See I'm not the only GSR member buying a brand new Suzuki!!!

Congrats on your gorgeous machine... It really is stunning!

Now that you have a leg (distance) machine you should plan a ride to western NY, I try to make it out that way a couple times a year... Be nice to meet you one of these days Joe!

Congratulations!

Now go pull a wheelie or bring her to 140... That's where the fun begins Enjoy your Gixxer in sheep's clothes!

All great info. A life long m/c tech told me of this method, along with chopping the throttle at higher rpms, and just letting it coast @ idle with no load, and repeat with your break in procedure. Any thoughts?

[Joe Garfield]

Don't let your riding be influenced by other riders/drivers! I was following someone and was riding differently than I normally do. The attention I spent focusing on the other rider was attention that was not spent investigating my surroundings and planning escape routes. One second traffic is 60mph, the next time I looked it was stopped. The damage doesn't look that bad - tire is not flat, bumper is not that effed, so I must have bled off a lot of speed...but not all.

I came off the bike over the bars, flipped upside down, and landed against the car on the back of my head and shoulder blades. Somehow, I just stood back up and apologized for damaging the car and waste of their time.

[isleoman]

Sorry to hear, hopefully with it being so new you had full insurance coverage.

Looks like a pretty hard impact if your body made those marks on the car.

[Dogma]

Glad to hear you're OK. I hope no new pain turns up today. Were you able to pick it up and ride it home?

I nearly did the same thing once on I-275. Not following somebody; I just glanced away for a moment. Bumper to bumper is no place to be on a bike.