A little advice please.

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone, my name is Renae and my boyfriend and I are breaking up after our first year and he just gave me his motorcycle, I think just to get me off his back. I found this site while looking for advice, it looks like there is some geat knowledge here so I just thought I'd stop in and say hi.I don't know much about the bike but I think he said it was a gs1115 or something like that. It's a pretty motorcycle and it runs very well but I think it might be a little bit too powerful for me. I've ridden smaller bikes on the farm growing up in Texas in the 90's, but never a bike such as this with all the lights and gages and all, and I really think it was set up to ride where there is more cement, in the dirt and gravel the wheel just wants to spin. Being near 6 ft tall and weighing 135 pnds I always did well in the dirt and I was always complimented on how well I rode with all the guys so I'm really no stranger to motorcycles but this is something else. When we got together last year, he bought the bike knowing it needed fixed. He would go to the garage every night after work and spend the entire weekend working on it. He borrowed the money for it from me and had never paid me back. As I said I think he gave it to me to get me off his back. He did finally get it running and took it out for a short ride, but he has never really wanted to ride it anymore, So he just gave it to me. He told me some of the terminology like slipping the clutch, leaning over the bars, riding the brakes, hanging on tight, then told me bigger bikes are supposed to idle faster than farm bikes, whatever that means, and then turned me loose on it. I've been riding it but it's a real beast to control so if you don't mind, I have some questions about it. First off how do you steer this thing with the front wheel off the ground so much of the time. I'd never rode a motorcycle this fast before in my life, but I think I'm learning quick. When I start it up it goes right up to the 7 on the right gage, sounds awesome, but the problem is he never gave me much training on it. He showed me how to slip the clutch, how to use the choke, and how to ride the brakes. My biggest problem is when I release the clutch the front wheel becomes hard to keep on the ground, this is also where the hanging on tight really comes into play. I hold the brakes like he showed me but if I change gears it just wants to pick up the front tire again. I'm about half afraid to get it past gear 3 because it just wants to go too fast. I'm afraid that my brakes will wear out pretty fast at this rate. How often do you replace the brakes and how expensive is it? When I'm slowing down for a red light or stop sign, every time I change gears and let out the clutch it wants to wheelie again. I've seen a few motorcycles running around on the back wheel but they go by so fast that I have not been able to notice the correct way to do this. The hardest part is getting used to the front wheel slamming down on the road when you pull in the clutch. It hits really hard, sometimes I think it might knock out my new filling in my tooth, then the minute I let out the clutch it wants to raise back up again, so I pull the clutch back in and it slams down again. Maybe I'm missing something but this is more scary than fun and I'm having trouble making it look graceful. Can someone give me some tips on this, I'm almost tiring of people pointing and laughing at me simply because my tire slams down so hard. Next question, should I maybe check out a smaller bike or just keep working on my style. He bet me I would be willing to give it back to him and forget the loan within 2 weeks. Well 2 weeks is fast approaching and I really hate to hear I told you so, so if any of you guys can advise me I would really be thankful.

[Anonymous]

Was your Boyfriends name CLAUDE???

[Dink]

Take it to any Motorcycle mechanic to at least have a look at, by the sounds of it either your entire post is a fairy tale or your ex has no idea what he is doing, or he knows exactly what he is doing and just wants you to scare the cr@p out of yourself and give it back, if it is an 1150 and it sounds like it is from its behaviour, it is the best belanced big bore you can get on, so if I had to learn to ride on a big bike that would be my choice.
Dink

[Anonymous]

It sounds to me like maybe the idle is set way too high or maybe you are forgetting to take the choke off after warming it up and before riding. The idle on most bikes is adjustable by a thumbwheel under the carbs. The choke can run the rpms up to 4000 or more and that would cause the kind of problem you are having. The rpms should be under 2000 for safe riding unless you are a very experienced rider.

[redliner1973]

are you planning on doing the work yourself? :twisted:

[Anonymous]

This is a joke, right? (But a very good one, I might add. )

[Anonymous]

It took me forever to figure out how to get back here. I'll call the shop but I can't imagine what that will cost. I may just eat crow and give it back to him.

[bgk]

Renae,

Either you are a very clever joke-teller, or you are a women that a lot of single guys (and maybe a couple of the married ones) on this website would very much like to meet!

Assuming that your post is not a joke, the dial on the right is your tachometer and indicates the engine revolutions per minute (RPM) multiplied by one thousand. The "7 on the right gage" you posted , means that your engine is "reving" (spinning) at the rate of 7000 RPM. At idle, your engine should rev at around 1000 to maybe 1200 RPM. If you are idling anywhere above about 1500 RPM, your idle is set way too high. Either you are running with the choke on, or you need to reduce the warm-engine idle with the thumb screw located under the center of the carburetors, or both. No wonder you are "popping wheelies" all the time!

It sounds lile you have a Suzuki GS 1150. This is a big, heavy, and very, very powerful bike, even for you at 6-feet and 135 lbs, with previous dirt-bike experience. With careful practice and proper instruction, you could safely keep and ride and enjoy this bike, but most people (chauvinist men) would consider this too much bike for you.

You absolutely, positively need to have someone with bike experience both inspect your motorcycle and teach you to ride a street bike.

Go to the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) website, and look into a Rider Training Course. You can contact a guy on this website, Keith Black (GS Resources identifier: KGB) who is connected with Ironstone Ventures motorcycle training school.

Get your bike looked at by someone who really knows what they are doing, preferably a professional motorcycle shop with experience with older Japanese bikes (typically, Harley shops don't have a clue about non-Harley bikes).

Ride carefull. Ride safe. Ride happy.

[dwarf8]

Hi Renae.
If this isn't a "ha-ha":
First, you got a great deal. A guy for a GS1150 is a terrific swap even if you did have to put in a few bucks!
Second, the fact that you haven't dropped it yet with all these wheelies means you have a great riding sense and will be a good rider but you really need to get some training to be safe. It's not the falling that hurts, it's the guy driving over you afterwards that smarts like heck.
You have found the right place for solid advice. I have only been coming here for a few weeks but there are any number of knowledgeable and kind folks on this site to help you through the rough spots. Best of luck.

P.S. I have a good, low mileage, used wife I'm willing to swap for a good used GS. I will also pony up a little cash for the right set of wheels.

[Anonymous]

What the heck? Is this for real?
If not, you are desperately in need of proper rider training before you kill youself, blow your fork seals, flatten your tires and get road rash all over your almost 6 foot tall body and ruin a perfectly desireable motorcycle.

[Anonymous]

Paragraph too long. Didn't get far; from the responses, I can tell I'm glad I didn't.

Nick

[Anonymous]

Look under her profile. She claims to be a librarian from 'Main'. Now, I'm Canadian, but even I know it's spelled 'Maine', you'd think a librarian would get it right!

[Craig]

I am still laughing!!!!

Craig

[earlfor]

Hey, wait a minute. I can always use another good 1150E and I want in on this deal. I'll throw in a used wife, some out of favor friends, my neighbors hairball spitting cat and the first penny I found on the sidewalk.

Earl

P.S. I have a good, low mileage, used wife I'm willing to swap for a good used GS. I will also pony up a little cash for the right set of wheels.

[Anonymous]

I finally had time to read all the responses to my dilema and I have to say, Man, this is a tough croud. Am I a joke because I'm a female, because I don't know anything about big masculine bikes, or because in a hurry I didn't check that I hit the E key in one word in my profile? I come here for a little free advice and already people are wanting to meat me, my exboyfriend wanted to meat me too, I'm glad that didn't happen. It's allright if you don't believe a woman can ride a troubled bike without killing herself, and it's allright if my paragraphs are so long that, with your attention deficit you can't finish reading it, But what I don't think is allright is thinking I'm a joke just because I'm new to something. So that I don't bore you to tears I'll finish by saying that the only MC dealer near me is a Harley Davidson dealer, they don't work on Japanese bikes, but have offered me $1800.00 for the bike as it sits and since I'm such a joke here and really don't see getting any free advice, I'll just sell it and move on. I was hoping you guys were a little more receptive to new members but I guess that's not going to happen.