maintenance for older bike

[debtman7]

Hi,

I'm picking up a 1996 GS500 with 3,600 miles on it. It's obviously sat for quite a bit of it's life. Everything looks in great shape, no rust on the chain or in the gas tank, etc. It has an unknown maintenance history, other than the battery is new.

Things I plan to do:

- new tires (they are only 2 years old, but have a lot of sidewall cracks)
- change brake fluid
- change oil
- clean air filter (or replace if it's bad)

There are some things that it seems maybe I should do even though in theory the bike doesn't have enough miles to require them, but it's sat for a long time so... Can anyone advise me on these?

- Change fork oil: looks somewhat complicated, but I'm game. How bad is it? Should I definitely do this?

- Spark plugs: should I check the gapping? Or just replace them?

- Brake lines: should I replace them? I see varying references to how often lines should be replaced. If they're in good shape should I keep them, or replace them just to be safe?

- Valves: this looks rather complex... Should I adjust them or can that wait?

- Carbs: Do I need to clean them out or do anything. I'd rather not yet as that seems like a big job...

Anything else I'm missing?

As for tires, what do most people do to replace them? Order online and install yourself, order online and have a shop install, or just take it to a local shop?

[jonnythan]

Hi,

I'm picking up a 1996 GS500 with 3,600 miles on it. It's obviously sat for quite a bit of it's life. Everything looks in great shape, no rust on the chain or in the gas tank, etc. It has an unknown maintenance history, other than the battery is new.

Things I plan to do:

- new tires (they are only 2 years old, but have a lot of sidewall cracks)
- change brake fluid
- change oil
- clean air filter (or replace if it's bad)

There are some things that it seems maybe I should do even though in theory the bike doesn't have enough miles to require them, but it's sat for a long time so... Can anyone advise me on these?

- Change fork oil: looks somewhat complicated, but I'm game. How bad is it? Should I definitely do this?

- Spark plugs: should I check the gapping? Or just replace them?

- Brake lines: should I replace them? I see varying references to how often lines should be replaced. If they're in good shape should I keep them, or replace them just to be safe?

- Valves: this looks rather complex... Should I adjust them or can that wait?

- Carbs: Do I need to clean them out or do anything. I'd rather not yet as that seems like a big job...

Anything else I'm missing?

As for tires, what do most people do to replace them? Order online and install yourself, order online and have a shop install, or just take it to a local shop?

My non-mechanic 2 cents:

Spark plugs will be fine with under 4000 miles on the bike.

Don't worry about the carbs unless there's an actual problem (bike won't start, sputtering, that kinda thing).

Same with brakes. That bike is barely 10 years old. If the lines look fine and the brakes feel fine, don't worry about it. Might want to check the fluid level and maybe bleed the brakes just to be on the safe side if you want.

As for tires, I ordered mine from Chaparral Racing and then carried the tires and wheels into the dealer. I saved $100 over the dealer cost by buying the tires online, so even after the $56 installation fee (which I would have been charged anyway even if I bought the tires at the dealer) I still came out ahead.

[TR7]

I really wouldnt worry about the fork oil, brake lines, carbs or valves unless there is something that is wrong with them. Eventually all these things are going to need to be looked at, but just to get the bike running first, they can wait. And 96 was the year for the good colors, nice job

[debtman7]

Ok, so my basic plans should work A lot of sites say change the fork oil every 2 years but this bike probably has less than 1 year of miles on it. I'll save that for next year then.

I don't know much about the color history, but it's candy apple red which looks great to me

[Bubba]

I would just give the bike a good general going over. Oil, and lube everything including the clutch and break cabels. Also lube the tac cabel.
If the bike was running when you first checked it out the carbs should be OK. You might want to run some Gumout or carb cleaner through the first tank full of gas, just to clean it out. Also check out the gas and break lines for cracks or wear. Also run the engine with the reserve fuel lever on, for a short while, just to clean that out.
Oh yes! Be sure to lube the chain and adjust it.
Other than that, just give it a good bath and enjoy. The 500 is a good reliable bike.

[Sev]

I'm going to weigh in here on the opposite end of the spectrum. I don't think my word holds any more weight then anyone else but:

I'd change the fork oil, even if they haven't seen much use it will still have broken down the metal somewhat, and you will have sludge in there. The seals are also potentially dried... and that means they will start to leak soon.

The carbs... depending on how the bike was stored could be full varnished, could be well rusted, or could be fine. At the very least I'd take them off and check the floats for rust or varnish.

The tank will probably have rust inside it, as will the cylinders - you'll want to check the tank: Remove it, and the petcock, shine a light inside and look for rusting (mine rusted a small amount in 1 winter)

Change the sparkplugs, they're 10 years old, and cost maybe $10 each, a very small price to pay for a sound mind.

Change the brake fluid - no ifs and or buts, it's basically gone bad after 2 years. By 10 it might start to crystalize or congeal - it won't work as well as it should. It can also potentially cause damage to the caliper.

As for the brake lines - they tend to stretch over time with use so they might be okay considering how few miles are on them. Check them over very carefully for cracks or leaking fluid.

Your valves... should still be okay - but your cylinders are potentially rusted. Does the bike run at all?

There are other things to think about, but that'll get you started.

[tim conroy]

I agree with sev.Change everything relating to fluid. Use some seafoam in the gas and carbs to get them going good again and maybe you wont have to rebuild them.Change spark plugs and air filter and oil and filter.