New GSX-S 125 owner

[Godzilla_88]

So after years of deliberation, I finally took the plunge and took my CBT. I'm a massive petrol head and have always loved cars and bikes but never got round to doing anything about the bike side of things until now.

After taking the CBT in Oct 2017, the GSX-S caught my eye as a potential contender for my first bike. A lot of people had said to me to continue on with the DAS and get something larger but the BIL convinced me to hone my skills on a smaller bike first. After test riding in Nov, I finally found a fantastic deal this month and took delivery 4 days ago.

As an absolute novice on a bike, to say I was nervous of riding is an understatement, especially after the "encouragement" I received from everyone I'd ever met. Well, the bike was delivered to me while the snow fell, with delivery driver warning me of a "scrubbing in period" for tyres (i'm sure this is all boring stuff for those in the know but all a surprise to those like me!) as well as brakes etc. With all that said, the Dunlop rubber the bike comes with has been fantastic so far and after 100+ miles, should be well worn in by now.

My main gripe is the running in period. Suzuki states a 500 mile period of no more than 5500rpm (red line is 11,500 and 6th gear @ 5500 is 40mph). This means painfully slow acceleration (don't use full throttle for this period ) especially when on a main commuter road at rush hour. Besides this, the bike in fantastic and I can't wait till I can use it properly (all 15bhp )

Are there any other GSX-S owners here that can share their experiences? And anyone with any beginner tips?

Cheers

[Birky_41]

Don't worry about that running in bit too much

Always warm it up properly before really thrashing it but when you first start it after 10-20 seconds just ride keeping things smooth until the engine is upto temp

You won't harm it taking it up higher in the revs just don't pin it to the limiter or labour it until that fresh oil is in after the service

Enjoy

[Godzilla_88]

Cheers for the advice. I'm not sure when the engine is warm but I give it a couple of miles before accelerating a little harder.

To be honest i'm already pining for more power but know from the mistakes i'm making that i'm not ready for that yet

[Scobblelotcher]

Well congrats and enjoy the ride! (excuse the pun!).

I did it the other way and did my CBT/DAS in one week and then got on a GSX-R600 which I still have and love.

I don't think its about power, its about how sensible you are really. Your GSX-S is still plenty quick enough to get in trouble. I personally just took it easy for a few thousand miles before starting to scare myself on a fairly frequent basis. I think for me the two main things were paying attention to road conditions (it that road ideal for full throttle? How tricky is that corner on a less than perfect road?) and anticipating other road users.

And then other than that, for me it was just trying to ride at every opportunity and even now if I don't ride for a few weeks I feel rusty.

[Jazoli]

Just get it warm then use all the revs and all the power, don't let it labour in a high gear and don't spend ages riding on the rev limiter, it won't break or blow up and will probably run better anyway.

[Godzilla_88]

Thanks mate!

Straight on to a 600 supersport sounds awesome (and mental )

I'd agree it's to do with rider input and am finding myself paying way more attention to the road surface and other drivers than I would in a car. Since getting the bike all i think about is riding and buying stuff for the bike/me to ride haha the wife would have something to say if she didn't spend all her money on clothes!

Cheers for the insight on how you got in to biking, it's nice to know you can get straight on to something properly quick and not be doomed! If the BIL has anything to do with it i'll be straight on to a Triumph Street Triple next but i'm liking the new GSX-S family quite a lot so the 750 might be in with a shout...

[Godzilla_88]

Jazoli said:

Just get it warm then use all the revs and all the power, don't let it labour in a high gear and don't spend ages riding on the rev limiter, it won't break or blow up and will probably run better anyway.

i'd love to but have heard the ECU's on newer bikes can log the revs used and don't want to invalidate the warranty by using more revs than the manual says. It's a pain in the arse but I guess I need to bumble around at painfully low revs for another 400 miles.

[catso]

Birky_41 said:

Don't worry about that running in bit too much

Always warm it up properly before really thrashing it but when you first start it after 10-20 seconds just ride keeping things smooth until the engine is upto temp

You won't harm it taking it up higher in the revs just don't pin it to the limiter or labour it until that fresh oil is in after the service

Enjoy

Agreed, Plenty of firm acceleration/deceleration to put pressure both ways on the piston rings but don't keep it at full throttle or even too much constant throttle and don't labour it in a low gear.

Some say that a hard running in is better and I'm inclined to agree to some extent; 5 minutes on the dyno or take it easy down the pit lane then off you go...

[wjb]

Well done for taking the plunge OP

[Cbull]

Typical biker, already planning for the next bike before you've even broke into the new one you've just bought ha ha.

Congrats, lovely looking bikes they are

[Godzilla_88]

Cbull said:

Typical biker, already planning for the next bike before you've even broke into the new one you've just bought ha ha.

Congrats, lovely looking bikes they are

haha so true. I just need to exercise some patience.

Cheers, I am a big fan of the look. I've had a few compliments when riding it but none seem to be from women yet.....

[Billy Grays]

Hey Godzilla 88,

Do you notice any difference in the sound after 5500rpm, mine sounds like a can of nails but the dealer states its ok. even just had the first service done.

[crofty1984]

Lots of well-meaning people will tell you "ooh, you can be the best rider in the world, but there's nothing you can do about all those other idiots on the road that will kill you". They mean well, but it's bks.
No matter how skilled a ride you are, you can't control what some other road users does, true. BUT you can certainly see there's a junction and be prepared to brake just in case someone pulls out. Or you can ease off the throttle round that blind bend that's usually clear but may have a broken down tractor on it today.

Another related bit of advice was "if you can't see for a fact that it's clear, assume it isn't and be prepared."

Also, motorbikes are cool and make you look incredibly sexy and brilliant. So there's that.