old Suzuki gs500e sitting around for a year

[Shortfuse]

i have come to acquire a Suzuki Gs500, 1994 from a friend.
it has been sitting around outside in the new york weather for about a year and i am wondering what i should do to service it.
i am planning on doing the servicing myself.
i am very new at this, and also i have no idea how to start the bike. the battery is dead and i do now know how to access it.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Keith]

so i bet it was like a snowman about 2 months ago when the snow was knee deep?
if you have no idea what to do, just buy a workshop manual, give that a good read.. get to know the bike, then take 1 step at a time.
the GS is the naked bike am i right?
smart machines, much like the CB500
____________________
Aprilia RSV Mille R Edwards Replica - Aprilia RS250 - Suzuki GSXR600 Supersport Race Bike

[Kickstart]

Hi

A new battery is probably required, but not sure where that is on the GS500.

However I would drain the carbs and replace the fuel in the tank (as I understand it, US fuel is even worse than UK fuel for going off with age). You may have to strip down and clean the carbs. New spark plugs would help as well. Change the oil as well (used engine oil contains acids that can damage the bearings in the engine). The air filter is probably OK, but might be worth checking.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing