I have an 01 500R and I need a rear tire, does anyone know where a good place to look is?
Also, these bikes have no way of telling you your low in gas. is there a way I could hook something up cause i dont wanna push the bike. lol
thanks
Lisa

 

Congrats on the bike... No clue on the tire, but how most of us w/o gas guages/lights do it is fill your tank, reset your trip meter, make sure your fuel valve is in the ON position (very important), then ride till you run out of gas (your bike starts sputtering). Switch to RES, find a gas station and fill her up. Switch back to ON and note how many miles you got.

Reset your trip meter every time you fill her up, and you'll have a good idea of how many more miles you've got on any tank. I like it better than any meter, because it's easier for me to tell if I'll make it to the next town or not. I get about 150miles before I have to switch it to RES... Any other 500R's want to chime in w/their mileage? Bluebird?

 

I'm currently working on figuring mine out! Seeing as last year was my first year, I'd always make sure I had plenty of gas before heading out - being a new rider, last thing I wanted to worry about was whether or not I was going to run out of gas!

Anyways, so far I've got 268 kms on my last fill up. I'll keep ya posted on what I get per tank. And Lisa what Gerg said is good advice - its what I'm in the process of doing right now. You will need to do this also as your fuel mileage will depend on your riding style. If you ride hard, you'll have lower fuel mileage than someone that takes it easier.

I actually prefer having the option to switch to reserve (I know for a fact I can go quite a while on reserve! kind of embarrassing story there.......)

 

Alrighty! Well I got 350 kms on my bike and still hadn't had to switch her to reserve. Got a little nervous with it though cause gas stations were getting further and further apart, so I pulled in and filled her up. Seeing as the tanks on the 500 hold 18 litres and I was only able to put in 14 litres - I still had another 4 litres of gas in it. So I know I can easily get 300 to 350 kms per tank before I need to start looking for a gas station.

 

so true gerg, hey, ya gotta love that reserve switch, i've used it many of times.....

 

^ amen to the switch^^^^ saved my *** twice already

 

Back to the tire question. The best place to get a tire is any local shop or dealership that has a reputable tech AND a computerized spin-balancer.
Getting a tire cheap is nice, but it will last longer and the bike will handle better if the wheel is properly balanced after the tire is mounted. If you rely on the static-balance method, the tire will not really be balanced, and if it's the front tire, you'll know when you take your hands off the bars and the front wiggles back and forth at speed.
Cheaping out on the tire installation job is penny-wise and pound-foolish, IMO.
Here in California, we have Cycle Gear, which is usually cheaper than dealerships, uses a computer spin-balancer and every shop of theirs I've patronized has been excellent. (The one up in Oakland really saved my @$$ when I had a flat-tire 600+ miles from home and I had to be at work the next day.
-Chris in Carlsbad
http://www.calamarichris.com/

 

Hi Lisa, and welcome to the forums.

I agree on the tire, go to a local shop or your dealer. They will have the right equipment to install and balance the tire properly.

I also use the trip meter to check mileage for fill ups, I have an 06 500R and I get between 190 and 200 miles before I need to stop to refill the tank. It just depends on how hard I crank the throttle whether it is sooner or later. Make sure you practice reaching down to find your fuel valve and know which way reserve is located. If your bike starts to sputter and you are in heavy traffic, it will save you from getting run over.

Tim