A service manual, a decent bike lift, and this forum will be your best starting point. I don't know what kinds of tools you have but I just started buying tools that I didn't already have, as I needed them for certain jobs as I went along. A good torque wrench is a plus as well. Actually two of them - 1 for foot lbs and one for inch lbs. Most every bolt on your bike should be torqued to specs and having a supply of loc-tite around is always a good idea too.

 

Thanks to everyone for your responses ill be heading out to my dealer today for the service manual and as it is supposed to rain in buffalo for a week i will probably get started on little stuff very soon

 

The best $10 you'll spend on your bike is for a 12 pack of your favorite beer. You can thoroughly enjoy the beer while occassionally turning a bolt or just looking at your bike to see where you can personalize it the cheapest way possible. Just sayin...

 

Get yourself a basic set of tools. When you need something that you don't have then buy it (i.e. internal and external snap ring plyers). But buy GOOD tools. Craftsman will replace a tool for free but I'd rather spend the money for a good one than have a tool break when I'm in the middle of a project.

 

I'd live with the bike a bit before changing anything, find out what bothers you the most, seat, bars, sound, handling, ect. and then change stuff.

 

Good advice. I've got a ton of idea (mostly from this forum) but I want to know what is normal for the bike. Then I'll change what sucks and what I want to change.