1978 GS550 project

[Nightcrawler]

Original intro thread is here.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=188723

I guess this thing could be considered a full fledged project.. it has been hitting my wallet like one as of late. So decided to move my thread here as it seemed more fitting.

I have a few questions I need some help with.

1-How the **** do I get the sprocket dampeners back into position, I tried using a tap hammer tried constant pressure everything I could think of for 40 mins or so before giving up. Is there a trick? I don't want to scratch the wheels up getting these things back into the holes.

2-Is 16 gauge steel thick enough to weld onto this bike? I bought a sheet and was going to try then read a few places today that 12 gauge is recommended?

Riding season is approaching fast, would love to get this thing on the road instead of standing around it for countless hours.

[DannyMotor]

16 Gauge is pretty light stuff... id use 12.

Have you tried greasing the pucks?? That and constant pressure should do it.

[Nightcrawler]

Put in almost 15 hours this weekend on the bike got a lot done.

Wheels and axles are up and attached
New brake pads installed
New petcock installed
New fuel line with huge filter installed
New speedo/tach installed with idiot lights
Tarozzi rear sets fitted, installed and adjusted
Almost all electronics sorted decided to wait until I could have a professional welder do my rear fender/battery holder combo before relocating the battery.
Carbs put on
Exhaust put on except megaphone with baffle because I have to remove the center kick to attach it.

List of bigger problems encountered
The cluch plate cover cover bolts are trashed- ordered new ones. 6mmx90mm metric by the way and need either an allen head or phillps as they are set in so no room for a socket.
One of the rear disc bolts had destroyed threads as well, along with the threads in the wheel, I fixed them thanks to my girlfriends dad (ford master technician for 28 years) having about half the tools on the planet.
Had to custom make a pin that would fit the rear master to attach the tarozzi brake set, used a standard clevis, chopped it and ground it slowly the the exact size.
My rear led combo (running/brake/turns) will not seem to work with the resistance mechanical relay so I have ordered a solid state 2 prong to replace and hopefully that should fix it.
I have no fuse box? Just a few fusible links also someone upgraded it to a dynatech electronic ignition I might have mentioned that earlier...
The overfill tube carb #4 is literally cracked a split hair all the way down it which is really hard to see (the previous owner kept telling me the carbs were flooding) but really the bowl was just leaking. So I took a piece of vent tube and sealed it capping it. Currently looking for a replacement bowl but I am aware that if the carb floods I could run gas into the engine with the tube being plugged on that bowl.


Whats left before I can ride?
Rear seat needs fabed still got supplies.
Rear cowl needs painted
Adjust clutch (easy stuff with new bolts)
Attaching rear cowl/seat combo
Taillight/turns combo needs a solid state relay as I could not get it to work with resistors I tried tons of combos with a fog light and different OHM resistors with no luck. *(easily 4 hours of my weekend.)
Need to select or fab a license plate holder and light- anyone have suggestions for this?
Buy a horn and attach it.
My air filters for the carbs don't fit really well on carbs 1 and 4 because of the frame, may do a 90 degree elbow or look for a better solution-anyone have ideas?

Also on the to do list but could ride beforehand.
Exhaust wraps (I hate fiberglass)
Fork brace? Will the fender be enough?

I also shot some video of starting it with the carbs just connected but then spent 2-3 hours attaching the exhaust and tuning a bit so its a lot better but still needs some tuning. (Thinking I want to attach pods and full exhaust first to find the best set). I will put that up though if someone knows an easy way.

Anyways I took this sometime Saturday but mostly did electrical work Sunday so much did not change.

[DannyMotor]

A fender will be plenty for a fork brace. Or, you an cut the rivets and pop out the inner support and make a little 'custom' fork brace from that, that way you can still have a naked front wheel if that's the look you're going for.

Great progress! Ace/HomeDepot both carry 6mm x 19mm allen bolts in stainless. I was able to get 99% of my bolts from Ace except for the 35mm ones needed for the clutch and chain covers.

[240punk]

Looking awesome! No interested in battery relocation?

[Nightcrawler]

Looking awesome! No interested in battery relocation?

Going to relocate but need to get the bike drivable so I can take it to a shop. I don't own a trailer here in Chicago and I sold my f250 when I moved downtown. I don't really trust my welding skills (or lack there of) to weld the rear fender/battery box combo in. I also don't own a MIG or TIG setup otherwise I would practice and give it a go.

If anyone knows of a better solution I am all ears.

While I wait for some parts to get in I started some seat cushion fab, first time I have made a seat so if anyone has any suggestions I am more then willing to listen.

I cut templates out of cardboard then cut some Neoprene regular foam (after reading a crap ton on foams) because of these qualities:

Resistance To:
* Acid, Alkalis, Oxidation,
Ozone: Excellent
* Gasoline & Oil, Aromatic hydrocarbons, Ketones: Fair

thermal and moisture insulation / expansion joint filler in masonry and concrete / filler support sealant in traffic bearing joints / other applications that require a firm, economical and durable gasket (motorcycle or boat seats)

Going to to do two layers on the bottom and one on the bumpstop. Next I will cut some memory foam or something similar and glue a few layers on top. Wrap in vinyl and attach to the seat via industrial velcro. This is the plan now anyways we shall see how it goes.

[240punk]

Should have made your seat out of beef jerky.
Has anyone done a battery delete on a GS?
Mostly knee jerk purists so i doubt it but I'm strongly considering doing a kick start only bike and fabbing up a starter block off plate.

[Redneck]

I have a kickstart on my bike but without the battery whether its dead or not, the bike won't start. The electrical system needs it in place as a load of some kind. There are other in the electrical section that can explain it. Post a thread there, see what kind of reponse you get.

Paul

[JohnnyS]

That is going to be a sick looking bike.. Nice work

[240punk]

Did a lot of research on battery delete and a capacitor will work in place of the battery. Some bikes require the battery to creaet an electrical field around the coils, that's why I asked. But our bikes don't!

[Nightcrawler]

Update

Finished making the seat pad, and attempted to tune the carbs with no luck.

First off the seat pads turned out nice, I used a thick embroidering thread and some vinyl I had left over from making a poker table. The cushy foam is super dense polyester foam from walmart costs 8 bucks a square. I only needed one for the whole seat but I bought 2.

Basically just sew 3 sides stuffed it, shaped it how I wanted then sew up the other end and trimmed it up. Works nice very awesome to sit on for a cafe just need to attach with some industrial Velcro. That way I can take it off easily since its not 100% waterproof.

Anyways some pictures.

Basically how i layered it up before closing it all in.


Not finished here just mocking it up, I left about an 2 inch run off to bend up to go in between the tank and my crotch.


Not attached yet so the vinyl is still tight pulling it, I sat on it on the bike and it fit perfect.

[Nightcrawler]

Update

Got so much done this weekend even with the rain here.

-Built a custom mount for exhaust and mounted.
-Finished small paintwork Tree Cover, Seat Cowl, Front fender, Rear master clip small odds and ends
-Attached the seat
-Finished 95% of electrical including a custom Gear box indicator.
-Bled the brakes
-Rebuilt the carbs again, with 100 mains 17.5 pilot jets and adjusted the needle do the 4th clip.
-Drove the ****ing bike! <-- For about 10 minutes but still, I was so pumped up to finally get on the thing and it was awesome my adrenaline was going the whole time.
-Removed center stand as it was in the way of my exhaust.
-Attached odds and ends

A few remaining problems:
-I should probably wrap the exhaust, how much wrap do I need for this 4-1? Just buy, wet, wrap, use steel ties then spray with silicone right?
-The rear brake seemed very weak, I bled them after and it seems a bit better but something is off it feels spongy.
-There was a random metal on metal noise I could hear at lower speeds like something was hitting it had to come from one of the wheels but I had my helmet on and could not tell. I will ride by someone at low speed over and over until we find it I suppose.
-I still need to plug chop tune these carbs however when I start the bike it acts as if it is very lean until it gets warmed up then seems just ok. When I shut the fuel off should I leave it in the on position for a while before I fire her up or am I doing something else wrong?

Picture time!

my super awesome high tech 2 stage paint booth!



Examples of my painting semi gloss black(to match rims) and textured metallic(to match frame).


Seat Cowl in pure primer


Gauges set up, I plan to tint the glass over the box with a heavy tint so you can't see the box until lit.

[Guest]

Welding Help

I'm in NW suburbs,have35 years welding and fab exp.Have several Suzuki-XS 650 projects going.All I do is tig and work cheap.Don't have my duallie anymore but maybe we can figure a way to get your welding needs taken care of?PM me if your still need some help. Rich

[Nightcrawler]

I'm in NW suburbs,have35 years welding and fab exp.Have several Suzuki-XS 650 projects going.All I do is tig and work cheap.Don't have my duallie anymore but maybe we can figure a way to get your welding needs taken care of?PM me if your still need some help. Rich

I will take you up on that for sure, what north northwest suburb?

Got a lot done
-Made a connector for the rear Led taillight/turns (from an old trailer connector)
-Moved sets to a better position.
-Put 20 miles on the bike around my neighborhood. She goes 80 easy but still flat in a lot of spots. Probably needs vacuum sinc. But so much FUN! 3 people stopped me to talk about it just randomly, even got waves from some harley guys.
-Change fuel line to a more direct route.
-Adjusted clutch
-Wrapped fuel cover in vinyl to match seat.


Few questions before I post the pictures?
At what rpm should I be shifting, or does someone have a chart with the torque ranges? This is different then any bike I have owned so I am not to sure I am hitting the range right or just may be poor tuning.

Is there an LED headlight swap available because this front light is not that bright comparatively to modern lighting?

[Toasty]

Its looking great so far. How do you like those gauges? I want to pick up a set for my 550.