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Here's a fun one for you: 1981 GS550E. . . . or is it?

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    Here's a fun one for you: 1981 GS550E. . . . or is it?

    This summer, I bought a 1981 GS 550E from a guy in Windsor, CA.

    About a week after I bought it, I discovered that it leaked oil like a sieve, so I took it to the local mechanic to replace the Base gasket, head gasket, et al. I told him what the bike was, a 1981 GS550E

    At first glance, it is "obviously" a GS 550E, even to the mechanic. It has the E tank, the E seat, side covers, the E instument cluster, and E-bars.

    There's only one problem. It's not a GS 550E; its a bizarre hybrid that someone custom made.

    This actually bike started off its life as a 1981 GS 550TX.

    Whoever owned it before the guy I bought it from had cut the old frame and welded on a different rear bracket to fit the seat and rear end of a 550E, replaced the instrument cluster, side covers, and tank.
    The engine and frame are still 1981 550TX (we figured it out after one hell of a headache for my poor mechanic trying to match parts), but this bike has undergone some serious Frankensteinization.

    #2
    Pics would be nice! My 80 gs550 is the same way. It has a speedo and tach that i have never before seen on ANY suzuki. The speedo goes to 160 and the tach has no redline, just ends at 9g.

    Oh well, gotta love them old bikes...

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      #3
      the good thing is 95% of 550 part are interchangeable, all of the mechanicals are the same, 550's with cv carbs use the same carb parts so order what you can find. the only real diffrence between a 81T and a 80E is body style, everything elses should be pretty similar

      -ryan
      78 GS1000 Yosh replica racer project
      82 Kat 1000 Project
      05 CRF450x
      10 990 ADV-R The big dirt bike

      P.S I don't check PM to often, email me if you need me.

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        #4
        At least you won't see one like it on every street corner.

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