GS550 Replacement Gauges and Lowering Advice.

[hobojuankenobi]

I just got a '78 GS550 and am looking to get rid of the stock gauges in favor of something a little more sleek and small. Does anyone have any advice on gauges that will be easy to install with minimal fuss? Something less expensive would be preferable.

Also in the future I would like to lower both the front and rear end. For those of you who have done that, what kind of advice do you have about going about it.

[ironash]

Mikes sx

I have an 80 gs 450. I went to www.mikesxs.com.

http://www.mikesxs.net/mikesxs-accessories.php?category_id=8.1

go halfway down the page to find the gauges. Now Someone told me that the yammies tach is 1.5 and the sukis is 1.6 or the other way around but it's close enough for me. Also when you hook up the turn signal indicator you need to add a 12v zener diode into the blinker lines or it won't work right. I plan on adding those this weekend. They look really great and will mount on the handle bars with a mount they sell or they should mount where the old guage cluster holes were. Simple and sharp looking.

[t3rmin]

I have an 80 gs 450. I went to www.mikesxs.com.

http://www.mikesxs.net/mikesxs-accessories.php?category_id=8.1

go halfway down the page to find the gauges. Now Someone told me that the yammies tach is 1.5 and the sukis is 1.6 or the other way around but it's close enough for me. Also when you hook up the turn signal indicator you need to add a 12v zener diode into the blinker lines or it won't work right. I plan on adding those this weekend. They look really great and will mount on the handle bars with a mount they sell or they should mount where the old guage cluster holes were. Simple and sharp looking.

It's 1.5 and 1.4 (I think). And it's not as close as you think. It's WAY off... my tach is just decoration now (didn't know the ratio diff when I bought). You can find those same tachs in the right ratio if you look around though.

[hobojuankenobi]

I have an 80 gs 450. I went to www.mikesxs.com.

http://www.mikesxs.net/mikesxs-accessories.php?category_id=8.1

go halfway down the page to find the gauges. Now Someone told me that the yammies tach is 1.5 and the sukis is 1.6 or the other way around but it's close enough for me. Also when you hook up the turn signal indicator you need to add a 12v zener diode into the blinker lines or it won't work right. I plan on adding those this weekend. They look really great and will mount on the handle bars with a mount they sell or they should mount where the old guage cluster holes were. Simple and sharp looking.

Those look really nice. I am trying to decide between one of those or this one from JC Whitney: http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...014720/c-10111. Anyone have any experience with the JC Whitney one?

[ironash]

I personally like the light indicators myself. I know I'm the kind of guy that has tipped over my bike once or twice because I thought it was in neutral and it did the jerk on me. I didn't realize the 1.4 and 1.5 were that big a difference. Do you know how to multiply/divide it to see what you would really have? I normally just go by the sound of the motor when tuning anyways. I do like the tack when I'm riding it something seems wrong. I can look and see if the rpms are jerking around at at what range it happens in.

[hobojuankenobi]

I have an 80 gs 450. I went to www.mikesxs.com.

http://www.mikesxs.net/mikesxs-accessories.php?category_id=8.1

go halfway down the page to find the gauges. Now Someone told me that the yammies tach is 1.5 and the sukis is 1.6 or the other way around but it's close enough for me. Also when you hook up the turn signal indicator you need to add a 12v zener diode into the blinker lines or it won't work right. I plan on adding those this weekend. They look really great and will mount on the handle bars with a mount they sell or they should mount where the old guage cluster holes were. Simple and sharp looking.

Does it matter what watt rating you use for that Zener Diode?

[ironash]

Watt rating

Actually I have no idea of the watt. Original posting of the diodes:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?p=512255#post512255

I'm by far an electricial guy. Everything I've learned usually comes from screwing up first then figuring stuff out. I should be going to radio shack today and picking some up if I can find them. I guess I'll just have to try things out to see what works.

[t3rmin]

I used a 12v zener.

[ironash]

Where to get the diode?

Where did you find the 12v diode. I checked radioshack and I could find the 400v and some other ones but not 12v.

[t3rmin]

My Ratshack had the 12v zener in stock so I dunno.

BTW, WRT tach ratios I had the bike up to 100mph yesterday and the tach was totally pegged. If the numbering went that high it would have been reading 20-25k RPMs. 100mph on the old tach was about 9K RPMs. So yeah, it's WAY off.

[Einar J Skog]

Hi

I think you can use 2 ordinary diodes (1N4001).
You use them to stop voltage to flow from one indicator wire and into the other.

[t3rmin]

Hi

I think you can use 2 ordinary diodes (1N4001).
You use them to stop voltage to flow from one indicator wire and into the other.

Whoops. Yep, that's two (2) diodes needed. I used two 12v zeners. For whatever reason I couldn't get regular diodes to work, although they should.

[ironash]

Sweet, I know the shack has 1N4001 in stock. That gives me something to do after I figure out why it won't start (probably battery) and why it will only run for 1/4 mile before giving it throttle bogs it down to a kill.