1985 Suzuki GS700EF

[cyclefvr2]

its not about looks, or i would remove ,and make my own link bar you know , i just want a nice wide performance tire, that gripps great!!
i love the corners
i had contiblitz tires (a set) on my kz 650 , there ****TY!!!-- they slide out from under you, and wear quickly!!, real dangerious, yea i wiped a couple times
the BEST TIRE I EVER RAN for cornering ,believe it or not was a stock tire on one of my kz's, i believe it was a bridgestone, but man,i could scrape the road and not slide with that thing!! it was a great tire great traction
definitly these new wide tires give you a sence of traction, but be careful of the compounds,they can slide worse than anything

btw- i also got hit from the rear in my tail light on it , some sumbitch hit me in the middle of no where, tried to get away from him,and me and a buddy went sliding, the road ate my knee up,had a 3 inch gash in it, butterfly stitches the next day about 12 years ago, but the sumbitch didnt even stopp!!! about 1240 am--
sorry i just though i would get it off my shoulders,n vent

[tejasmud]

Yes, there are some ignorant people out there. No tire can help on that one. No problem on the "venting" we all do at one time or another.

My worst and last wreck was in '88 on a '81 Kawi 750LTD, and because of tires, or tire really. Rear blew out in some twisties, which awarded me with a 2 and 1/2 months stay in a luxurious hospital learning to walk again from a broken neck. Needless to say I am very picky when it comes to tires. I don't mount them, plug them, if one even goes flat or looks like it has an issue I replace it, even if it is new or not.

I have always liked Pirelli tires, but also have run others that were great as well. Metzler, Dunlop......ect. They all have their pros and cons.

In opinion, the way a bike handles is as much of how the chassis/suspension is set up as it is the tires. Not to even mention the variability of the road, and power of the bike. The bikes now days are much more suited for carving up the corners. The 700E is more of a straight line bike for me, although it does good in corners as well. Just not as well as todays bikes.

Last year I bought a little '08 200cc China sport bike to peeter-putt around on in town while restoring the 700E. It can take about any corner at wide-open. The OEM tires are 140 and 110, but are hard as a granite brick. The rear slides a bit in the corners, but I'm used to it. The bike doesn't have enough power to break loose under throttle, so in some sense it's predictable. Actually the OEMs look like Cheng Shin "knock-offs." I know they will probably never wear out, so another year and I'll switch over to Pirellis on that machine as well.

Will have to re-learn the way the bike handles again, but that is a given when changes are done. Every machine handles differently, so for me switching between them always requires a little bit of an adjustment period.

[TheCafeKid]

Great stuff, I see you went with the Sport Demons. I ordered a set of tires for each bike so I went the budget route on the 700 and the 1100 got the Pirellis.

I have a fork seal leak and will probably tear them down this week, any advice? Iv'e never done it. I have the seals.

Joe, fork seals are CAKE brother. A little daunting to think about if you've never done em, but once you do, you'll say "Damn, thats all there is to it??" I spend more time getting the things off the bike than the actual job...

[jwhelan65]

Joe, fork seals are CAKE brother. A little daunting to think about if you've never done em, but once you do, you'll say "Damn, thats all there is to it??" I spend more time getting the things off the bike than the actual job...

Yeah looking at the shop manual they dont look to difficult, the problem is it is 106 degrees in my garage ..Its hotter than Haitis here!!

[cyclefvr2]

[QUOTE=tejasmud;1045628]Yes, there are some ignorant people out there. No tire can help on that one. No problem on the "venting" we all do at one time or another.

My worst and last wreck was in '88 on a '81 Kawi 750LTD, and because of tires, or tire really. Rear blew out in some twisties, which awarded me with a 2 and 1/2 months stay in a luxurious hospital learning to walk again from a broken neck. Needless to say I am very picky when it comes to tires. I don't mount them, plug them, if one even goes flat or looks like it has an issue I replace it, even if it is new or not.




i had my foot tore off at the ankle , now theres bone missing, steel in it, they reatatched it i can move it ,and walk for a couple hours now not with out pain killers though, needs fused ,its been 5 years for me this year around jan really been walkin more, im around 2 hours, then need time off it swells still ect...
im really lerious , really want to get a good set of ridin boots for street you know, ppl dont realize a smashed ankle ,and the rest of there life is changed
let a lone your neck!! ouch, best luck hope n prayers on it for you

[reddirtrider]

[QUOTE=cyclefvr2;1046771]

Yes, there are some ignorant people out there. No tire can help on that one. No problem on the "venting" we all do at one time or another.

My worst and last wreck was in '88 on a '81 Kawi 750LTD, and because of tires, or tire really. Rear blew out in some twisties, which awarded me with a 2 and 1/2 months stay in a luxurious hospital learning to walk again from a broken neck. Needless to say I am very picky when it comes to tires. I don't mount them, plug them, if one even goes flat or looks like it has an issue I replace it, even if it is new or not.




i had my foot tore off at the ankle , now theres bone missing, steel in it, they reatatched it i can move it ,and walk for a couple hours now not with out pain killers though, needs fused ,its been 5 years for me this year around jan really been walkin more, im around 2 hours, then need time off it swells still ect...
im really lerious , really want to get a good set of ridin boots for street you know, ppl dont realize a smashed ankle ,and the rest of there life is changed
let a lone your neck!! ouch, best luck hope n prayers on it for you

Wow, that makes my story pretty tame by comparison.

I went down on the XR650 and my foot got caught under the bike in the process. I wear a nice set of Alpine Stars but they only keep your foot in line with your thigh in a sided to side motion (catching your toe on a rock for instance to keep it from twisting) not up and down movement. Well, my foot was extended down and tore all the ligaments on the top. The doctor said I'd never run again, but I can.

Sorry, not a tire story, but you're right about your feet and ankles - PROTECT THEM AT ALL COST! Get a nice set of boots buddy, you deserve them.

[cyclefvr2]

thanks redrider

[tejasmud]

Here is what I have come up with on the oil temperature and fuel gauge needle issue. Since the chance of ever finding replacements would be a PITA, I just made some.

Here is what the guage needles looked like after pulling them out to replace the cases.



So where to start, first the sheet of 1/8" lexan I used for the face of the instrument was enough to make about 10 faces, so I just took a strip of te lexan and did some rough cuts on the band saw. They started out like this, but these are just a few of the practice runs.



Then lots of work with a dremil tool and file knocked them down to resemble the originals. Not perfect, but close. This is just before the needles were filed down some more, and sanded to 0.070" thickness.



Then for the back feature, which serve as travel stops as the needle swings, a piece of 1/4" lexan was cut into a piece 1/4" x 1/4" x 1". This was filed down to resemble the feature on the back similar to an extrusion in length. From there they were cut into small pieces and filed on some more then etched where they would be fixed to the needle portion. I tried some loctite all temp glue, but it didn't work, and settled with the ole' reliable JB weld. Here is before they were glued.




To be continued.......

[reddirtrider]

Impressive work buddy.

[tejasmud]

Thanks Brother.

Well, continuing on....

Here is the gauge face with the fabricated needles painted. They were painted red at first, but it didn't match the tach and speedo needles, so went with some Chevy orange engine paint. A little thick in my opinion, but no one will know, except those who read this, and myself.



On the gauge face the indicator lights were looking pretty rough as well, so went ahead and purchased a new one.



Then dropped the fuel and oil temperature gauges into the housing.



And then the main face was inserted. A good dose of grease was dabbed on the gears of the odometer and speedometer to help them run smooth.

[tejasmud]

The fuel gauge, with the fabricated needle.



And the Oil temp gauge with a fabricated needle.



A lexan cover was cut out with a band saw, to replace the old and scratched one at a fraction of what a new OEM one would cost. I have used this same lexan on other projects that stay outside 365 a year with good results, writing side of the protective cover on the lexan needs to face out, but it does well in the elements.



Then pretty much "whaaaaa--laaaa"

A decent set of gauges. The cushions have been replaced, need to change all the bulbs, but now it is on to the next project.

[jwhelan65]

Damn! Eric that is some creative work! Excellent job!

Great idea on the lexan cover , mine has a split in it, now you got me thinkin...

[tejasmud]

Thanks Joe.

If you only knew what those dern needles went through.

Wifey tossed them in the trash once.

They were pinned to a used TP roll for the glue to dry.

After about 6hrs of fabricating, needles just don't go missing. lol

[nvr2old]

That's really cool. I love seeing that kind of creativity and the will to see it to the end. Those gauges look 100% better.

[harris]

Wow. I humbly bow in reverence to your fabrication. Nice work.