GS 450L oil leak blues.

[Steve]

In general, any led bulb that you can get in a headlight will be far too dim to be safe. Not saying it isn't possible, but for the cost of a safe / legal LED headlight, you'd be better off upgrading your charging system and running a 55w H4 bulb.

True, the 55w H4 is a great upgrade, but don't downplay the (lack of) brightness of an LED headlight.

Truck-Lite makes a 7" round headlight that is a drop-in replacement. At least one of our members has one in his bike. I have seen it and I can tell you, it REALLY lights up the road. The link is to the second-generation light, he has the first-gen light in his, the new ones are supposedly much better. This particular light was developed for the military, and is now also approved for Class 8 trucks (over-the-road semis), all of which means that it's "military approved and DOT legal".

Yes, there is a bit of a price penalty. Some of us have gotten complete, running bikes for less than the cost of one of those LED headlights.
Here is one on eBay for just under $200, or you can pay the "Harley tax" and get one for $250.

I ordered my parts from home bandit and an eagerly awaiting to get my bike back on the road!

Never heard of "home bandit", who are they?

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[koolaid_kid]

I like the low current draw.
The one we have both seen looks significantly different, though.

[DacMaddy]

Thanks for all the input guys! I checked with my girlfriend on the way home one night, and she said the high beam isn't even annoying so I'm just gonna use it until I have some money to upgrade :P

And "home bandit" is supposed to be bike bandit, I was on my phone when I posted that and it must have auto corrected hehe

Alright so I have made certain that it isn't the cam chain tensioner, there's absolutely no leaks there... it looks kinda like the intake boot is the problem. Would oil be able to actually leak from there though? I'll be replacing them both regardless.

Thanks again for all of your advice guys! It's always nice to have some helpful hands because I'm a complete novice at this stuff!

[Steve]

And "home bandit" is supposed to be bike bandit, I was on my phone when I posted that and it must have auto corrected hehe

At least you have the BANDIT part correct.

It's a decent-enough place to order parts, but they have the second-highest prices of all the online vendors on my list.

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[DacMaddy]

Oh haha I only use them because they seem to have all the parts I need. Where do you usually shop?

[koolaid_kid]

Most choose alpha-sports or boulevard suzuki. They seem to have good prices and good service.

[Steve]

Most choose alpha-sports or boulevard suzuki. They seem to have good prices and good service.

What do you get at Alpha Sports that has a good price?

Just for a comparison, let's look at the two items that he started with, a headlight and a valve cover gasket for his '82 450L.

................Headlight....Gasket
Alpha ........ 129.47 ......29.68
Bandit ....... 100.60...... 24.73 (They claim retail prices of 133.33 and 27.20.)
Boulevard..... 90.92 ......18.55 (They claim retail prices of 121.21 and 24.73.)
G&S ............89.47 .......18.25 (They claim retail prices of 121.21 and 24.73.)

The list could go on, but I think my point is made.


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[koolaid_kid]

Show off.

[DacMaddy]

Holy crapola, these prices are WAY cheaper! Thanks man

So I've now realized my chain needs its first adjustment... Just two quick questions. Does anyone know offhand the size of the rear axle nut I need to loosen? And secondly, am I able to do this just on the side stand? Since the bike has been lowered it is nigh impossible to get it on the center stand without getting a hernia

[Big Rich]

I believe it's 22mm. Or 21....

While it's possible to get lucky doing it on the side stand, it really should have the rear end off the ground. Try rolling the back tire onto a 2 by 4 or something to get the centerstand higher, and attempt to put the center stand down from there.

[koolaid_kid]

It is a 22 and you really need all the weight off the back wheel. What about a floor jack with a 2x4 or similar under the engine/frame?

[Steve]

Show off.

OK, k_k, what are you going to do with all your extra money, now that you won't be wasting it at Alpha Sports any more?

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[DacMaddy]

Ok, well I am in the process of adjusting my chain, but I've hit another road block. Since my bike has been lowered, the exhaust is right in the way of the axle nut. Upon inspection, there seems to be some screws halfway down the pipe, do those take that pipe off? To get a screwdriver in there I have to take the foot peg off, so it seems to be a huge pain in the butt. I guess in the future I'll be getting a different exhaust that doesn't get in the way! Does anyone have any ingenious way to get around this ? I seem to be able to get a regular box in there instead of a ratchet, but I won't be able to torque it down to spec.

[Big Rich]

Can you unbolt the upper shock mounts to have the entire swingarm out of the way?

When I did the exhaust on my 450, I purposely cut the stock mufflers off and had slightly shorter universal ones welded back on. They are JUST short enough for that reason - to not block the rear axle.

[DacMaddy]

I'm not really sure how the swingarm works; if I unbolt the top mounts would the wheel just fall to the ground? Would it affect the chain adjustment not having the shocks mounted?