some pics of my junk, 81 gs450

What do you think of this tank?

not bad, I'm looking for something with a tube tunnel, since I now have a single backbone

ok, I'm done until next weekend. I have a couple full weeks of boring hazmat training, damn you 9/11. I'll probably order some stuff tonight(brake pads, clutch, levers, chain), any good online stores that I should know about?

what size is the chain? of the 2 I have, they are different (1 o-ring, 1 regular), so I cant mix em up because they don't fit. I need about 8-10" if anyone can send on my way.

things left to do
-rear brake linkage
-mount battery tray
-find the gas tank I want to run
-order some pods
-make an electronics housing
-get rid of some wires in the harness

What do you think of this tank?

ok, I'm done until next weekend. I have a couple full weeks of boring hazmat training, damn you 9/11. I'll probably order some stuff tonight(brake pads, clutch, levers, chain), any good online stores that I should know about?

what size is the chain? of the 2 I have, they are different (1 o-ring, 1 regular), so I cant mix em up because they don't fit. I need about 8-10" if anyone can send on my way.

things left to do
-rear brake linkage
-mount battery tray
-find the gas tank I want to run
-order some pods
-make an electronics housing
-get rid of some wires in the harness

just to get an idea of where the pipes will end up




here is a rough idea of the way I want to set up the pipes


and the 2 pictures that inspired the build

had to add a cross tube for the seat, it will also help when I put the fender on.


I just cut some bolts and welded em in place for the springs.


put a piece chromo over it to protect the threads and a magnet to hold in place

love the hardtail look, but....er....you need to find someone who is a better welder....some of those beads look suspicious....

the welds for the back brake were done with flux core due to a sudden gas shortage. all of the welds have good penetration though, should hold up well, I hope.

btw, anyone in NYC or LI have an old chain laying around? I need to add about ten inches to this one, since the back is now stretched. need some suggestions on a front brake lever and clutch lever, I just want plain black with a split collar so I can take it off without touching the grips and a small resivior on the brake lever

Look at late model sport bike stuff. Its 7/8" with split perches.

[greg78gs750]

love the hardtail look, but....er....you need to find someone who is a better welder....some of those beads look suspicious....

btw, anyone in NYC or LI have an old chain laying around? I need to add about ten inches to this one, since the back is now stretched. need some suggestions on a front brake lever and clutch lever, I just want plain black with a split collar so I can take it off without touching the grips and a small resivior on the brake lever

id say make it kick only. if my 1980 gs450 had a kicker thats what id do.

I really want it kick only for the badass - e - ness of it I guess.

link to store

good price and quality. I like your bike, are you gonna hard tail it of keep the springs? do you know of anyone adding a kick start to a 450?

I'll keep an eye on those but I might make something out of the stock pan. Just gotta figure out what shape I want. Thanks for the compliments and yeah I'm keeping the springs. I wanted a the look of the springs but the bike had to have that flattened look of a raked out low rider. It took some back yard engineering but I'm happy with the result. I think the next bike will be like yours with the long solid frame and a head rake.


I'm amazed at the versatility of the small bikes. There's nothing you can't do with them.

makes me wanna make my 450 a hard tail

sorry for the hijack- so how do you lower the bike? i'm going to mod my 550.

in case anyone was wondering, the paint on the frame is just to keep surface rust in check

and the last shot, if anyone needs details on any aspect of the hard tail, feel free to ask

my main priority is the hard tail bike, so the other one will be a parts bike until I finish, then it will probably get the cafe treatment



did this thing, whatever its called. welded the bracket and turned sleeved it so I could turn one end 90 degrees

some more pics from today
did the swap in about an hour, had it started 15 minutes after that, thanks starbucks


some pics of the hardtail