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1978 GS400 Barnyard Rescue

  • Thread starter Thread starter SouthsideWJK
  • Start date Start date
Starting to come together

Starting to come together

The original factory headlight bucket had a huge crack through it, so I had to get a new one, found this one on dimecitycycles.com for about $50 with a newer, brighter H4 bulb. I found NOS originals for $75 for just the bucket, so I'm considering this a decent upgrade. The turn signals are just for mock up purposes until I find ones that like......

 
Fork Question

Fork Question

I tore down the forks, cleaned them, powdercoated the lowers, replaced the seals, tightened everything to spec, added the factory suggested amount of fork oil, bounced it around a few times....seems to be a touch unresponsive. Any thoughts as to what I may be dealing with?

I don't quite recall what they were like when I got the bike, they just seem a bit slow to respond, not bouncing back with a healthy springing action. Am I crazy?

Second question: this is my first experience using fork boots. I put them on because I thought they looked cool. Go ahead, roll your eyes, I totally deserve it. When the fork compresses, all the air leaves the boot area, and it vacuum seals itself to the fork. Is this normal?

And yes, that last paragraph does makes me sound stupid and nit-picky, ha!
 
SouthsideWJK said:
I tore down the forks, cleaned them, powdercoated the lowers, replaced the seals, tightened everything to spec, added the factory suggested amount of fork oil, bounced it around a few times....seems to be a touch unresponsive. Any thoughts as to what I may be dealing with?

I don't quite recall what they were like when I got the bike, they just seem a bit slow to respond, not bouncing back with a healthy springing action. Am I crazy?

Second question: this is my first experience using fork boots. I put them on because I thought they looked cool. Go ahead, roll your eyes, I totally deserve it. When the fork compresses, all the air leaves the boot area, and it vacuum seals itself to the fork. Is this normal?

And yes, that last paragraph does makes me sound stupid and nit-picky, ha!
Click to expand...

Poke a small hole in the fork boots, that will fix your vacuum problem.

Nice bike.
 
SouthsideWJK said:
Second question: this is my first experience using fork boots. I put them on because I thought they looked cool.
Click to expand...
If you're planning on keeping the bike for a while, fork boots will definitely pay for themselves many times over, with the damage and corrosion they protect the stanchions from. Only problem with the cheapy ones is they don't last long.
 
This looks great! I'm really admiring all of the black powdercoating and the enduro tires. Well done sir.
 
Dime City Cycles has them, $20 for the pair and they're really thick rubber. Better than I was expecting!
 
Lost the original clutch lever/perch in tear down/store in boxes process. Because if course I would. I ordered a perch/lever set up off eBay, got it to the garage and there was old threading from the cable positioner rusted in it! Gingerly tried to WD-40 and ease it out...and broke it. Back to eBay I go. Found a better one for a few dollars less! Sandblasting a a bit of polishing later and here I am....ugh.

 
Finally found signals I liked! Much smaller than the factory lollipops and I like how the short mounts really draw in the front end....



Also managed to run new braided steel brake lines. I read a few threads on this forum and a few tutorials on the subject of rehabilitating a master cylinder. Before I tore into this one blindly (which has gotten me into more than a few jams on this build) I decided to hook it all up and work clean fluid through the master through the new lines down to the rebuilt calipers. By the time I called it a day the fluid bled out clean and clear, pressure was great. I have to do more spec reading to make sure everything is adjusted as it should be....



And now.....please chime in if you see anything wrong with this next picture...aside from the wires that I need to draw in and tie up. I failed in my inexperience to take as many photos as I should have..leaving me with a few instances of playing detective with the bends in the old wiring harness and sort of trial running cables and wires to see where they route. I've been able to figure out most of it. The brake line connection mount...this is the conclusion I came to:

 
Very nice work, love the look of your rebuild.
Also good job on the thread, nice photos and your dialogue on the progress is entertaining and brings back memories from my first build last year, similar mistakes, didn't take enough pictures, lost or misplaced parts during reassembly etc.

When you make air hole in the fork boots, use a small round hole punch, same as for making a hole in a belt, so it won't tear after a few weeks.

Look forward to seeing this completed.
 
Paint!!

Paint!!

A friend of mine owns his own paint and body shop (www.ampcustompaint.com) so naturally I turned to him when it was time for a paint job. I spent months during the build trying to think of a great paint scheme...I couldn't even decide on a cool color. The best I came up with was "uh, I dunno, gold like a bowling ball."

I turned the tins over to Adam and just said "make it cool." The only other instructions I gave him were that it not be all flames and skulls.

He and a friend of ours Mark, who does graphics for a living and came in on the detail work, knocked this out of the park.

Much better than the red house paint that PO slathered all over it....





And he even painted my initials on it to make sure I wouldn't ever sell it, ha!

 
Super nifty looking project. Enjoying this thread!:D
 
Your friend's work is way beyond "out of the park." What do you owe him for such a fantastic job? Your first born?
 
Man after reading this i am a touch humbled. this bike is magnificent
 
I wanted to clarify; the vision is amazing and fun for this bike. I really am enjoying it
 
I'm really enjoying this thread too. Your personal choices on this project are making this bike wicked cool. It's good to see you having fun with this. Your paint/graphics friends do some unbelievable work too !!
 
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