1980 gs550L 1st bike build

[CCC-TT]

Hello everyone,

This is my first motorcycle Ive owned and Ive frequented car forums for my past builds so I figured it would be appropriate to join a forum dedicated to my first bike.

For starters, I found this bike on Craigslist where I traded my 1992 Chevy c3500 dually with a blown tranny and a laundry list of other problems for the Suzuki straight up. I had never been completely set on a motorcycle but the truck lost the trans and was sitting and my best friend got back from Afghanistan last month and bought one so we can say peer pressure played a little into the decision.

The bike: 1980 Suzuki gs550L.
-It was in pretty good shape when I picked it up other than no speedometer needle and some issues starting which I attribute to the carbs needing a good cleaning based on my research.

After having it for less than 24 hrs the modification bug got me... I cant let anything sit stock for long. So I propmtly removed the rear fender/innner fender, taillight, sissy bar, seat, signals, and anything else that got in my way. I then removed the rear shocks and proceded to cut the springs off of them as the plan was to have them welded at the top to drop the bike as a hardtail and keep some stock looking components.
I went to the metal shop and the guy convinced me that the tops were sheet metal and it would be better to just make plates so I said yes (which upon further inspection later, he was wrong but I'm sure just trying to make some extra cash).
Anyways, I put the plates on that he made me and started deciding what I wanted to do as far as looks go on the bike and the first thing was to change the seat... and as I'm in college and broke, I just started cutting up the stock one. Needless to say it came out crappy but it works for now. (I bought a seat off a beach cruiser bicycle today for $5 that I want to try and use but I dont have the welding skills or extra metal at the moment to make this work).

Next came paint so I got some high temp low-gloss black for the exhaust and the eng/trans. And some classy 96cent walmart flat black for the tank, sides, and whatever else I come across that should be black. Also bought some red and white aiming for an "old school" look. And today I lowered the front about an inch. It looks ok but I might raise it back up cause that looked pretty cool in my opinion.

So after playing with the bike for two days so far this is what I have: (first two are before I lowered the front and the last one is with the front lowered)

All comments/opinions appreciated... but if you dont like it, dont do it to yours

 

[Jedz123]

Well Welcome to the Forum!

I'm sure BassCliff Will be on to Mega Welcome you, If he hasn't already. It's integral that you go over all the the essentials, Boots, Carb O-ring, VALVES, Carbs, the whole nine! Or you'll end up with a bike that runs flat out crappy.

The 550 is great solid little bike. Should Have allot of fun with it! I have one (for now) and I love giving it the beans... Perfect beginner bike! Light on it's feet and snappy! Mine will pop a wheelie in first if you gun it(not a huge one)!

ON this Forum you'll find guys that Love the cafe retro custom builds and guys that love the look of a bone stock GS... I'm one of the latter. However I'm a huge fan of modification, but only for performance these GS have more potential then some may let on, even you little 550.

So welcome again! Have fun and use the GSR to your full advantage!

But one a final note and a hint of pure honesty...I Won't be doing what you did to your 550 to mine for sure...

Cheers!

 

[CCC-TT]

I heard this style wouldnt be a hit over here but I'm not a purist in any way and just looking to have fun with a $1k bike. This appartently happens to be the most informative forum on a technical basis which is what I look for because I refuse to pay any kind of shop for any kind of work unless it involves a flux capacitor. I've read through the beginning/intro threads as best I could for now so hopefully ya'll wont get the idea that I've never turned a wrench before or spent time looking for my answers because trust me, I do. So I hope you can enjoy what I try and do to this thing for the time that I own it as well as take some benefit from what little I may learn as well as provide me with some insight... Which you already have in a few ways that made me feel real dumb with the bike but I wont get into until some later posts.

Thanks

 

[7981GS]

The last picture is depressing.
Have fun with it for the short while that you will be owning it.

Eric

 

[AlTheKiller]

I say chop the hell out of it!

nice pick up too. Yours is in way better shape than mine was/is.

 

[CCC-TT]

Yea I like the look so far minus the taillight and turn signals on the back. I'll come up with something else soon as well as chopping off the rear of the frame past the suspension.
Anybody know off hand which of the three wires going to the taillight (black brown white) are which? I know the black is ground but I havent read yet which of the brown or white is the tail light or the brake light. When I figure that out I'll probably grab a smaller one from the parts store to hold me over till I can get something a little nicer.
As far as the seat goes... any ideas on ways to mount it? What have you guys seen done to mount aftermarket seats? I'm looking to go with a solo seat so if anybody knows of a good aftermarket one that would work please point me in the right direction.

 

[gabos666]

Paint

Paint

Hi!

Welcome here, I'am a newbie here too, and I have a GS 550 M Katana. I thinking on the paint job, and in my opinion the flat black rocks Nice work!

 

[cowboyup3371]

Black = ground
Brown = Taillight
White = Brake light

 

[mike_of_bbg]

Before you break out the sawzall and start making even more irreversible changes to harm the operation of the bike, why don't you concentrate on getting it running right first????

Personally I don't like the look, and won't do it to mine. The rear suspension helps hold the bike to the road and maintain traction, and might actually keep you alive when the running gets bumpy (not to mention saving you back pain later).

I'm really not sure where this compulsion comes from to take a bike that's running, but not fully right, and instead of perfecting the intended operation the first concentration is to achieve an "individual" look that is identical to every other still-born cafe/bobber project now up for sale on CrackList in "almost complete" state, while making the bike less functional and less safe: before even getting it running right.

Another bike with a death sentence. At least it's an L: I'd cry if it were an M.

 

[CCC-TT]

The bike is not being harmed... its being made to look alot less boring. Ive ridden it since and it feels almost no different than before. I'm also not old and scared of a little bumps or back pain. (and btw, suspension and frame modifications have nothing to do with running performance of the engine).
I dont understand the idea that some appear to have that these bikes are somehow impressive collectors items that should be fully restored. But I perceive the people who hold these ideas to also be the type to buy an old sports car, leave it bone stock, spend weekends washing/waxing it and trying to convince friends of its incredible design for its time... all while being slower than the newest honda civic off the line.
Personally I see them as cheap toys to have fun with. They arent worth anything and can be had a dime a dozen.

But I appreciate your opinion

 

[cowboyup3371]

I'm glad you aren't old or scared of bumps but one day you will get older and those sore muscles won't feel so good. Why not take care of them now and not worry about it years from now.

Besides, if you are really wanting something more exciting, why not just go buy a $10K death trap?

And by the way, I'm only 41 and much prefer to enjoy my ride while doing it and not ache afterwards

BTW, one of the nice things about these 550s is how well they will go through the turns when running well; engine and suspension must work together though. By chopping your shocks/springs off and hardtailing it like that, you've limited yourself to very boring straight roads and maybe the bar crawl scene. Where's the excitement in that? Much better to push it hard through the corners and really see the sights/feel the lean. I still have a long way to go to even get half as good as some of the better riders here but I already love hitting the corners and challenging my abilities there much more than riding down the slab or long straight highway.

 

[CCC-TT]

And when I'm old I wont have this bike anymore. I work out and stay in shape to prevent myself from having those problems. This is plenty exciting for me as a first bike (never said otherwise), easy to wrench on, and didnt cost me a dime.

I've never worried/ had anything bad to say about those who leave their stuff stock because they dont know how to make it their own or are afraid to take the plunge because they might not like it afterwards. But I honestly dont get the point of joining a forum to talk about a bike that you will leave stock along with everyone else so you can sit around and discuss... how "your bike is exactly like mine"??

I would not jump on someone's thread with pictures of their completely stock bike and say bad things about the fact that it is bland, boring, not any more interesting than looking at the service manual etc. So I guess I just dont get the point of getting on this thread and complaining about how you dont like modifications based on other personal tastes.

 

[mike_of_bbg]

I'm not old: I'm an engineer. Your bike came with signals and shocks for a reason; mostly for your comfort and safety. My bike is not stock. It has suspension and other components that are improvements over the stock equipment. I'm more than happy to make something "mine" (even an old, classic sports car), as long as I'm making it "better". Although certainly not my taste, I didn't criticize any of your appearance modifications. You did say "all comments/opinions appreciated". You invited the thread jumping in, so what's not to get about me looking at your thread and leveling feedback? My concerns are for your safety and satisfaction. As far is it being "yours", I think it's odd that you're making the same modifications that just about everyone else makes when making bikes "theirs". Is it a Mad Max thing? Is there some specific example that so many people are gravitating towards in making their bikes "their own"?

 

[cowboyup3371]

I'm not old: I'm an engineer. Your bike came with signals and shocks for a reason; mostly for your comfort and safety. My bike is not stock. It has suspension and other components that are improvements over the stock equipment. I'm more than happy to make something "mine" (even an old, classic sports car), as long as I'm making it "better". Although certainly not my taste, I didn't criticize any of your appearance modifications. You did say "all comments/opinions appreciated". You invited the thread jumping in, so what's not to get about me looking at your thread and leveling feedback? My concerns are for your safety and satisfaction. As far is it being "yours", I think it's odd that you're making the same modifications that just about everyone else makes when making bikes "theirs". Is it a Mad Max thing? Is there some specific example that so many people are gravitating towards in making their bikes "their own"?

Mike, I'm sure some of that was directed at me as my first post in here was about the age issue. But I think you put it much better than I did.

As far as my bike being stock - from far it. Yes, I have the stock airbox and wheels as well as the stock seat, swingarm, interior engine components and rear brake but that's about it on here. I've already upgraded my front brakes to ones from an early 90s Ninja twinpot setup, replaced the STOCK fuse block with a newer blade design, replaced the lead-acid battery with one from MotoBatt, replaced the brake switches with hydraulic ones, am replacing the front MC with one from a 2008 Ninja and put stainless steel brake lines on - ALL NOT STOCK.

On the suspension side, I replaced my stock rear shocks with newer Hagons while the front springs are Progressives with damping adjusters.

All of this was to not only MAKE IT MINE but make it safer and better handling than what it was 30 years ago. Making it yours is not the issue; making it look like every other failed chop/bob/whatever you wanna call it with no regard to safety is.

 

[CCC-TT]

You invited the thread jumping in, so what's not to get about me looking at your thread and leveling feedback? My concerns are for your safety and satisfaction. As far is it being "yours", I think it's odd that you're making the same modifications that just about everyone else makes when making bikes "theirs". Is it a Mad Max thing? Is there some specific example that so many people are gravitating towards in making their bikes "their own"?

True, I did invite opinions so I'll try to keep that in mind. As far as the same modifications that everyone else does comes along the lines of that is what is availiable for little to no cash while looking good, in my opinion. Its is about what stirs your empotions when you look at it and, for me, the route I am taking is what does that for me. Personally I like the bare bones appearance that most refer to as "bobber" better than the appearance of the stock bike.

All of this was to not only MAKE IT MINE but make it safer and better handling than what it was 30 years ago. Making it yours is not the issue; making it look like every other failed chop/bob/whatever you wanna call it with no regard to safety is.

I dont see any of what I have done as creating an unsafe motorcycle. There are alot of hardtailed motorcycles around that arent noted as the cause for accidents or falls. And I think it is a little presumptuous to assume that this will be "another failed" anything; who is the judge for what is failed or not?

Either way, thanks for the input... I didnt mean for this to turn into an argument. Its given me more ideas as to what options are available as I continue to modify the bike.

 

[mike_of_bbg]

It's your bike, and to each his own. What stirs my emotions is riding my bike, not standing back and looking at it. To a large extent, I could give a rat's ass what the bike under me looks like, I don't have to look at much of it when I'm riding it. How does it work, how does it function, how much confidence does it inspire in me, how comfortable is it, am I?

I've seen many build threads around here where people have taken piles of rust that I wouldn't even think about buying and have restored them to near showroom condition. It's much, much harder than you might think it is. Certainly it's several orders of magnitude more difficult than hopping down to Advance Auto and buying some spray-bomb flat paint and covering up what looks to have been a pretty nice paint job. It takes skill, and I can appreciate fine craftsmanship. If that's boring to you, so be it. I very much so appreciate well-done mods from stock as well. Some of these bikes are classics, though a 550L isn't going to fall into that category (believe me I know). If I had a 68 Corvette L88 with matching #'s (currently worth about $2M last I looked), you bet your ass I'd try to keep it bone stock! A base 'vette? I'm going to go to town with improvements on that car.

If you cannot tell the difference between 30-year-old, too-soft-from-the-factory-and-now-sacked-from-age, stock rear shocks and springs and a hardtail, then either you have zero sensitivity in your posterior or you've only ridden on glass-smooth roads. If you don't think that a rear suspension is handy, well, I guess you're well versed and experienced...

This is plenty exciting for me as a first bike

Ah, yeah...

My advice? Fix it! Learn to ride, and learn to ride well. Love, and live for, the ride.

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

The guys are right about the suspension on a lot of levels.
For me it is an issue with safety. Think of those horrid motorized bicycles of the early 1900s. Among the greatest advances in motorcycles is suspension components.

It is a matter of quality of ride and of safety. Sandblast the coil springs and paint em black and the bike will look fine.

This has nothing to do with image and everything to do with keeping the tires in contact with the ground.

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

Oh and I had to look it up but, as I suspected, even golf carts use shocks and springs for suspension.

 

[CCC-TT]

I'll ride it for a while as is since I already destroyed the stock suspension and if it ends up not working out I'll get some aftermarket shocks that lower it a little. The little that Ive ridden it so far it hasnt been a problem for me.

I did realize last night/ this morning that I have a petcock/carb float height problem. There was some gas leaking down out of carb 2. I checked the petcock and it was set to prime. The only other setting on it it that I notcied was a small arrow at 12 O'clock that said fuel over it. I switched it over to that setting to see what would happen. After starting the bike it would run if I kept it revved up but would die as soon as I let off the gas. I left it and went to bed.
This morning I came out to a carport covered in gas and no gas in the tank. I obviously have to pull the carbs apart now which I was hoping to avoid doing for a little while but oh well.
- Does know if there is a way to pull the carbs without removing the seat?... Ive made a semi-permanent bracket that makes it a little difficult at the moment to remove until I get the seat that I actually want on there.

 

[GateKeeper]

sounds more like your petcock is not working

prime, will allow the gas to flow no matter what, with or without vacuum

the other setting it should only allow gas to flow if there is vacuum, as in when the engine is running

check out BikeCliffs web site for petcock repair and carb repair and overhaul as well

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

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