1981 GS450E Rebuild

[Guest]

oh- you got ceramic coating...no wonder! Good job!

Yup I did indeed! The pipe's warm to the touch without burning very soon after shutting her off and it's definitely cooler than chrome while running.

Pete thats a beautiful bike! I love what you've done with her. One question: is that seat stock? Not the actual seat portion but the rear cowl? Or did you fab that up yourself?

I love how that looks.

Thanks mate! I'm enjoying her very much now she's done

The tail piece I made myself and the details are somewhere in this thread, probably this time last year maybe?

I used the framework from the stock duck tail, bent some metal rod and welded it to the frame to make the outline, put some wire mesh over that to mould the shape, then a couple of layers of fibreglass over that.

I then used several layers of body filler to get it smooth.

As a result, I was able to keep the stock seat pan and seat lock but with what I think is a much better looking tail piece.

 

[Soyanarchisto]

I wholeheartedly agree.

 

[Guest]

I wholeheartedly agree.

Haha cheers

It starts here at post 954 but I do rave on for a few pages there...

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=1438105&postcount=954

The body filler and paint is much later on, September/October last year maybe?

 

[ged]

Hey Pete, my regulator/rectifier is shot, I am pumping 17.5 volts into the battery at about 4000rpms. I cannot remember if you replaced yours during your build, and if so where did you get it from? I think I remember you did replace your stator. Z1 is selling replacement RR for my bike at $99.50 what do you think. There are some on ebay used but you cannot be sure they will be ok as well.

Regards

 

[Woodsy]

the bloke that bought my 250 got conned by a workshop to only fit a genuine suzuki RR, cost him $500 to get it done!

 

[landshark]

Hey Ged, do a quick search, i think its shingenden that make them and they are from Hondas. But i cant remember which model.

 

[john82q]

if you can afford it, its worth getting a larger one.

if you can afford it, its worth getting a larger one.

Talkin 35 amp, and mosfet based, such as a sh579b-11 otherwise known as DA REG35/3 (shingenden or after market) came out on CBR 900,VF1000, VT1000 Hondas.

Its a 3 phase, with no sense wire, but has 2 x +12v and gnd outputs. just tie the extra wires away. (unless you want 35amps for accessories) you will have fit a plug and socket and a mounting bracket to make it work.

You can buy aftermarket ones in the bike shops, once you get past , the kid, the crotchety old guy, the lack of knowledge, the holier than thou attitude, and what other BS they present that day.

I paid >$150 at pro honda 2 years ago...been going strong since, with the modest power requirements of the GS(max about 15amps) it dosnt even get warm...no hots = no fail,,,see


Cheers John

 

[Guest]

I got a cheapo Shindengen/Honda copy from Hong Kong or Taiwan or something on mine as I was low on funds at that point of the rebuild. It was something like $US17 including shipping.

If I replace it again I'll be looking for a proper one on eBay.

Fortunately the PO had had a motorcycle shop (Gosford Motorcycles I think going by the sticker) put a new (back then) R/R on that had the 6th sense wire and had already bypassed the headlight loop for the stator and wired it straight into the R/R, so my work was easy.

Greg, all depends how quick you need it done. The important thing is to get it done before the 15th right?

www.motorcycle-parts.com.au is where I got my stator from and they have Electrex World gear which lists a R/R for our Suzuki's for $115.50 (RR10).

That would be the quick (expensive) option, otherwise look for a Honda/Shindengen one on eBay...

 

[ndaugbjerg]

Pete,
Good to see you back on page 1. Keep us posted on the DUC progress.
Niels

 

[Guest]

Pete,
Good to see you back on page 1. Keep us posted on the DUC progress.
Niels

Cheers Niels, don't think it'll be staying here though... haha

Will do on the Duc, and the progress updates are current... none at the moment...

 

[ged]

Thanks everyone for your advise.

I have gone the quick, easy and expensive route and purchased the aftermarket one from motor cycle parts that you mentioned Pete.

It will be posted today and should be here Monday and fitted.

I looked on ebay but not much around.

Looks like I will be on the road for Sundays ride.

 

[Guest]

Thanks everyone for your advise.

I have gone the quick, easy and expensive route and purchased the aftermarket one from motor cycle parts that you mentioned Pete.

It will be posted today and should be here Monday and fitted.

I looked on ebay but not much around.

Looks like I will be on the road for Sundays ride.

Good stuff Greg! I gotta say the people at Motorcycle parts were great to deal with when I bought my stator, very easy and I also got it the next day.

The Honda/Shindengen ones are typically in the US not locally, so while the price is right you need to be careful as some sellers charge phenomenal amounts for shipping and you'll also need to wait much longer... however that's still the path I'll probably take if I have to replace my R/R again.

Looking forward to the 15th!

Edit: Forgot to ask if you're meeting us at Camp Hill?

 

[Guest]

Ok so I must confess... I did have one more thing to do

It's always nice to have some way of charging a phone or powering a wideband controller or something right? Yup, I put an auxiliary power socket (or cigarette lighter socket if you prefer) on.

I'm a bit limited on where to put it so I decided at the rear of the electrics tray mounted off one of the R/R bolts was the most suitable and pretty much the only place with enough room.

So I made a bracket for the socket:

Did up the wiring:

This one's wired directly to the battery via a switch and a 10amp fuse so if I need to charge a phone or something while I'm parked I can do it without having to leave the keys in the ignition.

Installed:

It's a bit hard to see but I also added a LED so I could see when it's on or off as well, first photo with the switch off:

Second photo with switch on, and it does appear to be a bit more effective in person:

 

[ndaugbjerg]

Pete,
Great idea on the electrical outlet. Of course, you now force me to re-arrange my system. I dug into my vast assortment of boat perts and found a similar unit except it is a recessed 3 prong male connector normally used to hook up power to an onboard marrine battery charger. I'm mounting my battery and Battery Tender (Deltran) under the cowl on my cafe seat. The inlet is going underneath, out of sight, and hard wired to the charger. It will accept a standard 15amp extension cord connector. So when I return from a ride I will be able to just pop the rubber cap and insert the extension cord. Next time I ride I'll have a hot battery. Now I have to see if I have room for a second socket. It would also be nice to have on in your instrument cluster for a GPS. Damn you and your creative thinking.
Thanks,
Niels

 

[Guest]

Pete,
Great idea on the electrical outlet. Of course, you now force me to re-arrange my system. I dug into my vast assortment of boat perts and found a similar unit except it is a recessed 3 prong male connector normally used to hook up power to an onboard marrine battery charger. I'm mounting my battery and Battery Tender (Deltran) under the cowl on my cafe seat. The inlet is going underneath, out of sight, and hard wired to the charger. It will accept a standard 15amp extension cord connector. So when I return from a ride I will be able to just pop the rubber cap and insert the extension cord. Next time I ride I'll have a hot battery. Now I have to see if I have room for a second socket. It would also be nice to have on in your instrument cluster for a GPS. Damn you and your creative thinking.
Thanks,
Niels

Haha nothing original here Niels, this has all ben done before...

I originally had the pigtail for my trickle charger attached with the plug in a similar spot, but now I can simply find a compatible plug, stick a cigarette lighter style plug on the other end, and use that instead.

I don't plan on needing to charge mine unless there's an issue though, battery was still ready and raring to go after a week's holiday...

 

[hjacobmiller]

Sharp looking bike man. I've tried going through the whole thread for quite some time, reading a couple pages every other day or so.

A lot of really good hand-made stuff. Now I see why you're so good with these bikes! No bolt left unturned. Very, very nice stuff.

Who makes those gaiters?

 

[Guest]

Cheers Jake, it took far too long but I'm really happy with how she turned out

I'm not sure on the gaiters unfortunately, they were just some no-name brand the Suzuki dealer happened to have sitting on the shelf, not bike specific or anything.

I went in the first time looking for them and they had nothing, so I did more research, went back a second time, and they just happened to have had that set arrive in the meantime...

All I can suggest is go to a local dealer (any brand) and see what they have lying around or available.

 

[hjacobmiller]

Yeah, I saw you had gone to the dealer to get them, but I didn't know if they had given you a brand or not.

What are the dimensions I should take to size them up?

Inner diameter, bottom diameter, etc?

I don't know how to measure the travel. Any suggestions? I think yours was on the order of 250mm or something?

 

[Guest]

Yeah, I saw you had gone to the dealer to get them, but I didn't know if they had given you a brand or not.

What are the dimensions I should take to size them up?

Inner diameter, bottom diameter, etc?

I don't know how to measure the travel. Any suggestions? I think yours was on the order of 250mm or something?

You need the outside diameter of your fork stanchions and lowers and whatever your fork travel is.

Fork travel on the 450 is 140mm and I'd expect the 300 to be similar but the manual should list it.

The key is to try to get a close match in gaiter height to fork travel. If it's too short it'll be stretched but if it's too long it will bunch up and could potentially get squashed and damaged at full compression of the fork springs.

 

[hjacobmiller]

You need the outside diameter of your fork stanchions and lowers and whatever your fork travel is.

Fork travel on the 450 is 140mm and I'd expect the 300 to be similar but the manual should list it.

The key is to try to get a close match in gaiter height to fork travel. If it's too short it'll be stretched but if it's too long it will bunch up and could potentially get squashed and damaged at full compression of the fork springs.

Thanks! Back to the manual!