$50 modification thread

[atb1998]

cheap mod

cheap mod

DON"T use steel wool to clean up chrome as it will scratch it. This will will be especially noticeable on large surface areas. Go to a paint supply store and buy bronze or copper wool. Will not scratch chrome

 

[biker_guy]

Filling up the tank is less than 10 bucks. Makes my bike go faster and I don't have to push it. I can ride it up hills not just down. And it takes less time to get where I'm going.

 

[kilog55]

better ground and power cables shouldnt run over $50

 

[lostsoul74]

I'm a huge fan of SeaFoam additive for carbs and motor. Add it to your gas or oil and it really does work. Some forum recomended it a couple years ago and i tried it on a beater katana i had gotten for a few hundred bucks that sat for many years. It wasnt clogged to the point that it couldnt get any gas, but enough so it wouldnt run. threw half a bottle in the tank and tried to start it a few times to let the stuff get into the carbs. Came out next morning and bike started right up. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, depends how bad the carbs are clogged, but i'm a big fan.
I also use Muriatic acid for rust, same stuff you clean concrete and tile with and can get at any home depot or like, works great on old tanks and stuff. Remove the petcock first as it will eat the filters that are corroded with rust. I just dump some in, swish it back and forth, and in under 15 seconds ALL the rust is gone. You should seal it afterwards, but good enough for me, and i just dump some more gas in and swish it and dump it out to remove any residue. Havnt used it on chrome yet but i dont see any reason why it would have any issues with it, it's a very mild acid but has a great chemical reaction with rust. if you really want to know how it works on chrome let me know, i've got a junk parts bike i'll pour some on. Best part is you dont have to do anything but just let it sit a few seconds, no scrubbing or steel wool or anything. it's cheap, maybe 10 bucks a gallon.
I also use citris paint stripper in a can you buy at home depo/lowes. does a good job cleaning up an engine but not over powerful to hurt stuff like rubber or frame i get a little over spray on.
Anyone got any easy chemical ideas for brightening up alluminum without having to work your ass off?? I tried bright jelly but wasnt impressed, my 400 grit sanding spongue does a better job. just looking for clean/bright, not show quality.

 

[850 Combat]

Get rid of that gap between your tail section and the back of the seat.

Just remove the seat and bend the seat pan down by pulling it over your knee or standing on it.

It will stay if you don't use the seat for putting the bike on the center stand or for pushing it up a truck ramp, etc.

 

[Nessism]

I'm a huge fan of SeaFoam additive for carbs and motor. Add it to your gas or oil and it really does work. Some forum recomended it a couple years ago and i tried it on a beater katana i had gotten for a few hundred bucks that sat for many years. It wasnt clogged to the point that it couldnt get any gas, but enough so it wouldnt run. threw half a bottle in the tank and tried to start it a few times to let the stuff get into the carbs. Came out next morning and bike started right up. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, depends how bad the carbs are clogged, but i'm a big fan.
I also use Muriatic acid for rust, same stuff you clean concrete and tile with and can get at any home depot or like, works great on old tanks and stuff. Remove the petcock first as it will eat the filters that are corroded with rust. I just dump some in, swish it back and forth, and in under 15 seconds ALL the rust is gone. You should seal it afterwards, but good enough for me, and i just dump some more gas in and swish it and dump it out to remove any residue. Havnt used it on chrome yet but i dont see any reason why it would have any issues with it, it's a very mild acid but has a great chemical reaction with rust. if you really want to know how it works on chrome let me know, i've got a junk parts bike i'll pour some on. Best part is you dont have to do anything but just let it sit a few seconds, no scrubbing or steel wool or anything. it's cheap, maybe 10 bucks a gallon.
I also use citris paint stripper in a can you buy at home depo/lowes. does a good job cleaning up an engine but not over powerful to hurt stuff like rubber or frame i get a little over spray on.
Anyone got any easy chemical ideas for brightening up alluminum without having to work your ass off?? I tried bright jelly but wasnt impressed, my 400 grit sanding spongue does a better job. just looking for clean/bright, not show quality.

Some caution is in order if you use muriatic acid; depending on concentration, it can be very strong and harsh. Phosphoric acid is far more agreeable for use on most cycle parts, such as cleaning out a gas tank. Oxalic acid is next in line and works well to remove rust...Muriatic is the most harsh.

As to Seafoam, it works great to get small amounts of crud out of the carbs but it should not be used in lew of doing a proper carb teardown. Our GS line of bikes left the factory about 30 years ago, and all those carb O-rings are hard and brittle. Seafoam will not change that. Do a proper carb rebuild with new O-rings, and then use Seafoam as a maintenance item if you don't ride the bike enough to keep the carbs clear.

 

[GS-ESW]

No money nutty-mods for GS-1100-E

No money nutty-mods for GS-1100-E

Collapsable-cane holder:

Cut and cupped ignition cover from old TV repair device:

 

[mmmansur]

Paint and polish those tired alloys (way under $50).


View attachment 5927

 

[lostsoul74]

Well i really wish I would of takin before and after pics. I made the comment earlier about the Muriatic acid, I had heard of it before on previous cycle forums, and I use it on the job all the time to clean crete and tile. Perhaps what you buy at home depo or other hardware store is deluted, but i dont find it harsh at all, I dont use gloves or anything, though if you do have cuts or anything it will mildly sting.
I had a 50 dollar parts gs750 bike i bought, was complete, guy died in early 90's and bike sat outside for X amount of years. It was pretty rough to say the least, headers were real bad, and springs were worst, forks and exhaust and everything else was pretty bad generally too, not anything I would of even attempted to try to save. But after posting that reply, since my previous trials with Muriatic acid were just for tanks, i decided to pour some in a spray bottle and go around and spray everything. I learned before when cleaning tanks that if it sits too long, like 10 minutes, then it would eat the plastic and soften the rubber of the petcock, but this stuff works fast, swish it back and forth in a tank for 45 seconds and all the rust is gone. So I tried a trial attempt to see how this would work on the rest of the bike, i used a spray bottle figuring i didnt just want to dump and soak it on things like spark plug wires and tires, etc.. etc.. but once i got spraying it didnt matter, and purposefully sprayed some on to see the effects.
The difference was amazing, within 30 seconds everything turned rust color and started dripping off, within about 1 1/2 minutes the entire bike looked brand new, sprayed it off with the garden hose and was just amazed, again, really wish I would of takin before and after pics. While the acid itself is not very strong, it has a chemical reaction with rust and instantly removes it.
I will say this though, dont leave it on chrome longer then 2 minutes, spray and rinse it off fairly soon, i'd almost suggest 2 applications to be safe, and at around 10 bucks a gallon, no reason not to.
If it sits on the chrome longer then 2 minutes, there will be some mild discoloration or spots. Areas that I sprayed first like the headlight and gauges that sat in the sun while spraying the rest, ended with a slight spotty discoloration after sitting there 2 minutes. Would of been perfectly fine if I had a bigger sprayer and sprayed everything quickly and then sprayed off after 1 minute, but i just used a little spray bottle laying around and took too long to spray the bike. it was a little hair spray bottle, a bigger bottle with bigger sprayer would of been more idea for quick application, or even better yet one of those yard sprayers that you pump would of been perfect.
It had a twisted chrome set of highway bars on it that were absolutely shot, 100 percent rust, after i rinsed the bike off, it litterally looked like i just installed them new. Springs were nice and bright again too, unbelievable.
Now, there is some negatives to this, Again, you dont want it to sit too long, keep your applications within the 1-1 1/2 minute mark and rinse off. Make sure you dog doesnt lick up the water either lol. But it's not that potent and after being deluted with water anyways, it's fine.
Keep in mind after the application and it has stripped the rust, those areas of rust are now left exposed to the elements. After the bike dried off and sat in the sun all day (we had a great warm sunny day up north here). After several hours sitting in the sun, you could see a light rust color appear in the problem areas. I'm not complaining, it looked 400 percent better then what it was, but I'm thinking theres some sort of substance I could of sprayed the metal with to help reseal it. I'm almost thinking a can of engine bright cleaner on everything would of left a small film which the metal would of absorbed and helped sealed. I guess a light clear coat would also work, but i'm sure theres something easier that the metal would absorb to help absorb and seal it. Perhaps some of you have an idea. Again, it still came out 400 percent better, but it litterally looked like new after original spray down before it sat unsealed in the sun.

just hte heads up since i figured i'd try it out and let others know.

 

[reddirtrider]

Hey lost, what's it do to aluminum?

 

[lostsoul74]

It didnt do anything, didnt brighten it, but also didnt discolor it. Which while were on the subject, anyone got any secrets on brightening up aluminum motors besides pulling covers and polishing them?? I've tried bright jelly for aluminum, but really didnt do jack. Half hte time I just use a 400 grit sanding sponge to brighten them up. But i'm sure theres a chemical you can just spray on to remove weathering and tarnish. They've got to make something like jewlery cleaner or something that would work on aluminum. Any tricks you guys got???
I also remember years ago about reading a Muriatic alternative that works the same but also seals the metal so the rust doesnt reapear, (quickly anyways) cant remember what it was, it was hard to pronounce and I knew already what muriatic acid was and ease of use. If anyone knows what that other was let us know and where to get it, sounded like something you had to have a chemical license or some crap for. Hmmm.. now that I think about it, I wounder what jewlery cleaner would do, I dont think i've got anything laying around to try, maybe i'll grab some at big lots or dollar store or something to try it out.

 

[Hammered]

I picked up a wasted tank from a Yammy R6. I cut the filler out of it and welded it in, centered in place of the offset filler of the stock 1982 Gs tank. Tank cost $30 and it kept me busy all day. By the time Im done it should look as if its meant to be there. I like those modifications that look like "um is that stock?"

Course I still have to cut the tunnel out to fit it to the new backbone, but that will allow me to tig up the inside as well. It will also increase my tank capasity about 3/4 of a gallon I think. The sheel metal for that will come from the donor tank.
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[bwringer]

But i'm sure theres a chemical you can just spray on to remove weathering and tarnish. They've got to make something like jewlery cleaner or something that would work on aluminum. Any tricks you guys got???

Aluminum oxide is one of the hardest substances on earth. There's nothing that will remove it chemically without also destroying the unoxidized aluminum underneath. You have to physically abrade it away.

With that said, a couple of cotton polishing wheels that will fit on your bench grinder and some red and white compound might run you $20 or so at Harbor Freight. Use the other $20 for new clutch cover and stator cover gaskets and a new oil level window, remove the parts, and polish 'em.

 

[reddirtrider]

Aluminum oxide is one of the hardest substances on earth. There's nothing that will remove it chemically without also destroying the unoxidized aluminum underneath. You have to physically abrade it away.

With that said, a couple of cotton polishing wheels that will fit on your bench grinder and some red and white compound might run you $20 or so at Harbor Freight. Use the other $20 for new clutch cover and stator cover gaskets and a new oil level window, remove the parts, and polish 'em.

I've done the polishing act on the 1100, I'm not real keen on doing it again on the 750. I'd like to just get the aluminum back to resemble the dull shine of original. Would bead blasting do that? Walnut shell? How about soda? There's gotta be something out there that's roughtly between leaving the oxide on and a bright, see yourself shine.

 

[Hammered]

Problem with aluminum is if you dont seal fast after removing the oxide, it starts right up. And ya gotta watch the oil form your hands. I try to remember to put on a set of latex gloves when Im finishing.

 

[bwringer]

I've done the polishing act on the 1100, I'm not real keen on doing it again on the 750. I'd like to just get the aluminum back to resemble the dull shine of original. Would bead blasting do that? Walnut shell? How about soda? There's gotta be something out there that's roughtly between leaving the oxide on and a bright, see yourself shine.

Any of the above will work, but you still have to remove the parts. Blasting is not safe to do on an assembled engine. Perhaps soda blasting, but you still have to stay well away from the gaskets. It only takes maybe 20-30 minutes a piece to polish them using cotton wheels on a bench grinder if you're slow, and it would probably take longer than that to get in the car (or your other bike) and take them somewhere to be blasted...

If you want a satin finish, just wipe it off every so often to check the finish and stop polishing when it looks the way you want. You'll probably end up just using the red compound to get to that point.

Once the polished parts are back on the bike, give them a nice coat of wax and they're surprisingly durable. I have found out the hard way that the finish won't hold up to road salt (although it can be brought back with hand polishing) but it holds up fine to ordinary weather.


I will warn that the polishing bobs and wheels that mount to a drill are completely useless. You need a lot more speed than any drill will develop.

 

[Nessism]

The silver Suzuki engines are painted with silver paint. Looks like bare aluminum on the cylinder barrel and head but it's actually paint. The engine cases are clear coated after a brushed finish is applied. I'd love to know what Suzuki used to get the nice fine brushed finish - they sure as heck didn't use hand work like most of us here. I'm currently trying to bring back some engine cases that were previously stripped and polished but the corrosion is deeper than expected. I think this is what happens when someone removes the clear and then leaves the cases to season in the weather - the corrosion can really bite into the metal. Going to try one of those Scotchbrite sanding wheels - maybe the finest one. I've run out of motovation to sit and try to hand sand out all the corrosion pitting.

 

[makenzie71]

The easiest way to handle the aluminum to prevent oxydation would be to anodize it...which is really the way I'll be going.

This process works EXCELLENT, you just have to up the scale a bit: http://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/anodize.shtml

Ultimately I would like to anodize my cases, jugs, and head black, gunmetal, or bronze. I'll also be doing my wheels, upper triple, clip-ons, and likely the swingarm I'll be using by that point to match.

Anodizing is resilient to heat, has almost no measurable thickness or weight like powdercoating, and you could actually anodize anything for under $50 (excluding the $25 tub you'd have to buy to coat larger parts like wheels and engine cases.

 

[reddirtrider]

The easiest way to handle the aluminum to prevent oxydation would be to anodize it...which is really the way I'll be going.

This process works EXCELLENT, you just have to up the scale a bit: http://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/anodize.shtml

Ultimately I would like to anodize my cases, jugs, and head black, gunmetal, or bronze. I'll also be doing my wheels, upper triple, clip-ons, and likely the swingarm I'll be using by that point to match.

Anodizing is resilient to heat, has almost no measurable thickness or weight like powdercoating, and you could actually anodize anything for under $50 (excluding the $25 tub you'd have to buy to coat larger parts like wheels and engine cases.

According to the article, it works well on forged aluminum, not castings. Let us know how it works if you decide to try.

 

[reddirtrider]

Any of the above will work, but you still have to remove the parts. Blasting is not safe to do on an assembled engine.

Of course.

What I want is an easy method of remoing oxidation and getting these parts to look original. I'll call some shops later next week to see what they say.