81 GS1100E street fighter build

[RedLiner1100]

Ok so to start off this is my first custom project bike. I've done a lot of research determining where I wanted the direction of this build to go. The bikes that caught my eye most included upgrading the suspension to usd forks along with a rear mono shock. I also liked the look of the stock paintwork with a shortened seat.

I am trying to stay with stock Suzuki throughout the bike. Tank and bodywork will be Suzuki although replaced with an older model. There will be a few things like controls and gauges that are purchased from the aftermarket. Other things like the exhaust will be fabricated be me.

The list:

1981 Suzuki GS1100E frame/engine
1980 Suzuki GS1100E tank and tail fairing
Custom aluminum sub-frame
Custom seat

2012 GSXR1300 Hayabusa usd forks
2008 GSXR1000 front wheel
CNC Cool and Comfy top yoke with risers
Spiegler 1 1/8" fat bars
All Balls conversion bearings

2007 GSXR750 rear swingarm
2007 GSXR750 mono shock
2007 GSXR750 5.5" rear wheel
2007 GSXR750 swing arm bolt modified
180/55-17 Bridgestone BT-016 Pro Hypersport
520 chain conversion
5/8" offset front sprocket

Custom stainless 4-2-1 headers
Yoshimura slip-on

That is the majority of the hard parts. The engine will stay mostly stock for now except for pod filters or possibly a custom air box due to the mono shock setup and the exhaust.

I have purchased a lot of the parts so far. Some things will probably change through the build but I am hoping I don't have to do any major changes with my plan.

The bike loaded on the truck after a trip down to Kansas. It seems like a fair example and doesn't seem to have any major mechanical issues that I have found yet. It is titled as an 81 although another member mentioned that it's actually an 82 model. I wish it would have been an 83 like they told me although at the time I didn't know the silver engine indicates an earlier model.

Not bad after a little clean up. The engine covers could use a little polishing or I might powder coat them black.

The first glimpse at what she's going to look like. I'm starting to get excited now.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8597/16227798030_1a722abe95_h.jpg

Fitting the rear swing-arm and shock. I decided it was a good time to cut off the sub-frame since it will be replaced anyway. This gives me a little more room to work in the meantime.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8670/16423050945_6f54d2a3c0_h.jpg

That's where I'm at so far. I still need to purchase a bunch of parts like the front wheel and tire so I can get it on the ground and get an idea where the bike will sit. I'll have to check spring rates in the forks as I'm sure those will have to be replaced to get the most out of the swap. Stay tuned....

 

[Guest]

I like were you are going with this as you can tell by mine above. Will be watching this one.

 

[RedLiner1100]

Interesting bike. I will have to see how well my crank holds up. I may swap an 83 crank into it or go the route you did and replace it for an oil cooled 1100. I like the look of the air cooled motor but realize the later engine overall is probably a better design.

 

[RedLiner1100]

Ok so I've gotten a little farther on the bike. The front end is on with a new 2009 GSXR 1000 lower triple and Cognito Moto top triple with 28mm offset. This worked perfect for sorting the caliper spacing on rotors.

I'm currently working on the subframe and bushings for the swingarm. I'll post more details on the swingarm once I finish up on that.

I found a great deal on a set of dual Yoshimura TRS slipons that I'm fitting to the stock header. I'm still working on what placement looks best. I planned on doing the full exhaust myself but am running out of time to finish before riding season and wanted to get it together. I think it will work nice that way though. I like the chrome. At least it matches the polished stainless.

 

[RedLiner1100]

Big update, I finally got the beast running this past weekend. I'm amazed and happy she started the fist try.

I have a Morgan carbtune but haven't taken the time yet to try balancing the carbs. It runs good but seems pretty rich which the plugs also show that. I haven't done any changes to the RS36's other than set the idle screws at 1/2 turn out. I still have a few thing to finish before I can take her out for a spin.

The engine is stock other than the new dual exhaust, the carbs and the Dyna 2000 ignition. I'll admit I haven't worked on many bikes so I'm not sure what a good starting point would be for this combination. Any help is appreciated what would get me in the ballpark for jet sizes or settings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru9KPDJfRd8

I picked up some new stands so I can rebuild the leaking forks. I think I might try to do that this weekend.

 

[dorkburger]

LOVE the sound!

 

[helmutholderbenz]

Bike looks great! can't wait to see more pictures and videos!

 

[dorkburger]

Id love to see some pics of the subframe and susoension mounting, etc that you built. Being so far from my skillset, I enjoy seeing what others can do.

 

[SocialAnomaly99]

Looks Goooood. Sounds bad as hell too. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

 

[RedLiner1100]

Thanks guys! I've put a lot of time in building the bike and a lot of overtime to buy all the parts. Too bad the riding season here is almost over and will probably be pretty cold by the time I finally get it to the point where I can ride it.

Id love to see some pics of the subframe and susoension mounting, etc that you built. Being so far from my skillset, I enjoy seeing what others can do.

I still need to pull the engine so I can finish up the welding on the rear shock mount and a few other things. I was going to leave the engine in but it's going to be a lot easier with it out and can do a much better job. There is still some frame bracing I plan on doing later on, maybe this winter.

Frame notching so I could use the stock GSXR chain slider.

 

[dorkburger]

My, oh my that is cool.

 

[78gs750e]

Did the front end drop right in? Could you go into some details what's required for the swap?

 

[RedLiner1100]

Did the front end drop right in? Could you go into some details what's required for the swap?

I changed out a few things from a stock 2nd gen Hayabusa. I used a lower triple clamp from a 2009 GSXR 1000 for the 207mm centerline compared to the stock Haybusa 214 mm so I could run a GSXR front wheel as the rotors won't line up otherwise. The GSXR clamp also has a smaller offset at 28 mm which when running a steeper rake helps increase the trail for better stability compared to the Hayabusa's slightly bigger offset (can't remember what it is).

I used the stock GSXR stem that came with the lower clamp and All Balls conversion bearings. It's easy to find the correct bearings on their website. Just punch in the model frame and fork years and it shows what bearings you need.

One thing to take into consideration is that most modern forks are quite a bit shorter than what came off the bike along with a smaller wheel. This reduces ground clearance where running an aftermarket 4-1 might not be feasible without the danger of scraping.

The top clamp I am using is from Cognito Moto. I believe a stock top clamp will work with the stock stem and still have enough length although the company does make custom stems for any application if you run in to any issues.

 

[Joe H]

Very well thought out mods, I love it?

 

[Guest]

Nice looking and we'll built project. Can't wait to see how the seat turns out. I did a similar build but with the stock seat set up. It looks huge. I may chop mine depending on how yours turns out.

 

[?dne95]

This looks bloody awesome!

 

[RedLiner1100]

I've been playing around with the wiring a little bit. I had to see how the gauge and new LED head and tail light work. I'm going to try to start on the battery box this weekend. The big battery in the video is just for testing.

<code dir="ltr" style="text-align: left; width: 510px;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #007700">

https://youtu.be/kD3g8Mg6n5o

 

[Guest]

Looks nice!

 

[TiiMuch]

Absolutely great looking bike I think. You've inspired me and maybe others who are looking to upgrade the GS suspension.

I see some of my questions are answered in your first post, thanks.

What kind of dash is that in the last video?

 

[TiiMuch]

Ok. Gotta ask, did the older style tank just fit on there,....ie., no mods?.