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81 GS450S Build

  • Thread starter Thread starter jmaresca
  • Start date Start date
J

jmaresca

Guest
Bought a non-running 81 GS450S. The previous owner couldn't get it to run and didn't want to deal with it.

As she sits
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PO broke the ignition trying to fix it. Put in a new ignition. Rear tail light was broken off.

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Took the tank off, the front light out, side plates off, and disconnected everything. Deoxidized all the connections, re-connected em, and got her running.

xpkmCBoh.jpg


Pulled the carbs, dipped em, and they'll be rebuilt over the next couple of days. Got a new set of orings, K&N pod filters, and jets coming tomorrow. Here's the difference between clean and dirty carbs:

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Mocked up a temporary plate to mount the electronics under the seat:

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Turns out I need a longer black wire from the starter, but here's the temp mount:

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Stay tuned. The build will start slow in the beginning and speed up over the next few months.
 
Signed up.

There are quite a few upgrades you can do on the 450's. Don't hesitate to ask. Nice fork brace, btw!
 
Big Rich said:
Signed up.

There are quite a few upgrades you can do on the 450's. Don't hesitate to ask. Nice fork brace, btw!
Click to expand...

Gonna do this in a few stages.

Putting in pods/rejetting now cause it made sense.

Then I'm gonna put in a MAC 2 into 1 exhaust. Have to perfect jetting at that point.

After that I'm gonna weld a hoop into the back, and plates for mounting electronics. Fab a seat.

Next will be handlebars, controls, shocks, forks maybe.

After that will be a full paintjob, rebuild.

Last will be wheels.

As for the telefix, I think it's ugly. Is it a rare aftermarket part or something? The rubber in it is rotted.
 
I recommend getting GS500 carbs. They are plentiful and offer some advantages over the stock carbs. At least consider them before messing with the stock jetting / buying pods.

For the fork brace - is there any rubber in there that ISN'T stock rubber? I thought all aftermarket were aluminum & steel. Either way, the stock forks are 33mm, and it's very easy to bolt on forks that are 37mm .
 
Dipped and rebuilt my carbs. Rejetted to a main 142.5 to start with. Added K&N pods.

PROTIP: if you are going to remount your electronics, make sure you ground your starter.

Now it's time to figure out my throttle occasionally sticking.

I think I'll rebuild a new wiring harness next.

YQOHwCV.jpg
 
Added a 45 pilot jet and went from lean to rich. Throttle was getting stuck around 3000 rpms but isn't any longer. Cut off the mufflers. I love the sound of the open pipes. Removed the remaining plastic and fenders. Grinded all the tabs off.

When you guys remove the rear fender, I've seen some of you weld some plates onto the frame in front of and above the rear tire. Do you ever worry about the tire hitting those plates? Or is that not too big of a concern?

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If you're worried about clearance, measure the travel of the shock then measure from the top of the tyre to where the plate will be. That will tell you if bottoming out the shocks will cause any issues.
 
I don't know if anyone has asked yet, but do you want to sell the Telefix fork brace? Nice build by the way! I have a GS425 that I'm also turning into a cafe racer.
 
Spikus said:
I don't know if anyone has asked yet, but do you want to sell the Telefix fork brace? Nice build by the way! I have a GS425 that I'm also turning into a cafe racer.
Click to expand...

I'm going to hold onto the fork brace and get rid of the guard. Apparently the telefixs are hard to find.



It's been awhile. Had to buy a welder and get some parts. I broke the bike down completely and all that's left is a frame. Today I finished grinding out all tabs, grinding down slugs for the rear hoop, and fabbed a holder for the electronics under the seat.

nowkKrm.jpg


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Nice work. It looks like you have plenty of room, but make sure to check tire clearance before welding on the hoop.
 
hardline_42 said:
Nice work. It looks like you have plenty of room, but make sure to check tire clearance before welding on the hoop.
Click to expand...

The hoop goes far behind the tire. As far as height, I tested my weight on the stock springs and couldn't really get them to compress hard enough to the point it would be a problem. Gonna get new springs anyway and I'll account for making sure the tire doesn't scrape.
 
Metal work is almost done. Just need to fab a seat pan and drill mounting points. Then I'll blast and paint the frame. Yes I know my welds suck, it's my first time :cool:

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Cut and mounted a seat pan

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Next I stripped all of the metal. What a time consuming process. Hindsight is 20/20. Originally, I tried soda blasting the whole thing, but that can be quite a process. If I could go back and do it over, here's what I would have done:

Strip all metal parts with Aircraft Remover. The quart size container should be enough for a motorcycle. It'll take a few coats/rinses and that won't get everything off. Wear gloves and if you get it on your gloves, rinse off. It WILL eat through gloves.

Hit any small spots left or unreachable spots with the soda blaster. I got the cheapo unit from Harbor Freight. If I would have used the remover in the first place, I could have gotten away with only 1 50 pound bag of soda. You should now be at bare metal and can paint.

ZabkLzg.jpg


First, I used masking tape on all holes. Then I went around all holes with a razor to cut off excess. After that I started painting. I just finished my first coat on the frame and second coat on the swing arm, brake bracket, kickstand and center stand.
 
hardline_42 said:
Looks good, so far. What do you plan on tackling next?
Click to expand...

I'm going to soda blast and paint the engine a flat black. I may do that and/or paint the original rims, get new rubber, and have the brakes checked. I'd like to get the bike standing up on it's own again. What kind of tires are good on this bike?
 
jmaresca said:
I'm going to soda blast and paint the engine a flat black. I may do that and/or paint the original rims, get new rubber, and have the brakes checked. I'd like to get the bike standing up on it's own again. What kind of tires are good on this bike?
Click to expand...
I've always wondered if painting an aircooled engine affected its ability to dissipate heat but I see a lot of people doing it.

As far as tires, Avon Roadriders get consistently good reviews as well as the Bridgestone Battlax depending on the sizes you need. Shinko 712s aren't too bad if you're on a budget.
 
Looking good... I went Pirelli Sport Demons on mine and it has never been better to ride.

Between the Ikons and tyres it feels a world different to the stock suspension setup.
 
Hardline, I've read from a couple different places that a thin layer of paint helps to dissipate heat (more surface area than bare aluminum). But black paint would absorb more heat from the sun than a lighter paint.

Personally though, I think that an aircooled motor isn't affected by the miniscule bit of paint on the surface. If it will over heat, it will do it regardless.
 
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