'81 GS550 Cafe Build

[Tim Tom]

Wow this is a beautiful build. You made some incredible progress from the redneck rocket.

Can't wait to see it with that pipe on. Even though it's a 'cheap' MAC it will still look fantastic!

 

[Guest]

Incredible work! That is just plain gorgeous.

 

[BigD_83]

It's been awhile since I've looked in on your rebuild. Looking really, really nice!

I bet you have plans for another rattling around in your head?

 

[D-Mac]

It's been awhile since I've looked in on your rebuild. Looking really, really nice!

I bet you have plans for another rattling around in your head?

Damn. You're on to me! Still lots of work to go, but the electrical is coming along nicely so far. I have all of new gauges wired for the harness. The charging circuit is BAD, and all of the wires rear of the engine are basically toast. One I get the harness a bit cleaner, I'll be able to lay it on the frame and start planning locations for the various bits.

As for my next project, I was originally thinking of trying my hand at a Norton or old Triumph. A friend had his Commando 750 in my garage for a while, and it was cool. We finished it, he got it running, and it went home. Heavy bike though, and the isolastic mounts were less than fun to deal with. I'm thinking of something else.

Right now, I'm think of thinking of a big single or a twin. Something different. A Yamaha SR500 tracker would be cool, or maybe a basic resto on an older Honda (something pre-1968).

I've also lusted for an early gen VFR. Hell, an old naked Wing would be a fun project too.

 

[koolaid_kid]

Restore a CL77. They were, and still are, a work of art.

 

[D-Mac]

Restore a CL77. They were, and still are, a work of art.

Agreed. I think they are one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever produced. I'd love to own one.

 

[Guest]

I learned the wiring is not that bad actually. I'm sure you will have no problem and even if you do, someone here already knows the answer! Keep plugging away, a little bit everyday.

 

[BigD_83]

I had to look the CL77 up...wasn't sure if I knew what model that was.

Gorgeous if done right, yes.

Speaking of the SR500, my personal favorite super-single, the SRX-6, still holds a special place in my heart but is probably newer than most would be looking for as a cafe build (picture not mine):

There is a nice gallery of custom/restomods here

 

[D-Mac]

Some progress this weekend. Not the most exciting stuff, but it brings me closer and closer to the end of this project. I started by cleaning the harness with a combination of acetone, ethanol (to wipe the dirt and crud off gently) and electronic cleaner. I pulled each connection apart, cleaned it, added a little dielectric grease, and reconnected it. After sorting out the wires on my new speedo and tach, matching them to the appropriate wires on the harness, and uncrossing my eyes, I soldered on the new wire and crimped/soldered new connectors, and stashed it all inside the headlight. So the front of the harness is mostly done (I hope). I haven?t hooked up a battery yet (too many bare wires on the rest of the harness to risk it), although I tested each of the connectors/lights that I modified by using a volt-meter and 9v battery.

I have to sort out turn signals, although the wires for the front ones are in place.

A pic of the first few wires in the bucket. When I was done the bucket was FULL. Once I know everything works, I will go back in and remove all of my multi-colored labeling tape!

Next, I started to work backwards on the harness. By gutting the entire mid-section of the bike (old battery box, which held the reg rec, fuses, spark box, solenoid, etc. there are a LOT of wires and components to sort out. Added to that, this harness has a lot of ?homemade? modifications, all of which are pretty awful and need to be corrected.

Exhibit A. This pile of misc. fuses is supposed to be a fuseblock with four fuses on it (not three in-line). Note the bare ?hot? wire poking out! There are a LOT of these wiring jobs on the harness. I have the fuseblock from my ?spare? harness, but it?s a little melted and missing the cover. I like the size and style of the block (even if it is a little dated), so I ordered a complete replacement from a GS for $6 on eBay.

Hmmmmm?..this isn?t gonna work.

This is supposed to be a 10-amp fuse.

A pic of the proper style fuseblock (bottom shown).

I?ve decided to do the ?coil relay mod? that a lot of GS owners do. In fact, anyone with an old bike might want to consider it. The wiring to the coils runs through the entire harness and several switches before reaching its destination. Along the way, voltage can drop substantially, which affects the spark quality. The mod uses the existing wiring to trigger a relay, so I can then run ?clean? power straight from the battery to the coils (via the relay). It requires a little cutting into the harness to complete, but now is the best time I guess. Good thing too because look at what I found as soon as I opened it up to splice it?.bare spots on one coil ?feed!? This is normally taped into the harness, so there would be no easy way to spot it if I hadn?t decided to tackle the relay mod. This might help explain why two cylinders were misfiring before.

I still have to run new wires for this mod. I also have to clean some additional connections, replace a broken oil sensor switch, and re-do some burned-out connectors that run to the stator. I?m also eliminating the silly loop through the headlight that runs through one stator-leg. I?ll be removing the large and unneeded ?accessory panel? too.

In addition to that stuff, I also started laying out where I want to put various electrical components. I?m trying to stash as much as possible onto the little shelf I made behind the seat ?bump.? The reg/rec, solenoid, and main plugs will just reach properly if I put them toward the front of my shelf. That leaves the battery in behind, along with a few other gadgets. I?m stashing the transistorized (pre-CDI) box just in front and under the seat on a shelf that I kept from the original frame. I think I?ll try and get this stuff bolted down soon, so that I can begin the process or measuring and making wires to reach other components (there will still be many connections in need of modification). I?ll be replacing the major cables to the starter, main ground, and battery-to-solenoid as the old ones are thin, worn, and no longer the correct lengths.

I also measured for new clutch and throttle cables because the old ones are ruined and they are now way too long anyway (there?s a big difference between pull-back bars on risers and clip-ons!) This bit of ?fun? meant pulling the carbs so that I can fit a new cable. I?m hoping to get the new cables ordered this week.

In summary, I?ve learned a lot about wiring and I have many things started, but tons left to do. This experience should make the motorcycle electrical course I take next month a lot easier! Hopefully I won?t learn that I did it all wrong.

 

[D-Mac]

I had to look the CL77 up...wasn't sure if I knew what model that was.

Gorgeous if done right, yes.

Speaking of the SR500, my personal favorite super-single, the SRX-6, still holds a special place in my heart but is probably newer than most would be looking for as a cafe build (picture not mine):

There is a nice gallery of custom/restomods here

Funny you should mention the SRX-6. I was just eyeing one for sale today.....hmmm..... I kind of like the look of 'em in stock form.

 

[BigD_83]

The SRX is/was essentially a cafe bike out of the box. Light, nimble, good brakes, without a lot of extras. The exhaust sounded good but was somewhat restrictive. There is an entire world of aftermarket parts available to make it one's own.

Always thought it'd be fun to have a one-design racing series with these little bikes.

They pop up every once in awhile, in disparate parts of the country. I've only seen a few in Canada that were not Japanese gray-market imports. There was a dealer with one somewhere in the Great Lakes states (Illinois, maybe?); another red one with very low mileage.

 

[Hone101]

That's a nice looking fastback in the background there.

 

[tkent02]

Funny you should mention the SRX-6. I was just eyeing one for sale today.....hmmm..... I kind of like the look of 'em in stock form.

How is the power? I rode the cruiser version with this same engine, a Savage I think it was called, it felt like a slow 250.

 

[D-Mac]

I'm still working on the wiring (an hour or so each day). It's coming along pretty well. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.....or maybe that's just the fumes from the soldering gun?? I finished the coil relay mod today, installed a new fuse box, and finished attaching most of the major bits into new spots.

I got some good news today too. Two months ago, I took the knowledge I've gained from this project, and the info I've learned from motorcycle mechanic classes, and wrote the Michigan motorcycle mechanic exam.

They "misplaced" my test, and after phoning a ton of places for two weeks, I finally got someone who could help. They found my test, and I passed (97% apparently). So once I get some forms and pay the State, I'll be a licensed Master Mechanic.

 

[cowboyup3371]

Congratulations DMac.

 

[BigD_83]

How is the power? I rode the cruiser version with this same engine, a Savage I think it was called, it felt like a slow 250.

I don't know about the cruiser version. The LS 650 (Savage) was the Suzuki single cylinder cruiser.

I think there would have been substantial differences in gearing for the purpose of each. The SRX was purported to put out mid-high 30s hp at the rear axle, and top speed was just around 100mph...98 if I remember correctly.

I can't recall the 1/4 mile times on it, but I believe they were somewhere in the low 14 sec range @ 90mph. Not a speed demon by any stretch, but torquey and light enough (under 390lbs wet) to have fun throwing around the twisties. If they had only put a 6 speed transmission in it...

I have my eye on an SRX that needs a little TLC...

 

[D-Mac]

As I zero-in on the end of the year, I?ve made steady progress on re-wiring the bike. After studying three wiring diagrams for my bike (Clymer, Haynes, and Suzuki manuals), lots of patience, and much practice soldering, crimping, and heat-shrinking, here?s a short report.

First off, you know your harness is rough when you are CONSTANTLY cleaning out spider nests in every nook and cranny. Here?s one inside of a terminal cover.

Quick pic of my battery mount. It?s very secure and I can still plug in the charger for it (it plugs into a port on the center-front of the battery ? crazy stuff). It looks like it could slide out, but it?s in there REALLY well. I covered the bracket in heat-shrink just in case it ever works its way up toward the terminals.

After placing everything into the underseat tray, I worked on finishing the mid-section.

Relay for the coil relay mod shown. I had a minor panic when I turned on the ignition and only one coil got warm. Apparently this is normal (and when I think about it, it makes sense).

I had to lengthen a lot of wires. The only one I had trouble with was finding a longer wire to the starter. All of the local auto places didn?t have anything in 6-gauge, which looks to be what the original wire was. When I did find some wire, it was in $$$ rolls or the terminals were way too large to fit under the starter cover. Then I got the idea to try a local car stereo place. They had everything, and cheap.

The rear tray is getting closer.

I decided to hide the ?spark box? here. That way, the plug can still reach without extending a bunch of wires. It?ll also get more air sitting here ? just under the front of the seat.

I also ran a new, fat ground cable from the battery negative to the engine ground point, and new grounds (much thicker wires) between the main harness and the frame. I use a dremel and a mini wire wheel attachment to remove the powdercoat from every grounding point before tightening it down.

Once that was done, I decided to test some stuff. I hooked up the battery and??

NO SMOKE!

Things then slowed down a bit. The oil pressure light was lit (good sign), but the new horn didn?t work. After checking to verify that the horn switch was OK, I ended up having to adjust the little screw on the back of the horn to get it to sound. One thing done!

Then I noticed the neutral switch wasn?t on. No biggie - I hadn?t plugged it in. One connection, and yup. It works.

The lo- and hi-beams weren?t working either. Bummer. A quick check revealed that the switches/plug were fine, so I dug around for a new H4 bulb. Yup. That did the trick. With a new bulb, the hi-beam indicator in my fancy speedo also started working.

The bike had no turn signals or brake/tail light when I got it, so I had to trace those wires from the main harness and restore them. I also had to buy a flasher unit. I?m using LED turn signals on the front and rear, so I added resistors on the front to get them all to flash normally. This is the first time I?ve done any of this stuff, but it worked like a charm. So I went ahead and installed the front signals into the headlight mounting brackets with a bunch of fasteners I had lying around. I need to fabricate a bracket to hold the rear ones on. The tail/brake lights tested good, but I still need to make a bracket for those too. All of the other switches seemed to work fine. I didn?t test the starter (waiting for the right moment for that drama!)

Front signals done.

Headlight works!

Unfortunately, the speedo and tach are backlit in different colors. They still look pretty sweet though.

I then reconnected the tach and speedo cables. Tight fit to clear the headlight bucket. I?m waiting for custom clutch and throttle cables to arrive. Hopefully they?ll be here within the next couple of weeks. I?m also waiting on a ?new? regulator/rectifier from a CBR1000 to replace my worn out one.

So besides fabricating a bracket for the license plate/turn signals/brake light/tail light/license plate light and install them, I still need to clean up the rest of the harness and tuck it all away. Then I might fill up the master cylinders and bleed the brakes. At some point, I will probably move the bike back to my ?shop? and install the pipes too. Once my cables arrive, I can re-install the throttle cable, and the carbs. With a new clutch cable, I can finish up the left clutch cover + shifter too. Then, and hopefully then, I might be able to add oil and gas, and FIRE HER UP!!

I?m still looking around for another project, but I might have to hold off on that for a bit. My oldest went to the store with me when I picked up a set of blinkers, and he promptly fell in love with this thing:

My other son wants a quad just as badly, and they?ve both been saving for one for nearly two years! This just might be their year?.

 

[D-Mac]

Another update:

My new regulator/rectifier arrived. I?m using a used one off a CBR1000. What a difference! This thing is massive compared to the silly little unit Suzuki used.

Comparison:

My new throttle and clutch cables also came in yesterday. They are 6.5? and 8?shorter than the old ones to make up for the much lower bars. The old cables were badly damaged too. This meant I could finish up the clutch cover and shifter linkage. Tomorrow I hope to attach the throttle cable and re-install the carbs.

I also finished fabricating a bracket for the tail/brake light and rear blinkers. Here are a few pics.

Painting some parts:

Install complete! This took quite a bit of test fitting, but I?m really happy with how it turned out. I also finished hooking running and connecting the wires.

Then I finished up the rest of the harness!

Which one is the flux capacitor?!

Tomorrow I will reinstall the carbs (this time with the throttle cable attached). I can probably bleed the brakes myself, but I'll definitely need a hand installing the pipes.

 

[cowboyup3371]

Very professional looking job, impressive.

What kind of visibility do you have of your taillight and rear signals with it that small and under the seat like that?

 

[D-Mac]

Very professional looking job, impressive.

What kind of visibility do you have of your taillight and rear signals with it that small and under the seat like that?

Thanks.

Visibility is surprisingly good. The lights on the top row of the tail light (the ones tucked in directly under the frame) only shine down on the license plate anyway, so the lower ones are really more important for visibility. The LEDs are super bright (hard on the eyes actually). I have a similar set on my BMW and they are much more visible than stock. I'll have to check it out from behind at some point though.