81 GS550T Full Rebuild...In Ohio

[cowboyup3371]

Remind me never to paint my own project again. Using the block helped me create an edge and go through the paint near the front of the tank. My friend says we can just feather and fix the paint when we are done but we have a long way to go still. I'm hoping for a ride and might do so before the paint is finished but am still debating on that since I am also waiting for a piston cup set for the front master cylinder.

 

[Guest]

Doh!

 

[cowboyup3371]

Rebuilt the front master cylinder and rebled the brakes but they still don't feel perfect even with the fact there's no air coming through any of the lines. However, they still seem like they were last year so I'll make sure my first ride will be to a parking lot to check them out.

Also installed the rear turn signals and reterminated the ends but just as I was trying to run the wires through some shrink wrap this morning, work decided to call me in. Afterwards, my daughter had swim practice then the eldest had a Ohio Music Education Association Marching Band State Finals competition today where the team won a Superior rating (highest). I'm hoping I'll be able to go over to the garage tomorrow after doing some more work troubleshooting a phone issue we've been having with a vendor. Seems only the government cares enough to observe Veterans Day but as we've been fighting this problem for some time I felt we should get it done while the vendor was willing to work with us.

I'll probably forgo finishing the paint issues until later this winter so I can get a ride in before the weather gets too bad. So, just know what pictures I can take are not going to be great.

 

[Guest]

No worries. Not too many of our projects here are perfect anyway. So post 'em up and let us enjoy!

 

[Guest]

Scott, did you see my tip in the wrenching thread? Strap that brake lever back to the 'bar overnight and you should have a nice firm lever in the morning.

 

[cowboyup3371]

I'll give it a try Pete if I can make it back over to the garage tonight as I'm just now logging into work (love VPN systems - can do it from home). My only concern with that is how we didn't find any air in the system so I'm not sure if that will help. Not to mention this is a Kawasaki MC and not a Suzuki so will it act the same way?

 

[tkent02]

Scott, did you see my tip in the wrenching thread? Strap that brake lever back to the 'bar overnight and you should have a nice firm lever in the morning.

This works very well, but not if there's something wrong with the system.

 

[cowboyup3371]

Seals and pistons in both front calipers were replaced this time as well as the piston set in the MC. Like I said, I'll give things a try here as soon as work stops being a pain in my arse. Course, I could always go back to a stock Suzuki setup as I think I still have the calipers in the storage shed.

 

[Dogma]

Seals and pistons in both front calipers were replaced this time as well as the piston set in the MC. Like I said, I'll give things a try here as soon as work stops being a pain in my arse. Course, I could always go back to a stock Suzuki setup as I think I still have the calipers in the storage shed.

That would be a lot of work to find out what regret feels like. Even if the lever doesn't feel perfect, I bet it's still far better than stock.

Does the caliper still slide on the pins, or is it pushing the disc before the lever firms up? Come to think of it, I need to ask myself this question. After the wreck, I imagined the lever felt slightly mushier than I thought it did before. It still stops on a dime, but any sense of "not right" with the front brake is worth looking into.

 

[tkent02]

Can't remember, what brakes are you using?

 

[cowboyup3371]

The calipers are off a '89 Ninja 650 with a 2008 Ninja 650 MC

 

[cowboyup3371]

Well, I think I found my problem - the right hand caliper is still leaking even after receiving new pistons and seals. I was at the garage tonight to finish installing the rear turn signals, tie back the front brake handle, and begin tightening bolts when I saw fluid on the right side of the tire. I placed a paper towel down and within a few minutes noticed a drip fall to the towel. After straightening the wheel and tying the handle back again, I found a small droplet forming on the bottom of the right hand caliper. I'm leaving the handle tied back for the night and will go by there tomorrow to check it but I think something is wrong with that caliper. I'm just not positive as to why it would still be leaking. Any suggestions?

 

[tkent02]

Dirt or rust in there? Pinched seal? Pitted piston?

 

[Dogma]

Dirt under the banjo fitting? Crush washer needs replaced?

 

[cowboyup3371]

Brand new pistons from the factory and I cleaned it out pretty good this time. I wouldn't doubt the seal could be pinched so I'll check it again and take pictures.

 

[cowboyup3371]

So the friend whose garage I'm using and I took the caliper apart and found some small paint chips inside of the piston area. It's possible it got there when I reassembled it but we aren't positive about that. Verified everything was still in good shape, put it back together and bled it. It seems to have a bit better pressure but we'll see if there's any leaks in the AM.

Fingers are crossed....

 

[cowboyup3371]

It lives

It lives

Went to the garage this morning and found the brake caliper didn't leak on me as best as I could tell:



Then my friend and i decided to finish cleaning up the garage as he has a boat coming in this weekend. Once done, we pushed the bikes into their own stalls. Each one has a cabinet with a top to do small parts work on it and an upper cabinet we can keep other important stuff in. The rear corner will be used for my friend's projects - he's working on a couple of older Honda bikes for another friend who doesn't know what he wants.



It is otherwise a Suzuki garage as my friend's Boulevard is up front, his SV1000, my 550T, and a new bike in the family - a 1981 GS 550L - that belongs to my eldest. I'll let her do her own introduction later but it'll be sitting around until springtime as she won't start her drivers education and MSF courses until then.

Here's our two bikes:



After all that fun, we finished tightening the various bolts, cleaned up a few other bits, and managed to take a short 30 minute ride tonight after fighting a clutch adjustment problem. Most of the ride was in a parking lot as I wanted to check the brakes but I managed a short jaunt around the block. The bike seemed to run fine, had good acceleration, and whatnot so I hope to do a carb synch here soon. I also need to probably read up on when to do another torque session on the engine. However, the biggest issue I will need to look at is going to be a charging one. Yes, for some reason the bike's killed its stator again from a first look . It's funny how for two years in a row the stator is running fine before I take the bike apart but dies once it starts back up. I'm hoping it's just the fuse to the R/R.

EDITED to add: The stain under my bike has been there for some time and is not fresh.

Otherwise, I'll start back in on the tank soon and fix a couple of small other issues I noticed but that didn't interfere with the bike operations. I'm just happy I finally got back on it again.:dancing:

 

[Guest]

Great to see you got out for a ride Scott, even if it is a short one!

Looks like she's coming together well, can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[cowboyup3371]

YeeHaw, the bike's charging system is not running too bad after all. I found tonight the terminals in the connector between the stator and R/R were not seating on the stator side. After some adjustment to the terminals and testing, the bike is charging at 15.5v at 4500 RPM.

I also decided to take some better pictures of the bike for you all. The tank and side covers need work, like I said yesterday, but it's looking nice in my eyes.













I'll post better pictures of the tank and side covers once I finish the paint.

 

[Dogma]

Very "edgy" style on the faux-finish on that tank. You just rub it with some sandpaper to get that look, right? The rest looks quite nice. I might like something to break up the solid color on the wheels though.