'82 GS650L Cafe Styled Bobber

[csw55]

Welcome to my GS650L build!
I purchased my 650 in May of 2013. It's my first bike, and definitely not my last haha.
I've already done a lot to it, so this is a thread basically picking up where i am now.
(I'll post a few pics to get you up to speed, though)​

Here's a pic I took a few minutes after I picked it up:

My buddy (who talked me into getting a bike) giving the bike a wash:

Took off the nasty windshield, and removing the rear grab bar:

Got a set of drag bars off my buddy. The stock bars killed my wrists:

The paint was all scratched and faded, so I sanded it down and painted the tank:

I wasn't a fan of how high the rear sat, so I made some solid struts (rough. ride.) also picked up a taillight and seat at a swap meet:

I made a decal for the tank, it didn't stay on long because I didn't like the way it turned out:

Picked up a wheel from a Suzuki gt380 on eBay. It's tire was junk though, but the aluminum is pretty clean. Super easy mod. I also ditched the solid struts, and picked up a set of shocks from a Honda Rebel 250. They're quite a bit shorter than stock GS shocks:

I can't find pictures from the time span of the last pic to this next one, but I'll try and summarize what I've done. I added 12" EMGO Shorty mufflers (they sound incredible). I sandblasted the headlight housing and rear fender (prep for paint), removed wires that I no longer needed, bought a sportster style tank from eBay, bought some 4" rise Tracker bars, Biltwell Grips, Installed DynoJet kit in the carbs, installed individual cone filters, added gold vinyl to the top of the forks:

I painted the tank and fender before I parked it for the winter. It's only temporary though, not sure what color I want to settle on. I wanted a lower stance for the bike, so I shortened the forks 2.5". I sold the tracker bars, and threw the drag bars back on until I get my next set (clubman bars). I'm not keeping the taillight where it is, I'll eventually make a side-mount taillight/license plate bracket. Also, not sure what to do about a seat.. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated:

 

[Steve]

This is your first bike? :-k

Have you even ridden it yet?

Hope you like the new riding position.

Good to see that you ditched the solid struts for the rear, the left lower mount is not designed for the stress of a solid strut, unless ALL of the streets in your area are perfectly smooth. I would still be leary of the shorter shocks, though. The u-joint in the drive shaft is designed to operate in a limited range of angles. You have just moved outside that range, which will accelerate wear on the drivetrain. With your bike being an '82, you also likely have the softer splines in the rear wheel. They are going to take the brunt of the drive train wear, so keep a close eye on them.

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[82'GS650]

Did you just cut off the cone of the exhaust? I own a gs650gl just like this and was thinking about doing that. Did it mess with how the engine ran after you did it?

 

[82'GS650]

What kind of shocks did you end up putting on? Progressive? If so could you share the part number?

 

[cowboyup3371]

Sorry there 82'GS650 but I'm not sure if you noticed that this thread is over a year old. I just looked at his profile and he hasn't even logged in since April of last year. Your best bet is to start a new thread to ask your questions and get answers directly related to your bike.

 

[tkent02]

Probably rode it once, discovered what a piece of crap he had made and put it on Craigslist for $7,000.

 

[MechMessiah]

Did you just cut off the cone of the exhaust? I own a gs650gl just like this and was thinking about doing that. Did it mess with how the engine ran after you did it?

You can cut the stock exhaust in front of the cone and swap it for something else. My 82 650L had this done by the P.O. and the engine ran fine. The electrical on the other hand was a mess but that had no connection to the exhaust.