83 GS 1100ES Getting GSXR Goodies on a Budget!

[niclpnut]

I've slowly been gathering parts and have called in a few favors but have almost everything I need to get things going. I've got some more things to fab/work out but it should be doable.


Most all of the work is done by me and while it might not be the greatest, I've put alot of effort into it. I've gotten alot of insperation and advice from numerous members here on the forum, and from my local bike shops/owners.

My goal was to do the conversion on the cheap (not sacrificing quality) hunting for deals on parts and mitigating cost of labor by finding the the cheapest mechanic I know... ie ME! I'll try to post what I've paid on parts etc along the way to give you all an idea of what penny pinching is about

The bike to start:

Parts I'm using:

95 GSXR 750 Forks
02 954 Drop triples with risers for stock bars.
6pot calipers
Braided Lines
99 Bandit 5.5" Rear Wheel
93 GSXR 600 Front wheel
95 GSXR 1100 Front rotors
94 GSXR Rear Caliper
97 GSXR 750 Caliper Stay Arm
Custom mount for underslung caliper on Stock GS 1100ES swing arm.
530 17T 5/8 Offset Sprocket (thanks Katman)
Custom Bearing spacer (thanks Katman)
Bandit Wheel Spacers
GS Sprocket Hub Carrier


I'll be keeping all the stock components and hopefully not have to alter anything too much so I can return to stock if wanted.

One of my biggest hurdles for me and alot of people is figureing out rear wheel spacing, chain alignment, how to mount the underslung caliper and the like.

I started to tackle the rear first:

I got a 5/8" offset 530 sprocket hub side wheel spacer and a shim from Katman.

He milled the spacer to just under .5" and said it should line up the chain just perfect. Of course it worked a treat! However, as some encounter, I had some interference from the frame. My O-ring chain 530 chain is a bit wide. I wan't about to grind anything on the frame so Katman provided me with a .08" shim that would give me the added room I needed. I also had to mill the Spacer portion of the sprocket spacer .08" to match the width of the shim (compensates for and aligns the chain).

I actually went to a local machine shop and one of the guys was gracious to take me under his wing and show me how to grind down the spacer. Problem solved!

I'll post pictures of installation and chain alignment when I do it for the final adjustment.

The swing arm and mounting the underslung caliper threw me for a bit of a loop.

Some guys use the long torque arm from a late 80's/early 90's GSXR. They are able to mount it close to the center stand or a motor mount.

I Started with that but couldnt get things to line up.

My solution:

Mid 90's GSXR 1100 Caliper, Bandit Caliper hanger, Bandit rotor side bearing spacer, Thick bandit spacer, Katman cut spacer and shim.

Machined a piece of stock down to fit, then began adjusting the shape and then welded it to the underside of arm in between the support rails. Torque arm is from a 97 750 SRAD that ALMOST had the right amount of bend to hit dead center on the arm.

Wound up having to Cut and reweld one end of the arm bracket to get it to line up just right.

Tooke a few hours and still needs to be cleaned up, but think it turned out pretty good. Will allow for adjustment to the chain as needed.


More to come.

At work so cant really stay on the comp forever!


Nic

 

[redstedman]

Good mods, I intend to do the almost the same thing. I will closly watch this thread.

 

[Guest]

watching this too. btw, we should start an es only thread, make the others jealous. starting with a beauty, there.

 

[Guest]

What's your plan for the rear master cylinder and connecting it to your rear brake pedal. That's usually the tough part of trying to stay with a stock swing arm and 180 Bandit rear. Gets tight in there.

 

[niclpnut]

I'll be using 92 gsxr 1100 rearsets. Will be about spacing them correctly with mounting plates.

Nic

 

[niclpnut]

Decided to dive into the front end work, since I'm waiting on brake lines and some misc bits and pieces.

First thing was to change fork seals and oil. The fork seals were pretty much toast and there was a healthy leak.

I'm working on 95 GSXR 750 inverted forks. They had previously been worked on by race tec and were set up for a 220# rider. I spoke with a representative and based on weight of the GS and me, I should be right about where I need to be.

I'm using the factory manual and a pretty good write up from Custom Fighters : http://www.customfighters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38888

I did not buy any of the special tools but decided to make some of my own.

First thing was to get the top cap off and pour out the oil. Then using my $3 compressor tool combined with a ratchet strap, I was able to loosen the and remove the top cap from the dapner rod.

The spring compressor is about a 2-3" piece of thick wall pvc tube drilled and tapped for 3/8" bolts. Threaded them in then used a nut on the outside of the pvc and one in the inside to secure bolts in place. The pvc pipe ID is large enough to slip over the outer fork tube. I chose a bit wider tube then the 750 forks so I can use it on my GSXR 1100 forks as well.

You can buy the same kind of tool for around $35-40 from numerous vendors, but I'm trying to save and this did the trick! Just be carefull on the ratchet side to not scratch up your forks. Use a towel or something between the tube and the ratchet to protect it.

Get it compressed just enough so that you can fit 2 wrenches in to loosen the lock nut on the dampner rod while securing the top cap. After that just unscrew the cap the rest of the way then you can CAREFULLY remove the ratchet strap. This thing is under pressure so Do it a couple notches at a time if you can so it doesnt shoot the spring up and spray oil every where!


All internals removed except the cartridge:

 

[niclpnut]

The oil was pretty clean. Pump the damner rod several times while inverting the fork tub to remove all the residual oil. I flushed the cartridge with fresh oil a couple times just as an added precaution. I may remove the cartridge but judging on the fresh look of the oil I think i wont need to.

I hung the Fork tub inverted and bled the cartridge a few times for a couple hours to get most of the oil out.:

Pardon the garage Got 3 projects in the works and the 1 car work area is filled with tons of mis parts, packing supplies, and junk!

Examine the teflon coated bushings that fit on the upper part of the inner fork tube for wear. Mine looked really good so no need to replace. Check the fork tube for any pitting and CLEAN/polish the tube outer very well.

Also flush the outer fork tube with some break cleaner or something and inspect the internal portion for wear marks.


I ran into a snag when going to reinstall new fork seals.

I had purchased a set of ALLBALLS seals listed specifically for 91-95 GSXR 750 forks. However there was no way no how they were going to fit as the ID was too small. I realized this when I buggered up one seal trying to MAKE it fit over the tube. Measured the fork tube and came to the conclusion that they are 43mm tubes not 41 as listed by all balls and other manufacturers.

I guess the 94 and 95 years changed to the 43mm tubes....SOOOOO had to order a new set.

That's where I'm at atm...just waiting on the new seals.

Nic

 

[80GS1000]

Nice ride, looking forward to seeing your progress.

Might want to ask members kichigai and IngvarB about their bikes, both appear to be using Bandit swingarms:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=827118&postcount=97

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=828264&postcount=106

 

[niclpnut]

Thanks. I followed and reread kichigai's build and am using it as inspiration and direction.

Nic

 

[niclpnut]

I got around to mocking up the rear end this afternoon.

I wound up milling .08" off my 530 5/8" offset sprocket and added a .08" shim to the sprocket side to buy me a bit more frame clearance.

However I'm still rubbing a but on the frame at the underside of the swing arm.

I've got an o-ring chain on currently and since I really would rather not grind any relief on the frame, I was considering a non-oring chain to buy me the extra couple off mm needed.

EK SR non o ring heavy duty chains have a tensile strength of 8000.

Wondered if that would be a bad idea with the stock motor.

I do have a off set set up in 520 pitch but was hoping to use that for the next project.


Nic

 

[posplayr]

I got around to mocking up the rear end this afternoon.

I wound up milling .08" off my 530 5/8" offset sprocket and added a .08" shim to the sprocket side to buy me a bit more frame clearance.

However I'm still rubbing a but on the frame at the underside of the swing arm.

I've got an o-ring chain on currently and since I really would rather not grind any relief on the frame, I was considering a non-oring chain to buy me the extra couple off mm needed.

EK SR non o ring heavy duty chains have a tensile strength of 8000.

Wondered if that would be a bad idea with the stock motor.

I do have a off set set up in 520 pitch but was hoping to use that for the next project.


Nic

Katman has fully research chain options to minimize chain clearance issues. See his website

 

[niclpnut]

I have looked over suzukikatana.com and his blog.

He has the DID chain spec sheet on the tech guide.

The non O-ring 530 chain was listed at avg 8600 tensile strength with a pin length of 22.55mm

The EK chain I was looking at is listed at 8000 and has a pin length of 21.30mm.

My current EK qx-ring chain is right about 25.80mm and was rated for around 10500 but is kissing the frame.

Nic

 

[niclpnut]

Looks like alot of ppl run the DID ERV3 chain on the 520 pitch on gsxrs, conversions etc. Rated at 8600.

An 05 750 makes about 135hp at the rear wheel and I'm probably at around 110.

Given that thought I should be ok with a non o-ring chain of around 8000 rated tension strength.

The wear resistance on the non o-ring chain is no where close to the ERV chains so it will need to be changed out faster and will require considerably more maintenance.

 

[posplayr]

I have looked over suzukikatana.com and his blog.

He has the DID chain spec sheet on the tech guide.

The non O-ring 530 chain was listed at avg 8600 tensile strength with a pin length of 22.55mm

The EK chain I was looking at is listed at 8000 and has a pin length of 21.30mm.

My current EK qx-ring chain is right about 25.80mm and was rated for around 10500 but is kissing the frame.

Nic

so what chain does he reco for maximum clearance?

 

[niclpnut]

I didn't really find a recommendation.

I was just going by manufacturer info from various makers.

There are a few different heavy duty drag/racing roller chains and can be found with a pin around 23mm and rated for 10500#.

I think I'll go ahead and switch over to the 520 set up I have. Will not have to worry about frame clearance since the chain pins are under 20mm and it will be stronger.

Not to mention the impracticality of running an unsealed chain.

 

[niclpnut]

Switched over to the 520 set up, and no longer have any clearance issues. Guess that is the way to go.

Forgot to take pics of the rear but will get some tomorrow.

Started on the front end.

New bearings installed for the 954 Triple. (bearings are the same between the gs gsxr and quite a few different bikes)

I decided to use the stock stem dust cover for the upper bearings. The 954 triple has a metal cover but it doesn't sit down over the neck and over hangs quite a bit.

The dust cover pops over the bearing race and the frame neck however the cover has a depth of approximately .1" I had a stem nut from a gsxr 750 with a built in spacer that fits the gap. The nut from the gsxr would not fit since the OD of the 954 stem at the lower lock nut threads is slightly larger.

I used the spacer on the GSXR lock nut as a guide and a local machine shop cut me a spacer for $10 that matches the GSXR lock nut spacer but has the wider ID to fit the 954 stem.


On the left is the GSXR lock nut. In the middle is the lock nut from the 954 with the spacer and on the right is the stock gs dust seal.

The 954 stem has two lock nuts, but with the stock seal there is not enough thread so I'll just be using the thicker of the two (which also matches the thickness of the gsxr lock nut) with the spacer emulating the GSXR.

I took another page out of katmans book and referenced his turbo katana build to figure out what to do with the steering stops. I tapped the existing stops and installed allen head bolts with a jam nut. Nice and adjustable.

I already had the tap and the bolts/nuts so that was free

Upper triple installed and slid the 95 gsxr 750 forks into place.

Risers set me back $20. Drilled holes in the top triple to fit the riser bolts. Installed with a couple washers and lock washers. They are fitted to the flat part of the the triple close to the lock nut at the top of the rise. Scrap set of bars I had so I could make sure the risers were mounted straight.

Few more odds and ends to figure out but its looking like a bike again.

Nic

 

[niclpnut]

Almost finished. Still need to relocate the GSXR rear master. Will more than likely be cutting brackets for the gsxr rear sets.

Home made bracket for the gauge cluster:

I flipped the ignition around to clear the neck faring bracket and stock bars installed:

Chain runs straight and true with the 520 setup. I installed the sprocket cover, and the chain was making contact with some of the webing on the inside of the cover. I used a metal file to cut a bit of relief on the inside of the cover and now the chain is not making any contact:

Nic

 

[niclpnut]

Ground clearance is not much of an issue. The yoshi pipe hugs the oil pan nice and tight, and the added height from the 954 triples helped:

Rear end view

Front end view. 6 pot calipers wow do they grab. 1 finger action. I picked up a Mighyvac to bleed the brakes. Don't know how I lived without it.:

As she stands now. Not perfect. Paint flaws and dings from use here and there, but over all turned out nice considering I'm pinching pennies:

Nc

 

[Guest]

Looks great nice work. You gotta put a sticker or some black tape on that Honda emblem on the upper clamp.

 

[steve murdoch]

Nice work.
I know it will be tough but wait until the roads are cleaned up a bit to try out those big brakes.