for GS550 owners only (80-82)

[first timer]

van, if you have the above pictured carbs, then yes you can run the jet kit i told you about. the above carbs are the CV (constant velocity) bs32 carbs. which i believe is what adam is trying to tell you. i compared all the oem jets and stuff of the 80-82 cv carbs. they all use the same stuff. they only have the gs550 mz kat model listed for jet kits because that was the sport model but all 550's that have cv bs 32 carbs have the same stuff so you will have no problem running a jet kit. just make sure you don't cut corners and get cheap air filters, you have to get the ones i mentioned above in order for it to run right.l

ryan

 

[AOD]

Van, you said you didn't know what kind of carbs you had...so we are telling you!

 

[Anonymous]

Ryan and Adam

Sorry for being a pain.. I really appreciate all the help you have offered me.

Van

 

[Anonymous]

K&N DID have a jet kit for my bike.. like $40 with shipping!! not bad compared to the $150 the other place wanted. i also bought the filter.

I have questions about the exhaust though..

Adam has a kerker
Ryan a Mac
Robben a jardine

why did you guys choose the ones you did?

i searched around and didnt find any conclusive statement labeling any one brand or style/type as the best choice.

i will continue searching around, but any input from ya'll would be great..

thanks again
Van

 

[robben]

Jardine for me, because the dealer (a trusted one) said it was the only one available in his catalogs for my bike. I didn't use online purchasing because most are US based, and with the exchange rates, and broker fees, it can end up costing more. As it is, I have to suffer with a chrome setup. I wanted black. Thus is the schtick of living in eastern Canada, sometimes.

I go online to buy when it just isn't available here.

Robben

'member when I told you you'd get more info than you'd ever need?? Now do you believe me? :wink: Sometimes, you just need a little patience. 8)

 

[Anonymous]

lol.....

it is a virtue ;-)

thanks Robben

 

[robben]

No problem. Looks to me like you've got a busy winter planned ahead. 8O Just remember to have fun, and come up for air once in awhile. :wink:

Robben

 

[Planecrazy]

Hi,

I've got an '80 GS550L which has been almost stock from the time I bought it (1989) 'til now. I say almost because the guy who owned it before me said he drilled out the baffles to make it louder (which it is ... too loud!).

I recently added a Dyna S ignition to replace a bad igniter and am in the process of relocating one of the mounting brackets for each of two Dyna Green coils because my originals overheat after about 5 - 10 minutes of running. Hypothetically the improvement in spark ought to result in a slight improvement in overall performance, although I don't really expect to feel a difference -- I chose the aftermarket parts because of the reported improvement in reliability over the stock Suzuki parts.

The latest project I'm going to undertake is to cut off the stock cans and adapt two Harley FLH cans (which I got free from the local Harley Dealer!) to quiet the bike down. I might wait till winter to start this project. I considered the possibility of completely removing the stock exhaust but after reading several posts about broken exhaust bolts I decided not to mess with mine right now. Ironically, the Harley cans will be the best looking part of my bike, which has a lot of surface rust. Once I have the bike running reliably I'll attack the aesthetics. I'm actually very happy to report that the original seat is in mint condition -- it sounds like most GS seats haven't faired as well over the years.

Future projects include lowering the rear end and putting better shocks on the bike. One thing I've always liked about this bike is that it looks like a bigger bike than it is. Good luck with yours!

 

[Anonymous]

planecrazy

Hi, thanks for the post...

Mine is 100% stock. it has the sissy-bar w/backrest, and case gards (i dont know if any came that way or not). but it looks very retro and i dig it. so i really dont want to do anything to it that will change the way it looks to much. it does have a little rust and a scrach/dent here and there, but this winter i will re-do everything to make it look loke it just rolled out of the dealership showroom.

I know what you mean about the "too loud" thing. my uncle has a harly bad-boy edition. it's phat but way to loud. when he starts it windows rattle in the next town over. i mean it definatly gets the testosterone pumping (I am man hear me roar) but come on...

i am by far more interested in performane then noise...

anyhow...
i am just about to buy the Dyna 2000 ignition, do you or anyone else know of a reason that i should go with the "S" or "3000" series or whatever??

thanks again
Van

 

[first timer]

your best bet is there is a yoshimura exhaust for sale on e bay, they are the cream of the crop, that sez it is for a 550, i went with the mac exhaust because i got a deal on it. you could try calling these guys and see if they have any exta exhausts milwaukee cycle supply salvage. 1800 359 6014, any 4 into 1 you find will be a good performance increase.

ryan

 

[satchmo]

Ryan,

I saw that exhaust on ebay and while I don't have the money for it, I'm wondering if a used Yosh for a 550 is worth $200??

Do you guys know how much they regularly go for?

Satch

 

[Anonymous]

i couldnt find the yosh you both mentioned. i did find "Suzuki GS550, gs 550 Exhaust KERKER header 79"

 

[AOD]

are you sure its not a new exhaust Satch? i saw it on ebay too.

i recently picked up another 'mysterious' brand exhaust like the one i have now. i got it for $40 and its in better shape then mine, so i can't go wrong i hope.

still waiting for it to come. originally i did not have a choice with my exhaust btw. i got the bike with the 4-1 on it.

~Adam

 

[Pete's GS]

Some things never change in motorcycling, and one of them is that there's no replacement for displacement. The easiest way to get your GS550 to wake up and run is to install a 610 or 630 kit from Megacycle (megacycle.com). Or, maybe, you could install GS650 pistons.

 

[first timer]

to give you a update pete the wiesco kit 610 and 630 are not made any more and mega cycle cams doen;t have any more,
( http://www.megacyclecams.com/catalog/page51.pdf ) but if you wanted to get really tricky you can get custom pistons made at $145 a pop. i would love to know if anyone knows anyone that has some of the 610/630 kits floating around they want to sell.

ryan

 

[HiSPL]

You could look around for a set of 29mm smoothbores. That or flatslides would give you a good boost. Port 'n' polish with a good exhaust. Bump up compression. Then buy another bike to ride around town on :lol: ....

I wouldn't go past the pipe, pods, and jets stage. Because you start sacrificing drivability for horsepower after that stage. Its a peppy little bike anyways. Keep it revved high and slam it through the corners and you won't have any problems with it.

Remember, anybody can turn the throttle on their new super litre widget bike.... But, it takes skill to go fast on a smaller bike.

 

[Pete's GS]

Ah, the 29mm Mikuni Smoothbores. They were wonderful, and I had them on a, ahem, CB750F that was one ol' bad boy. Too bad they're not made anymore though Sudco still carries parts. A lot of '70s and '80s UJMs just loved those carbs and they went like hell. Megacycle just sent me their catalog and the 610 and 630 kits were listed but I'll call and check.

 

[first timer]

they are listed but they just don't have any more and they don't make them any more is what i was told by a very very nice and helpful women at megacylce 2 thumbs up for service.
maybe you can have better luck

ryan

 

[Anonymous]

Hey ya fellas

thanks for all the tips and advice. I have started rebuilding my bike and things are going well.

since I am still waiting for my engine gasket kit, I decided to start with all the easy stuff. I Por-15'ed all the rust, rubberized the undersides of the fenders, and touched up the frame's paint. I got so excited that I even ground and buffed out all of the aluminum pieces to a brilliant shine.

I have been reviewing my service manual and all the tips and advice that you folks have offered to get ready to start on the engine and carbs next week or so...

so thanks a ton and wish me luck :wink:

van

 

[Anonymous]

Hey All..

Its been awhile since I've been on the forum..

To answer your original post.. I have a 1978 GS550 w/ pods, rejetted, Dyna 3 and a "no-name" 4-1 pipe I got off of eBay last year.

My GS550 was one that I rescued from a neighbors side yard, and worked with a new rider to restore it for her use. In the space of 1 year she managed to put 10,000 miles (actual mileage) on it riding up and down the west coast.

I haven't done much to it for about 4 months, but am going to probably give the carbs a methodical tune up... there's a little flakiness at 7/8 thottle.. and maybe upgrade the coils..

So there are mods out there, and eBay is a great place for parts.
Cheers, Tim