GS 550 D spares

[Guest]

Hi Guys.
I am in the UK and am rebuilding a 1980 GS 550 D. I am not having a lot of luck finding parts so need to know which models would be compatible.
At the moment I am looking at chain and sprockets, size of chain and no of teeth on sprockets, the bike I have has none so I cannot measure anything.
Also looking for a valve/camshaft cover gasket, I have seen one for a 550 E, would this fit?
Cheers

 

[fastbysuzuki]

I think the sprocket choice depends on if you have spoked or cast wheels have a look at https://www.cmsnl.com/ and compare part numbers a quick search on that famous auction site brings up a whole host of possibilities.
compare part numbers for gasket.

 

[Steve]

I am having as much difficulty understanding what you have as you are having finding parts. :-k

I understand the "1980 550", but a "D" after that implies that it's a 1983 model. Which one do you have?

Knowing which one is critical, because the only things those two models have in common is that you can use the same oil in the engine and the same air in the tires.

.

 

[Guest]

The bike was registered in 1980, so manufactured before then. The log book designates it a GS550D. And the frame number begins GS550D.
It is twin front disc and single rear disc with cast wheels. I understand the engine was swapped a few years back by the previous owner who could not get it going (the cam for opening the points was fitted 180 degrees out, the engine has 25k miles on it and runs lovely.)
That's as much as I know.

I have found the gasket I am looking for so curious about sprockets.

 

[Guest]

Missed a bit out.
The original engine was running but was swapped with a non running engine to get his other bike running to sell it. The engine came from a younger GS550E and was not running because of the points cam being 180 degrees out.

 

[Guest]

I was a little confused by your 'D' designation as well. As I imagine you know, the year letters around that time were C for 78, N for 79, T for 80 and so on, which is why Steve (above) questioned your year of manufacture. However, looking at an old Suzuki service supplement, I found mention of a GS 550DT - so a 1980 model that was different to my 550ET. This didn't go to the American market as far as I can tell. They were sold in the UK, Holland, Finland, West Germany and Australia.

So how is a DT different from an ET? You've already mentioned three discs and casts wheels, which is standard for the time. A quick google search hasn't found much. Presumably you have an electric start? How about a stepped seat?

Talking aloud, the wife overheard me and said, 'Well, an ET can phone home'. Not much help!

Post a pic if you can - I'd be interested to see how the two models vary.

To get back to your original questions, I have standard sprockets on my bike, but I can't remember the numbers offhand. I'll check them when I get a minute. As for the valve cover gasket, anything 1980 or earlier will be fine, as you found out. Later models have an extra bolt in the forward cam tunnel area, and therefore a slightly different gasket.

It wouldn't surprise if your engine was original. I doubt Suzuki went to the trouble of changing stamps for minor cosmetic variations - all the 550s in any model year got the same engine.

 

[Guest]

This is what it looked like when I bought it.

Whereabouts in Cornwall are you?
I am originally from Plymouth.

 

[Guest]

On Bodmin Moor, above Liskeard. I can see the lights on the bridge from here.

Thanks for the photo. So far as i can see (and please don't take this as criticism - I'm not trying to find fault), you have aftermarket front mudguard and brake hoses, and a Motad exhaust. Replacement rear suspension units. A kick start lever, which normally implies a pre-1980 engine. Slight lack of carbs. A 1980-on front master cylinder - does it have four screws? I can't see where the choke lever/knob is. A 1981-on swinging arm? Interestingly, a flat seat. Other things that help date these bikes are the regulator/rectifier - combined, or separate? Even things like the tyre pressure sticker varied from year to year.

It's always difficult to be sure that things like seats are original, but I'm wondering if Suzuki's D designation was used for models that were fitted with slightly older features, in order to reduce parts still in stock - they were pretty good at mixing and matching to use up any excess they had.

 

[Guest]

I am old enough to remember the Liskeard bypass being built, and a close encounter with a herd of cows which a farmer was taking down the bypass just after it was finished.
I have the carbs, which are pre CV, off the top of my head VM21 maybe. It seems a bit of a bitsa but I like it, will look a bit different when I am finished.
By the bridge I am assuming the Tamar bridge, I lived a few hundred yards from it on the Plymouth side and spent a great deal of my youth climbing on the walkways underneath the roadway.

 

[Guest]

Oh, and the regulator/rectifier is one unit, but that will be replaced with a honda unit.

 

[Guest]

The Honda R/Rs are a reasonable replacement - I still have one on mine. Current thinking is that the best replacement is a SH-775 unit. Not easy to find over here, but some of the American members of this site are willing to ship over here for reasonable prices.