GS1000 neo-retro project

[diptenkrom]

I have recently acquired a 79 GS1000L as I have a problem, lol. This is a 4th bike, and makes 3 project bikes, this doesn't count car and house projects, lol.

For those curious:
98 VFR 800 - rider
86 GoldWing - naked wing project
81 GS450 - 500cc build for scrambler project
79 GS1000L - neo-retro "street fighter" project of sorts

My plan for it is modern USD forks and swingarm with monoshock, and make it more of a modern looking sportbike. I already have a set of 06 GSX-R600 forks. I plan on sourcing a similar era black swingarm. Also I don't want odd sized wheels, or 3 spoke. So I'm looking at F3/F4 CBR 6spoke wheels 17x5 rear, and 17x3.5 front.

So there are many questions for anyone that may have gone down this road.

Any swingarm better than another for fitment?
Any major hurdles for the wheels on those forks?
Any words of wisdom on making all the brakes work?

 

[unfocused]

You mean this?
77 GS750 frame
79 GS1000 engine
2004 GSXR front and rear suspension, brakes and wheels - fully functional - bearing kit from All Balls is all I needed for the triple tree.
Some other odds and ends

Brakes - all stock except the master cylinder up front and brake lines - I run x2 up front instead of the "T"
- rear is a ZX11 master cylinder set up - all stock.
- gear sets are ZX11 as well
My swingarm needed bushings so I could use the stock swingarm pivot bolt.
Wheels are all you as I am not familiar with them.

 

[diptenkrom]

Yeah basically. What did the swingarm take to do? I read something about having to take a few mm off to make it fit. Is it that easy or more to it? Also, looking good!

 

[unfocused]

QUOTE=diptenkrom;n1726620]Yeah basically. What did the swingarm take to do? I read something about having to take a few mm off to make it fit. Is it that easy or more to it? Also, looking good![/QUOTE]

When you look at the swingarm pivot bushing built into the GS frame - I had to shave it for the GSXR swingarm to slide in. This was NOT measurable but it was less than 2mm.
I laugh and say it's mainly the paint and rust needing removed...
However, the swingarm almost slides in. I had 2 different GSXR swingarms and fitment was different. The one with the huge brace fit better but the brace was in my way as my inner fender is welded into the rear section of the frame.
As mentioned, I needed bushings made. Picture shows the GSXR original bushing (thin) and the replacements. That's the original GS pivot bolt.

The mono-shock is a PITA to get set-up with your preferred ride height and clearence while paying attention to rake/trail. Very important.

Needed to fix the picture. My apologies.







​

 

[diptenkrom]

thanks for the info!
are you saying that a pre 06 swingarm is better? or did you find some other determining factor? what monoshock did you use and do you hve a pic of where you mounted it?

 

[diptenkrom]

Thanks again for the info. I have sourced some parts.

04 GSXR600 swingarm with chainguard, slides, rear axle, and monoshock (maybe i can respring it)
95 F3 CBR 600 front and rear wheels with cush drive, carrier, sprocket and all rotors (17x5r and 17x3.5f 6 spokes)

So i assume some bushings and spacers to be made, and bearings that adapt? will have to figure out the combination that makes the brakes work

as teh stock cable driven units won't work for this build, or fit the aesthetic, what do most people use for tach and speedo on these kinds of builds? would prefer at least an analog tach. I was looking at a Koso unit, but just wonder if there is anything in between a cheap $30-50 guage on ebay and the $400+ price that seems to be the sweet spot for the quality aftermarket.