GS850L into a GS850G ?

[motorjon68]

Honestly, I have searched in vain for the answer. I can have, for free, my uncles 850L. It's going to need a bunch of love and attention. I personally prefer the standard look to the cruiserish styling of the L. Is it possible to convert an L to a G? I'm assuming subframe and tank? Any other big issues? I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks, Jon

 

[tkent02]

The easiest conversion by far would be to sell it and buy a G. A lot of guys de-L the Ls, make them into great cafes and such, but if you want a more or less standard UJM it will be difficult.

 

[motorjon68]

The easiest conversion by far would be to sell it and buy a G. A lot of guys de-L the Ls, make them into great cafes and such, but if you want a more or less standard UJM it will be difficult.

I thought about the cafe or mild cafe route. So the L is a good basis?! That may work out. Given that it's from my uncle, I'm keeping it. Thx for the info.

 

[tkent02]

Look through some of the many de-L your L threads, there are some nice ones, cafes, bobbers, choppers, whatever.

The tiny little L tank even looks OK on some of them.

 

[Steve]

Depending on just what you want to accomplish (just how much you really want to change), you will need to change the front forks and triple clamps, front fender, headlight, handlebars, gas tank (including welding in some new mounts for it), seat, rear fender and tail light.

If you don't mind the chrome fenders, you won't have to do anything at all to the front end. The leading axle forks on the L don't change the steering geometry at all, compared to a G. If you change to straight forks (inline axle), you will have to change the fender, as it will sit differently over the relocated wheel. The triple clamps are different on the L to allow the forks to be pulled back for the leading axle.

The L's (smaller) gas tank is mounted farther back on the frame. The mounting points for the G tank are visible if you remove the frame covers that are at the front of the tank. Not sure if the L forks will hit a G tank, though, as the L's forks do sit about an inch farther back. They might hit the front of a G tank when they are turned to full lock. Not sure if the rear mounts are in the same location.

The handlebars are a matter of taste and are very easy to change, regardless of which way you go.

The seats are different shape on top and have different pans, because the frame is different. You might be able to re-shape the L seat to be flatter, but it's nearly impossible to mount a G seat on an L.

The rear end treatment is different, too. The L has a chrome rear fender with the tail light mounted to it. That could still work if you de-"L" the bike, but the G has a tail piece that covers the rear of the frame and has the tail light at the rear. There is a black plastic inner fender to keep road spray under control.

There are a couple of guys here that have de-"L"ed their bikes to varying degrees. Are you wanting to do this for looks or comfort?

.

 

[bwringer]

In addition to the cosmetic pieces, the G/GL frames are different in many ways, so if you want a G, it's easier to just buy a G.

That said, the engines are interchangeable and many, many other mechanical bits as well. So perhaps if you find a roached G cheap, you can swap in the good GL bits.

Or, get the GL running, throw on some reasonable handlebars, ride it a bit, then decide what to do with it. No reason to get ahead of yourself.

 

[Scudder]

I have a partially de-Led... L. I've changed the triple tree to make room for the tank. Put on different Bars, and relocated the seat.

I have the rear section/cowling off a "G" and the seat for the "G" if I ever want to make a complete conversion. However below are the things that I think you'll have to do too make it all the way "G", or at at least get you most of the way there (profile of a G).

1. G triple tree
2. G Tank
3. G Seat (moved back and modified to attach to frame)
4. rear cowling, taillight etc. (I haven't done it)
5. handle bars
6. Side covers will have to be modified because of the way the sit back with the L.

This conversion is quite a big can of worms to open up.

I was thinking along the lines you are thinking when I first got my L. But... after changing the things that bothered me most (small tank), and riding it awhile, I became attached to the L. I like the seat and the way it fits with the G tank and different bars.

Scudder

 

[motorjon68]

I have a partially de-Led... L. I've changed the triple tree to make room for the tank. Put on different Bars, and relocated the seat.

I have the rear section/cowling off a "G" and the seat for the "G" if I ever want to make a complete conversion. However below are the things that I think you'll have to do too make it all the way "G", or at at least get you most of the way there (profile of a G).

1. G triple tree
2. G Tank
3. G Seat (moved back and modified to attach to frame)
4. rear cowling, taillight etc. (I haven't done it)
5. handle bars
6. Side covers will have to be modified because of the way the sit back with the L.

This conversion is quite a big can of worms to open up.

I was thinking along the lines you are thinking when I first got my L. But... after changing the things that bothered me most (small tank), and riding it awhile, I became attached to the L. I like the seat and the way it fits with the G tank and different bars.

Scudder

I have been checking out all the rebuild threads. I think I can make this bike my own without too much stress. The most important thing is to rescue it from my uncle's garage.