GSX1150 Rebuild

[ensure]

Here is slightly clearer shot to show chain clearance from foot peg bolt

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I had to come up with somewhere to mount indicators at front of bike seeing as how i have got rid of the fairing frame.
I had these little indicators lying around and they mount nicely onto the bracket which originally fixed instrument cluster to frame

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As part of the 'Skinnying Up' process I cut down the rear inner mudguard as well removing the big plastic hunk where number plate light went.
I had to revert to Macgyver mode and hack away here but the final result works

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It is a little flimsy as I had to hack out enough plastic to move the fender forward about 100mm and get it to fit around the frame

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[dorkburger]

Smart thinking on the front indicators.
There are some people that actually like the giant rear fender / light thing. I'm not one of them either....
http://Untitled by Glen Brenner, on Flickr

 

[wyly]

I went with M-Blaze indicators, crazy small...but very bright!

I've considered chopping my rear fender but I may yet shape a new one out of aluminum to match the rest of my fairing.

 

[ensure]

Got the new sprockets installed front and back

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The wheel alignment is pretty close.

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Although its a bit worrying when viewed from the back. I thought i had stuffed something up in the alignment

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I put the old wheel back on to check and that sits in exactly the same place so I think i am OK there.

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I also cutout a rubber ring to fill in the headlight surround. Used a 1.5mm sheet of rubber and cut it to suit.

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The gear shift level was also bent so i have replaced that from the spares box

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All set for a proper test ride now.

 

[ensure]

Finally got the bike out on the road. A few minor niggles but runs straight, I can release handlebars at 100kph and there is no hint of a twitch.
It goes round left and right corners equally well without wanting to weave across road.

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I have got the original tank back on as i have a minor issue with fuel tap on other tank.
I think I like this one more anyway.

 

[steve murdoch]

"....without wanting to weave across the road"....always a good thing.

Congrats on the successful test ride.

 

[dorkburger]

Nice. That was a quick turnaround considering what you started with.
Congratulations on saving another old machine.

 

[allojohn]

ensure, that offset rear wheel can't be right, can it?? The offset may be causing the almost zero clearance on the footpeg bolt. I know nothing of this machine but I'd be amazed if it is correct!!

 

[ensure]

The timeframe may seem impressive but by the time I started Posting I had already been going for a month or two so I was catching up to start with. I managed to miss those 2 week gaps between posts while waiting for bits to turn up.

The wheel sits true in the swingarm with equal spacing to LHS & RHS and I got out the string line to front wheel and it looked right.
I think I need to check whether the rear of the frame is slightly twisted.

Can anyone else post a photo of their rear wheel from directly behind?

 

[dorkburger]

Well, you’ve done more this year then I’ve done on mine in 22 years.
Sorry, but I can’t post an accurate rear view pic. Something on mine is bent from either the PO’s or my wreck in the early 2000s. I still have chain alignment issues on a stock setup. I have read that the rear subframe vs wheel center wasn’t terribly accurate from the factory.

 

[wyly]

Yeah that alignment looks very suspect, I had a quick look at mine oem setup and it's not like that. Without knowing the bikes complete history it's hard to say what's happening there. When I did my last sprocket chain/alignment I used a laser to confirm the wheel was tracking straight, can't trust the factory alignment marks.

 

[wyly]

No centre stand I had my son hold it as vertical as possible, I eyeballed it as best I could using a level instead of my laser( son in law borrowed the laser).

View attachment 63617 double click for better size.

 

[allojohn]

No centre stand I had my son hold it as vertical as possible, I eyeballed it as best I could using a level instead of my laser( son in law borrowed the laser).

View attachment 63617 double click for better size.

Linky no worky.

 

[wyly]

Such a wonky site for photos which is why ended up posting my rebuild project on another site which is unfortunate because this is a great forum otherwise.

When I first posted the photo it was there, later it was replaced with the link as you see it. When I click on the link the photo still appears for me. Posting photos shouldn't be that difficult.

 

[Baatfam]

Posting photos shouldn't be that difficult.

It's not, if you use a hosting site.

 

[ensure]

I saw your picture when you first loaded it. It certainly lines up better than mine.

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I have pulled bike apartand can align wheel like this

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But now the brake caliper doesnt fit so there is still work to do.
I am going to swap the original swingarm back in and see if that makes a difference.
Otherwise I may have to mount the caliper bracket off the swingarm.

Oh and I saw after my ride that the front fork seals are leaking a tiny amount so they will need replacing.

 

[dorkburger]

I was hoping this tweaked swingarm was the cause of my problems. Unfortunately it was just a bit player.
http://Damaged goods.... by Glen Brenner, on Flickr

 

[ensure]

So I took the wheel out and installed it in my spare frame and swingarm. It lines up offset just like when its on my bike.
I took a few diagonal measurements on both frames and they are both very similar

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I even tried some triginometry lining up the centre of front wheel with centre of rear spring in swingarm with centre of frame at back of bike

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What I take from this is that my frame is not twisted at all and the problem is with the wheel alignment.

So out with the hacksaw and file to remove 3-4mm off the caliper mounting bracket to give some more space on RHS.
I also removed the 1 washer I had on the RHS. This enabled me to install 2 washers on the LHS of axle

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hence moving the whole wheel across approx 7mm to the right

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Alignment now looks like this

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Its not perfect but it is getting close

I also had to shave 3mm off the inside edge of caliper torque link bar so that would align properly

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I probably have enough meat in caliper bracket to trim another 2-3mm off it before it loses its strength completely so I could move wheel across another washers width. Any more than that will require moving caliper mount onto swingarm.
I dont think I want to go there.

I took it out for a ride and it handles good. Is it better? I think it is but its hard to tell if it is or just my imagination saying it is.

 

[wyly]

S

I took it out for a ride and it handles good. Is it better? I think it is but its hard to tell if it is or just my imagination saying it is.

it must be better but with such things you often don't notice the difference until you've pushed the bike to the edge when it fails and you find yourself sliding down the road.

The mechanic I use is a suspension expert with many years on the Superbike circuit with factory rides he told of me of home mechanics who got the geometry all wrong and and end up in the ER or morgue. He emphasized that even small changes can have huge effects on handling.

 

[ensure]

In response to an earlier question from Wyly What is the difference in weight between 2 wheels ? I have an answer

18" c/w disc and sprocket 18.7 kg
17" c/w disc and sprocket 16.6 kg

Something else I noticed with losing 13mm of ground clearance is that it is noticeably harder getting the bike up onto centrestand.
I have placed a sheet of timber on floor that i push bikes rear wheel onto before lifting onto centrestand. It makes a real difference.

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The side stand really needs shortening by a cm as well as the bike doesnt lean over very far. I am worried it will fall to the right if i am not careful.