hi from West London, England

[redliner]

hi to all on GSO

I'm Andy from the Heathrow area, just west of London UK. Signed up to this forum in 2014 - owned a US-imported GS750B at the time. Sadly (for me) that bike got moved on, much to my later regret. But, hey - there's other GS bikes still around so I thought I'd take the plunge once again. My latest purchase is a bike that I never owned back in the day - its a 1980 GS550ET.

Has an interesting history - its originally from the Netherlands, its done just 27000Km (c.16200 miles), came to the UK in 1999. It was taken to a car rentals yard where it stayed in a shed until 2016 when the guy I have just purchased it from rescued it from an impending trip to the scrapyard when the rentals place closed down. He got it up and running, got the NOVA sorted, dating certificate, MoT, logbook and a date-appropriate UK registration plate issued. Hardly used again since then, he decided to move it on, and now its here in my workshop.

Fairly good condition despite its storage history, but has had to have the exhaust system replaced. Currently wears a new Motad 4-1 which I intend to replace with the standard system as soon as I can source it - yeah, I know - rare as rocking horse sh*t ! Also I already have a MPH speedo plus tacho assembly to replace the KPH set if required.

If I may - two questions for those of you who are better acquainted than myself with this model:

1)Is the MPH speedo a straight swap for the KPH one, or does the front wheel axle speedo gear also need changing for one from a UK/MPH bike?
2)Does the standard exhaust system from the previous 1977-79 GS550 fit straight on to the 1980 550ET?

Any advice/info about this bike also appreciated - thank you.

 

[hampshirehog]

Hi Andy. The pipes will bolt straight on (they are the same) and the mph speedo will plug in with no mods. Good luck tracking down a decent set of original exhausts.

 

[GSXR7ED]

Hello Andy!

Nice bike!!!

Ed

 

[redliner]

hi GSXR & HHog - thanks for the welcome and the quick replies thats a very useful start to the 'recovery' (rather than full resto) of this bike. I have been looking at the various parts books to see if I could get some better info on those items, and always worth a try asking if anybody knows - never expected a response so quickly though, so thank you!

I'm gonna go down the 'make it nice n tidy and as near to standard' route as possible. It def won't be a show pony - I do like to ride my bikes, and I'm an ardent fan of a bit of age-related patina. Will just be nice to see the old girl out on the roads again where she belongs - even if they're not quite as flat as in Holland !

 

[Guest]

Hi Andy and welcome.

Just to elaborate on what Wally (HampshireHog) said, the pipes gained a cross-over on the 80 model. Earlier pipes will fit, no problem, just make sure you don't try to match an earlier side with a later one. A lot of the second-hand pipes we see over here are from the 'L' model, which don't fit so well.

Pictures please!

 

[redliner]

thanks Steve - point taken. I noticed the 80 crossover pipe in the schematic on CMSNL plus its little coupler clamp and bolt. There's a few S/H items around on the usual sites at the moment, so I'll make sure to check they're coupler or non-coupler equipped. Happy to stick a few pics up as the work progresses, but won't be anything incredible to behold, that's for sure - its just a run of the mill restore and ride!

 

[redliner]

ok, on my way.. I have taken a few bits and pieces off the bike prior to starting the tidy-up. The handlebar fairing has gone, headlamp and indicators now back in their standard positions. Was told the bike had received an oil and filter change prior to purchase, but did another anyway. Rear brake was binding, so pads are out of the caliper for ease of wheeling around. Fit a remote fuel tank. Press starter - click, then nothing. Check connections - find a god-awful bodge consisting of a length of thin speaker wire in place of the negative lead from the battery. Followed it along - finds real battery lead jammed behind airbox holder and speaker wire attached to it with a nut and bolt. Owner had attached the speaker wire to the just-visible end of the trapped negative lead, and then back to the battery terminal. Shorted out and melted against the airbox holder. Took it all apart, replaced the lead where it should be - press starter, we're in business.

Ran for a few minutes - obviously not been running for some time (years!), so took a while to clear its throat. Plugs checked, then changed. No.4 pot looks to be running rich compared to the other three. Also noticed that the carb top for no.4 has been off at sometime, so could be something going on there. Checked the diaphragm for holes, but looks fine. Looks to be unburnt fuel coming from no.4 pot and exiting from a poor/leaking joint in the replacement Motad 4-1 (from the no.4 downpipe) - any ideas about what could be causing this?

Got a replacement standard exhaust system ready to go on, but will be looking at the no.4 pot issues first. So, sort of ok for day 1 - got to wait until next weekend before I can carry on with it - all good fun though! any ideas as to the cause of the no.4 pot fuel leak will be gratefully received!

 

[GSXR7ED]

Have you done a Carb rebuild? Sounds like that would help sort this problem. Otherwise...you'll be chasing your tail trying to figure out what's up.


Ed

 

[hampshirehog]

Are you sure it's petrol coming out of the pipe and not water? You'll get quite a lot of condensation coming out until she's well and truly warm.

 

[redliner]

hi GSXR - not yet. Wanted to see how good or bad it ran before taking everything to bits, but yes, carb rebuild is planned. The carbs are externally very grubby - previous owner has been active with a can of aerosol silver paint on various items, and hasn't been very accurate or careful with it.

HHog - I did collect some of the liquid and it def smelt of fuel, although it could also be contaminated water. I checked the petcock for leaks prior to tank removal - nothing found there but when I opened up the gearbox oil filler cap, there was a smell of fuel from inside, hence the second drain down, then oil/filter change. The oil that came out looked manky, but didn't have the pretty rainbow colours floating around a-la fuel contamination. The right amount came out as well (2400ml). I will have another go at running it up and seeing if the liquid reappears - will chuck a match on it to see if it really is neat petrol (away from the bike, of course!).

 

[Charlie G]

hi GSXR - not yet. Wanted to see how good or bad it ran before taking everything to bits, but yes, carb rebuild is planned. The carbs are externally very grubby - previous owner has been active with a can of aerosol silver paint on various items, and hasn't been very accurate or careful with it.

HHog - I did collect some of the liquid and it def smelt of fuel, although it could also be contaminated water. I checked the petcock for leaks prior to tank removal - nothing found there but when I opened up the gearbox oil filler cap, there was a smell of fuel from inside, hence the second drain down, then oil/filter change. The oil that came out looked manky, but didn't have the pretty rainbow colours floating around a-la fuel contamination. The right amount came out as well (2400ml). I will have another go at running it up and seeing if the liquid reappears - will chuck a match on it to see if it really is neat petrol (away from the bike, of course!).

A leaky (or set on prime) vacuum fuel tap can cause fuel to get into the crankcase but I'm unsure if it would manifest its self solely at #4. Nice to see you continuing with the project.

 

[redliner]

Thanks Charlie - certainly going to push on with it - no point buying it otherwise ! I suppose there's always the chance that the previous owner left the bike with the fuel tap on and fuel in the tank - it was empty on delivery, so I took the tank off and put it on the bench with a gallon in to see if there were any leaks. Held up ok, so went back on the bench while I ran the bike with the remote tank. Checked again this evening and still no leaks, so I'm therefore presuming that the tap wasn't leaking just before I got the bike.

 

[redliner]

a better day today - rolled the 550 outside and hooked it up to a remote fuel tank to see if that fuel leak would manifest itself again. Put a catch tray underneath to collect any drips. Once it had been running for about a minute, I got a few drops from the leaky no.4 Motad join, then the leak stopped. Ran the bike for about 10 minutes without any more leaks, so switched off and took the catch tray down the garden. Dropped a lighted match in it to see if it was fuel or condensation, as had been suggested earlier. Match went out, so I then tipped the drops onto a small bowl of water - no oily/fuel sheen, so must presume it was condensation, possibly from spending so long just standing idle.

Did notice a very slight rattle from the clutch, which stopped when I pulled the lever in - will have to look at that after I've done the carb strip, clean and balance. New set of carbs arriving shortly, too, just in case the ones on the bike are beyond redemption, but judging by today's run, there's still life in them yet.

 

[Charlie G]

a better day today - rolled the 550 outside and hooked it up to a remote fuel tank to see if that fuel leak would manifest itself again. Put a catch tray underneath to collect any drips. Once it had been running for about a minute, I got a few drops from the leaky no.4 Motad join, then the leak stopped. Ran the bike for about 10 minutes without any more leaks, so switched off and took the catch tray down the garden. Dropped a lighted match in it to see if it was fuel or condensation, as had been suggested earlier. Match went out, so I then tipped the drops onto a small bowl of water - no oily/fuel sheen, so must presume it was condensation, possibly from spending so long just standing idle.

Did notice a very slight rattle from the clutch, which stopped when I pulled the lever in - will have to look at that after I've done the carb strip, clean and balance. New set of carbs arriving shortly, too, just in case the ones on the bike are beyond redemption, but judging by today's run, there's still life in them yet.

Those sound like positive observations. Are you on Facebook? There is a pretty active UK group there..... https://www.facebook.com/groups/uksuzukigsowners/?ref=bookmarks

 

[redliner]

thanks for the link, Charlie - didn't know about that group.

Expect to be doing some more work tomorrow - there's plenty to be getting on with!

 

[redliner]

Motad exhaust removed today; its in very good nick, having only been on the bike for a short period, so will be selling that one on at the Popham UK autojumble in April. Removing the 4 exhaust gaskets was another matter -- 2 easy, 2 welded in solid. Took 30-40 minutes each to finally get them out. Carbs cleaned up nicely, but a bugger to refit. Final job today was to strip the instrument console and remove the kph speedo and replace it with a mph one. All went in ok, so a fairly positive day's work. The replacement (secondhand OEM) exhaust system is now on the bench awaiting cleaning and fitting to the bike. Looking forward to getting the exhaust fitted so I can run the bike up with the overhauled carbs and see how things look from there.

 

[redliner]

Been a while since I posted, mainly because there have been other bikes to attend to first . Anyway, that 'fuel leaking from exhaust' problem was finally fixed by replacing the diaphragm in the petcock, even though I couldn't see or find anything wrong with the one I removed. Still, a repair for ?12, that's fine by me!

The stripdown revealed even more bodges and hidden horrors, much of which was hidden by paint liberally sprayed over everything. Ahh, the perils of buying 'sight unseen' and trusting the seller's description ... I should really know better at my age.

Those standard exhaust systems proved to be a b'stard to sort out. 3 full sets purchased from the USA (none available here in the UK) and despite the 'claims' and 'descriptions' that they were all in good/very good condition (hah!), I was only able to make up one reasonable set plus one spare LH silencer from the lot. Rotten baffles and undeclared damage were the problems in all the others. The cost of purchasing these has been exhorbitant (the US to UK mail charges plus import duty are crippling) and any profit which may have been available on resale of the bike has now been well and truly lost. Still, it rides very nice despite all the hassles, so I expect it will earn its place in the garage as my runaround-town bike. And it definitely looks better with the standard bits refitted.

Running well enough now to splash out on new rubber front and rear before taking it for the MoT test. If it passes then I'm going to be getting my money's worth from it !

 

[redliner]

That's better - a bit more like I remember them. MoT time next week, and all being well, I'll make a start on the cosmetics. No point in paying out for that if its not good enough to ride!

 

[steve murdoch]

Nice looking bike.
What is the intention with the "cosmetics"? I really like that paint scheme as is.

 

[redliner]

No changes to the standard scheme, it will stay as is - the photo doesn't show the imperfections, and there's plenty to pick up on!

I don't know yet whether this bike will earn a permanent place in the garage. One thing I can say though is that this bike is never going to achieve a monetary value that would justify a full professional respray/frame repaint/engine blast+clean/metalwork rechroming etc, so it will just be a case of tidying up and refurbishing parts as/when I am able. In the meantime, I intend to ride it!