JohnnyL's 1980 GS550L Cafe Build

[salty_monk]

Well at least that ends the mystery and better to catch it now than later! I saw a bike at a show built for WD40 from a yam xs and got chance to talk to the builder.
He said they use the M gadget on everything as it’s so much easier and cleaner than anything else they’ve used to install.

i did some research at the time, they look great, certainly not cheap though

 

[JohnnyL]

The new/used cases from eBay arrived yesterday. They appear to be in good condition. I cleaned them up today in degreaser and then soda blasted them. Wiped them down with brake cleaner and then masked them off for paint. I just finished painting them and now they're ready to bake in the oven at 200 for one hour.

I might actually tear down the motor tomorrow and rebuild it. Brian is coming over tomorrow evening for session two of wiring.

The tank and seat cowl are at Corby Concepts getting painted and should be done in two weeks or less.

This bike should/could be done in about two weeks.

Unfortunately, the guy I bought the bike from can't find the damn title. So...now I have to start the process of applying for a lost title. Not a big deal...just a pain in the butt. I just went through this process with my son's 69 Honda CL350 that we rebuilt. Still plenty of time till spring.

 

[Steve]

On the plus side, he'll be able to build a GS engine with one hand blindfolded when this is all said and done.

:-k I have never tried blindfolding a hand before. :-k


Is that what gloves are for???

.

 

[storm 64]

Two weeks! What's your hurry? We all know what happens when YOU rush things. Here's a idea, take your time and do things right the first time. I have to give you one thing. It sure has been entertaining. Good luck

 

[JohnnyL]

Two weeks! What's your hurry? We all know what happens when YOU rush things. Here's a idea, take your time and do things right the first time. I have to give you one thing. It sure has been entertaining. Good luck 

Well thanks for the one thing. My hurry is that I have too many things going on right now with work and everything else. I need to clear this project off of my plate. That?s the hurry. By the way...my screw up was not because I was in a hurry. It was just a plain old mistake.

 

[Guest]

Loved reading about the re-build. It's only a screw up if you keep repeating the same mistake. Anything else can be filed under 'learning curve'

 

[Spyder]

Just thought of a full on positive through this "mistake". Your original cases were flawed to begin with. Now you don't have to worry about that low temp aluminum weld failing.

 

[alke46]

Just thought of a full on positive through this "mistake". Your original cases were flawed to begin with. Now you don't have to worry about that low temp aluminum weld failing.

Makes me wonder if it might be covered under warranty.

edit: you did get the extended warranty, no?

 

[TeamDar]

When putting cases together, make sure that the mating surfaces meet without having to use bolts. Before you add all the bolts, make sure that the transmission shifts into all the gears. Dar

 

[JohnnyL]

Just thought of a full on positive through this "mistake". Your original cases were flawed to begin with. Now you don't have to worry about that low temp aluminum weld failing.

I actually feel really good about that. That whole low temp aluminum weld fix was janky. These new cases have good oil filter cover studs. It might have been a blessing in disguise.

I'm feeling really good about this rebuild so far. All is going smoothly. Crank, gears and shift forks are all in. Bearings are all lined up properly with their pins. I'm about to join the case halves together.

 

[JohnnyL]

Just discovered a problem with the gasket set I ordered. This gasket set is supposed to be for a 1980 GS550 but the base gasket doesn't even cover the holes. When I google search gs550 gasket set, the images all show the same gasket. I'm really scratching my head here.

Google search image:

 

[Spyder]

Well, that is indeed a strange one. Are you using OEM Suzuki gaskets? All the gurus here state that all others will leak. I haven't any experience with it, as I have only used OE gaskets. I would assume the Suzuki gaskets would not be off like that? What gasket did you use the first time around?

 

[suzukigs1100ez]

Looking back thru your build when you first torn down the engine the original gasket doesn't look like it covered the holes either

 

[JohnnyL]

Looking back thru your build when you first torn down the engine the original gasket doesn't look like it covered the holes either

Thanks! You are correct and it was indeed the correct gasket. Those holes are open to the air through the fins. No need for a gasket to cover those holes.

The engine is rebuilt(correct this time) and back in the bike. I took my time today(about six hours) and removed the engine from the bike, tore it down, rebuilt it and put it back in. Everything turns over nicely and I'm pretty happy. Just in time for Brian to come over tonight to help me with some more wiring.

 

[steve murdoch]

You have done more in a week than i would l do in a year.
Fantastic, Johnny.

 

[alke46]

I'm pretty impressed with the amount of work you get accomplished in a small amount of time.
You certainly are more enthusiastic than I. I have to double then triple and finally quadruple my work to be sure I have it right.
Really enjoying following this build. Can't wait to see it at Brown county in June.

 

[Mr.humbucker]

Engine paint looks great, what brand and color code did you use? I also like the look of the flat or satin black with the stainless or chrome bolts/screws ... I will be taking this page out of your project and using it on my current 81 CM400T cafe project. Nice job!

 

[JohnnyL]

Engine paint looks great, what brand and color code did you use? I also like the look of the flat or satin black with the stainless or chrome bolts/screws ... I will be taking this page out of your project and using it on my current 81 CM400T cafe project. Nice job!

Thanks! The paint is Harley Davidson texture finish. It comes in rattle cans. I?m pretty impressed with the paint so far. I plan on doing some testing on the junk cases. I?d like to test fuel resistance and how hard it is to scratch.

Alloyboltz.com has polished stainless steel bolt kits for all different models of bikes.

 

[JohnnyL]

Just a quick update. Brian helped me pretty much wrap up the wiring last Saturday. I'm still trying to figure out how I am going to post what we did because I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all.

I finished cutting the new triple clamp tonight. The bike is literally a few days away from first start up. Time permitting that is. Work seems to be getting in the way all of a sudden. Grrr...

 

[steve murdoch]

Nice bit o' kit.
Cool touch with the etching.