JohnnyL's 1980 GS550L Cafe Build

[Guest]

Thanks for taking the time to post so many pictures and info about your build. For me its been fascinating and inspiring, i know people write stuff like that occasionally but honestly bud its great.

I get back from Saudi Arabia at the end of Feb and will be starting a re-build on a '78 GS550. Unlike you i am not a highly skilled mechanic so i will be revising your post repeatedly before getting home.

Thanks again bro

 

[JohnnyL]

Thanks for taking the time to post so many pictures and info about your build. For me its been fascinating and inspiring, i know people write stuff like that occasionally but honestly bud its great.

I get back from Saudi Arabia at the end of Feb and will be starting a re-build on a '78 GS550. Unlike you i am not a highly skilled mechanic so i will be revising your post repeatedly before getting home.

Thanks again bro

You're very welcome MikeinSaudi! I'm happy to hear you are inspired. Are you in the service?

I wouldn't call myself a "highly skilled mechanic". I'm just not afraid to take on projects and to learn along the way.

Please let me know if you need any help once you get home and start on your GS550 re-build. I'd be happy to provide any assistance I can.

 

[Guest]

You're very welcome MikeinSaudi! I'm happy to hear you are inspired. Are you in the service?

I wouldn't call myself a "highly skilled mechanic". I'm just not afraid to take on projects and to learn along the way.

Please let me know if you need any help once you get home and start on your GS550 re-build. I'd be happy to provide any assistance I can.

Thanks JohnnyL, yeah i am semi-retired ex-military ( >20 years as an intelligence officer). While i am sure you are being modest brother i genuinely am new to spannering so i will need and ask for help. My bike came in bits from a friend of a friend who was starting a cafe racer. it is stripped and he had done some work and bought a load of parts so it was a real bargain at circa $600 US. My intention is not to do anything cosmetic initially to the bike, just rebuild and get running to prove everything is good to go. Then strip and customise. Does that approach sound about right...or would you suggest anything different.

Im not very bright but i take instruction pretty well By the way, i do know that its pretty stupid to buy a bike unseen even if the guy selling it is genuine and a good mechanic builder, but i just couldn't wait and was hoping it would have been there for my Christmas leave.

 

[JohnnyL]

Thanks JohnnyL, yeah i am semi-retired ex-military ( >20 years as an intelligence officer). While i am sure you are being modest brother i genuinely am new to spannering so i will need and ask for help. My bike came in bits from a friend of a friend who was starting a cafe racer. it is stripped and he had done some work and bought a load of parts so it was a real bargain at circa $600 US. My intention is not to do anything cosmetic initially to the bike, just rebuild and get running to prove everything is good to go. Then strip and customise. Does that approach sound about right...or would you suggest anything different.

Im not very bright but i take instruction pretty well By the way, i do know that its pretty stupid to buy a bike unseen even if the guy selling it is genuine and a good mechanic builder, but i just couldn't wait and was hoping it would have been there for my Christmas leave.

Well first off...thank you for your 20+ years of service!

Your approach sounds perfect. This will allow you to get to know the bike. When you're ready, strip the bike down and customize away. Just be prepared to empty your wallet when you do get around to customizing. LOL.

You say you're not very bright but you're an intelligence officer....LOL...I like you already.

 

[Guest]

Thanks JohnnyL, i had a great time in (and out) of uniform and got to spend 16 years working with very special people, keeps you humble when you work with guys that swim at the deep end of the gene pool!!

I used to work with a great US Army Master Sgt, (i don't share names), he and i became good friends. He used to repeatedly say, "*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$ sir, sometimes you are the dumbest genius i know". Fun times!!

 

[bwringer]

The usual recommendation around here when someone rescues a GS and isn't sure of their goals is to get everything working the way it's supposed to, with some well-proven upgrades like suspension and brakes, then ride it for a while, see how it works, and then figure out what you'd like to change from there.

In stock form, these bikes actually work astonishingly well -- for example, Suzuki was the first and only manufacturer in the late '70s to really get frame geometry, handling, and most of the ergonomics (except handlebars...) right. The brakes on 1980+ models are quite good when they're working right. The others didn't really start to catch up until later in the '80s.


In this case, John began with a much clearer vision than most of where he wanted to go with this build, and a commitment to do things right. I'd say 95% of the "cafe" builds we see around here are stoners hacksawing frames in their Mom's back yard, then wandering away when their hours at Taco Bell get cut and the dogpile of mockery on this forum starts...

It's quite refreshing to see someone doing a quality job on a neat project like this! And of course, it's been pretty cool to actually be a part of it. I had no idea things like the m-Unit existed.

 

[JohnnyL]

Ok. So I was going to explain everything we did with the wiring in detail but It's just too much for me to put into words. Brian Winger was a tremendous help in this department and I consider myself more than lucky that he was willing to offer his time to help me.

I will just say that we were trying to be as neat as possible with the wiring and all the wiring was put into red/black nylon loom. The M-Unit is incredibly cool and I wish my car, my KTM and everything I drive had this unit in it. I connected my my bike via bluetooth to my iPhone. Upon walking up to the bike, the blinkers flash and let me know that the bike is ready to ride. One click of the start button turns the bike on. The next click of the start button starts the bike. Double clicking the start button shuts the bike off. You can also set the range of the bluetooth. Walking out of range of Bluetooth and the blinkers flash to lock the bike and set the alarm. The alarm has nine settings for sensitivity. Depending on the sensitivity setting, when the bike is moved, the alarm is activated and the horn starts honking and the lights start flashing.

I had a problem with the coils being mounted too close to the mounting posts which caused a short. The M-Unit has fuses built-in. When I connected the ignition wire to the M-Unit, I immediately got a notification on my iphone that there was a short in the ignition circuit. Pretty crazy right? I made an offset plate for the coil mounting posts and the problem was resolved.

The brake lights can be configured for different settings via the phone app. You can have a normal brake light or you can have different settings for a blinking brake light before it goes solid. You can also set an emergency brake light for when the M-Unit senses hard braking, it will flash 10 times along with the blinkers letting people behind you know that you are coming to a hard stop.

Blinkers can also be configured in the app to either blink normally(quick on/off) or fade in fade out. One thing that I loved about my Harley Softtail was the auto off blinkers. The bike would sense that you made a turn and the blinkers would automatically go off. You can set the blinkers through the app to turn off after 10 seconds, 20 and 30. This is controlled by the brake. The timer is set when you release the brake. Apply the brake and countdown timer starts over. You can also set a 3x blink for lane change by briefly pressing the turn button before it locks. Also, if you have a headset in your helmet bluetoothed to your phone, you will hear a blinker noise when the blinkers are on! All geeky stuff that I love.

The app also has all sorts of things you can do with routes. You can record your route and rate it. You can also set reminders in the app for oil changes and other maintenance items. All pretty cool stuff that I look forward to trying out.

I did have a problem with my Acewell gauge. I'm still not sure what happened. The Acewell requires a red wire to go to switched hot and a brown wire to go to constant 12v for the clock. When I connected the brown wire to constant 12v, the gauge background lights came on even when the bike was off. And now, the background lights are on when the bike is turned on but there is no data on the screen. I disconnected the brown wire from the 12v and now when you turn the bike on, the background lights come on but there is no data on the screen. I'm afraid something is fried but I don't know what caused it. Dime City said they would take the gauge back. I went to order another one but they're out of stock.

Anyway...here are some pics of the wiring. I had to put in a back-up ignition switch but with the bluetooth keyless-go, I don't have to have a key to start the bike. I located the Amazon $12 scooter switch under the seat. I still have some tidying up to do with the wiring.

 

[Spyder]

Very nice. I like the Black / Red looming. I'm going to look into some of that. I assume there are different colors? One small thing you haven't mentioned yet. Looks like you have the wiring all connected. DOES IT RUN ? ! ? LOL

 

[JohnnyL]

Very nice. I like the Black / Red looming. I'm going to look into some of that. I assume there are different colors? One small thing you haven't mentioned yet. Looks like you have the wiring all connected. DOES IT RUN ? ! ? LOL

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071WF5K2X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Comes in all black, blue/black and red/black. Different diameters too.

Last night I changed out the pilot jets and main jets. I went from a 92.5 main to a 117 main and a 40 pilot to a 42.5. I guess this is as good of a place to start as any. Carbs are on. Throttle and choke cables are connected. Fuel lines are on and I will probably put my backup tank on temporarily because the good tank is still with the painter. I dumped 2.5 qts of oil in this morning and set the Dyna ignition timing. I still need to adjust the clutch. I need to run and get some fresh gas and then fire her up. I'm really excited but at the same time nervous. I'm trying to finish up work early so I can mess with everything. I'm just going over everything in my head before I click that starter to make sure everything is torqued down and so forth.

I'll keep you posted.

 

[Guest]

Now i understand a phantom pregnancy LOL

Now i understand a phantom pregnancy LOL

I need to run and get some fresh gas and then fire her up. I'm really excited but at the same time nervous. I'm trying to finish up work early so I can mess with everything. I'm just going over everything in my head before I click that starter to make sure everything is torqued down and so forth.

I'll keep you posted.

Hey Johnny, couldn't help laughing because i'm enjoying some vicarious nervous excitement for you!

Get 'er done bro and let's see and hear it running.

Who dares bro

 

[Spyder]

I'm just giving you some shyte my friend. Don't rush anything.

That looming is pretty cheap, not bad at all. I will have to order a few different sizes, and colors for future projects, and upgrades.

 

[JohnnyL]

Well what a shyte show yesterday turned out to be.

First I disconnected the ignition wire and turned the bike over to get some oil circulating through the engine.

Next I made a temporary fuel container and hung it from the ceiling. Then I got the fire extinguisher nearby just in case. I dumped fuel in the container and fuel started dumping out of the carbs all over the damn engine. Abort! Abort! I quickly grabbed a pair of needle nose vice grips and pinched the fuel line. Crap! I pulled the carbs and found the bowls leaking at the drain screws. I guess I didn't torque them down enough. This time I put the carbs on the bench and dropped some fuel in them. Good to go. I went to put the carbs back on the bike and noticed a puddle of oil on the stand. WTF? Now what?

The oil leak seemed to coming from the chain side of the engine. I pulled the sprocket cover off and noticed oil coming from between the case halves. Shyte! I have read 100 times not to use too much sealant when putting the case halves together. I guess my fear overwhelmed me to put too little. So out the engine came....again. I also noticed oil coming from the oil filter cap. Obviously that stupid o-ring got pinched. Brian Wringer offered a spare that he had and I picked that up this morning.

I stayed in the shop late last night and drained the oil and removed the engine from the bike. On a table, I flipped the engine upside down and removed all the bolts securing the case halves, cleaned the mating surfaces and re-mated them with new sealant. I got the engine back in the bike last night and finished everything this morning.

Let's try this again. Poured fuel in, pulled the choke....vavoom! Hot damn!

I noticed an oil leak around the nose of the valve cover. I don't know why it's leaking here. The surfaces were clean and I double checked the torque of all the bolts.

Anywho...here is the video of first start-up and a pic of my fuel rig.

https://youtu.be/YJ9gbSIuF60

https://youtu.be/YJ9gbSIuF60

 

[steve murdoch]

After all that work that has to feel good hearing that engine.
Congrats!

 

[93Bandit]

Awesome work! There's no way that video was first start, right? Did you get it warmed up previously before that video? It started so easily!

 

[JohnnyL]

Awesome work! There's no way that video was first start, right? Did you get it warmed up previously before that video? It started so easily!

Thanks! Believe it or not it was the first start. I'm working on some oil leaks this weekend. I took the whole top end apart to see what was going on. There are some gauges in the surfaces where the valve cover sits. I'm going to use some sealant in combination with the gasket. Hopefully that solves the issue.

Brian is coming over Monday or Tuesday to help me sync the carbs and tune the bike. It actually idles pretty good. There are some pops every once and awhile and when you crack the throttle, it has a tough time returning to idle. I'm hoping a carb sync solves that.

Just need to do the above and then get my tank from the painter. He hasn't even started it yet because he's slammed with doing helmets for drivers in the Daytona 500. Pfftt...like they're more important than me. LOL.

 

[JohnnyL]

Does anyone following this have any thoughts on the Pingel fuel petcock? I?ve read about problems with the stock petcock. I?m just wondering if anyone can talk me into buying a Pingel.

 

[Baatfam]

Does anyone following this have any thoughts on the Pingel fuel petcock? I?ve read about problems with the stock petcock. I?m just wondering if anyone can talk me into buying a Pingel.

Had a couple, and have one on my GS1100E...(my second one on that bike)
They look nice, they work well...but......a couple of caveats...
A new OEM cost about the same, and should last for a couple decades...
Two of my Pingels failed in less than 5 years...
That said, supposedly they will rebuild them for you...but I never tried that route...
And you will, at least once, leave it on, trust me....Gas will either pour out the carb overflow, or fill the crankcase...

But, they look very cool...

 

[Rijko]

Does anyone following this have any thoughts on the Pingel fuel petcock? I’ve read about problems with the stock petcock. I’m just wondering if anyone can talk me into buying a Pingel.

this is one of those questions that may get you completely different opinions.
I like the vacuum part of the original petcock, it is an extra layer of protection
against fuel overflowing.
Old stock petcocks regularly fail, with a very low succesrate with rebuild sets,
so i would recommend a new petcock.
An OEM one will last for years, without any problems.

That said - and you literally asking to be talked into buying one ...
a Pingel is great, period correct, and looks the part.
Expensive but works fine.

Just don't forget to shut it off after every single time, because a failing
float will empty the tank, on the floor or into the engine.

 

[Rijko]

i must type slow, Bob ... if i had seen your answer i would not have had to repeat what you said

 

[Baatfam]

i must type slow, Bob ... if i had seen your answer i would not have had to repeat what you said

LOL...no problem. Better two opinions than one....