JohnnyL's 1980 GS550L Cafe Build

[steve murdoch]

Have you made any other alterations to the frame? If you have, lop it off.
Maybe you could cut it with enough meat left so it could be welded back on at a later date?

This has been a great follow, Johnny.

 

[JohnnyL]

Have you made any other alterations to the frame? If you have, lop it off.
Maybe you could cut it with enough meat left so it could be welded back on at a later date?

This has been a great follow, Johnny.

Yes...numerous alterations. The whole rear end was cut off and then a seat hoop was welded in. I can’t see ever wanting to weld it back on. I’m just bummed I didn’t think to do it before it was powder coated. If I cut it off, I just need to make it look good so it doesn’t look like an afterthought.

I appreciate the feedback. Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to myself.

 

[GSXR7ED]

I appreciate the feedback. Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to myself.

You're thinking out loud...and sometimes people respond. This project is coming along nicely and at your pace...which makes it all the better when you complete this project.

It's good to reference your thoughts at a later time...and people are reading and following along.

Ed

 

[steve murdoch]

Yes...numerous alterations. The whole rear end was cut off and then a seat hoop was welded in. I can’t see ever wanting to weld it back on. I’m just bummed I didn’t think to do it before it was powder coated. If I cut it off, I just need to make it look good so it doesn’t look like an afterthought.

I appreciate the feedback. Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to myself.

Yeah, i have been following along and knew that frame had altered for your seat. That was more a generic response for anybody else that was thinking of cutting their frame for the first time.
Don't sweat if if sometimes you don't get a lot of feedback for a post. There are a lot of us following without your skills and have nothing to offer.

 

[dorkburger]

How bad is the muffler clearance issue?
Back in the day I had clearance issues with a set of headers going onto a car. A header pipe fouled the steering shaft. I laid a wooden ax handle across where it needed to be clearanced and whacked it with a lump hammer. It left a nice uniform indent... problem solved.

 

[JohnnyL]

So I got out to the shop this morning and did some tinkering.

I've resolved the coil fitment issue with some simple aluminum tubing.

I tidied up the new Dyna spark plug wires with some cushion support clamps purchased from the hardware store.

I installed the new LED tail/brake/turn signal light.

And lastly, I broke out my cordless band saw and wacked off the passenger foot peg part of the frame. I left stubs so that I can come up with a way to put a decorative end on the those. I ordered these bars ends pictured below to see how they look. For right now, I have some black plastic caps on the stubs. I have to say, with that portion of the frame gone, it really cleaned up the rear nicely. Most importantly, my clearance issue seems to be resolved. I am going to try this bassoon of a MAC muffler and see how it sounds but I'm not sure I like the look of it. Also not sure I trust the crappy clamp they provided with it to support it without a tie back of some sort to somewhere. I have my eye on this stainless steel 18" "Quiet-er" reverse cone muffler and stainless steel muffler clamp from Z1. Can't bring myself to spend the $179 on it just yet.

 

[1978GS750E]

Very nice work! That muffler may not look so big once you get the rear wheel on it! Love your attention to detail.

 

[dorkburger]

Well, nevermind then.

With the black caps there it mostly hides in plain sight.

 

[Spyder]

I like the solution you came up with. Those caps look good. Can't tell staring right at them. Adding something else may draw unwanted attention to it. Hmmm, Just had a thought. I wonder if a 16ga, or 20ga shotgun shell would fit that hole? a little gorilla snot (weather stripping adhesive) to glue them in? Could be a cool look. Other than that, a little sealant on the caps you have on it would ensure the won't fall off, and you're done with it... Can't wait to see this bike with the painted skins back on it. And the red calipers look a lot better than I expected them to. I think you should keep it.

 

[JohnnyL]

I like the solution you came up with. Those caps look good. Can't tell staring right at them. Adding something else may draw unwanted attention to it. Hmmm, Just had a thought. I wonder if a 16ga, or 20ga shotgun shell would fit that hole? a little gorilla snot (weather stripping adhesive) to glue them in? Could be a cool look. Other than that, a little sealant on the caps you have on it would ensure the won't fall off, and you're done with it... Can't wait to see this bike with the painted skins back on it. And the red calipers look a lot better than I expected them to. I think you should keep it.

Holy smokes!!! I absolutely love that idea! It might just be that sinister look I’m going for! I might have to break out the old Mossberg and head to the range to spend some shells.

Just picked up the wheels! Wait till you see these things!

 

[JohnnyL]

I picked up the wheels today from powder coat. I can't believe how good these things look! Like better than new! I don't know that the pictures will do it justice. I'm going to cut a thin red vinyl ring on my vinyl plotter to run around the outer edge of the rim. For now I am going to get busy assembling the wheels with new bearings and bolt the new rotors on. I'm going to attempt to mount the tires but mounting motorcycle tires is not my strong suit.

I forgot to update you on my meeting with Bwringer last Friday. Brian came up to my shop to check out my build and start discussing wiring the bike and the M-Unit. It was great to meet Brian and what a great guy! Very knowledgeable on motorcycle wiring and obviously a hardcore rider. He gave me a list of things to buy and we will hopefully begin wiring the bike this weekend. I'm anxious to see this Motogadget working and even more excited to be one step closer to firing the bike up. I'm going to post some links to some YouTube videos here so you can see some of the amazing things this M-Unit can do.

Because the M-Unit was an afterthought, I needed to find a place for it. Ideally, it should go under the seat cowl but I had designed the battery to sit there. After staring at the bike this morning, I decided to do some re-arranging. I'm going to move the battery box underneath the seat, move the reg/rec on top of the mud guard thingy I fabricated under the tail and now the M-Unit can go under the seat cowl as it should.

 

[JohnnyL]

So the back wheel is assembled and installed with new bearings. I don't know that I am going to attempt to mount the tires. Last time I attempted to replace a tube on a motorcycle tire, it ended in failure. Plus, I ordered some rim savers and they won't be here till tomorrow. I think I am just going to take them to the local motorcycle shop tomorrow(not open on Mondays) and have them do it and balance them. They do balance them right?

Since I decided to use stainless socket cap bolts to secure the rotor, I can't use the locking tab straps like the ones on the stock bike. With a drill press and a little patience(I think I've mentioned, I have none) I drilled holes in the socket cap heads. Two broken drill bits later, I had all six bolts drilled. I then used safety wire to secure the bolts from backing out.

 

[GSXR7ED]

Nice safety wire job!

Project is looking great!!!

Ed

 

[bwringer]

The spots of blood on the brake rotor are a nice touch. Safety wire always seems to demand sacrifice...

 

[Cipher]

beautiful work

 

[steve murdoch]

The spots of blood on the brake rotor are a nice touch. Safety wire always seems to demand sacrifice...

I thought the same thing. Helped a buddy wire a CB350 track bike a couple years ago and we were both leaking.

Fantastic attention to detail, Johnny.

 

[JohnnyL]

Athough there is plenty of blood and sweat in/on this bike, I don't think that is blood on the rotor. I checked my extremities and didn't find one cut. LOL.

Bwringer saw that I was going to have a motorcycle shop mount my tires for me so he offered to have me over last night to help and show me how to mount them myself. Brian has an ingenious setup for making this an easier process. An old car wheel from a junkyard bolted to the workbench and some cutouts from a milk jug as rim protectors make wrestling the wheel on the floor a thing of the past. The photos below also show us checking the balance on the wheels/tires and both were pretty well balanced. Within 1/2 to 3/4 of an ounce. Thanks to Brian, I should have a roller today!

Unfortunately, work is going to get in the way this morning. I hate it when that happens. I will post pics of the bike with the wheels on as soon as I get there.

The safety wire on the front rotor looks much better after practicing on the rear.

Received the bar ends yesterday and stuck them on to see if I like them. I actually do kind of like them but I am going to explore the shotgun shell idea further. I just think that would be the cats pajamas.

 

[JohnnyL]

For any gadget geeks...here are some links to the M-Unit Blue YouTube videos. This thing is pretty insane. I'm extremely excited to install this on the bike with the help of Bwringer. It arrives via UPS today.


MotoGadget App


MotoGadget overview on an actual motorcycle


MotoGadget Details


Wiring a MotoGadget

 

[Spyder]

Yeah, can't say I'm a fan of the bar ends. I will add, if you were to machine them down to the same diameter. That would make it aesthetically pleasing on the eyes. Of course, they wouldn't be red anymore. I would like to see the shotgun shell experimentation. I do really like how the black caps just make it disappear from the overall visual.

 

[JohnnyL]

Yeah, can't say I'm a fan of the bar ends. I will add, if you were to machine them down to the same diameter. That would make it aesthetically pleasing on the eyes. Of course, they wouldn't be red anymore. I would like to see the shotgun shell experimentation. I do really like how the black caps just make it disappear from the overall visual.

Yeah...the different diameters is bothering me. My neighbor has a small engine lathe that I may turn something down that resembles a rocket point. If I decide to move away from the black caps, I want something that gives it a more badass look. That's either going to be shotgun shells or something pointy. If I go with the shotgun shells, of course I'm going to need some 9mm valve stem caps on the rims. Really...it's the least of my concerns at this point. I'm going to circle back to it later.