• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Pix of Ron Bayless' Forward Controls

  • Thread starter Thread starter fat_sac
  • Start date Start date
ron bayless said:
I Am Of Course Very Interested In This Project Too.i Will Say I Know I Can Make A Set For Your Bike, But Utilizing The Crash Bars Will Nearly Impossible.i Have An Idea For Not Mounting Them Where The Ocnverted Ones Are Now, But Not Sure If My Idea Will Work.remember, The Crash Bars On The Stock Ones Are Only Mounted To A 1/4 Inch Backing Plate, Ours Is 3/8 Thick,the Rod Coming Out Is Even With The Outside Cases, It Is 7/8 In Diameter, Then The Pegs Come Out From Ther.they Really Offer More Crash Protection Than The Original Crash Bars Do.keep The Faith Brother, I Am Working On It, Believe Me.after I Get All This Done I Hope Someone Wants Them.otherwise Just You And I Will Have A Set! Ron


I would like highway bars, and forward controls, BUT if your product gives the protection of highway bars then GREAT and sign me up!
 
You be the judge...the original crash bars are hollow tubes,bolted to 1/4 inch backing plates.our controls are 1 3/8 inch backing plate, a 7/7 inch solid gear quality steel shaft protruding from there and out slightly beyond the outermost edge of the engine cases.This is inside structural steel tubing, then on top of that you have the footpeg that is rubber over another steel rod.And then you could add highway bars that mount with ubolts to the double down tubes. these dont exist, but could be fabricated or have some existing ones modified if one was so inclined.Our gola is to have a website that eventually reads "Everything GS",based on what GS riders say they would like to have the most.I ride and love my GS and feel others do too.Ron
 
ron bayless said:
You be the judge...the original crash bars are hollow tubes,bolted to 1/4 inch backing plates.our controls are 1 3/8 inch backing plate, a 7/7 inch solid gear quality steel shaft protruding from there and out slightly beyond the outermost edge of the engine cases.This is inside structural steel tubing, then on top of that you have the footpeg that is rubber over another steel rod.And then you could add highway bars that mount with ubolts to the double down tubes. these dont exist, but could be fabricated or have some existing ones modified if one was so inclined.Our gola is to have a website that eventually reads "Everything GS",based on what GS riders say they would like to have the most.I ride and love my GS and feel others do too.Ron


Ok I am sold. So about how much are we talking about?
 
the controls for now require you using your own stock footpegs.aftermarket expense is how ever much you choose.any aftermarket metric custom pegs will work.the shifter peg and round brake peg are removeable and replaceable.They cost us $27.00 a set.You can save there again.The basic cost of the setup with no finish will be $300.00.I intend geting them chromed since that is the most popular finish. We have someonto do that but a batch price hasnt been reached.I expect about $50.00 per set for chroming.Each set should be able to be installed in a few minutes after removing the stock controls.I would say in an hour after receiving them a road test should be possible.No welding,u still have your stock controls to revert back to if you dont like them.There is a 7 day money back guarantee.Barring a nasty spill on your respective bike, any defective parts will be replace free of charge except shipping for the first 30 days.Beyond that, a phone call and discussion on a case by case basis would be the next step.To me, service is everything.It takes years to build up a good reputation and minutes to destroy it.I also believe form follows function.These should function very well.Each set would be tested on my bike first.Other than multiple linkage length variations, the pieces should bolt up to any gs bike.If so inclined, go to Seeger cycle site and see the controls they sell for the 750 honda.$549.000 plus shipping and handling.I know cnc chromed billet with medieval spiked footpegs would look better and cost about $750.00.I cant do that.I want to make controls that are simple design,look good, and work great.
 
new up date on controls

new up date on controls

Well march 15th came and went, then finally on march 29th the couplers came in the mail march 29th.Only they made them backwards! Absolutely useless unless someone wanted some really heavy windchimes maybe.It goes back to the old saying if you want something done right do it yourself.i will now resort to nonsplined couplers, of which they are readily available.Not what i wanted, but it seems an insurmountable task to get anyone to understand what we are wanting.So, unsplined it will be.Since the shifter nor the brake for the rear rotate except for about 2 inches max the nonsplined should work. These couplers are for holding 2 shafts together with up to 3000 rpm so they should suffice.If anyone is still interested, i will post pictures as soon as possible, just dont know when.Hopefully in the next few days. That makes 3 disappointments so far.Looks like our welder and our steel and our ingenuity will be our resource now.I do believe they will be worth waiting for.I will keep anyone posted.
 
Update On Controls

Update On Controls

We Just Had A Setback.after The Machinist Making The Control Pieces Male Instead Of Female We Changed To A Guy Considered The Best In North Texas.we Met With Him And The Tooling For Broaching The Couplers We Are Going To Use Will Be $698.00 For The Brake Side And $1400.00 For The Shift Lever Side.$2300.00 For Just The Tooling Alone! I Sure Hope Some Guys Want These After We Make Them.we Are Commited To The Project, It Is Like A Personal Challenge Now.the Tooling Comes From Detroit Michigan And Wont Be Here For 6-8 Weeks, Or About June 10th.we Should Be Able To Assemble A Few Sets In Time For The Gs Rally In Cassville Missouri.hopefully Someone Will Want Some Then.we Will Also Be Creating A Website Because The Gs Site Alone Wont Generate Enough Customers Most Likely.if This Is Successful, We Will Invest In Broaches For The Other Jap Brands,all Of Which Are Inferior To The Gs Of Course.i Wonder If Anyone Knows How Many Gs Bikes Were Made And How Many Are Still On The Road?i Doubt There Will Be Any Need For Me To Post Any More Emails In Regard To This Project Based On What I Just Wrote.please,buy Some Of The Finished Product, They Are Created Because No One Ever Did Before An I Wanted Some For My Own Bike, But Not At 2300 Dollars Worth!
 
Any Idea what you're site is going to be. I would be extremely interested in a set of foreward controls for my 82 1100GL.

Chris.
 
I have to go to the courthouse and get a name that no one else has for an official business name.The plan is for it to be J&R gs controls.GS is probably copyrighted, so it wil probably be j&r vintagemotorcyclecontrols.com

Just for fun, go to customcyclecontrols.com
 
hERE i AM AGAIN.Someone on this forum posted forward controls on his bike recently.it is very possible to do, just not the way i was doing it.I wanted to make splined couplers for the rear brake to stick out 3 inches to clear the right side engine cases, but never wanted to spend 2200 dollars for the cutter to do it.But at least 2 guys here recently did it a different way.The brake lever extends straight down instead of straight forward about 5 inches or so and has the linkage hooked to that in the back and thwe way i did it in the front using the former crash bar mounting holes.the controls themselves is like making a door hinge.the inside "pin" is welded immobile, and the outer tube rotates around it with its travle in a circle wise fashion being limited byt having linkage conncected to it.Mount a handmade lever/rod sticking out from the moving part for you fut to ress down on to activate the rear brake and a peg on the end of the immoveable rod part and you have the right side.repeat for the left.only on the left all you do is turn the shifting peg straight down and cut the rubber peg off.drill a hole in its end, connect the linkage to it in the back and to the crash bar site in the front like you did on the brake side.Look at any harley.you see on the shifter side a lot of linkage going up and over the engine case.Its the same thing on the gs, only you go under the cases.I myself would like to see some pics from the guy that recently did this.His bike was either a 850 or 1000.Ron.
 
Im working with a guy now that has an 1000 and he's fabed together a setup on his (the way ron discribed).

I will talk to him and see if he'll let me post some pictures up. I have some pics already but i want the okay from him first.

Their really just thrown together to function rather then looks but a little more time into em, they could look real nice.

Check back tomorrow night and ill hopefully post up some pics of them.

I was just interested in this thread cause it seemed you (ron) were really spending alot of time on your setup and was hoping the outcome would have been great. Im sure they woulda been the best looking forwards on this side of mars except the cost. :(

Im always interedted in something a little different then "all the other guys" and personally i love the function and look of forwards.

Since im building a chop, they would go great with my build. Just figured i'd check to see if anyone had put the brains into em and was "mass producing" them.

I commend you ron for spending all that time and effort into your design and its too bad nobody could aid you without such high costs :(
 
Thanks.I made 6 trips to dallas,one to midlothian,my buddy and i committed to the 2000 dollars for the cutting tool, then our cashiers check was lost in the mail for 30 days, so we decided to call it quits.one guy here said he got some that were made for hondas and kawasaki that he made adapters for somehow.See, the way i see it is this.The gs 1000 electrics were crap, i never understood how to troubleshoot them or fix them.But the motors are in my opinion the best inline 4 cylinder motorcycle ever made.They look complicated, but they arent.I would still like to have anther one.Only i would bastardize it too.Forward controls,z bars,flush turn signals,etc.Cruise along in 5th gear about 50 miles an hour, then roll on the throttle.you will swear you are in 3rd or 4th gear they have so much pull.Thats why i liked my gs so much when i had it.But for touring, for me, my ultra classic rules.
 
Yeah i had an 89 1100 shadow for a while. My second bike. That bike was great for touring! Huge thick seat, giant tank. It was great. Ive been wanting another bike for quite a while but lack of funds held me back. Thats when i ws offered the FREE gs 1000!!. I went and looked at it in the guys garage. It hadnt run in over nine years and it still had 2 gallons of fuel in the tank!!!:eek:

I had to stare at it for an hour before i said yeah. It was ugly and no where near my style of bike. I took it thinking i would do minor mods to it just to make it presenatble. Then one thing led to another and now its all chopped up.

Two weeks later my buddy (neighbor) got the same bike. Literally two months difference in the build dates! We picked his up from some kids that did a little bobbering to it. We looked it over and found the carbs were trash. So offf to rebuild em. Looks like they were trying to use a drill bit to remove the jets!! Peices of the carb body were broken and missing! It was a mess. Finally got em done and put em on the bike. Got it fired up and i HAD to ride it.

These things have great torque! Ive ridden it around the neighborhood a bit and im impressed. REALLY imoressed! I cant wait to get mine back together for spring time!!!
 
You will love it.The seats for me are the most comfortable.A yamah venture, my ultra, and the gs big bikes have the most comfortable stock seats ever in my opinion.
 
Well the stock seat was cut up about a week after i got the bike to be used for the custom spring seat pan. But it was pretty comfy the first week :):D
 
Back
Top