Progress!!! 1978 GS1000E Restoration/Performance Rebuild

SVSooke · Jun 18, 2015

Yes it's simplicity is what makes it so brilliant.I'm always worried about doing nasty things to my lowers with the vice. I don't have a pivoting vice but putting it in sideways will achieve most of the same benefits.

limeex2 · Jun 18, 2015

philosopheriam said:
More progress!

Front forks are rebuilt with the exception of the seals and new drain screws/gaskets which haven't been installed yet. The piston rings, damper bolt copper washers, and upper fork bushings are all new. If anyone is curious, the parts fiche for the 1978 GS1000E does not show a part number for the upper bushings - I measured the existing ones and sourced a matching set from Racetech. Getting the old ones out was a bit of a bugger, as the bushings sit nearly blind into the fork tube. So, I sharpened a screwdriver and found the section where the bushings are split. Gently, I worked the screwdriver with a hammer underneath the bushing and curled it upward so it could finally be removed with a set of pliers. If you nick the bushing seating surface, it's no biggie, just polish it smooth with some fine emery cloth - it isn't a sealing surface, and as long as you don't gouge the snot out of it, the bushing will seat just fine. There are no lower bushings on these forks.

I was going to reuse the original tubes but they were pitted beyond my liking - they were replaced with a set of Tarozzi tubes from Fast From the Past. I will be installing a set of Racetech springs with 10w Fuchs Silkolene oil, and I am having a machine shop make a set of fork caps that have a 19mm hex on top of the cap (the stock caps with air valves just look ugly, IMHO).

Old stuff

Bushing driven in

Fork vise adapter & new tube installed

The finished pair!

Damn, this is sweet! As far as the forks go,Gs1100e have orderable
upper and lower fork bushings. Could they be used? Fork caps also?

philosopheriam · Jun 20, 2015

limeex2 said:
Damn, this is sweet! As far as the forks go,Gs1100e have orderable
upper and lower fork bushings. Could they be used? Fork caps also?

Honestly, I'm not sure about the GS1100 parts compatibility with the GS1000 forks - perhaps someone else can chime in, but to my knowledge, everything is different.

gs1000tony · Jun 23, 2015

Anthony, excellent work and can't wait to see the end product.

Cheers,
Tony

philosopheriam · Jul 1, 2015

Folks,

Sorry about the lack of updates in the past week or so - to make a long story short, I am a heavy equipment mechanic that works in the railroads, and my company's contract at the location where I was employed expired on June 30th and it was not renewed. No biggie, I found another job and will be starting on July 13. So, my last day was June 26th and I decided to take a good 2+ weeks off to clear my head. So, I have been working on some long overdue home repairs, moreover, I have been adjusting back to a NORMAL schedule - at my old company, I had worked 3rd shift (10pm to 6am) for almost 1.5 years, and it wore me the hell out. At my new job, I will be back to a day shift (7am to 3pm). In the evenings, I have been enjoying myself - going out to dinner, having some beers, etc. In the mornings, I've been waking up around 8am, making a pot of coffee, and then sitting in a lawn chair in my garage, drinking coffee and admiring the beautiful weather. I'm being lazy and enjoying the hell out of it. From July 5th to the 10th, I will be visiting my parents who retired in Sevierville, TN. Blah, blah, blah, blah - you guys get the point

So, I decided to have a bit of motivation today and finish my 2nd to last batch of zinc plating - here are the fantastic results!

IMG_1499 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

Tomorrow, I will finish the last batch and then I'm 99% done with all of the hardware on the bike. Yay!

Kiwi Canuck · Jul 2, 2015

Those parts look so darn good, man I want to get myself setup with a kit to be able to do that.

When I'm ready I'll go back and read your posts on what you have, I have a couple of 12VDC 15 Amp power supplies I may try and use one or both but if they will not work I'll buy the one suggested.

Thanks for posting and enjoy your time off.

David

philosopheriam · Jul 2, 2015

Kiwi Canuck said:
Those parts look so darn good, man I want to get myself setup with a kit to be able to do that.

When I'm ready I'll go back and read your posts on what you have, I have a couple of 12VDC 15 Amp power supplies I may try and use one or both but if they will not work I'll buy the one suggested.

Thanks for posting and enjoy your time off.

David

David,

The power supply is one of the most critical components in obtaining a good end result - for small batches of parts, having a unit that can maintain a constant current between 0A and 5A is key. For every batch of parts you run, a different current will be needed as it is based on the amount of surface area to be plated - excessive voltage or current can cause a multitude of "weird" results - gray/burned plating, blistering/bubbling, etc.

My advice is to spend to $50 to $60 and buy a unit that will work for what you are doing. When you see the end result, it will be worth it

philosopheriam · Jul 2, 2015

The last batch!!! Just some small stuff. That's it, 99% of the hardware is DONE (excluding the 1% that I may have inadvertently forgotten).

IMG_1504 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

pjKUN · Jul 2, 2015

Great thread! Your build was one of the threads I looked at before I took the plunge to build one of my own. I also really liked a quote you said in an earlier post, and it ended up in my sig. Lastly saw that you're from Aurora... I'm in Schaumburg. Cheers!

philosopheriam · Jul 2, 2015

pjKUN said:
Great thread! Your build was one of the threads I looked at before I took the plunge to build one of my own. I also really liked a quote you said in an earlier post, and it ended up in my sig. Lastly saw that you're from Aurora... I'm in Schaumburg. Cheers!

You're gonna have to pay royalties on that quote, sir - 5 cents, please

philosopheriam · Jul 4, 2015

I really didn't like the look of the original fork caps with the air valves... So, I had a new set of caps machined with a 19mm hex on top. I will polish them before they are installed.

IMG_1513 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

IMG_1512 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

Gregory · Jul 4, 2015

Those look great, so are you wanting to sell your old fork top caps ?

http://www.cmsnl.com/suzuki-gs1000-gl-1980-1981-usa_model15991/cap-valve_5129449000/#.VZgEoPlViko

philosopheriam · Jul 4, 2015

Gregory said:
Those look great, so are you wanting to sell your old fork top caps ?

http://www.cmsnl.com/suzuki-gs1000-gl-1980-1981-usa_model15991/cap-valve_5129449000/#.VZgEoPlViko

Possibly - what are you looking for? The entire cap/valve/top cover assembly?

Gregory · Jul 4, 2015

philosopheriam said:
Possibly - what are you looking for? The entire cap/valve/top cover assembly?

.....just the top chrome dust covers that go over the plug & valve.

Guest · Jul 4, 2015

philosopheriam said:
I really didn't like the look of the original fork caps with the air valves... So, I had a new set of caps machined with a 19mm hex on top. I will polish them before they are installed.

those are awesome, wish I knew someone that could machine something like that. Awesome.

philosopheriam · Jul 5, 2015

Gregory said:
.....just the top chrome dust covers that go over the plug & valve.

I have the top caps, but admittedly, they are tarnished - send me a PM with what you were thinking...

philosopheriam · Jul 5, 2015

azr said:
those are awesome, wish I knew someone that could machine something like that. Awesome.

Thanks dude - I found the machinist through the company that did my frame mods - his name is Bill Bailey in Millington, IL. Bill does a *lot* of oddball work on vintage bikes (40s and 50s era) stuff. Brake backing plates, clutch covers, triples, etc.

GS-cafe · Jul 12, 2015

nice work,

as always!

philosopheriam · Jul 28, 2015

And the moment many you have been waiting for...

With the help of my buddy Fred, we installed the engine into the frame on Sunday (7/26). To make a long story short, we elevated a dog bed approximately 6" off the ground and put the engine on it's side on top of the bed. Then, we laid the frame onto the engine. With the valve cover and oil pan removed, there is a ton of clearance to maneuver the frame, and thus, nothing was damaged in the process. In my opinion, this method is fastest, easiest, and safest.

I will freely admit I went WAAAAAY overboard on protecting the frame with foam and tape - in reality, I could have left the frame unprotected using the "lay down" method for installation.

IMG_1542 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

20150726_165558 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

20150726_165651 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

20150726_165700 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

20150726_170332 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

20150726_170351 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

20150726_170359 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr

20150726_170639 by Anthony Monteleone, on Flickr