siamesing the twins. (one from two) 82 GS1100G

[Charlie G]

Glen,

I find my 650 to be a fine all round bike. The only time I wish it was bigger is when I'm riding with liter bikes and we as a group are passing other cars. I tend to hold them up because I need more room to pass. I wish I got that kind of mileage between fill ups.

cg

 

[engel]

Is a bit surprising to be honest charlie. I don't imagine they would have altered the gearing from the katana to the roadster model for such a niche model. The weight between models and power surely isn't too heavily separated. Once you get her spooled she fairly floats along. While i'm sure the speedo is out to the ****house i saw 85 out of third which is well enough to get past a good size cluster of motorists over here and she got 125 up on straights. I'm far from light and it's on standard carbs, pipes, and visually undisturbed factory top end.

Other thing i love is its flexibility. While on a cruise behind some lowered cars over speed humps. Got sick of accelerating then braking in first and also second and simply began popping up cogs at a constant (1200 rpm or so in top) speed. No roughness or driveline snatch and once we'd returned to the main streets i left it in fifth and eased on throttle. Smooth from 1200 through 3000 in town and no real slug overall. For carbs that had ants in them which i've not bothered to synchronise, sparkplugs i've not cleaned/gapped/removed i'm fairly impressed.

Not saying you won't notice a pretty blatant difference between the baby shaftie and another six cubic inches per pot but for what they are and do the 650 is no disappointment to the dream i had to own one back when i was twelve.

 

[engel]

all six of the registered harem ridden this weekend. katana to work, then the MZ off to grab a beer and tour the town last night. and out to a bike club meeting and the parents place for mothers day on the rapide. 20 kay roundtrip while there on the GSX to charge the battery for dad as his ankle has been playing up the last few weeks. home and off to the supermarket on the 1100G filling the panniers to the brim with groceries when in the failing light of 5:30 in the afternoon i noticed the twin glow of the gpz900r tailight bulbs on the CBR1000F where i pushed her out the front to get at the HRD at 8AM and had only swung the ignition key to park thinking i'd hit lock. unsurprisingly the starter relay switch wouldn't even click so back on with the helmet and sandles once i'd put away the shopping to bumpstart the big trollop. third attempt she burst into life and so circuits of town were made to let the alternator do it's funky thang. off for a beer as well and followed homeward for ten kilometer by a patrolcar that wouldn't budge. rode super clinically safe and they got bored so home via a curvy detour to open the taps.

feels good.

 

[engel]

katrin is now solo seat registered and with the thirdparty refund i'll pay to get an 1100 seat converted and get the savings of 5 from 6 at 200 rather than 400 a year. threw another 1000 kay on it two weeks back and six hundred the weekend just gone. lovin the little girl.

 

[engel]

and we're home again. been to brisbane and back and anna is showing another 1300 miles. sadly the odometer drive gear cried enough so i've been in instrument strip and fix mode this evening and i'm swapping in blues gauge with blacks tacho needle affixed. test it for accuracy tomorrow but has been an entertaining exercise so far.

took katrin out today and she's as sweet as ever. affixed my VJMC stickers to the pair and may even wash them.

putting all three suzi fours in the local bike show this year at the start next month. MZ and rapide went in last year so a bit of variety might be warranted. hope to have a cb four or the gpz900 ready for next one so nose to grindstone time really.

 

[Charlie G]

I had the speedo drive, which is at the axle go out on me while I was 400 miles away from home. Interesting riding without a a functioning speed. You should consider doing a photo shoot of your old girls and posting it up. Pictures always draw interest. My riding season is in full swing now. I'm hoping to make it through without much shop time on my bikes.

Charlie G

 

[engel]

yep, tink spat hers about 60 kilometres shy of blackwater in may 2011 and received a replacement off black, then anna did the same with hers last november. have lubed katrins up but suspect it'll go the same way sooner or later as well. will see about a pic later in the month.

 

[engel]

i've made my first practical/performance modification to the katana. took two minutes, cost nothing, and required no new parts.

as its not registered as a two seater i'm reasoning that non-functioning pillion pegs from the passenger perch are acceptable. the registered owner having no intention to lend the bike or carry a pillion means that any two person activity involves theft by a pair of twats i'd wish an accident on anyway.

so what did i do?

i've inverted the pillion pegs for on the tank head down riding safety. as they were rearset when you put any backward load on them as per when ducked down from the front seat they'd fold up. quite disconcerting at speed. now they dip alarmingly with downward pressure as per pillion seat use which suits me fine.

pulled the split pins, pivot pins, turned the peg 180 in its mount, reinstalled all parts and am wrapt with the result. 200 kilometers of testing and all is good.

 

[engel]

shot this quickly this morning after i plucked Anna from the shed before Work. the three are on display till sunday but should be able to line them and the other two up sunday arve for a better picture.

 

[Charlie G]

That's a great shot of your bikes!
cg

 

[engel]

there you go charlie.

only took me two months as well.

 

[Charlie G]

It's a good thing those motorcycles aren't cows, cause you'd potentially have a mess on your porch. Great shot, thanks!


cg

 

[Good Times]

there you go charlie.

only took me two months as well.

Now you're just showing off.

 

[engel]

anna's spare engines cases are now buttoned up again. fresh threebond is squelched from between the upper and lower halves, the shift forks are reengaged with their pinions, and the covers are lightly nipped on to keep crap out.

hope to get new bevel drive o-rings and slip some temporary gaskets into place and have the engine ready to swap out for a few test kays with the broken clutch centre and no stator to suss out the condition of the top end and see if the bevels are gonna howl or frag each other.

sort some clutch plates, and other basics if it proves its worth and swap out the good clutch basket and stator. otherwise it comes back out and sits in waiting. perhaps a set of rings if needed. just nice to get off my arse again and achieve a little here and there.

oh, and charlie: moooooooo.

(always called them a harem, but i suppose they might well number enough nowadays for a herd)

 

[engel]

been spreading myself thinly of late. have collected my VG valiant pacer hardtop project, been to a wedding 300 kays away, and been helping a young bloke get a 550m katana going that he bought for 150 and's been dormant for 9 years. cleaned out his mikunis and removed his starter for him so he could unsieze it and we've had the little jewel running. going o-ring shopping tomorrow for the bevel gear housings and some for the needle and seats and transfer tubes.

hope to get the gpz900 running sometime tomorrow evening too now theres a little more room around it. did a pretty major reshuffle in the sheds today and hung all manner of bodywork and other paraphernalia out of harms way and wound up with ample space to tackle all manner of tasks again.

a quick photo of the VG as collected:

much remains to be completed, or lets face it, even started upon. just see how it all goes i guess.

might get a shot of the 550m when next out that way too. rough but not totalled, and he has a sensible attitude to the build. may see him here soon too.

best wishes for the start of spring, glen.

 

[Charlie G]

Nice car there. Reminds me of the some Chrysler cars of the late 60's and early 70's. Sharp cars. I had the same wheels on a little ute of mine that was stolen. I got the truck back minus the wheels, tranny, and carb. No loss as the insurance company paid me dear as I bought it right and none were available to replace it. The beginning of spring. Yes, rub it in. It seems week before last, it was 105 F (40c) and someone flipped the switch and it's starting to get cold in the again.

Here's a couple of bikes I had a hand on rescuing last week.

A 78 GS1000 and a 79 GS 750. My friend got the 750 running yesterday. He was happy as a clam. Thnaks for the update.

cg

 

[Guest]

Very nice project(s). I find that after cannibalizing one for the other, the parts bike eventually wants to be restored too. Then it begins anew.

 

[engel]

you lot had them as the dodge dart charl. we got a unique to australia driveline but, as with the nose and tailights.

scary handlebars on the one on the left matey. love that the twin pipes have survived.

 

[Charlie G]

you lot had them as the dodge dart charl. we got a unique to australia driveline but, as with the nose and tailights.

scary handlebars on the one on the left matey. love that the twin pipes have survived.

I wanted to say Dodge Dart, but wasn't certian. The family across the street had one in a metalic green I always liked. I like those nose lights. Did it come with a v8 hemi engine?

 

[engel]

v8 option by this series was the 318 in two barrel format at 230 horsepower.

a 4 litre "hemi" (by name and some aspects but not crossflow) inline six with outputs between 165 and 240 horsepower depending on spec with a BBS, BBD, or an AVS fitted. mine is the mid spec 2bbl at around 190.

what you wouldn't be execting is the vg came with rectangular headlamps:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42220226@N07/4066844389/