8
80GS1000
Guest
I see your point about the front end.
What do you think of putting a fat rear tire on the bike? Would look sweet IMO.
What do you think of putting a fat rear tire on the bike? Would look sweet IMO.
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isaac
Guest
Well yeah, I'd definitely love to put a big rear tire on there. The only problem is (once again) the shaft drive. I could probably put a 140mm tire on there now, but I'd have to section the swingarm to have more room. To get more tire, I'm guessing I'd need a wider rim. Then I have to spacer out the wheel from the drive axle, and find a way to extend the drive axle itself. It gets pretty extensive, though I'd love to see how someone has done it previously.
If I could get 160-170mm on there, I'd be happy. Today I was riding it in what turned into a pretty heavy rainstorm, and even with the unsync'd carbs (and resultant lack of torque below 6,000rpm) I was having trouble (read - fun) with the rear end stepping out sideways when the torque hit. The 130mm tire's pretty new back there too.
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8
80GS1000
Guest
Easiest way to get around the slippage problem is to put a stickier rear tire on the bike. I am a huge fan of the Pirelli Sport Demon bias ply tire- great grip wet and dry, looks great, and transforms the bike's handling for the better.
A 140 on your stock rim would ruin (read: flatten) the tire's profile and most likely adversely affect your handling.
If you want to get into more extensive modification, you can fit a 150/160 radial on a 4.5x17" (e.g. late model Katana 600) rim. You may (check dimensions first) be able to use a GS1100 GL swingarm on your bike, which would allow the use of that wider rim and the wider tire. The biggest engineering challenge as you mention is the shaft itself - modifying it and the rest of the drivetrain to suit the new dimensions of the bike. But anything's possible.
A 140 on your stock rim would ruin (read: flatten) the tire's profile and most likely adversely affect your handling.
If you want to get into more extensive modification, you can fit a 150/160 radial on a 4.5x17" (e.g. late model Katana 600) rim. You may (check dimensions first) be able to use a GS1100 GL swingarm on your bike, which would allow the use of that wider rim and the wider tire. The biggest engineering challenge as you mention is the shaft itself - modifying it and the rest of the drivetrain to suit the new dimensions of the bike. But anything's possible.
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isaac
Guest
Dirtbike bars are on. I didn't cut out the crossbar because it clears everything, but I might anyway. I'm also trying to decide on where to angle them. I could even flip them over and have them drop really low, but that could cause tank interference and be uncomfortable as hell.
I painted it black to go along with the theme. They had some sort of silver paint on them before.
I'm probably gonna ditch the mirrors because they're just not working. I do like having mirrors though, so bar ends might work, but those cost money, and these are already the widest bars I've ever seen on a motorcycle. If I added another 2" to each side, this thing would be as wide as an ATV.
I painted it black to go along with the theme. They had some sort of silver paint on them before.
I'm probably gonna ditch the mirrors because they're just not working. I do like having mirrors though, so bar ends might work, but those cost money, and these are already the widest bars I've ever seen on a motorcycle. If I added another 2" to each side, this thing would be as wide as an ATV.
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8
80GS1000
Guest
Looking good. Those MX bars were a great addition.
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bgmart450
Guest
Dirtbike bars are on. I didn't cut out the crossbar because it clears everything, but I might anyway. I'm also trying to decide on where to angle them. I could even flip them over and have them drop really low, but that could cause tank interference and be uncomfortable as hell.
I painted it black to go along with the theme. They had some sort of silver paint on them before.
---Either you are VERY tall or you can jump really high
---Sweet Jeep in the corner, yours?
I'm probably gonna ditch the mirrors because they're just not working. I do like having mirrors though, so bar ends might work, but those cost money, and these are already the widest bars I've ever seen on a motorcycle. If I added another 2" to each side, this thing would be as wide as an ATV.
Do they have bar ends that wrap back over the controls? Sounds like that may not get what you want tho. Maybe some lower mirrors that extend more towards the bar ends instead of up would work?
Interested on seeing how this progresses.
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beergood
Guest
That is definitely a bike I wouldn't jay-walk in front of. Kinda reminds me of Tex Cobb's bike in Raising Arizona. I like it.
On the suggestion on a friend I picked up a set of mountain bike bar ends. They are about 2 inches around, fairly sturdy, black and the hardware all tightens down with allen wrenches. They are only 15 bucks a pop, and easy to find/replace when you do something stupid. Try one on the left side and see what you think.
I didn't have mirrors for a while and it was a situation that I don't think I could ever get comfortable with.
On the suggestion on a friend I picked up a set of mountain bike bar ends. They are about 2 inches around, fairly sturdy, black and the hardware all tightens down with allen wrenches. They are only 15 bucks a pop, and easy to find/replace when you do something stupid. Try one on the left side and see what you think.
I didn't have mirrors for a while and it was a situation that I don't think I could ever get comfortable with.
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isaac
Guest
Thanks for the suggestions. Beergood, I'm definitely checking out those mountain bike mirrors.
I flipped the bars over to drop them a couple more inches, and that gave me an inch or so more pullback too. Turns out, it was really the right choice. The ergonomics feel so much better, and the bars are more of a combo streetfighter/cafe height now.
So in the last 24 hours it's gone from this:
to this:
I flipped the bars over to drop them a couple more inches, and that gave me an inch or so more pullback too. Turns out, it was really the right choice. The ergonomics feel so much better, and the bars are more of a combo streetfighter/cafe height now.
So in the last 24 hours it's gone from this:
to this:
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80GS1000
Guest
You might want to ditch those gigantic stock front turn signals too. They don't fit with the lines of the bike and the look I think you're going for. Try some short-stalk GSXR signals instead like these:
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isaac
Guest
That's definitely in the plans. I think I mentioned it somewhere in here. If I do, I'm probably gonna get some of those LP flush mounts and attach em to the sides of the fork brace. I like them either there or super low profile. Of course I don't mind people being able to tell which way I'm going either.
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Tarbash 27
Guest
or just take them off, i dont run signals. In my state (NY) 1985 and older motorcycles do not require signals.
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isaac
Guest
I appreciate the suggestion. I don't think Florida requires signals. They're pretty lax.
My state doesn't require a helmet but you don't see me taking mine off either. There are some things I think are essential to a bike, and I have a pretty big issue with reducing the safety of a vehicle for the sake of appearance. That's why I've never flushed bumpers on a car or reduced the headlight size or power on any of my bikes.
No signals on this bike would definitely improve the appearance, but I don't like the idea of somebody nailing me because they didn't know I was gonna turn.
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steely
Guest
Damn, that is looking really sharp Isaac! I am glad to see that you ditched the back fender. While I think it looked cool enough, I have always been more partial to less in the rear. I am slowly blacking out my bike as well. I have a leaky head gasket and will be pulling the engine apart to take care of that in the next few weeks. I am thinking of painting the cylinders and heads black while I have them off the bike. I have heard that having a black engine makes these old GSs faster! I dunno about all that, but I do think that the blacker the bike, the tougher it looks.
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steely
Guest
Amen to that. I put some of the tiny signals, front and rear, on my bike. A friend of mine was following me in his truck on Christmas Day, and he said he had trouble seeing my signals until he was pretty close to me. I have been throwing hand signals as well as using the blinkers since then. The signals are bright enough that you can't miss them at night, but during the day they largely disappear. I would use hand signals at night, but I wear black gloves and a black jacket, so I believe it is largely useless.
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snowbeard
Guest
Hey Isaac, I sent you a PM about your fender, just in case you just didn't notice... 8-[
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isaac
Guest
Well I rode the bike around with the flipped over and lowered dirtbike bars, and after an hour and a half on the thing I was still feeling fine in the wrists and back department, even with a 25lb flywheel in a backpack on my back that I was taking to and from the machine shop.
Point being: The bars work where they are, and I'm gonna keep em. I might try to lower them some more, but that's gonna have to involve cutting and welding to get them around the forks which were raised up into the tubes. It's either that or I turn them into clip ons by welding them onto a set of clamps. That could be interesting.
At that point, I'd also lower the instrument cluster.
Right now I'm working on a set of dual headlights. They're BMW units joined by a piece of sheet steel that I've cut circles in to fit. I just have to find a way to brace it, then I'll mount it up. At that point the bike will be a hybrid of these bars:
and these headlights:
Point being: The bars work where they are, and I'm gonna keep em. I might try to lower them some more, but that's gonna have to involve cutting and welding to get them around the forks which were raised up into the tubes. It's either that or I turn them into clip ons by welding them onto a set of clamps. That could be interesting.
At that point, I'd also lower the instrument cluster.
Right now I'm working on a set of dual headlights. They're BMW units joined by a piece of sheet steel that I've cut circles in to fit. I just have to find a way to brace it, then I'll mount it up. At that point the bike will be a hybrid of these bars:
and these headlights:
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beergood
Guest
I like where you've gone with this. I especially want to see it with the new headlights.
Bar end mirrors would really bring the line of that bike down.
Bar end mirrors would really bring the line of that bike down.
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isaac
Guest
Thanks, and I agree about the bar end mirrors. At the same time, this thing would be damn wide with them, because the bike is already 31.5" wide with the bars.
Here's a new shot:
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beergood
Guest
I felt the same way, but I found a set that adds less than 2 inches to each side. They really clean up the line of the bike. Another thing you can try is just putting one on the left side and foregoing the right.
Either way, I like the way your bike is turning out. I especially like the complete lack of rear fender. Having 2/3rds of the rear tire hanging out there really works.
Either way, I like the way your bike is turning out. I especially like the complete lack of rear fender. Having 2/3rds of the rear tire hanging out there really works.
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80GS1000
Guest
Diggin' the looks there. Looks nice and aggressive.
Next step IMHO is performance. A 'fighter isn't a 'fighter IMO till equal attention has been paid to its performance as its appearance. In terms of offering suggestions for performance mods, you have to ask yourself: How hard do you ride your bike? How much power do you want? And how extensive do you want your mods to be?
A good place to start would be a 4 into 1 Vance & Hines pipe, K&N pod air filters, and a carb rejet which would improve looks and give a nice boost in HP/torque at the same time.
Next step IMHO is performance. A 'fighter isn't a 'fighter IMO till equal attention has been paid to its performance as its appearance. In terms of offering suggestions for performance mods, you have to ask yourself: How hard do you ride your bike? How much power do you want? And how extensive do you want your mods to be?
A good place to start would be a 4 into 1 Vance & Hines pipe, K&N pod air filters, and a carb rejet which would improve looks and give a nice boost in HP/torque at the same time.
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