upgrading the running gear on a tired 79 "L"

[jed.only]

looking to upgrade the front end and swingarm on my old 1000 L. rather than rebuild and/or replace the tired parts with stock stuff, id like to update.

currently, im looking at using early 90's 1100 USD front end with katana front wheel and a twinshock 1100 swingarm with GSF rear wheel. im looking to run radial tires over bias ply. that is my main objective.

i have a no name 1100 4/1 header, just the throw that out there.

 

[makenzie71]

I'll sort out shipping for you and see what he says.

 

[jed.only]

here is where i started this past summer. it had mounts for a windscreen and a luggage rack that i couldnt fathom taking a picture of, so they came off for this picture.

here is where i was around thanksgiving this year, most of the stuff i wasnt using was stripped/sold and i added an ebay find 83 1100 4/1 header with some sort of a silencer. i have modded a titanium can from a 04 GSXR t omount in my header and suspend from the right upper shock mount, but i hadent taken pictures before i dismantled it. i also added black clubmans, which may come off for clipons if i go forward with an upgraded front end.

here is my ebay find for a gas tank, i believe its a GS450 tank. you guys may have seen this before.

Currently, the bike is torn completely down. front end is aside, motor is sitting on a tire, swing arm and rear wheel are sitting on a shelf, wiring harness is hanging from a rafter, and frame is on a bench. i degreased the frame and am currently sanding it down for paint. i figure now is as good a time as any to gather new parts.

 

[jwhelan65]

looking to upgrade the front end and swingarm on my old 1000 L. rather than rebuild and/or replace the tired parts with stock stuff, id like to update.

currently, im looking at using early 90's 1100 USD front end with katana front wheel and a twinshock 1100 swingarm with GSF rear wheel. im looking to run radial tires over bias ply. that is my main objective.

i have a no name 1100 4/1 header, just the throw that out there.

That 4/1 looks like a late 80's Vance & Hines...wanna sell it?

 

[jed.only]

That 4/1 looks like a late 80's Vance & Hines...wanna sell it?

i like how it bolted right up. the front looks like it took a hit or something, as its scraped up, but the overall shape of the primaries was more or less unaffected. that suited me fine as i was going to wrap it anyway. i dont think it would belong on a steed such as yours, being very clean and all. my bike is more rat-ish.


check this thread out, our own 801000GS even graced it with his $.02

http://forum.oldskoolsuzuki.info/cgi-bin/Yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1193927332/4

wha?! a bolt in upper mount for a mono? my my my, could this actually work and be safe to ride on the streets?

 

[makenzie71]

So long as it's supported somewhere higher up in the frame as well I sure wouldn't be afraid of it.

 

[makenzie71]

My man says another $20 for shipping...$170 total for the 4.5" B4 and rotor.

 

[jed.only]

im going to research the bolt-in upper mount a little more. i really really really dislike the look of the bandit swinger. for that matter, i really dont like the GS1100 either, but i dislike it less than the bandit. i would prefer a GSXR swinger or ZRX to anything outside of a custom job i saw last week, and man was it a doozy.

 

[jed.only]

GRRR now i want to monoshock again. ive decided against another project in lieu of getting this bike going. i have some decent money to throw around, but i need to buy riding gear and rubber with it, too.

 

[80GS1000]

Like I said before in our IM conversation, learn how to ride a bike, THEN modify it. You're too green on two wheels to know what things should feel like.

FWIW, I wouldn't trust that bolt-in monoshock conversion. Too much stress in some fairly thin gussets where the bolts are.

For your bike, I'd go with rebuilding the front forks, new brake pads, and new rear shocks. And maybe that 1100 swingarm. Get a few years and a few tens of a thousands of two wheeled experience under your belt before getting all crazy with the mods.

 

[jed.only]

Like I said before in our IM conversation, learn how to ride a bike, THEN modify it. You're too green on two wheels to know what things should feel like.

FWIW, I wouldn't trust that bolt-in monoshock conversion. Too much stress in some fairly thin gussets where the bolts are.

For your bike, I'd go with rebuilding the front forks, new brake pads, and new rear shocks. And maybe that 1100 swingarm. Get a few years and a few tens of a thousands of two wheeled experience under your belt before getting all crazy with the mods.

i hear you, i just dont want to waste money. what if the bike i bought already had all of this stuff on it? would you recommend me taking it back to stock first?

 

[jed.only]

i found a set of 93 1100 forks and lower triple with stem for 150shipped.

 

[jed.only]

is a 170 or 180 rear tire possible? seems those tires are far more common than the 150/160 rear tires. and also, a 120 front?

 

[jed.only]

so if sticking with the stock-ish rear setup of a 1100 arm, progressives will be ok?

on the front rebuild of a 93 front end, progressive springs or racetech springs only, or coupled with cartridge emulators?

 

[tkent02]

Like I said before in our IM conversation, learn how to ride a bike, THEN modify it. You're too green on two wheels to know what things should feel like.

Wait a minute, you are doing all these performance mods and you don't know how to ride???
WTF, man you should be spending your time out thrashing a 250 and learning how to stay alive...

 

[makenzie71]

so if sticking with the stock-ish rear setup of a 1100 arm, progressives will be ok?

on the front rebuild of a 93 front end, progressive springs or racetech springs only, or coupled with cartridge emulators?

A 170 or 180 is possible but avoid it. You stand nothing at all to gain from having such a wide tire. Stick with a 150 or 160. Not only are they just as common, but they are cheaper.


On the front end I would go with which ever springs are cheapest if you have to have them...but I probably wouldn't get any. Just replace the seals and start truckin'.

 

[jed.only]

Wait a minute, you are doing all these performance mods and you don't know how to ride???
WTF, man you should be spending your time out thrashing a 250 and learning how to stay alive...

the bike was given to me. why replace years of neglect and wear on sub-par stock parts that are just as expensive? a bike is a bike is a bike. id ride a 2 stroke the same way id ride a streetbike. what difference does it make what platform i choose or what is done to the bike suspension/control wise, especially if the upgrades are going to make the ride better. im not curious about triple digit speeds, grinding pegs while leaning into a turn, or switching gears on 1 wheel. im interested in fun, reliable, and safe transportation from point a to point b.

A 170 or 180 is possible but avoid it. You stand nothing at all to gain from having such a wide tire. Stick with a 150 or 160. Not only are they just as common, but they are cheaper.


On the front end I would go with which ever springs are cheapest if you have to have them...but I probably wouldn't get any. Just replace the seals and start truckin'.

good deal. i feel this thread is going to take a downturn any second now.

 

[80GS1000]

Don't take my comments the wrong way, last thing I want to do is rain on anyone's parade. I know you are a smart dude and have tons of mechanical aptitude and interest.

That said...

The '79 GS1000L is plenty of bike as-is to learn on, maybe even a bit too much in terms of power and weight. If I were you I'd save my money, take a MSF class, fix any egregious mechanical issues with it (such as brakes not working properly, tires needing replacement etc) and ride it for a few seasons. In the mean time you'll A) learn how to ride a motorcycle, on a bike designed by engineers smarter than any of us and B) find out what your riding style is.

 

[jed.only]

Don't take my comments the wrong way, last thing I want to do is rain on anyone's parade. I know you are a smart dude and have tons of mechanical aptitude and interest.

That said...

The '79 GS1000L is plenty of bike as-is to learn on, maybe even a bit too much power and weight-wise. If I were you I'd save my money and just fix any egregious mechanical issues with it (such as brakes not working properly, tires needing replacement etc) and ride it for a few seasons. In the mean time you'll A) learn how to ride a motorcycle, on a bike designed by engineers smarter than any of us and B) find out what your riding style is.

understandable. where my opinion deviates from yours is here:

front forks are trashed and leaking. why spend the time and labor replacing springs/seals on the stock L forks that i hate if i can have a relatively inexpensive upgrade in a 93 1100 front end?

tires are garbage. why settle for standard replacement bias ply when i can have radials, especially since im not crazy about the wheels that are factory trim on the L bike?

rear shocks are murdered. the only viable upgrade here is ebay trash, or progressives. from there we get into ohlins, works, etc.

i like the idea of monoshock rear ends, but i can agree im probably not ready for that much, although i cant see the difference in learning to ride on a traditional twin shock or monoshock swingarm.

 

[Guest]

Just get the matching 5.5x17 rear wheel that matches the front and stop worrying about how long the forks are. You want to make the steering head angle correct first. Otherwise the rear is so high up, you have too much ground clearence. To go with the older GSXR that still use the speedo drive and cable, up to '95 GSXR 750 and to '98 GSXR1100. You don't need the inverts and the '89-'90 GSXR11's had 43mm forks and clip-ons above the top clamp so you wouldn't even need your "Clubmans". There isn't much difference between the Bandit swinger to the GSXR swingers. Just depends on the year.
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