WTF???? PO Mods on used bikes, got pics?

[Teek]

Thinking after having my GS apart a bit over the last few months, but especially recently with valve adjustment and carb rejet, that it might be a good idea to at least take the seat off and poke around some for all of you with a used bike, meaning move stuff, take some stuff off (like the side cover over the sprocket, the pile of crap I found in there!  )

Now mind you we crawled all over this bike before buying it, had the seat off (pulled out a tube of putty) and generally checked it over well, and rode it some, looking for all sorts of things. We did miss the plug in the rear tire because it was parked on top of it every time, but not the drop marks or the stumble nor the crap on the chain, the bad front tire, lots of stuff.

But probably most of us don't usually check stuff like this; air box and filter. This guy seemed to think the bike needed more AIR, so he holed the air box and the filter, partly crushing it in the process. Yeah, that helped. Plus a missing idle adjustment screw, and the other turned out 6 1/2 times, should have thought to check that. But it would idle at 1200. After 5 minutes on the choke!

[Tang]

wha that is wacked

[Affschnozel]

Did you know the PO ?

This is one of the stupidest things I've seen ,he must have had anger management issues ,what did that air filter do to him ?   

And to cut the air box to get at him ?! Just wrong ! 

[ohgood]

wowzers.

but ya know, that's kind of typical how people think. more air = more power. people go out and put dual (ok, not really dual) exhaust on trucks/cars/bikes and it's louder, so it MUST make more power, right ?

and then there's the tires. it's a wiiiiiiiiiiiiiide tire, it must be better handling right ?

lower it ! if it's lowered that makes the truck/bike/car like 20x cooler, right ?

I'm really hoping whoever that was with the WALL LIGHT SWITCH under their seat posts here. i fell over laughing when i saw it.

excellent thread !

[gmark]

I lucked out on this. The only mods on my bike were Progressive springs and a fenderectomy. While I could do without the fender mod it doesn't hurt anything and the springs rock. While I was looking for my bike the mod that I kept running into was an extended swing arm.  I even ran into a GS with one. I came to regard that mod as a mark of death for a bike. On average the owners could tell you about the looks stuff but had no memory of say oil changes. That said what exactly do you get out of an 18 foot chrome swing arm other than crappy cornering anyway?

[dgyver]

Looks like the PO used a shotgun to add the "power" holes in the air filter. 

If you need another air box, I have a pile of them.

[GeeP]

LOL!  That's hilarious!

It's always fun buying a modded bike.  I need the service manuals for an R6, R1, and GSXR1000 in addition to the usual manual to work on my SV.   

Keeps me on my toes, I guess.  I love a challenge.   

[The Buddha]

I lucked out on this. The only mods on my bike were Progressive springs and a fenderectomy. While I could do without the fender mod it doesn't hurt anything and the springs rock. While I was looking for my bike the mod that I kept running into was an extended swing arm.  I even ran into a GS with one. I came to regard that mod as a mark of death for a bike. On average the owners could tell you about the looks stuff but had no memory of say oil changes. That said what exactly do you get out of an 18 foot chrome swing arm other than crappy cornering anyway?

Yea most sensible gstwinners do progressives and fenderectomy. I typically do a light rejet and a tank coat if needed. Else I just go over stuff with a fine tooth comb looking for things amiss, check inside the side covers etc for goats or other home made ignition advancers etc and test ride it a few weeks, and then its off to the next owners. Sometimes that fine toothing takes like 6 months ...
Cool.
Buddha.

[TinaMarieF]

Yea most sensible gstwinners do progressives and fenderectomy.

I did the progressives, and I almost took my fender off.  Then I decided I'd rather use it to jab at Harley riders:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywhisperer/2401357610/

[Teek]

TinaMarieF, Harley riders are probably too kewl to look at your fender, LOL! But FUNNY!  And true. 

Buddha, homemade ignition advancers?

GeeP "I need the service manuals for an R6, R1, and GSXR1000 in addition to the usual manual to work on my SV."


Dgyver, thanks, but the air box and filter are sitting on a shelf in my basement. The K&N lunch box rocks!   

gmark, I really don't understand the lure of an extended swingarm either, and on a GS?

ohgood, mine is lowered      but not for cool, to make it easier for me to get on and off, I have broken vertebrae in my back and a trick knee.  I saw the light switch!!!   

Affschnozel, I think it was the first owner, it's an '01 and the kid I bought it from supposedly only had it 6 weeks then decided he needed a car for work. He apparently put about 4k miles on it in that time.

That hole in the airbox had a piece of medical grade fat tubing stuffed through it, I suppose to close it up, because stuffing it through certainly crimped it shut. I'm going to go toss it in storage eventually, I think if I sold the bike it would be for a newer GS, yellow with a black frame and engine, and I'd swap out what I could, but leave the jets and air alone so the thing runs right. So I doubt I'd need it again. I'd take the fairings off and repaint and put my flyscreen and chin fairing on a newer GS.


I hope this thread gets some more pics, it just amazes me what people do..... 

[simon79]

That under-seat wall light switch (beauduke's bike IIRC) f#ckin' ROCKS.

[Ronin]

That air box and cleaner.Look like one of those...hold my beer and watch this deals.

[bucks1605]

That air box and cleaner.Look like one of those...hold my beer and watch this deals.

haha 

[ben2go]

Looks like the PO used a shotgun to add the "power" holes in the air filter. 

If you need another air box, I have a pile of them.

Wanna try a ram air project? 

[beauduke01]

well guys here it is

[frankieG]

uh why the light switch?

[beauduke01]

the bike was in the process of being stolen and apparently the couldn't get it done, so they left it with a busted ignition and the PO didn't feel like replacing it apparently, so he spliced the 4 ignition wires together and installed this little southern ingenuity marvel as an on-off switch.

[Teek]

That is rather ingenious! 

Years ago I used to pull the rotor out of my truck's distributor in questionable areas so it had a better chance of being there when I got back. It only took about 20 seconds to put it back in, and I always made sure there wasn't anyone around who might move in while I was doing it.

Here's the other mod that floored me, though it was probably unintentional, the missing adjuster screw. The screw still there was out 6 1/2 turns.

[beauduke01]

i had a friend in texarkana that used to take the steering wheel out of his jeep, for that very same reason.

[Teek]

That kind of stuff is worthy of its own thread! A quick release steering wheel? I used to take my quick release seat off my bike even when I chained it, so that if a guy got it loose, he didn't dare sit down, and if he did I'd have some satisfaction that he'd probably regret it.