My GS500 Project Thread, Project Forked Over!!!

[Fry]

I know I had another thread started but I wanted to create another one and post updates to this new thread as I go along.

It all started out simply enough, I have a 1995 GS 500E that I decided to pull out from it's extended hibernation, fix a leaky fork seal, get rid of the Purple paint and White rims color scheme and enjoy street riding again with a huge savings in gas expenditures. Well it was simple enough til I came to this site to get fork info., I saw what some of you memebers were doing (Cosmic Charlie I thin is his name) and the wrenches started flying.

Heres what I started out with



After a few hours I had the bad fork leg disassembled, thanks to whoever posted up how to make the simple tool to remove the dampening valve thing though it's not disassembled in this pic as I had yet to discover GStwins.



At this point I had found GStwins and all of the Bastardizied GS500E "Specials", which led me to spinning a few more wrenches ending up with this





Then I decided the engine needed painting. Again taking cues from members here I used Duplicolor Engine Piant, supposedly it's the ceramic version, good up to 1200 degree temps. I painted the starter cover and valve covers along with the inspection cover Duplicolor Graphite Wheel Paint. I will be using this color for the wheels as well, it will hide the brake dust and look way better than the original white. I figured painting a few itmes on the Flat Black engine a color I'm using else where on the bike would help break things up a bit, what do you think? In the pics the engine has a reddish/greyish hue, in person it's a nice flat, smooth black.









Heres the bare frame and the Ducati Monster seat resting on the subframe. I will be hacking off this subframe and creating a new one that closely follows the contour of the seat. The new subframe will also incorporate a slick tag mount and I will use LED's for Blinkers and Stop Light.



Here I have mocked up an Acerbis headlight that I run on my '01 KTM300EXC seen in the background of this pic, I will be getting a new one look good yes, legal I doubt.



Obviously I have tons more work to do and am awaiting the K+N Lunchbox, Jets, Fork Seals, Fork Oil along with sourcing many more little incidentals.

This weekend I'll be stripping the wheels and pianiting them the same color as the valve covers, graphite metallic.

Well thats it for now, please let me know what you guys and gals think out there and please tell me any suggestions, criticism or comments you may have. I want to have a minimilistic looking bike, less is better. Sort of an aneorexic mad max street fighter style. I have many other itmes I need to rework, rethink, move, refinish or just replace, but I will not be going to overboard with buying things special for the bike, if I can get items from salvage, my brothers garage full of parts, or in the depths of my pit, thats the way I want to go.

Ciao.

[bucks1605]

It's coming along nicely. I used that Dupli color graphite to paint my rear wheel last weekend. I also painted my swing arm and front forks. I was trying to match it to the factory charcoal color from 1996. I might end up painting the front wheel and the frame as well, just so it all matches perfectly. Anyway, that wheel paint is nice. Looks good on your engine.

Keep us updated! 

[Tang]

LOOKS NICE keep up with the pictures 

[bluelespaul]

looks like its coming along great! be sure to post up some subframe pics when thats done, ive asked a few others, but no one has.

what color are you gonna paint the tank and stuff when its done?

how are you going to mount your front signals too?

and if i remember correctly, that acerbis headlight is DOT approved, i almost bought one and i wanted to make sure it was legal.

[Fry]

looks like its coming along great! be sure to post up some subframe pics when thats done, ive asked a few others, but no one has.

what color are you gonna paint the tank and stuff when its done?

how are you going to mount your front signals too?

and if i remember correctly, that acerbis headlight is DOT approved, i almost bought one and i wanted to make sure it was legal.

Les Paul I'm in Mass. as well, right outside Worcester, cool.
I will post up detailed, chronological pictures of each step I take in the subframe replacement. Cosmiccharlie has been very helpful in explaining what was done for his new subframe providing a few pictures (In his thread) as well as promising me that he'll send more. I probably will use 1x1 sqaure stock for the main structure. I will cut off the stock subframe reward cross brace that is used to mount the seat latch,which can be modified to release the Duc seat. I plan on using nutserts or make my own nut serts for key electrical items in the harness that will be relocated now that I plan on moving the battery and ditching the airbox. I will also pretty sure I'll take some of the tabs and other stuff and use it on the new frame rails I make. I do know what I want, I want people to look at the bike and just see a rear wheel a swingarm and seat, nothing else.

As for the front signals, there are so many different LED versions on EBAY that I will be able to easily counter sink a set into the acerbis light.

Heres just one of many ideas I'm thinking of for Directionals


Thanks for the replies.

[Fry]

Seeing how I bought GTA IV last night, and it being a little chilly out, I really didn't want to go out to the garage this morning yet I forced myself to do so.

Yesterday I also bought 3 6' Lengths of 3/4" 16 gauge Sqaure tubing along with a couple of sheets of 16 gauge sheet metal for the subframe.

I also have all the parts in that I've ordered, Fork Seals and Fork Oil, Ducati Seat, and the K+N Lunch Box Filter.

I should have stayed inside and played GTA IV. My goal once out there was to tape up the Front Wheel for stripping and painting and remove the Rear Wheel, stip it of the sprocket and disc then tape it up, strip it and paint it.

Heres a photo of the rear wheel removed prior to any prep, little did I know this is where the fun would begin.



The Sprocket nuts were easy enough to remove and came off without a hitch. The disc bolts were another story. 13 year old bolts, with factory loctite do not come out easy. The first couple gave me a clue that something omminus was going to happen. I was using a MAP torch to heat the surrounding bores of the rim to assist in removing the bolts, and 3 of them came out fighting me all the way. The forth one is where the problems began. I was able to turn 1-1 1/2 turns before the heart stoppping instant stapping forward of the ratchet which screams "You Broke A Bolt Asshol*. SOB as I began to tackle the 4th bolt, the last thing I needed to remove before prepping the wheel I muttered this will be the one that F**** Me as my luck couldn't simply let me remove botls without a problem.

Which one of these items isn't like the other?



I tried various methods to get the stuck remaining portion of the bolt out unfortunatley the bolt broke below the surface of the disc flange on the rim so I couldn't grasp it with pliers. I then tried slotting the top of the remaining stud portion with a chisel trying to tap it out that way, while using plenty of heat, no luck with this method either.



I ended up having to drill out the inner portion of the bolt. I screwed up minorly and the hole wasn't exactly straight down. I drilled through the bolt with 2 different drill sizes yet I still wasn't able to pick out all of the threads that were left of the snapped bolt. I said screw it and got a M10 x1.5 Tap and proceeded to tap in some new threads, it looks a little hack but I was able to get a new set of good threads in the hole. The integrity of the surrounding metal/disc flange was not compromised, but going larger got pretty close to the edge of the flange/boss for the bolt, looks OK though.

Being that a M-10 is substantially larger I also had to drill the disc bolt hole out to allow the larger bolt through. I went to the local hardware store and was able to find the M10 in a Allen Head Cap Bolt, I had to grind the head of it down to match the installed hieght of the original bolts but everything seems to have workd out, I'm able to installe the disc without any issues, it lays flat so we'll see what happens.

I should have just stayed inside, instead I end up spending 3-4 hours trying to remove a snapped bolt, SOB. I was able to get the front wheel taped up before I  decided to call it a day.



Also heres the steel I bought to create the subframe. The sqaure flat sections of the sqaure tubing are about a 1/16th" to an 1/8th" larger in dia. which will work out because the imbosed plastic rails in the Ducati Seat Base are about 1/16th -1/8th" larger on each side compared to the stock tubings width. I plan on cutting the stock top rails of the subframe off right after the tank mounting bolt locations to allow proper tank alingment. I will then weld in the new sqaure tubing, due to it's slightly larger width it should line up perfectly with the rails in the seats under side.





I should have just stayed inside.

[bucks1605]

Man, I fell ya! I was putting my bike back together today and I just kept hitting snag after snag... sooo frustrating. 

[Fry]

Well after the Disc bolt debacle I finally managed to get the wheels stripped, primed and painted. I still need to do some wet color sanding and some coats of clear, but for a rattle can I think they look alright.

[yamahonkawazuki]

and youll be back when you get it finished, and you look down and WTH?!?! youve got an extra screw in front of you( trust me it happens. lol)

[Fry]

Ive been at this game way to long to have "Extra Screws" scare me, LOL....Heck I use to have extra parts all the way back to when I was building plastic models as a kid, Snap Tite no less....

[spc]

Dude, I've got a pile of caliper bolts in my toolbox.  They just magically appear every so often.  I guess that should scare me but I just brush it off.

[yamahonkawazuki]

same here, i just look teh bike over,  and make sure said extra screw is not part of somehting of  importance