New rider, GS500 rebuild

[wladziu]

Hello, I'm Will.

I bought a '93 GS a few weeks ago from a meth addict who was hocking all of his stuff.  Had to go through the "bonded title" pain in the ass process.  The idiot had left it out in the rain, and it was just in a general state of disrepair.  I was too excited to take pictures at the time, given that it's my first motorcycle.  However, it will be back from the powdercoater about next Wednesday or so, and I'll post pictures for your enjoyment. 

The frame, swingarm, wheels, and a few other bits and pieces will be black with metallic flake.  The flake is called "dormant" because it is supposedly barely visible at night, but pops out when UV light hits it.  Not sure if it's girlie, but I went with it.  Considered getting the small openings welded and whatnot, but don't have the time to drive back and forth between all the shops. 
Pulled the bike apart in 6 hours, given all the rust and inexperience with motorcycles, versus 4 hours trying to get it taped off for painting (unsuccessfully).  Definitely just spring for the powdercoating, if you're undecided.  $300 for gloss black, clearcoat, acid bath, and in-house sandblasting. 
I've been cleaning everything else for the past two days.  All new bearings are going in, all around, and proper pre-load will be set on the steering assembly. 
Tank and tail is standard blue rattlecan with flake.  My wife has started calling my motorcycle "Sparkle", so I'll have to change that.  A few hours went into wet-sanding everything, as the bike had been laid on it's left side at some point.  A few dents in the tank, but nothing I'm concerned with.  The tank had already been lined, but it might get a POR-15 treatment anyway, at a later date.  The forks will be rebuilt also at a later date. 

New front brake rotor is in the mail.  I've been waiting on parts from Bikebandit for about 2 weeks now.  Give, they're in Cali, and I'm in NC.  But, it's pretty ridiculous.  New pads are going in, tires, bolts here and there, LED's, etc, etc.  The old case-guards were broken at the flanges, so I'm considering the 3-point ones.  Don't like the price-tag, though, and might get the cheap OEM knockoffs. 
The exhaust system looks like a giant turd, even with stripping and repeated naval jelly treatments.  I'm considering wrapping it until I can afford a new system, if anyone has pictures of a GS with wrapped headers.  College guy's budget. 

Gotta figure out a way to lace the tail plastics to the frame, since the mounting flanges are all (but two) snapped off.  Did I mention I bought this off a meth addict?  Twisty pliers and lacing wire will do the trick, certainly.  Anyone with experience in packing supplies into the rear plastics, could you please advise me as to how to keep things from falling out of the bottom?  Do I need to wire some mesh screen or anything while I'm installing the plastics? 
My machinist and I are talking over plans of a locking system that should be interesting. 

For anyone buying a new helmet, consider SparX.  I know, the name is ghey, but they're higher quality than I expected.  Can't beat $100, either.  The liner is actually very nice, the visor cracks open a little for venting and fogs only slightly when shut.  Finish is decent, but can't attest to noise, yet.  Very large ear spaces, great for folks with ears like Obama.  And, it fits my egghead like no other helmet I've found.  Sizes run slightly large.  I've got a 7 1/4 head, and medium is too big.  Considering a small or possibly even extra small.  I was told that they fit like KBC helmets, and they definitely do not. 
Any new rider trying to decide on a jacket should look at the Feildsheer models.  The liner is so warm, I can't wear it in my house without sweating (and I've served in Iraq twice).  Without the liner, it's almost like the summer mesh things.  The armor is comfortable, doesn't slip around in the elbows (given that you wear the right size), and it has spinal padding.  Pockets could be more abundant, as could reflective paneling, but not bad for the price. 



I'll have pictures posted, as soon as I can find an easy hosting service.  Hopefully a few of you will be interested. 

[Jackstand Johnny]

This sounds like a fun project in the works to keep an eye on. Are you going for a particluar "style" or "theme" for the finished product? I'm a streetfighter kinda guy myself, but custom is custom. Please put up some pics as soon as you can...threads like this will lose interest fast with no pictures. Congradulations and good luck with your build.

[LOUiE]

use photobucket... I like photobucket.

[wladziu]

Wow, responses already!

By the way, I tried on the helmet I was talking about, last night.  Unfortunately, it's just too big for me, and I have to sell it now.  Please tell anyone that might need a helmet, I'm listing it on the "For sale" forum here.  $5 cheaper than brand new, since I tried it on, and I'll pay shipping.  It's a medium.  The retailer won't let me exchange it, since it's a close-out item.  Please buy it!  It's gorgeous!



Not any particular style with my bike, even though I like the streetfighter look also.  I just don't like plastic.  Trying to decide whether to throw out the front fender, maybe the rear plastics.  Might do something involving mesh and small guage steel, instead of rear fairing.  The streetfighter look is getting really fashionable, especially with local squids, which is turning me away from the modification scene slightly.  Pictures will be coming soon!

[wladziu]

$90  Buy my helmet!!!  Brand new!!!   
Photobucket works great!

[wladziu]

Typical rot:


Obviously, you won't be able to really see the effect until the entire bike is together, but here is the new plastics color:


My frame (etc) will be black, not green .  But, here's powdercoat with metallic flake:



Recovered the seat with marine grade vinyl.  Took about an hour, cost $14. 


Make sure plug any holes in the cushion, or you'll get this result:


Also, try to trim the cushion if it overlaps the underlying plastic.  This seems to leave a cleaner result.  If you don't, the seat comes out looking weird and crooked.   
Have to fix one of the gauges (anyone know the best size bolt to epoxy on?)  :


Talk about a dirty chain! 



Think this sprocket is still okay?  Don't really wanna shell out the cash for an entire new drive assembly, although I'd like it. 


The idiot took all the reflectors off, so I'm gonna have to buy new ones.  Bought some reflective tape from the autoparts store to slap on, until then.


Front brake rotor had more grooves than my hippy neighbor.  Can't really tell in this picture, but there's over 20 thousandths lost.  New brakes all around.  Braided lines later, since the damn rotors have gone up in price. 


Gonna try to make new gauge faces, since my old ones are crap:


I'll try to use this website:
http://www.geocities.com/yeaulman/Gauges/Gauges.htm
for the gauge faces, if I can find the correct material.  Anyone with experience doing this wanna give advise? 

Everything is basically in pieces right now, of course.  I was gonna document the teardown process, but I figured there were already threads that covered it well.  All in all, it's fairly simple to just rip it apart.  Take pictures of the wiring, showing where everything was routed, and label everywhere it you possibly can with tape and a marker.  One trick I use:  when you take a part off the frame, just stick the bolts back in the part and zip-tie the bolt (as if the zip-tie was the nut).  Those zip-tie buckets with all the annoying colors work pretty well, reminds you where the bolt is.  I'll probably be changing all the hardware to stainless, but this helps keep everything together. 
The wiring really isn't that bad, if you're scared of such things.  I hate wiring, but it really is simple. 

The hardest parts of disassembly: 
1)  Figuring out how to remove the forks from the frame (Not hard, just haven't done it before.  Took me about an hour.),
2)  Taking off the brake rotor (Definitely need an impact wrench, wish I hadn't sold mine.  DO NOT ATTEMPT to take it off by prying on an allen wrench.)
3)  Pulling the frame off the motor was a pain by myself, but I weigh 120 lbs.  Had to use like a twist-and-pull method.  Sat the bike on blocks, removed front wheel and forks (definitely wheel before forks), removed swingarm and wheel, split frame, removed engine bolts (DON'T LOSE THE SPACERS!!!  LOOK AT PARTS DIAGRAMS TO ANTICIPATE THEM!), tilted frame and motor forward (so that motor doesn't fall by itself).  Need to twist frame at the same time as lifting it, to seperate it from the motor.  No need to pick up the engine, just leave it on the blocks and lift the frame away.  That's the way I did it, at least.  First time I've ever turned a wrench on something with a kickstand.
4) There's one thing I'm forgetting that was a pain in the neck, but I forgot what it was already.  Taking the thing apart isn't really a big deal at all, though.  Just anticipate losing everything that you don't label, find ways to prop up the motor and frame securely (the swing arm likes to definitely swing when the shock is taken off), and just try to stay organized the best you can. 






Oh, and get this!!  No exhaust seals!  OOoooh yeah!  I may be changing valves soon. 

[wladziu]

Stuff I still need:

Anyone have an extra gauge panel?  Mine's bent all to hell.
Little rubber plug for the indicator lights
Anyone with a tubing bender feel like selling me a pair of engine cages/protectors/whatever they're called?
Advise on my chain (when to replace, how to remove/repair, etc)  I'll search for this, but any help is appreciated.


Few other tips, if you've never pulled apart a GS before:
A concrete block and a piece of 2x6 planking works perfect under the frame/motor. 
Like I said, don't try to take off the front brake rotor without an impact wrench.  I tried it, and the allen wrench flew off then hit the side of my garage and then hit my head hard enough to draw blood.  The bolt never budged.  This is after heating with a torch, and liberal dousings of PB blaster.
The piece above the rear tire can come off as a whole, without taking off the taillight, etc.  Try to keep as much of it together as you can, it'll be easier to reassemble. 
You don't have to take apart the entire fork assembly, just the bolt and nut on top where the handlebars are.  The big shiny nut on top is the one, and just lightly whack a screwdriver on the spanner nut to spin it off (a brass drift might be better if you've never done such a thing).  The fork assembly isn't heavy, even with the wheel/handlebars/etc attached (remember I'm pretty small, and I did it easily). 

Take care taking off the tubing going to the petcock (from the gas tank), unless you like getting doused.  Don't take off the single line on the right (towards the rear) first.  Take off the two on the left, one by one, as they're the ones coming from the tank.  My method was to move the clamp away, then bend the tube in half to stop the flow, then pull off the tube.  Clamp the tube to itself using a zip-tie before your hand gets tired, and then pour the remaining gasoline into some container.  Label the lines with a colored zip-tie (same color tie goes on the tube and its respective place on the petcock).  Gas will remove tape and Sharpie marker writings.  When you remove the tank, be careful with these lines, so you don't pop the zip-ties off and pour gas everywhere. 

To remove the fuel filler cap, only four screw actually work.  The other four are fake.  You probably know this already, though.  The fake ones turn easily.
Towards the end, when you're ready to take off the swing arm, don't get in a rush because you're excited!  If you didn't prop up the frame well, it can crash down on top of your head when you take off the bolt from the rear shock absorber.  You don't necessarily need someone there to hold it for you, just watch out for it. 

You don't need every tool ever made, just a metric set from Harbor Freight.  I think it was mostly 14mm, and a few other small ones.  The nuts for the wheels and the swingarm were larger though, as well as for the steering assembly.  You'll need allen wrenches, too, and be sure they're metric of course.  Also, a brass hammer and a drift, a few screwdrivers, a pair of snippers to remove zip-ties, pliers, a Sharpie and tape to mark everything, and basic supplies like rags and posters of girls with big chest-earlobes.

No need to take apart the rear brake assembly.  Keep all the tubing and everything connected.  You'll still need to bleed the brakes afterward, but it'll save you alot of work.  Keep the caliper on the rotor, in case you press the pedal. 

If you need to cut a wire, then you're wrong.  Every wire on the bike has a plug somewhere.  The single wires that look like they're joined with butt connectors, those just pull apart.  Don't be scared of them, they held up fine for me.  Label them with zip ties (corresponding colors or some method of your choice) before you pull them apart, to prevent mix-up. 

The accelerator cable can be removed from the handgrip easily, leaving the cable attached to the motor.  Just take out the two screws under the plastic housing next to the grip, and lift off the top.  It's a standard retention system, like on a lawnmower or anything else.  Same for the choke cable, except I chose to remove it from the engine, instead.  I found that removing the cable from the engine was easier, in this case, and don't worry:  the spring stays attached to the cable.  Just use a pair of pliers and a screwdriver to bend back the tabs only as much as you need, don't break them off or you'll have a problem!  The tabs are fairly stout, though, and didn't give me any problem at all. 

If you're wondering why the little black screws holding the "wire-harness retention clips" to the frame are not coming out.... it's because they're crap.  They're black plastic clips that press in, one way.  Whack them out with a screwdriver, and get replacements from the car parts store.  I'll post the part that replaces them, if I remember.  In case I don't, just keep the little bastards and show them to the guy at the counter. 

The only real nightmare on the bike, to me, is the wiring inside the headlight housing.  There are three holes in the back of the housing that all the wiring feeds through.  I zip-tied all the wiring that went into each hole together, and labeled it.  I also wrote on the tape how that particular harness fed through the frame, and how.  It really took all of the worry out of it, for me.  Take lots of pictures, if you think it might help. 

Bikebandit.com has exploded view diagrams, if you need.  If you buy something from then, they'll send you a 10% coupon on the next purchase (if you can wait 2 weeks for it to get to you).  I wish we could somehow get the diagrams on the Wiki.


I really wish I'd have taken pictures along the way, for the Wiki.  But, honestly, my Polish wife could have taken this thing apart, if she wasn't so afraid of dirt.  It took me about 6 hours, which included scratching my head over the steering assembly and pot-roast for dinner. 
So, no excuse!  Get to wrenching!

[wladziu]

Yeah, so this happened:







Still needs another round of paint, then clear coat. 
Bought a new front rotor, even though i hate the front forks.  Figured it would be better to have brakes and wait for a fork, than the other way around. 
Had a heck of a time getting the rear shock back on. 
Only one of my turn signals work for some reason.  I hate wiring, so maybe I'll take a swing over to the mechanic for that one. 
New led's in the gauges and indicators, new gauge bucket thing, tires, all new bearings everywhere, recovered the seat, and bunch of little things everywhere (exhaust seals, nuts and bolts, etc.) 
Still need:
a K&N should be on order today
probably a homemade muffler under the motor
more paint, like I said, especially on the headlight mounting plates
maybe new mirrors
crash guards, once Buddha gets done with them
maybe new pegs
I'd really like to do something about the seat. 
A guarantee that I'm not gonna crash and screw it all up
Oh, and one of these:




Do you guys think I should paint the calipers?  I didn't get new lines, just the pads and rotor on the front.  Rears were fine. 

I've got some of that black reflective tape (the kind that lights up white).  I'm thinking about putting vertical stripes on the tail, so it looks kind of like a hornet.  Opinions?

[wladziu]

Sorry, you'll have to scroll to see the last picture.  My photography badge never came in. 

Oh yeah: 
I did this while taking 18 hrs of honors classes, including organic chemistry and lab, business law, genetics, lab animal science, etc.  And, I've got a research fellowship working in a genetics lab (I work on goat DNA).  So, take that!

I'm open to opinions on this bike.  I notice small things like the fitting of the rear plastic and the tank being not quite right.  What about big picture?  I want it to look as clean as possible, so please speak up if something stands out. 

[Mdow]

that looks really good

[wladziu]

Buddha, looks like I'm gonna need to order jets from you, and don't you have a kit for doing it?  I'm an FI guy, so you might have to lend me some of your carb mojo.


And, I want to take off the suzuki emblem on the engine casings and replace it with this:



Can any of you signmakers out there do it?  I'd really, really like it done on that engravable plastic like they make building evacuation plans out of, or desk/door placards.  I'd go absolutely bonkers for something like that.  I like old '50's design, like the art on old bombers and stuff. 

Does anybody know if the engine casings will powdercoat well?  I don't know how hot it would get, but I'd like to do more than just paint the things. 

[wladziu]

Opinions?

[ohgood]

Opinions?

yes sir, yes sir, three bags full ! (of this picture on your tank, it will rock!)



your bike looks cool man, the new front rotor reminds me just how bad mine looks currently.

please keep on with your studies, and don't go killing yourself on a damned motorbike. we need more smart people doing DNA research, and fewer builders

congrats, fun ride !

[gearman]

If that m/c is any indication of what you started with, you done good...real good.

[ivany]

Nice bike son!!!

That thing IS nice...but you're spending way too much time working on it, and not nearly enough riding!

[ohgood]

ok, i skimmed your thread again, and this is bugging me. what is the green picture of ? a valve cover from a dohc engine ?

[cosmiccharlie]

Looks good man! 

[wladziu]

I guess that's what it is, but I don't know what vehicle it's from, ohgood.  And, if you can find me a new front end, I'll trade you my brand new rotor, pads, and whatever else you might need.  My guinea pig (Marcy) is still on the table, don't forget. 

Yes, that MC is exactly an indication of what I started with.  I've encountered problems with so many things on this bike.  The previous owner ran it into the ground.  The maintenance seems to have been nonexistent, like magical unicorn-wildebeest porn.  I rode it some before breaking it down for all of this -- it was like riding a giant turd.  My wife honestly didn't even want to take pictures of it, it was so horrible.  Now she giggles like a schoolgirl over it. 

I want to ride it, believe me!!!!  You're exactly right about doing too much.  I just had to stop myself last night from jumping into the filter/exhaust/rejet debacle.  But, I do need a new chain and sprockets, then I think I'm done for now.    

You guys like the yellow?  I've been worried about it.  If somebody says something about riding a banana, I'm gonna find a gypsy to curse you. 



Oh, and hey Charlie!  Thanks, man!  This yellow/black is actually a pretty difficult thing to pull off.  I've painted this thing three times, already, trying to find the right color.  I need you to critic this thing for me.  Can I depend on you to point out the thing that can pull the whole look together? 

 

[cosmiccharlie]

I love the look you have now!  The blacked out frame and yellow body work look great!  The only thing I would add right now is maybe a set of dual headlights.  And add a set of those bar end mirror/blinkers you showed me.  I like the gold bars also! 

[wladziu]

That's just reflection from the tank.  The bars are (rusted) chrome.
I was hoping to stay away from front end work.  I've got my fingers crossed that I can find a complete Katana FE, and maybe have the forks anodized gold or powdercoated black also.  There's so much the front end needs, I'm reluctant to do more than what's absolutely necessary. 

Which is cheaper?  Re-work the stock forks, have the trees and tubes P-coated, new headlight assembly, new mirrors, new grips, new levers, new handlebars.  Or, swapping front ends, hopefully finding something complete and then selling my new front brake hardware?  Do you guys think that I'd have to wait a very long time to find one? 
I don't want to invest too heavily, then switch tactics.