03 Gs500 Fighter (many, many pics - 56k will explode)

[mitch.lax]

Hey guys, I've been slack

I've had my bike since early August and I'm only getting round to posting pics of it now.
It was a bone stock 03 gs500 with 20500km's on the clock. As soon as I got it registered and on the road, I started pulling bits off.

No pics of it before I started modding (but whatever, you guys have seen the gs500 to death).


Here's how it looked september ish






Here's how it looks now.









The good:

Electromotronic bits
- Vapor Digital Dash
- Vapor Bbllet dash protector
- Dominator dual headlights
- LED indicators front and back

Grabbin and Seein, Standin and Crashin bits
- Clubman bars
- Bar end mirrors
- GSXR billet foot pegs
- SV650 modified crash knobs

Handlierer bits
- Sonic 1kg/mm Fork Springs
- 20w fork oil
- R6 Shock (07 red)
- EBC HH pads (front)
- Bridgestone BT45s front (110) and back (140)

Fasterer Bits
- 06 GSXR 1000 exhaust
- K&N lunchbox
-  Carbs running 20/60/142.5 one shim level down

Bits missing or hacked up
- No tail plastics
- No passenger foot pegs
- Chopped subframe
- chopped undertail to mount plate
- no numberplate paint (bottomed out and bent it up till it was rubbing on the tire  )
- cut the speedo surround to pieces to fit the idiot lights (this'll be changed soon)

Still to put on
- 06 sv650 tail, undertail and tail light
- Sv1000 passanger seat cowl
-  05 GSXR riders seat

The bad:








It spent it's life on the coast, so has some slight surface cancer on the frame and the tank. It had also been dropped twice, once by the first owner (at about 4000km) and once by the second owner (about 5000km).
Obviously having done another 15000km, the damage was only cosmetic. I've fixed some of it but will pull it down later to fix the rest. The damage was on the timing and clutch cover, as well as clutch lever and tank.
Covers can be filed, filled with bondo, sanded and painted in the future
Still have to buy a GSXR or other clutch perch to fit aftermarked levers. I wanna pick up the cheap pazzo knockoffs for the brake and clutch lever. Tank will get fixed when I paint.


The plan:
Will be chopping the subframe to fit (more on that down the track), raising the tail angle about 5 inches at the back.
relocating the battery closer to the air filter, and hiding the electrics in the tail.

After everything fits and is where I want, I'll pull the whole bike down and treat the rust (in th pics above), paint the engine and frame, triples, fork bottoms and subframe black, tank front fender and tail red
(although I keep changing my mind on that).

Any advice welcome.

Cheers,
Mitch

[badguy]

Looks like you're off to a good start.  I know a guy who put that GSXR can on an SV but couldn't get it to seal right...how's that working for you?

I'm not too sure about those sliders, though.  I doubt they'd do any good in anything but a low/no speed tipover.  I think they're more likely to damage your frame than help. 

[Dj Hunny]

awesome progress 

love the pics of the clubman bars, makes me want to put mine on. And i like your bar end mirrors also...very nice, keep up the great work.

[gregvhen]

Sweet Bike, how did you attach those frame sliders? Did you drill a whole in your frame?

[tt_four]

Yeah, looks good!

I think if you're going to try to attach frame sliders right to the frame like that, they should either only be about half that length, so they don't have leverage to bend and rip out of the frame if you crash, or get something flat that lays along the frame, like the Buell XB frame pucks.




Any plans to do anything with the back end to run the seat into the subframe nicely?

[mitch.lax]

Yeah, I was a bit iffy about the sliders, but I thought I'd give it a go. Might be worth cutting them in half. They've survived a low speed drop (maybe 10km/h) and been fine. But you're right Badguy, I don't think I'd trust them now I've thought about it.
As for the GSXR can, I removed the little spacer in the clamp to get a tighter fit, and there were still leaks in between the splits of the clamp (Due to position more than anything). A bit of exhaust gasket putty fixed it.

The tail is coming week after next, once I've handed my thesis in. Then I'll have some more time. I've got the SV650/1000/GSXR1000 bits to mount up a tail, and I might trim the tail slightly to change the angle.
Was also going to raise the subframe about 5 inches on the back to keep the line parallel with the exhaust. Have seen pics of the SV650 with the same exhaust that I have and it looked ***king horrible. Just because the angles were wrong.
I guess we'll see

[gregvhen]

Dang those buell sliders are sweet, ive never seen those before. They look like they stick lol.

But for this fighter how did you install them, Ive seen the pucks before but never knew how they are attached.

[mitch.lax]

I had to drill the frame. I figured if there was any stress when I installed them I'd pull em out and get some female threaded rod to weld in.
If that didn't work, I'd weld the frame back up.

[tt_four]

The tail is coming week after next, once I've handed my thesis in. Then I'll have some more time. I've got the SV650/1000/GSXR1000 bits to mount up a tail, and I might trim the tail slightly to change the angle.
Was also going to raise the subframe about 5 inches on the back to keep the line parallel with the exhaust. Have seen pics of the SV650 with the same exhaust that I have and it looked

Sorry for making you repeat that, I did read that part, I just forgot by the time I got the replying. Sound like it'll be a sweet looking bike.

Oh, and they say they're self-adhering and easy to install, so I'm going to guess they're just sticky on the back.

[badguy]

Yeah, that can looked like butt on his bike, haha.  Glad you got yours sealed up.  I forgot to mention, that's a clean Vapor install...I like it 

[mitch.lax]

I've done a bit more work on the bike since I handed my thesis in yesterday (thank f%$king christ ).

I've pulled off the tank, sanded it, bogged it, primed it (rust kill and primer surfacer) and spray puttied it.

Also tried relocating my battery between the lunchbox and the old battery box location. I think it should tidy up the tail nicely when I fit the SV plastics.

Here's the obligatory pics.



Tank off and sanded

Bogged



First lot of sanding




Rust coat/ primer




Girlfriend wondering what I was doing to the poor bike this time...



Primed and spray puttied







I'll let it dry overnight then sand the spray putty back, and see how flat it is.

[tt_four]

Looks like it's going great as long as you get that putty sanded flat. I need to learn how to paint things well at some point.

[mitch.lax]

Yeah, so do I. That's why I'm practicing on the GS before I buy a bigger bike to streetfighter. We'll see how it goes 

[mitch.lax]

Ok, here's the progress on the SV tail conversion. Had to chop and weld the subframe. Pics speak for themselves.















If anyone is interested, I can grab some measurements for the subframe.

[tt_four]

Girlfriend wondering what I was doing to the poor bike this time...

Cute!!


That's a classy looking driveway.

[Chanse]

WTF... your looking at the driveway? Thought never crossed my mind,  honestly.... Im lookin at those baby blues....

[gregvhen]

wow i didnt even realize this was an outdoor picture. i thought that driveway was like tiled kitchen. Dude that is a kick ass driveway!

[redhenracing2]

WTF... your looking at the driveway? Thought never crossed my mind,  honestly.... Im lookin at those baby blues....

+1, I've always been a sucker for a blue-eyed brunette. Clean install    Now spray it sour apple green and it'll be just right  

[mitch.lax]

+1, I've always been a sucker for a blue-eyed brunette. Clean install    Now spray it sour apple green and it'll be just right  

My bike or my girlfriend?

[psyber_0ptix]

i approve   




oh and the bike looks good too