Turn E inio F

[adidasguy]

Can the front of a 1992 GS500-E be turned into an F? I guess the basic question is if I get the parts for sale here

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=53333.0

can they be put on the front of an E? (Headlight was sold but I have one of those as well as an extra windscreen)

I know I seem to be going backwards compared to what a lot of other people are doing. But if I don't like it, I could always take it back off or just by a 3rd GS500. People have turned F into E by removing everything, but going the other way? Looking at my 2009 F and the 1992 E, it looks like the fairing parts just bold onto the same frame.

[007brendan]

People have done it before.  I'm pretty sure you'd need to weld mounting points though.

[mister]

Almost anything is possible with enough time/money.

Know, though, the F has an Oil Cooler to help keep the engine cooler with the restricted air flow while the E does not. And putting fairings onto the E will restricted the cooling air flow around the engine.

Michael

[adidasguy]

Good advice. I compared and there would be welding required.
So if I want another F, they're cheap enough on CL.
I'll continue restoring my 1992 E as planned.

[average]

Yeeeeeap. It can and has been done. I am the proud owner of a 1990 GS 500 - F. I took it to a buddy of mine and he welded everything up for me. I absolutely love it!!! At some point I'm going to grind of the 2 top fairing mounts and reinstall some fresh ones.

[adidasguy]

Cool. I really do love my F. In restoring/fixing up the 1992-E, I've come to appreciate the factory clip ons and the different feel of a naked bike. It feels smaller and sportier.

I love riding both and given the welding required to make an E into an F, I'll keep the E as it is.

And for all you who take the clothes off of your F and make him naked: I understand and enjoy the difference in the ride.

Since I have 2 bikes, Suzi stays with her formal attire and Junior will continue to run around naked. I love both - or is it that I really love the GS500?

Now that I have both, I don't know what I'd do if I could have only 1 bike. (How about hold all the fairing parts on with neodymium magnets so I could stick it on, take it off, put back on, take off again. No screws and no welding required! LOL!)

[Suzuki Stevo]

Know, though, the F has an Oil Cooler to help keep the engine cooler with the restricted air flow while the E does not. And putting fairings onto the E will restricted the cooling air flow around the engine.

Michael

The fact that the oil cooler and fairing showed up on the same year have nothing to do with each other, your hypothesis would be true if you relied on Cross Winds to cool the GS, moving forward the fairing does nothing to hinder cooling, your statement is pure myth.

[ojstinson]

You're absolutely right about the cooling factor Stevo, but I believe that was the idea behind the cooler addition--whether it really had any merit or not they decided on it. I believe that  sitting in traffic for a long period on a hot day the fairing might restrict cooling somewhat, but not enough to be a big problem and in that case a cooler wouldn't really help anyway.

[Suzuki Stevo]

You're absolutely right about the cooling factor Stevo, but I believe that was the idea behind the cooler addition--whether it really had any merit or not they decided on it. I believe that  sitting in traffic for a long period on a hot day the fairing might restrict cooling somewhat, but not enough to be a big problem and in that case a cooler wouldn't really help anyway.

Fair enough...oil cooler & fairing two great tastes, that taste great together! 

[mister]

Know, though, the F has an Oil Cooler to help keep the engine cooler with the restricted air flow while the E does not. And putting fairings onto the E will restricted the cooling air flow around the engine.

Michael

The fact that the oil cooler and fairing showed up on the same year have nothing to do with each other, your hypothesis would be true if you relied on Cross Winds to cool the GS, moving forward the fairing does nothing to hinder cooling, your statement is pure myth.

Maybe my thoughts are myth, maybe they aren't. Unlike Suzuki, I don't have a wind tunnel or other Testing data to make the call. I figure, if Suzuki thinks it needs an oil cooler when there is a fairing, who am I to say otherwise?

Michael

[sledge]

There is no oil cooler on this GS5......and its never overheated 

[Suzuki Stevo]

Maybe my thoughts are myth, maybe they aren't. Unlike Suzuki, I don't have a wind tunnel or other Testing data to make the call. I figure, if Suzuki thinks it needs an oil cooler when there is a fairing, who am I to say otherwise?

Michael

An oil cooler never has and never will be a prerequisite to a fairing, the two showing up at the same time is not related in any way, believe what you want but forward motion is what cools down an air cooled motor. Suzuki will have to step in to settle this one  

[average]

Ah, the elusice tcp fairing. I could've sworn that the lights were behind plexi like the old RF's..

[mister]

Maybe my thoughts are myth, maybe they aren't. Unlike Suzuki, I don't have a wind tunnel or other Testing data to make the call. I figure, if Suzuki thinks it needs an oil cooler when there is a fairing, who am I to say otherwise?

Michael

An oil cooler never has and never will be a prerequisite to a fairing, the two showing up at the same time is not related in any way, believe what you want but forward motion is what cools down an air cooled motor. Suzuki will have to step in to settle this one  

I don't believe anything. I deduced, is all.

So let's see what Suzuki says then...

Just got off the phone with the head mechanic at my local Suzuki Dealer. To paraphrase.... while the airflowing does cool the engine, the fairing creates a bit of a heat trap and the oil cooler is an Added Precaution.

So there you go. Added precaution = Clear as mud.

Screw it. Have a beer instead 

Michael

[skirecs]

i don't think a head mechanic at a dealer has any real knowledge compared to a heat transfer engineer at suzuki who took months to calculate the cooling capacity of the engine with and without a fairing in all conditions

what that means regarding this discussion, i don't know

[Suzuki Stevo]

Just got off the phone with the head mechanic at my local Suzuki Dealer.

Did I ever tell you why I haven't taken a bike to a dealer to be worked on in over 42 years of riding?

EDIT: Dude...lets say we both have opinions and were both wrong?

OP asks a question about adding a fairing...

You step in spouting.... "Know, though, the F has an Oil Cooler to help keep the engine cooler with the restricted air flow while the E does not. And putting fairings onto the E will restricted the cooling air flow around the engine"

Like it's the gospel, and it's not...it's an opinion. My opinion differs from yours. I'm going to go grab that beer now 

[sledge]

Back in the 90s Suzuki sold 1000s of GSEs across Europe with factory fitted fairings made by TCP in Spain that are practically identical to the ones fitted to the GSFs. None of these bikes had an oil cooler fitted. I have owned and sold several examples over the years and I am yet to see any evidence that these bikes suffered from any sort of overheating issues.

My personal experience begs the question.... why did Suzuki decide that a cooler is needed on the GSF when it obviously wasn't needed on the faired GSEs?.....hhmmmmm?

Despite what the "Head Mechanic" might say my own opinion is that it provides little or no actual benefit and is there just to increase the "Bling" factor and sex, what is essentially a very old bike, up in an attempt to increase its limited appeal.

Has anyone considered that the fairing may actually increase the cooling effect by channeling and forcing additional air over the engine at speed?

[rger8]

I know nothing about temperature dynamics but the last post had an interesting concept about the fairing possibly increasing the cooling characteristics. If this is true and adding the oil cooler in the critical area where flow was increased might I'm thinkng, lead to a general greater cooling effect at speed.

Why do I think that? I had a KLR 650, which is water cooled and fan assisted. It had a temp guage and I would always monitor it. One day I decided to put a 7 gal. IMS tank on it. This thing had huge fins that would appear to grab a lot of air. Well sure enough I noticed a definate change in the guage reading, i.e. what appeared to be a cooling affect when running at speed. That being said maybe there is something to the forced direction of air flow

In any case what confuses me is why Suzuki did not put an electric fan behind the oil cooler that turns on and draws air through at idle when your sitting there in bumper to bumper traffic. I would think this would be where any cooling factor becomes really important. My two cents! Interesting topic!