2000 GS500E Adventure Bike Project

[Manaenrc]

Will try to get some video. Hopefully it won't be as dramatic as the one your talking about. I have a feeling the Gs frame is a bit more stout than the virago. Plus it weighs about 150 lbs less. Will probably wait to shot video until I get the forks rebuilt.

Thanks for the advice on springs and gold valves. I will probably do it in stages.





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[Funderb]

haha, no rush, though one must appease the peanut gallery.

and yes, these things are pretty tough, i certainly don't think you'll have a failure of that magnitude, I was just having the old train o thought derail at the time.

I'm doing the stage thing with my bike as well, so far, i've spent under 200 bucks getting it all mechanically snazzy. (Mostly because i'm poor/cheap/have to take the old lady to dinner sometimes...) That will go out the window when the new tires need to be purchased.

Now, I just want it to look as nice as yours. 

[Manaenrc]

Thanks, I'm glad you like it so far. I realize this is a really nitch thing most people will probably say that I am ruining the gs. But those of us who want to adventure tour I think this bike really is a great platform for it.

[Tombstones81]

ruining the gs?
nahhhhhh!

FAR FARRRRR from it I say!

all you are doing is altering the bike to the point where you can safely ride off road right?

thats alot more respectable then someone chopping the frame up for visual reasons.

[Manaenrc]

I was able to get out for another ride yesterday with a friend. We wandered down a trail with a creek crossing. I wanted to ride across however I had my good cloths on and was meeting some people later that day. So unfortunately I had to refrain from any such activities.

But I think I just found the place where I will shoot my video 

Anyway the ride was awesome, but it really did accent how much I need to order that new front spring. I was easily able to bottom the forks when I pushed the bike a little harder. I am going to try to order all my suspension stuff this week.

This is a shot of my friends bike and mine. He has a very sweet Honda NX650. Honda should have hit a home run with this bike but the U.S. just was not ready for it. The design was ahead of it's time. Other countries grasped the design and it sold well, in fact is still selling. Oh well, our loss

[steezin_and_wheezin]

nice photo!!

i'm with tomb.. ruining the gs?? nahhhh!

THIS is ruining a gs haha yours is insanely awesome!

I'm loving the direction you took. Although it makes my drz with supermoto tires feel funny

[bombsquad83]

nice photo!!

i'm with tomb.. ruining the gs?? nahhhh!

THIS is ruining a gs haha yours is insanely awesome!

I'm loving the direction you took. Although it makes my drz with supermoto tires feel funny

LOL.  I want a picture of the DRZ400-SM next to the GS500 with knobbies.  That would be classic.

[Manaenrc]

One thing I noticed yesterday was something I didn't think about. I always assumed the front 17" tire would be a huge disadvantage. However after comparing the 17 with the large tire to the 21 on the NX which has a typical narrow front. The GS gives up little in height difference.

One other point to note is the tires have been working great. I didn't even have to seal them internally to use them without tubes. I have been checking them and they are not loosing any air. Plus the beads really locked well on the tubeless rims they worked out better then  I could have expected.

I will see if I can head over to the local bike shop on a nice day to get a comparison shot of the drz sm. Of coarse it looks like the weather has turned for the next few days

Unless you are in the north east then maybe we can schedule a ride sometime...


OK so back to the project...

Things I want to accomplish this week.
1) order fork seals, oil, and springs
2) order my hand guards (wind blew over my bike the other day and bent my clutch no big deal but I need to protect those levers)
3) take those silly nuts out of the front fender and build some aluminum spacers and get stainless bolts
4) still need to finish the seat shape

and the saga continues...

[shonole]

Man, that's awesome.    

[Tombstones81]

ugh!
thread is making me Sooo jealous! hahahaha

Because there is Soooo many trails, forests, farm land, etc etc here in north east Pa.
pretty much every single type of area an off road vehicle thrives on!

Think I might need to start looking at a dual sport bike when I get finished with mine.
I honestly have been entertaining the thought quite a bit lately because of this thread and because of the area I live in.

I actually dont know what I see more of around here.
off road vehicles or street bikes.
its pretty close

(edit)

was going to ask for a list of everything needed to take these suckers off road but noticed your initial post is already in the process of it.

wondering now tho.
what it all takes to make these suckers able to be taken off road safely?

already got a Kat 600 rear shock.
and progressive fork springs wth fresh 15W oil.
as far as upgrading the suspension for my 6ft2 235pnd butt!

Would I just basically need another set of rims and proper off road tires to hit the dirt?

and im talking, just riding on some trails.
not going buck wild like these ppl do around here on dirt bikes! haha

and most def some engine guards.

no idea here as off road is unknown territory for me.

[Manaenrc]

The problem with that question is only you know the type of offroad riding you're going to do. For some that may mean just a set of better gripping tires. After all the gs is probably already superior to offroad bikes from the early 70's. To me it means higher suspension for clearance and to fit my height better. Also the stronger springs means better bottoming resistance. Hand guards and engine guards are a must(northeast rocks nuff said). Eventually I will be adding a set of panniers, something removable. I don't know about the Kat shock but the sv650  is much taller and the spring is much heavier. I also think dust boots for the forks is a must to keep the seals from wearing rapidly from dirt.

As long a you realize this is a heavy bike that must be used at a moderate speed offroad everything is great. However if you try to push the gs too far it can quickly turn bad. one other step I recommend is to treat all electrical connections with dielectric grease to eliminate electrical issues caused by water and dirt. That should actually be done on every bike...





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[Manaenrc]

OK SO I was going to order all my fork supplies this week, Unfortunately my truck needs a complete brake job before a fishing trip to Maine. So I had to use the money that was set aside for my forks for 4 rotors and pads for my truck. I need to get on eBay and start selling some more stuff to get the bike project going again. At least I have it to a point where I can enjoy it somewhat.  Hopefully by the end of this week I can scrape some money together to place the order of parts.

In the mean time I am waiting on some orings to replace all the old ones in the carbs. I really don't like the crappy float seat design in these carbs. If the o-rings start to go bad there is nothing stopping fuel from bypassing the entire seat and flooding the carb. Just a very bad design IMHO. The best design is still the seat that is threaded into the carb body with a fiber seal, It just lasts forever. Anyway I took a gamble and ordered the metric oring kit from harbor freight. I figured even if I cannot find one that fits the seat, the entire 290 piece kit cost me the same as one of the carb orings, and I can use them on other applications/projects.

[bombsquad83]

Let me know how that O-ring kit from HF works out.  I have been thinking of buying it.

[daski-emt]

this is a really good idea....i was just out trying to explore the fire areas of SW VA and many roads turned into forest service roads(dirt/gravel)...i had to turn away many times after considering the safety of street tires for off road...

[Bluesmudge]

First off, I just want to say I love what you are doing with the GS. I have always thought about doing something like this, but didn't attempt because I have a faired F model and thought the pegs were too far back for a good dual sport conversion.

That NX650 is nice. I have one myself, although no longer with the distinctive fairing that defines it (bad crash). Tell your friend to put in a Hagon rear shock and some progressives up front to make the bike useful off road. Stock suspension loves to bottom out.

Also, for those who don't think you can do some decent off road with street tires, as long as the terrain isn't super muddy or steep hill climbs over roots you can do a lot with a street tire.
Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaYz8Si7hyA&feature=player_embedded
yes, one of the crashes in the end, but they were obviously going as fast as they could.

I have taken my full faired GS off road, even doing some stream crossings and riding on snow. Just go slow.
Good example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbknohGJL-Y

[Manaenrc]

Adventure bike with full fairing hmmmm.. Yeah I guess that might get a little expensive on layovers. I will definitely tell him about the springs and shock .

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[Manaenrc]

BTW those videos are awesome. That one with you riding is sweet!! reminds me of the area I grew up riding in central PA with a bunch of coal mines... 

Updates to the progress coming soon.. Lets just say I have a few things on order   

[knowles]

First off, I just want to say I love what you are doing with the GS. I have always thought about doing something like this, but didn't attempt because I have a faired F model and thought the pegs were too far back for a good dual sport conversion.

That NX650 is nice. I have one myself, although no longer with the distinctive fairing that defines it (bad crash). Tell your friend to put in a Hagon rear shock and some progressives up front to make the bike useful off road. Stock suspension loves to bottom out.

Also, for those who don't think you can do some decent off road with street tires, as long as the terrain isn't super muddy or steep hill climbs over roots you can do a lot with a street tire.
Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaYz8Si7hyA&feature=player_embedded
yes, one of the crashes in the end, but they were obviously going as fast as they could.

I have taken my full faired GS off road, even doing some stream crossings and riding on snow. Just go slow.
Good example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbknohGJL-Y

Thats looks so familiar, it looks like the tac mines where i work.

[Manaenrc]

OK so here are the parts that I have on order.
1) set of progressive springs
2) new fork seals
3) fork gators
4) brush guards
5) new front turn signals (more on this later)


Ok so I have been really liking the way ducati has the turn signals integrated into the hand guards on thier hypermotard. So I got the hair brained idea to attempt something like this also.

I ordered a set of these


And I an going to try to fit a set of these right on the front of them and eliminate the floppy ear stock turn signals


By my rough estimate they should fit fine. and they are only about 1/2" thick and about 6" long and about 1" high. So if these lights don't fit then I will need to find something else or custom fabricate something to fit.

SO beside replacing the entire braking system on my truck. I decided to flush the brakes on the bike as well. both front and back got fresh DOT 4. The back was not too bad however the front looked like it was filled with green goo. I have not had a chance to ride it yet but I am sure the brakes will be much improved.

Hopefully the parts will be in this week and I can start to get everything replaced, rebuilt, and in prime condition.

Oh well back to work....

[knowles]

these are the ones that i got for my gs seem to work fine with the wind but wouldn't do much on a fall, or bigger branch. i also painted the aluminum black and used longer black screws to hold it on the the bars.