97 GS 500 New Life project

[devonh15]

To get this started Ill give a bit of info about me and the bike history.

I live in Kelowna BC, Canada. I don't know of any GS owners in my area right now. The bike came to me through a friend. When the engine started having problems, low compression, not running well, and the maintenance needs were piling up, he didn't want to deal with the repairs/costs so offered it to me for free if I wanted to get it running again.  Well probably needless to say it was an easy offer to accept. Unfortunately it has been sitting for about a year waiting for me to actually have time to get started, but with the way gas prices are going I have decided to get it ready for this years riding season(or majority of it). This is my first GS500 and I am unfamiliar with it, but I have been doing a bunch of research on it and have found this forum to be very helpful. I am looking forward to getting the bike running and expect there to be a few bumps in the road.  I look forward to finding help and insight!

My Plan:
-minor customize of tail
-sand blast and powdercoat frame and swingarm
-new handlebars
-top end engine rebuild
-k&n air filter
-re jet carbs
-fork springs and seals
-front and rear sprockets and chain

there are many other items on the wish list, but seeing as I haven't rode this bike for more than 5 minutes I need to still find out if its worth putting money into. I forgot to actually take a picture of the bike before I started taking it apart but it was bone stock minus a flimsy velcro on windscreen. The bike overall looks like it hasnt been ridden hard, a few scratches and bumps but nothing to make it look like its been ran hard.  I am currently pretty much as fully disassembled as I plan to be and getting ready to order parts.

Here are some pics

[codajastal]

good luck.
love the pics

[dropitlow88]

is it me or did that exhaust valve look like the possible cause of lost compression it has the classic white burned look

[cbrfxr67]

GREAT pics!  Love that workspace!  (ENVY)  Thanks for the idea on the disposable plates for keeping small parts.  I'm always looking around for something to put a small piece in and then I can't find it and then ; so simple to just have a stack of plates on hand.
Aweshome.  Can't wait to see more and read the progress,.....!

[steezin_and_wheezin]

Great work and awesome photos! nice yama as well!

+1 on 'preciate the paper bowl idea!!!

[holyfighter117]

that looks like my gs when i first bought it! glad to see some new life being put into yours 

[devonh15]

@ dropitlow

Yeah definitely lost compression, luckily I found no damage to the head or any other parts from overheating. I am replacing all the valves, reseating them. new piston rings, pistons seem to be in good shape as does the bores. I hope that will cure the compression issues and give the enigine life again!

Thanks guys for checking out the bike, it will be a slow week because parts are on order/ need to be ordered. Any suggestions on best prices for parts??  does bikebandit ship to canada?

[knowles]

Off topic but, I have the same table saw, love that thing.

[devonh15]

Well life has gotten in the way for the past while but, parts are finally in!  and I have some time to work on the bike once again.

I was wondering if anyone had a link to information on seating new valves and/or difficulty and tools required for it?
any help would be awesome!

[mabrio]

Very good job buddy!


Cheers,

Mabrio

[Byard]

Is that a NOS canister I see mounted to the bike in the background on the first picture? 

[devonh15]

Moving along on the bike feels good! I am hoping to get a bunch more done this weekend.

I have been trying to use any free time I have to putter away on it. now that most of my parts have arrived it should come together fairly quickly, fingers crossed not to many problems arise on the rebuild!

I know pictures are why we are all on here so I took some shots of the various stages I am at on different components

start with Exhaust clean up and paint:

before really getting going on stripping and sanding


basically done stripping and sanding


painted!


I still need to paint the muffler cover and then wrap the majority of the pipe with exhaust wrap, but I like the way the copper paint turned out!

The Headlight had a goofy velcro on windscreen which left sticky crap all over it so I decided to sand it down and repaint:




The really exciting part was starting to put my top end back together! I have new valves because I didn't like the look of the old ones, they seemed very worn down and one appeared to have overheated. The seat wasn't damaged from what I could tell.  Anyways I think it may have been a bit rediculous to replace all the valves but I sure do like the way the new ones lapped into the seats!

side by side of new to old


tried to get a shot of the ground face of the new valve after lapping


and the seats


then it was tedious getting the valves installed($%&@ing little valve keepers!) but eventually I got er' made!




And I also honed the cylinder bores!


Well thats pretty much where I am at now but I hope to have a bunch of updates by the end of the weekend!

Oh and I have the frame mostly stripped and sanded, I was going to get it sandblasted and powdercoated but I don't want to spend the cash this year on it. most importantly I want it running like a top! So I am going to prime and flat black the frame with rattlecan paint for this year.

[devonh15]

progress was good on the GS this weekend! It was great weather too, making me wish the bike was already done, oh well at least it was good for painting outside.

nothing more on the engine, I am waiting for a bit of time on a hydraulic press to get a stuck and broken engine mount bolt, it is really stuck in there!, broke the bolt, bend a heavy duty C clamp attempting to press it out mechanically. And after a month of spraying penetrant and working away at it I have given up on me doing it in my garage. unless anyone out there has a good way with basic tools to do it??

pretty much finished painting everything that needed paint so I'm stoked on that. and got some more pics!

here is the exhaust painted and wrap complete!









and the frame, swing arm and engine cradle









I also did the kickstand and centre stand in some truck bedliner spray I had leftover from a previous project. I had JUST enough to coat both stands. sweet!

[knowles]

looking good, i did the same thing with my kick stand also.

[devonh15]

looking good, i did the same thing with my kick stand also.

Nice! I thought I read or saw something on here about someone bedlining the stands. I have spent so much time looking around this forum I can't remember where or who I have seen with what! haha

thanks for the kind words!