gs500 F to E, lessons learned

[Phil B]

I have a long thread in the projects section, but people probably have quit reading that a while ago
So I thought I'd post a "lessons learned" thing here.

1. Disposable gloves. Definitely the way to go. Make sure to buy the "bulk" set of 100 gloves, though :-/

2. when doing wheel/fork stuff, put the front all the way "up". Dont cheat and just try to leave it on the centerstand: put it on the stand, AND prop it back  (either with 100lbs weight on the seat, or prop it up under the front end with something.
Ye old 2x4's under the front (exhaust) didnt quite work for me. I needed 5 of them, plus "1/2" of one. So I had to shove in something else.

3. Fork oil. Change it. Really.
Not only was mine black... but after changing it, it seems to be a lot less squooshy going over steep driveway ramps.
I put in 15w suzuki fork oil, and went with the book recommendation of
"fill to 100mm of top, with springs taken out".
Much improved now.

(side cheat note: That seems to basically make it just barely level with the top of the stock springs, when I put them back in, and had the fork on its own, standing vertically)


4. if you're gonna buy a new socket set.. dont try to save $5 by getting the 10-19.
  GET THE #22 set!!

5. If you forget this, and need to borrow from a neighbor, 7/8ths is good enough for #22

6. 1/2" wrench and sockets. Not 1/4. not 3/8ths. But "1/2 inch drive". Then go get a nice matching torque wrench (bar style)

7. If you are trying to slide back in the
   - wheel axle
   - fork tube
   - or probably most anything else
and it doesnt line up perfectly: STOP! Do not try to "make it work", because something is wrong. Fix the 'wrong' first.
It's amazing how accurate the alignments, etc are on the motorbike. Unlike a bicycle or something

Other, less important observations:
- Up to 50mph, I dont notice difference between fairing, and non-fairing (havent tried it on freeway yet)
- I really dont like the mirrors I got I prefer the old F style ones. They stay in place better, and the field of view is more... appropriate... for my tastes.
- After the crash made the bars dent up my tank I put my handlebars back closer to stock.
(i had them rotated towards me, so they were lower. )
  ARRG!  It feels like I'm almost riding a cruiser now   It's like a whole different bike. I much prefer the lower style.    but.... maybe this will keep me riding more sanely.

[Phil B]

Update: I found the proper way to angle the mirrors.  I dont hate them now

[Phil B]

'Nuther thing from the "F to E" conversion.
Now that I have the cowl off... it really might be quieter, like people say. at least at 50mph :-/
I havent tried it on the freeway yet. That should be tomorrow.

I'm 5'7", and seems like there's a sweet spot right around my head height.
Lower, or more forward, and it's more noisey. If I stretch higher, it's more noisy too.
And/or it's some thing to do with the way the airflow in that spot interacts with my helmet (shoei rf1100).
I should try a different helmet one of these days.

(better yet, would be to compare with someone else's faired GS500. I could have a meet-n-greet in long beach area in 2 weeks if anyones interested? July 6th-ish)

[Phil B]

tried it on the freeway today. Eeerily quiet at 60.
And I was incorrect about higher, being more noisy. it' mostly just forward = more noisy. Also, lower.
Wierd that I'm all used to crouching down, for quiet, with the F cowl... but now i have to sit up as straight as possible, for maximum quiet.
I can actually hear the engine more clearly now. weeeiiirdd...

At.. umm,, "over 60"... dangit! the wind pattern changes, though
The quiet pocket, moves UP. It's still fairly quiet. but it's the most quiet, about 2 inches higher than where I have my head.

Can people who have experienced it, tell me how the E style cowl, changes the quiet zone?
Any chance there's a cowl that moves the quiet pocket, down, rather than up?

PS: Also, I was right.. the oil stiffened up the forks... which is actually worse, for the bumpy bit of freeway on the way to work   I guess I need progressive springs or something, if I wanted to be all nice about it.

Plus, going around the tight onramp, it felt like the wheels slipped a little, here and there. Not sure if road was greasy today, or whether forks are too tight now?  sigh...

[adidasguy]

When you put in the fork oil, did you have the forks compressed down?
You measure the oil with springs out and fork tubes pushed down. That gives you 4 to 4.5" space. Then you extend the tubes, insert the springs and put the caps on.
Measuring oil with forks extended will put too much oil in resulting in not enough air space.

[Phil B]

When you put in the fork oil, did you have the forks compressed down?
You measure the oil with springs out and fork tubes pushed down. That gives you 4 to 4.5" space. Then you extend the tubes, insert the springs and put the caps on.
Measuring oil with forks extended will put too much oil in resulting in not enough air space.

Hmm..
well. I dunno any more :-/  Alls I know is that it was vertical, and free to move how it wanted.
I seem to recall that when I was putting the cap on, I had to exert force to "pull" the fork tube up, to then make getting the cap on easier.
So I would hopefully presume that in the same way, gravity would have taken care of compressing them for me, when I put the new oil in.
I would also think that 4 inches of "extra" tube, would have used up more oil. But as mentioned in another thread recently, I only used up 350ml or something like that.

[adidasguy]

Now that you have a spare lower triple, you can do this to work on forks. Putting the cap on is real easy when the fork is held like shown. An easy press down and turn with the palm of the hand is all that's required. Never have had to pull on the tubes to get the cap on. With the springs and spacers in the fork, how much did it stick up above the top of the tube? It should be about even with the top or no more than 1" above. When you screw on the cap, it presses down and gives you the required amount of preload.

[Phil B]

Ha! Nice trick Was going to "recycle" that thing.. guess i wont now! 

er.. it was real tough getting the cap back on, at least to my mind.. I had to really press down, or the thing wanted to pop off, badly.
yeah, it was "only" an inch or so above, before I pressed.
Guess I somehow have "more than normal" preload, even though I was using the same stock springs and spacers I started with.

or, maybe there was something interesting in the one you sent me, that made the "bottom"(where the spring rests) higher than it otherwise would be?  I seem to recall that one of them was a bit more challenging than the other.

[Reddog]

In the early steps of F to E conversion (side fairing removed, headlight and brackets obtained). 
Which E fairing and mirrors did you use?  Looking for mirrors and contemplating a mini fairling.

Thanks

[Phil B]

In the early steps of F to E conversion (side fairing removed, headlight and brackets obtained). 
Which E fairing and mirrors did you use?  Looking for mirrors and contemplating a mini fairling.

I have no fairing whatsoever now.
as for mirrors.. I picked up a $10 pair at my local cycle dealer :-/
Generic Emgo "10mm universal replacement mirrors".

The one nice thing about no fairing, is that mirror mounts are now standard, and simple. You get the advantage of volume pricing, AND a simpler piece of hardware.

WOW, there are a lot of options. even just looking for "emgo".
So, just know that you dont need to spend more than $20 on a set
(and to be clear, I spent $11 in total for BOTH. They came as a boxed set)