Bit the bullet, happy new motorcycle day!- here comes the questions!

[mister]

Thanks so much! For some reason I'm just not the most savvy internet user like i used to be in the early 00's, haha. I already decided that I wanted to go with the delkevic system, it looks gorgeous and sounds beautiful- I'm going to be turning this bike into a real looker after I fix it up nicely.


I don't want to go with the stock exhaust because they all seem to get really gross really quick.

And, how many stainless exhausts have you seen on GS500s to judge they won't look like crap really quick?

Here's a Jardine system for example...



Could give it a coat of blue-remover or whatever the stuff is called, to keep the stainless looking not so daggy. But hey, if you're doing that all the time might as well keep the originals and use stove polish on them...

or, keep the stock headers and get your patina this way... http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=63024.0A

[sledge]

3.) Will my stock (dinged-up) 2007 F bike exhaust fit an old E bike?

Fitment of the exhausts is the same for all model years; only difference is the F model had ports for the PAIR system to tie in.  BTW, new thestock  F exhaust is ~$1200, while the pre-2000 stock exhaust is ~$600

One has a cat shoved up it, the other doesn't. That's the reason for the price difference

[AnonRider]

damn, good point- has anyone wrapped their pipes with good results?

[Suzuki Stevo]

damn, good point- has anyone wrapped their pipes with good results?

Wrapping to keep the heat up and help the scavenge or wrapping for the look or the safety aspect or the enhanced corrosion aspect, what result are you after 

[AnonRider]

damn, good point- has anyone wrapped their pipes with good results?

Wrapping to keep the heat up and help the scavenge or wrapping for the look or the safety aspect or the enhanced corrosion aspect, what result are you after 

For the cosmetic appeal and not having some rusted ass looking pipes on my bike!

update: i'll be bringing the bike home today finally because of some nice weather and will be taking some pictures with my dslr so everyone can get an idea of what i've got here.

[radodrill]

One has a cat shoved up it, the other doesn't. That's the reason for the price difference

At first I thought cat as in meow  ...
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.
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.
.
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... then I realized you meant CATalytic converter 

[Atesz792]

One has a cat shoved up it, the other doesn't. That's the reason for the price difference

At first I thought cat as in meow  ...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
... then I realized you meant CATalytic converter 

Thank you, NOW I understand it, too.

[radodrill]

Thank you, NOW I understand it, too.

For me CAT would have been clear from the start

[Atesz792]

For me CAT would have been clear from the start

I sure hope it would have been clear(ish...) for me too

[AnonRider]

Alright, so- got the bike, tried to take pics with my dslr- found out it was dead - i was eager to share some pics of the spots that I'm concerned with, so here you go!

It's pretty cramped in the garage, but it's safe and warm!




the chain and sprocket in terrible lighting, i apologize- will get better pictures tomorrow, the chain has A LOT of play in it, like 2-3 inches



the petcock, which is loose



some really rusty bolts on the engine that i want to replace asap



this looks like something is dripping, i don't know if you can tell in this picture



and here we have some general rust




I've had it looked at by a technician, says everything sounds and feels fine except for the rusted chain and the exhaust can (which i wasn't able to get a picture of because i was kinda squeezed against the wall) the fluid is all apparently fine, could be replaced soon, the rear tire needs to be replaced ASAP, i'm going to go with the pirelli sport demon.

question about the exhaust can- how do i match the color of a slip on with the black headers? i want this bike to look beautiful and mismatched metal is not something i want on my bike.

what kind of bolt sizes should i buy for the bike? i've ordered the clymer manual but hasn't arrived yet.

ALSO-- there is no light under the tachometer, is there one? or do i need to replace this, if so-how?-- i'll search the forums in the meanwhile
thanks in advance for any input

[radodrill]

ALSO-- there is no light under the tachometer, is there one? or do i need to replace this, if so-how?-- i'll search the forums in the meanwhile

There is a bulb for the tach and one for the speedo; the sockets are compatible with T10 wedge base bulbs (I just put in LEDs with 5 SMD chips.

Instructions for replacement:
1) reach under the speedo and unscrew the thumb-nut for the speedo cable and disconnect it
2) use a 10mm wrench and remove the nuts for the bolts holding the cluster on the triple-tree; there will also be a wire holder, flat washer, and metal bushing
3) flip the cluster upside down
4) remove 3 screws that are joining the 2 halves of the cluster
5) use an 8mm wrench and remove the 4 nuts securing the gauges; you will also remove a metal and rubber washer, be careful that the gauges don't fall out
6) lift off the back of the cluster
7) pull out the rubberized bulb base (with the bulb in the socket)
The bulb simply pulls out of the socket then reverse the steps to re-install.

If you're going with LEDs, you can also replace the indicator lights (neutral etc.) with LEDs while you've got the cluster apart.  These bulbs can be replaced with T5 or T6.5 wedge base bulbs.
Note: if you want the turn indicator to be an LED, then you will have to do a diode mod for that socket (easy if you have soldering skills).  Here is a link to the mod: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=46823.msg750726#msg750726  p.s. you can still use an incandescent bulb after making this change.

[Electrojake]

That's a great bike!
You can do just enough to make it street-legal and go ride it or...
Tear it down and build a sweetheart of an E bike if time & money are not an immediate problem.

Parts are cheap and plentiful for the GS500.
Air cooled, carburetors (not throttle bodies), no ECU to be a slave to, Life is good. 

Thanks for posting the pics too!
-Ej-

[AnonRider]

ALSO-- there is no light under the tachometer, is there one? or do i need to replace this, if so-how?-- i'll search the forums in the meanwhile

There is a bulb for the tach and one for the speedo; the sockets are compatible with T10 wedge base bulbs (I just put in LEDs with 5 SMD chips.

Instructions for replacement:
1) reach under the speedo and unscrew the thumb-nut for the speedo cable and disconnect it
2) use a 10mm wrench and remove the nuts for the bolts holding the cluster on the triple-tree; there will also be a wire holder, flat washer, and metal bushing
3) flip the cluster upside down
4) remove 3 screws that are joining the 2 halves of the cluster
5) use an 8mm wrench and remove the 4 nuts securing the gauges; you will also remove a metal and rubber washer, be careful that the gauges don't fall out
6) lift off the back of the cluster
7) pull out the rubberized bulb base (with the bulb in the socket)
The bulb simply pulls out of the socket then reverse the steps to re-install.

If you're going with LEDs, you can also replace the indicator lights (neutral etc.) with LEDs while you've got the cluster apart.  These bulbs can be replaced with T5 or T6.5 wedge base bulbs.
Note: if you want the turn indicator to be an LED, then you will have to do a diode mod for that socket (easy if you have soldering skills).  Here is a link to the mod: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=46823.msg750726#msg750726  p.s. you can still use an incandescent bulb after making this change.

Thanks! That seems simple enough! -parts ordered-.. I do NOT have soldering skills, I once tried to solder new pick ups into my guitar-- ended up a complete mess and disaster, will not go down that road again.

[AnonRider]

That's a great bike!
You can do just enough to make it street-legal and go ride it or...
Tear it down and build a sweetheart of an E bike if time & money are not an immediate problem.

Parts are cheap and plentiful for the GS500.
Air cooled, carburetors (not throttle bodies), no ECU to be a slave to, Life is good. 

Thanks for posting the pics too!
-Ej-

Money is not really an issue, I don't want to dismantle the entire thing though, lol! I AM going to do the maintenance to get it in good condition, and I will clean the hell out of so that it looks like new, I also want to do any replacing that needs to be replaced. I'll start with the simple things then build up confidence to really go to town on this thing.

Like I said though- the major things are the chain, the rusted bolts, rear tire and the tachometer light.

[radodrill]

I do NOT have soldering skills, I once tried to solder new pick ups into my guitar-- ended up a complete mess and disaster, will not go down that road again.

This isn't nearly as bad as a set of pickups would be since you're not dealing with fine wires.

When I did my diode mod; I first removed all the tape from the wires for the turn and high indicators.
Cut the 2 wires to the turn indicator about 2-3 cm from the wire jacket
I stripped all the cut wire ends about 5mm and on the B/W wire (black with white stripe) from the high indicator I used a stripper to make 2 cuts in the insulation 5mm apart, then used a knife to cut the insulation lengthwise and remove the 5mm piece.
Next I used solder and the iron to tin all the stripped wires.
Then I used a pair of "helping hands" to hold the diode leads adjacent to (and touching) the wires from the harness and soldered together
I slipped on some heatshrink tubing over the solder joints and over the green lead for the bulb socket (here I used a smaller size for the wire as well as a larger size to cover both diodes)
Again use the helping hands to hold both diodes in one jaw and the green wire in the other; make sure the wires from both diodes are touching.
Solder and slip over the heatshrink (already on the green wire) then shrink
Use the helping hands to hold the black wire from the socket on the exposed portion of the B/W wire and solder
Re-tape everything (this will insulate the exposed portion of the B/W wire

Note: tinning the wires is one of the keys to getting a good solder joint.  The helping hands are the other key as this keeps things from moving on you.  Once the tinned wires are against each other you merely have to touch on the soldering tip and add a little bit of solder.

[AnonRider]

i took the high temp rustoleum to the exhaust pipes! it did a great job of covering the rust- i only used the rostoleum after i realized that it wasn't coming off with the wd-40 rust penetrating spray or the marinetime rust eliminator. the only thing is that the frame is a bit rusty i'm not sure what would cover that up nicely.

a better pic of the rusty chain



all in all i cleaned up nicely! just got to get a few things finished, like the frame touch up, adding the center stand back, the new exhaust can, new chain and sprocket and the rear wheel tire- should be in immaculate condition with as little as 5-600 bucks!

[cWj]

I would love it if someone would sacrifice an old and new muffler so we could see this cat that either does or does not exist depending on the last comment on the given thread on a given site....

But this sets one to wondering if there has been a Gladius to GS500 exhaust system transplant yet.