1989 GS500e Restore

[Philipp]

I came across this forum a while ago after purchasing an 89 GS500e in a rather poor shape. A lot of the posts here helped me immensely and i figured I should post some of the progress.

I bought the white with blue stripes version 89 and while it looked okay it felt a bit dated so what I opted to doing is to repaint the whole bike in a 2009 color scheme, however during the process I decided a little change in that was necessary.

Some of the things a friend and I noticed were necessary is to find some leaks which the original owner mentioned, as well as determine the loud rattle this bike made when running as well as problems with the light flickering... (this was what we thought was needed).

So here are some pictures of the original bike;



The bike looked good with the exception of the heavily rusted exhaust pipes as well as mismatching rubber, and dinged headlight, and the rust at the gas tank and various scrapes and scratches on the engine... But yes she looked good! 

The first was the dis-assembly stage;
When we took of the exhaust we got treated to the first... but not last broken off bolt in the motor

We (tried) to use drill extractors, which we broke... we tried, heat and cold... which didn't help.... Then we tried a machine shop... which helped

Taking her apart was definitely the easy part (little advice little plastic lunch bags would have been very helpful to keep parts together )






Interesting little thing we found is that this bike didn't have the airbox which the bike should have but K&M Filters on the Carb. We are still wrapping our head around the filter going to the vaccum hose up top...


When we opened the gear cover on the bike we were treated to another new sight, all the o-rings of the chain had collected here in 25 years worth of oil... New Chain, Sprockets were now on the list.


Mismatching mirrors on the handle bar? Well that is the "want" list and not needed for testing so that will happen at some point when she is ready to be ridden.



When we finally removed the motor I replaced all the old bolts with a nice new Metric Set from Europe, looks better (even when the motor looks dinged up). Little problem we engountered though was that the generator mounting bolt when we took off worked well but when we used the wrong torque specs to put it in... well you can guess. We were lucky to get it back out easily though.


From afar she doesn't look that bad


Now came the hard part, I had the body with a body shop for painting but after 8 weeks heard nothing so I got the parts back and took it into my own two hands (dangerous as I am an IT Consultant no body shop ).

First to be clean and setup came the tent I used a frame for a party tent for this.




Then started sanding all the pieces... There is a little headsup... If you own an electric sander... you can use it if you don't forget about it... Also if you own a wire wheel for your electric drill USE THAT IF YOU DON't want to spend 20 hours on your frame.... Sigh.. (sorry little rant one of the pictures explains why I had to )








Now here is a little accessory everyone needs... A neighbor who loves to ride and appreciates effort... He came and helped me


Very important when building a paintbooth ventilation... make sure you have it...







I chose a flat black for the frame and rims...


For the body I used a blue metallic perl


You can see the sprayer I used (Preval Spray Kit, absolutely amazing for coverage) That being said i put 4 coats at least on all the pieces to darken them more. You can see the tank isn't finished in the picture above.

Body Pieces Painted...



Assembly started after this... during the taking apart we... well I damaged the Steering Stem bearings so we replaced them too


We also replaced the fork seals and changed the fork oil to 20weight to stiffen up the suspension a little.
Additionally we had to replace the fork seal clips as they corroded over the years. (well that and one snapped)



Putting the motor in was surprisingly a hell of a lot more difficult than pulling it out, we scratched parts of the paintjob a little too much for my liking... (grumble) Little heads up Flat black paint scratches extremely easy.

During this process we also found the lower mount spacers for the motor to be missing (remember those plastic lunch baggies woulda been smart). So I had new ones machined by a little machine shop here in town, great work too.

Next came the tires, I got a set of relatively decent but cheap Kenda 671's put on the rims


Which we proceeded to put on



Now the fun began which was the wiring harness, surprisingly easy... if you don't plug the ground wire into the wrong spot


I have ordered some new anti vibration rubber for the speedo and tach as well as the original wore away. Little heads up the old rubber anti vibration cushions became pretty briddle and well didn't really do their job. The trick is to put them into dot4 brake fluid for a while and they will get their old springy self back. That being said MAKE SURE you get all the brake fluid of them and clean them before putting them on body parts with paint... sigh it will take off the paint....


Now 3 days ago we got her to rumble... well actually thats so far from the truth its not even funny... She made Pop pop pop sounds but she started after a relatively short period. She ran on one cylinder which is likely due to a bad connection on one solenoid where a cable came loose.

Oh additionally... as we tried to test this the gas tank sprung two new leaks on on the inside left (annoyingly enough on the opposite side we already sealed last time around, you can see the spot of rust on the tank in the first picture where fuel from the inside had leaked and pooled out through a pin hole) which is large, hard to believe that the KBS sealer we used failed there (not that it was supposed to cover that hole). And number two is on the seam on the right side of the tank.

My plan is to use KBS again, it literally worked like a charm on the other holes and is still holding steadfast just the new ones... sigh... The tank is pretty rusted but I had hoped to revive it, well still hope as finding replacements seems to be nearly impossible. This one is a bit of a.... well one hell of a set back!

I will now wrap the exhausts in black exhaust wrap and push on and see if we can repair the tank...
Any thoughts and comments are definitely welcome

Little thing I wanted to add is a list of things we have/and are doing:

• replace chain
• replace sprockets
• replace fork seals and oil
• replace battery (new one is necessary as the current one slightly died in testing)
• make a custom hard rubber grommet for saddle as original wasn't there in the first place
• replace tires
• bleed brakes
• replace oil filter
• oil change
• repaint frame and components
• replace mirrors
• replace fork seal clips
• replace oil pan bolt
• replace engine bolts
• clean engine
• wrap exhaust
• replace fuel lines
• replace wheelbearings
• replace various little anti vibration bushings
• brake pads and rotors are on the list but the current ones are good for testing and some riding

What we had to add was repair / seal fuel tank... sigh...

[Golly]

Wow! Nice

Sent from The Shire

[Philipp]

Thanks I always have to double check with myself while others tend to tell me that a bike this old with 50k on it "isn't worth it" I catch myself thinking it's worth what I make it to be worth...

however that gas tank is killing me

[Golly]

I know what you mean, mine is 24years old.... I constantly think I will sell it soon, but I cannot do it haahah, yes it has pissed me off with its carbie woahs of late, but when it runs smooth its a joy to ride and so nimble.  I love my bike too.

[bombsquad83]

I went through a lot of the same things you are.  I was lucky enough to salvage my tank, but it wasn't easy.  I was lucky enough not to have pinholes, but I had to deal with an old failing tank coating.  Check my signature for my project thread.

Once I was finished, my bike has run smooth for 2 years with no issues whatsoever.

[cbrfxr67]

Great thread! (applause) Can't wait to see more! 

[Philipp]

Thanks for all your support
I will be wrapping the exhaust here in the next couple of days, and get the engine up and running on two cylinders maybe .

The tank is a serious set back I am definitely thinking of getting myself some more of the KBS Tank Sealer kit this time around just for a 12 gallon tank just so i have enough to coat the tank a few times over. http://www.kbs-coatings.com/large-cycle-tank-sealer-plus-kit.html

I hope it makes a difference as I cannot find an 89-2000 tank anywhere in decent shape and near me'ish.
We figured out the battery is definitely having issues so we will be replacing that puppy too shortly, just need to watch my dollars and cents. But then who doesn't until then I will continue to ride the little 85 Honda Rebel (which you may see in some of the pics...) need to ride with such beautiful weather and not having the gs500 with double the hp going is paaaaainful .

I will post more here shortly
Philipp

[GSnoober]

Great write-up, an incredible amount of work, very good attention to detail. Why wrap the exhaust? Unless it is dented all to h3ll and back, just sand it down and repaint it with BBQ hi-temp paint, then run the engine OUTDOORS to cure the paint. Get it hot, let it cool off, and you can move on to another chore.

Just curious about those two motorcycles (one black, the other white) in one of the photos. Both appear to be SOHC Hondas, the white one looks "rebellious", while the black one appears to be a 400 / 450 with Comstar wheels. Can you enlighten us on the details? Got any better photos?

You mentioned "50k", is that miles or kilometers, as I suspect? Fifty thousand K's is only about 31 thousand miles, so I think your efforts are worthwhile.

Good work man, very inspiring.

[GS4me]

Great progress.  Looking good

[Sycotravis]

Looks awesome


Sent from my heart using my fingers

[Philipp]

I will be taking more photos shortly here. The wrapping of the exhaust is due to the exhaust having "a lot" of rust and its very mottled... I went to a sandblasting outfit and they informed me that while they could do it, it would be very uneven. So i did some research and found that if I wrap the exhaust i can for one reduce further damage as well as maybe draw some benefits of the heat containment. I will post some pictures of that tonight as i will tackle the wrap then (weather is great for it).

And yes that's 50,000km. I think once she is back on the road she will be looking somewhat recent especially with the paint job which in some places now I have to fix the matte black paint is coming back to haunt me with the easy scratching. Looks great but maintenance will be a pain.

Hehehe great eye Gsnoober one is an 85 Honda rebel, my current rider (learned how to ride last year and rode this one since) It was also my first "minor maintenance project" as she sat in a field for 3 years collecting dust and having the tires rott away. I replaced all the fuel lines, vacuum lines on her as well as had the front brakes done (I was and am still very cautious with anything that has to do with tires... ). 

The black one is an 80 CB650C nice bike she is going to be another project currently she has some issues with compression at 1500rpm she basically looses power and dies, very nice bike which was stored in a wood shed for 5 years. She also seems to leak oil near the cylinder 1 spark plugs and smokes when running not a great sign. She also had the tank repainted previously (not badly but has some hairs in the paint ). I will take some pics of both and post them here.

Currently my excitement however is all for the GS500 most work I have put ever into a bike and well royally excited . I should have new dampeners for the speedo and tach today as well as those well dried out badly.

[Philipp]

As promised we wrapped the exhaust today, and checked out the tank again thinking that we may be able to save it. Well the KBS rust tank sealer is amazing and did a fantastic job of sealing the tank but the problem seems to be that the tank rusted right through... Meaning the rust stripper did its job well however what was left after it was done couldn't hold up to anything....

That being said in my picture you can see why we wrapped the tank as it is also in rather poor shape that being said the wrap looks great.


I managed to get some nice 2inch wrap of ebay, that being said we almost feared we didn't have enough.


Something that became apparent today was that the spots where the brake fluid got in contact with the self etching black paint ( and removed the paint ugh  ) are now rusting... very helpful and very annoying!!!    I suspect that over the winter I may be painting the frame again until then I will sand the rust off and apply that paint again. (potentially however a better type of paint as this "simple scratch and paint is off thing annoys the hell out of me).



Oh and here is a pic of the new o-ring chain and renthal sprockets (so happy to say that as far as all that goes this baby is back together).


And this is the girl with her wrapped exhaust pipes and new exhaust gaskets on.


We also replaced the fuel lines (mostly) with new Motion Pro ones. I am planning to replace the one additional line as well after we tested her a bit.


You can see a little bit in the picture on the main fuel line when we had to remove the tank the one brass/copper pipe from the petcock came out, does anyone know if this can be fixed or should just be replaced?

This GS has a SuperTrap exhaust on her does anyone know the quality of these exhausts? For that matter can one quieten the exhaust down? Another little thing is that I received new frame and exhaust bolts and was blown away by the fact that they are rusting already... Does anyone know where i can get proper ones aka not rusted ?

[bombsquad83]

I've had that brass nipple come out of my tank petcock a couple times.  I just tapped it back in with a rubber mallet, and it sealed back up.

[Philipp]

Ah that is very helpful bombsquad I will try that.
Thanks

[Philipp]

Well we got the baby running, finally. She sounded pretty uhm sick but she started running... and leaking oil on the right at the bottom of the clutch cover, now i hope its because we didn't tighten the bolts sufficiently but it doesn't look like that is it. However it does look like the previous owner used some sort of self made plug ARGH!!!

Lots of parts have been swapped out by the previous owner the oilpan won't take the proper plug which worries me a little about this one so maybe by the end of the day I will see if I can correct it after "draining" the bike, and get all the good oil out... very annoying. Let's hope but still the bike runs but yeah sounds bad. The battery is gone too so a new one will have to happen here as well. 

I will see if I can take some pictures of it and post a little video clip of her running here.

Philipp

[MARider]

so I dont know if any one else noticed this but in the picture of the wheel off the bike with the spacers in your hand, those are on the wrong sides. I hope it wasn't that way when you took it apart.

[Philipp]

MARider, your right on thanks I am pretty certain they were on properly. Over the last little while we have been caught with nothing but surprises as far as things being "customized" its driving me batty.
From the oil pan to the covers and bolts, mounts etc..

I may have a lead on a parts bike but its in horrible shape so we shall see what can be done.

[MARider]

Oh I know how you feel..one sec I think I got everything just right then I find something else the PO had done for no apparent reason. My bike being an 89 has only 6300 miles and for some reason the carbs looked as though some one thought make a gasket was a cureall for any carburetor related issues. Back on topic I was wrong that is the way the spacers go on. I thought the wheel was flipped the other way.

[GSnoober]

I will be taking more photos shortly here. The wrapping of the exhaust is due to the exhaust having "a lot" of rust and its very mottled... I went to a sandblasting outfit and they informed me that while they could do it, it would be very uneven. So i did some research and found that if I wrap the exhaust i can for one reduce further damage as well as maybe draw some benefits of the heat containment. I will post some pictures of that tonight as i will tackle the wrap then (weather is great for it).

And yes that's 50,000km. I think once she is back on the road she will be looking somewhat recent especially with the paint job which in some places now I have to fix the matte black paint is coming back to haunt me with the easy scratching. Looks great but maintenance will be a pain.

Hehehe great eye Gsnoober one is an 85 Honda rebel, my current rider (learned how to ride last year and rode this one since) It was also my first "minor maintenance project" as she sat in a field for 3 years collecting dust and having the tires rott away. I replaced all the fuel lines, vacuum lines on her as well as had the front brakes done (I was and am still very cautious with anything that has to do with tires... ). 

The black one is an 80 CB650C nice bike she is going to be another project currently she has some issues with compression at 1500rpm she basically looses power and dies, very nice bike which was stored in a wood shed for 5 years. She also seems to leak oil near the cylinder 1 spark plugs and smokes when running not a great sign. She also had the tank repainted previously (not badly but has some hairs in the paint ). I will take some pics of both and post them here.

Currently my excitement however is all for the GS500 most work I have put ever into a bike and well royally excited . I should have new dampeners for the speedo and tach today as well as those well dried out badly.

Forgot to thank you for answering my questions; you might be able to find flat clear paint in a spray bomb that will protect your color coats without making it glossy, but don't quote me on that... can't think clearly at this hour.

[Philipp]

She is ALIVE!!.... Again...

So Updates:

Bought a 2005 Tank as getting an original tank in good enough shape was nearly impossible. The reassembly went ... somewhat painless. But hey the machine runs. With the advice from some of the board I went with a newer tank and I have to say it looks great. While I still have to work on the plastic mount solution for the front it does look good. Oh yeah and .. MAN do i ever hate fuel line routing... I swear it took 5 attempts to route them properly and then connect them right.... The latter was what gave us problems 

With the tank however I had to make a judgement call... blue or black.... And the 2005 black with the flat black frame looks just great... soo Black it is (breaks out the paint booth again!).

Additionally we had some mishaps with the brake fluid reservoirs where it leaked over parts of the frame and one rim...  so I will have to repaint those areas again too... I figure over the winter season I will strip the frame again and get it powder coated once and for all.

Here are images of the almost finished product.









The mirrors will be replaced and we have to adjust the carbs a bit as number 2 is firing waaay off.
She started right away however which made her very sympathetic to me...