GR650 anybody?

[Big Rich]

Three cheers for hoarding motorcycle parts! I'm actually buying another GR650 engine tomorrow as well.... haha.

Got some more stuff done in the garage last night. First, a bracket to hold the front master cylinder reservoir :



Fitted up (loosely) the front fender and the turn signals. The turn signals will probably end up bolted to the fairing, but in this general location:

[Big Rich]

And I discovered another issue last night... the way the taillight shines onto the license plate is pretty much unacceptable. The plate was too horizontal, and only red light was shining on it - which just screams "pull me over and give me a ticket!". So, back to the drawing board for fitting up a fender / rear signals / and license plate. Here's what I'm thinking for a rear fender:

[peteGS]

Hmmmm... I say this with some trepidation because I can't see what you're envisaging in your head... but not a fan I'm afraid... I think that style rear guard won't flow with the rest of the bike.

I think ideally you would ignore the need for it and leave that tail piece terminating at the tail light which would be perfect.

Of course in practicality you can't do that... not just for the license plate but if you're like me you still like to have something stopping the crap flinging up from the rear tyre.

Lately I've been thinking if I was to do another project I would contemplate making something up along the lines of what the big BMW's have done... a small guard attached to the swingarm. I've seen someone locally here put one on a customised Guzzi (Breva I think?) and it looked quite good.

I think if you make it subtle enough and have it hug the rear tyre close enough that it can be pretty much ignored by the eye and it won't interfere with the rest of the look of the bike. It both provides a place to mount the license plate as well as keeps all that crap from flinging up from the tyre.

I find it really hard to describe what I'm imagining... 

[Big Rich]

Nah, I know exactly what you're talking about Pete. This fender is just one that I've had kicking around for a while (remember when it was on my yellow GR with knobby tires?). I do agree that this fender is visually distracting.... but if I were to make a fender mounted to the swingarm, it would end up being "over built" and heavy since I'd be afraid of it breaking off and making a helluva mess....

Oh, and for my plate to be illuminated properly from the current taillight, it would be vertical directly below the lens. Which the rear tire would chew up rather quickly.

[Big Rich]

Let's see... mounted up the 520 chain (108 links, 16T front sprocket, 39T rear = for my reference). Oh, and I made some aluminum bushings for the bolts that hold the chain guard on:



And trimmed, drilled, and mounted the rear fender:

[Big Rich]

Since I had the front sprocket cover off to mount the chain, I tossed the carbs on and ran the clutch cable up to the left hand control:

[peteGS]

I gotcha Rich... and I get the "over built" part too, if I ever do something similar I will likely have the same result 

I thought that rear guard looked familiar, and now I know why! Such a pity we have to compromise in the name of legality... but we do what we must!

Nice progress as well, she's definitely coming along!

[Big Rich]

Cheers Pete! I should have added: the current rear fender is by no means permanent. Just a necessary evil towards progress (and getting the bike on the road). It probably will get something shorter / easier on the eyes down the road. I'm planning on adding a removable luggage rack & soft bag support system that would have a more protective fender mounted to it..... but everything is up in the air right now.

Tonight I'll be working on some of the stuff on the rest of the bike.... wiring, some fiberglass, etc... updates to come!

[ShowBizWolf]

Love the pics and progress as usual, can't wait for more!! I still love the overall shape of that seat 

[Big Rich]

Thanks Showbiz! Unfortunately I didn't make any real progress last night. I started laying out the wiring harness and EVERY wire needs shortened or lengthened. When I was out running errands yesterday I bought some ring terminals for the battery & starter relay.... but totally forgot I don't have any heat shrink tubing! Oops...

What else did I do.... I found the 2-1 throttle cable and got it hooked up. Taking the needles out of the slides to hook up the cables (necessary on VM carbs) I realized I didn't drain the carbs properly before letting them sit for a couple years. So those will need cleaned out. Oops again.

[peteGS]

Didn't drain the carbs? Ugh... bad Rich! 

A good clean is in order for sure!

I have hit the same place many a time though... progressing well... thinking this is going great! Then realising... ooops.... knew I forgot something! And something else... and something else... 

Having to pull the needles out of the slides to hook the throttle cables up? Really? That sounds painful! Is that the same for all VM carbs or just that particular model?

[Big Rich]

All VM carbs that I'm aware of. Not really a big deal since the top cap is a large threaded fitting. On your old 450 carbs there were 4 JIS screws, and the 500 carbs have 2 screws before the top cap comes off..... so the VM isn't too bad at all. And if you think about it, hooking up the throttle cable to 450 or 500 carbs isn't a fun task either!

Speaking of GS450's: took the bike out to get some heat shrink tubing at the hardware store 5 minutes away, but it's finally not raining out so it took me an hour. Time to get ready for work rhough...

Edit: all UNIVERSAL VM carbs that I'm aware of. It dawned on me that older GS bikes did come with VM series carbs before switching to the BS series.

[peteGS]

Yes true, I hate taking the throttle cable off and it's even worse putting it on!

5 minute ride taking an hour? Sounds about right!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Big Rich]

First things first, I forgot to post this:



Found another engine on Craigslist last week. Missing one header, the starter motor, carbs, and no gasket around the stator cover (hell, it might not even have a stator in it). But for $50 I couldn't pass it up! More good news: iI pulled the carbs off to clean them and I was wrong about leaving gas in them. The left carb was spotless, and the right carb was drained.... but not completely. So there was some varnish in the bottom of the bowl, in the main jet, etc.. I'll take that over an inch of antique gas any day!

[peteGS]

Great news on both accounts Rich!

What's the plan for the second motor? Spares or build up a hot rod over time?

[Big Rich]

Probably just spares. Right now I have a total of 4 GR engines....#1 is in my current frame, #2 has bent valves, #3 is in good shape, and #4 is the one pictured above. The one pictured above gives me some concern though... it was stored in a basement on a shelf, and the motor wasn't sealed up with oil when I bought it. The cylinder walls look pretty good, but there may be rust in the bottom end. So I'll make a gasket for the stator cover and start checking it out then.

Besides, the GR engine is already a hot rod engine to me!

[Big Rich]

Does the fun ever stop? Haha....





Lost 5 pounds of copper, gained 10 pounds of solder. ...

[jacob92icu]

I miss projects like these Rich! I am so excited to see that custom fiberglass fender all painted up man. Good job, and keep up the good work!

[mennobike]

 

You weren't kidding about the harness being a mess!

Good luck, keep at it!

[Big Rich]

Thanks fellas! Jacob, you know these projects go.... SO much work but worth it in the end. Menno, this is what happens when you keep using and modifying the same harness over and over. On the good side though... I'm about halfway thru the wiring. All the main components are wired, I just need to extend the wires for the rear lights, and shorten all the wires going to the headlights / hand controls.