tegboi's '89 GS500E

[tegboi]

Hi guys, I have a build thread on almost all of the vehicles that I have, so this bike should be no different. This is a story of the bike and how I got it, if you just want to see progress photos of before & after, or just want to skip the story, just scroll past this first post.

I first joined this forum to help a friend fix his '89 GS500E so he can use it as a daily commuter, being an automotive mechanic by trade and motorcycle mechanic by joy, I ended up working on his bike, after a nights worth of work, it was too late to start up, but I was certain it was going to run. It was sitting for 2 years, and being moved around from apartment, storage, friend's house garage, to another friends house garage, or some mix of those, it was 2 years in between, and it was started up the next day after I worked on it. Timing chain was way way off, carburetors needed to be rebuilt, found sand particles and clogged jet passages, but it ran after a nights worth of work. The engine was taken apart to replace some gaskets due to an oil leak. Anyway, it ran (me not being there at the time it was first started up again)

The following week, he returned from over seas, and the bike now at this point needed to be his primary source of transportation. He made a smart move of just purchasing a brand new Honda CB500X as he will not have to worry about little things here and there while commuting to work back and forth 30+ miles each way. He then made the decision to put this bike on the market for sale and try to make back whatever money he could from the purchases he had made for the bike in the past.
I expressed my interest, and he made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

Here is the bike in the same shape as when I got it, this was after it was moved from this location (friend's house) to another location (another friend's garage) and then after I acquired it, came back to the previous location which was easier for me to get to and work on.





Some work on the timing chain..









The first day I was able to get it in ride-able condition.



First mods. (clubman handlebars, and test fitting rear cargo rack) I have these clubman bars on my '14 Honda GROM, aswell as my '63 Honda Trail, and love how they feel, so it was just natural for me to see how they fit on the GS500e, I've got to admit, it has me leaning forward more than I would like, but I like how it rides compared to the old bent bars.



After trimming the top plate/bar holding plate for clearance to bring the clubman bars where it's close to feeling right.





Since I've got it running in the beginning, registered & insured, I've put about 150/170 miles on it, trying to make little improvements here and there, I've since removed the rear rack, since having it running, cruising at highway speeds, fuel starvation, surging between accel & decel, and loose bolts here and there, I've shimmed the carb needle jets with a #4 brass flat washer, took apart the frame petcock, installed a new O-ring to replace the dry cracked O-ring, same with the needle jet seats in the bowl, new O-rings there also, with that done, and new fuel lines between the tank to petcock, and petcock to carb, the bike has been running like a champ.

I've got to say, I am very well happy with this bike, it has been very good to me, I have put in some time since before I've owned it to now, and it's a joy to ride. I've even got some friends who see the bike, ride it, and really compliment me on it, also wanting to find one, saying how their current bike is too big, or somehow in comparison this bike is better. I've got to say I have been getting more and more comfortable with the bike too. I had the previous owner (now a friend) come by and ride the bike around, at first it seemed like he was seeing a ghost, surprised that the bike is alive, running, and doing well. He took the bike for a ride around the neighborhood and after 10 minutes returned, and had nothing but good things to say. He's happy I got it running, and I am able to put it to good use.

More upgrades coming, I have a lower engine cover/lower cowl that I need to make brackets for and install, I need to order new front turn signals, decide on a tail light/brake light I like that I would want to install, do something about the seat, because this seat that is on is chewed up in the crotch area, and it is not a nice feeling after riding for a while, and having some hard plastic edges catch the inside thigh area of your legs. Little by little, the bike is becoming more of a joy to ride, day by day. I spent a good 2 or 3 hours just cleaning the bike yesterday, degreasing parts of the frame, wheels, fixing the kickstand, after shimming the jets, and fixing the petcock. Then enjoyed the bike for a nice ride before nightfall.

As I keep updating the bike, I'll try to keep this thread updated.

Thanks for reading!

[DevilDesire]

Good work and nice bike, mate! I'll be looking forward to your updates!