It's time to make it public - my 95 GS500 (picture intensive)

[G.Rossman]

I really like the tire choice.

[mihkels]

So another riding season is coming to an end on my GS.

Not much has changed since my last post. Went on the  2500km round trip to the Arctic Circle again.
This is what my bike looked like this year with all the gear on it:





Unlike last time, I had some major troubles with the bike this year. The rectifier died two days before leaving so I wasn't able to fix it and had to go through the trip without a working charging system on the bike. This meant push starting the bike at every gas station, every morning, every break etc. Not really enjoyable to do with other people around.

Another problem struck me around 100km from the nearest gas station - I ran out of fuel. At least that's what I thought when the bike died. But no, there were at least 7 liters of fuel left in the tank so it had to be something else. I thought that maybe the carbs were clogged because of some loose rust inside my tank so I had to go through a roadside repair in the middle of nowhere:



It turned out that it wasn't the carbs but a clogged tank petcock - I cleaned the carbs in a hurry before leaving home and rested the tank on the ground. Some dirt got inside the petcock and blocked the passages. I got lucky that it was an easy fix and try to be more careful next time when removing the tank.

The bike started again after cleaning the petcock and on I went. The weather got colder and colder and it was around 5-6C when I passed the Arctic Circle but the views and hiking trails were so nice, that it was definitely worth the small discomfort.








Did some minor work on the bike after getting back home - cleaned up the wiring and adjusted the rear shock to be a bit softer. I lowsided the bike one day after a car cut me off but I was wearing all my gear and the bike only got some small scratches on the crash bars. Even the bar-end mirrors survived so a really lucky crash.

Went for a ride the other day, stopped to check and lube the chain and noticed this:



The master link clip had fallen off and I got really lucky again. Hitchhiked back home, bought a new master link, hitchhiked back to the bike, installed it and rode on.


So that's about it. The autumn is here and it's getting a bit uncomfortable to ride with the quite cold weather and rain so the riding season is about to end. I ordered a new speedo that I want to install over the winter break and I'll probably paint the rims as well. Apart from that I'm really happy with the bike. I got an old Kawasaki KZ550 for cheap and I'll work on that over the winter and hopefully get it running. So I hold my fingers crossed that I'll have two great bikes to ride next spring.

[Bluesmudge]

I like your photos! Also your GS is great, the bike looks like it is purpose built for go-anywhere transportation. Nothing flashy and very rugged.

[ShowBizWolf]

I totally agree, awesome photos!!

What a story mihkels...  at the chain!!

You are a prepared, nothin-stops-me, just get it done kind of person and I really really like that. Thank you for sharing!!

[bazcarnegs]

Looking good!

[iamhiding]

absolutely love it mihkel, you're my kind of crazy

[mihkels]

Some small updates - it's still freezing and the bike is sitting in the garage. I've cleaned up the wiring during the winter by removing the sidestand relay, moving the blinker relay and most of the connectors inside the headlight bucket and relocating the rectifier under the battery box.
Turns out the handlebars were bent from my last crash so I replaced them with a Renthal Fatbar knockoff. Bought a new speedo and replaced the headlight brackets to raise the stock headlight bucket closer to the speedo. I also removed the tach drive cable and plugged the hole with an oil pan drain plug that fit perfectly. The tank was rusty again so I'm treating it with vinegar at the moment. Works great and it's perfectly safe to the environment.

Finally got around to painting the rims as well. I managed to snap a bolt on the rear rotor so I had to drill it out, retap the threads and replace the bolt with a bigger one. Should be quite safe though as I used loads of threadlock and the rear brake gets used rarely anyway.
I'll hopefully be able to reinstall the wheels in the next days and snap some photos of the bike as well.

I'd like to chop off the stock muffler and make a shorter stubby can out of it. The only problem is that the stock can isn't riveted but welded together. Has anyone tried it?

[mihkels]

Made some progress today:

Finally mounted the painted wheels and love how they turned out. Also rebuilt the front caliper, bled the brakes, installed the fork gaiters and new handlebar. Hopefully the headlight brackets I ordered from eBay will show up soon.

[mihkels]

The bike is pretty much done and ready for another riding season. Finished syncing the carbs and installed new headlight brackets and fuel filter.
I wasn't sure if it was worth spending money on new brackets and pegs when the stock ones worked ok. But after replacing them, the stock ones look bluky and are super heavy. Well worth it.

The previous owner managed to completely round off one and break an allen wrench into another exhaust bolt and I haven't been able to remove the headers and paint them. I'll probably take the bike to a shop and let them sort it out for me.

[Zombified_Cheeseburgers]

The previous owner managed to completely round off one and break an allen wrench into another exhaust bolt and I haven't been able to remove the headers and paint them. I'll probably take the bike to a shop and let them sort it out for me.

Let us know how you get on, I'm looking to have a bike shop remove my header bolts too for the exact same reason of painting the headers. I'm thinking I'll replace the header bolts with stainless steel bolts to hopefully prevent it being an issue in future.

[J_Walker]

The previous owner managed to completely round off one and break an allen wrench into another exhaust bolt and I haven't been able to remove the headers and paint them. I'll probably take the bike to a shop and let them sort it out for me.

Let us know how you get on, I'm looking to have a bike shop remove my header bolts too for the exact same reason of painting the headers. I'm thinking I'll replace the header bolts with stainless steel bolts to hopefully prevent it being an issue in future.

I used silicone bronze bolts.. M8 1.25 x 40
let your google-fu be strong if you go this route, ebay is your friend if you can find a good vendor, most sites that sell SB machine screws want a minimum order.

[Zombified_Cheeseburgers]

The previous owner managed to completely round off one and break an allen wrench into another exhaust bolt and I haven't been able to remove the headers and paint them. I'll probably take the bike to a shop and let them sort it out for me.

Let us know how you get on, I'm looking to have a bike shop remove my header bolts too for the exact same reason of painting the headers. I'm thinking I'll replace the header bolts with stainless steel bolts to hopefully prevent it being an issue in future.

I used silicone bronze bolts.. M8 1.25 x 40
let your google-fu be strong if you go this route, ebay is your friend if you can find a good vendor, most sites that sell SB machine screws want a minimum order.

*Puts on metallurgist hat*

You don't really need to use silicone bronze bolts on a motorcycle unless you plan on converting it into a boat. 304 (A2) and 316 (A4) stainless are fine for a header bolt application. Silicone Bronze alloy is used because it has better corrosion resistance while immersed in salt water, where there is less oxygen availability for stainless to form a chromium oxide layer. For that application it has been largely superseded by duplex 2205 stainless, super duplex 2507, and zeron 100, although it is still used where fastener strength requirements are not so high, because it's cheaper than those materials.

A word on heat, 18% chromium content stainless steel and higher can withstand intermittent high temperatures within the operating range of a motorcycle exhaust without suffering from "sensitization" where carbide formation can destroy the stainless properties. Sensitization just begins to occur in low grade 12% chromium stainless steel at around 450 degrees C, which is the same temperature at which steel begins to glow! So long as you buy A2/304 stainless fasteners or higher, you should be good to go with an intermittent tolerance up to 900 degrees C, at which point your pipes would be cherry red!

Silicone bronze doesn't do any harm though, and at least that way you know for sure it isn't cheap Chinese crap.

[mihkels]

First warm Sunday here in Estonia so I took the bike for a long ride.
Everything seems to work fine. I raised the needle one notch and the throttle response seems to be much better. Of course I might just be imagining things as today was my first ride in 6 months. The bike is still a bit hesitant in 6th gear but I'm quite happy with how it's running.

The speedo I ordered from eBay doesn't work properly. The ratio is wrong so it's off by at least 30km/h and I'll have to get a different one. I really like the digital speedo GSjon used on his build so I'll probably try it out.

Left my camera at home so here's a crappy phone pic from today.

[J_Walker]

how dem tires for off-road?

[mihkels]

The tires are listed as 80/20 (on-road/offroad). Most of my riding is 50% paved and 50% dirt and gravel roads and they hold up great for that.

[J_Walker]

The tires are listed as 80/20 (on-road/offroad). Most of my riding is 50% paved and 50% dirt and gravel roads and they hold up great for that.

what are the brand of tires? I like them I'd like to get some.. I like how they look taller, and meaty. they "Fill in" the bike.

[mihkels]

Mitas E08: 120/90-17 front and 140/80-17 rear.

[J_Walker]

Mitas E08: 120/90-17 front and 140/80-17 rear.

did you buy them online? My google-fu is either REALLY off. or they don't offer that tire any more? or they don't offer it in the states*

never mind, I found a comparable tire.

Shinko 705 Dual Sport Tires* if anyone state side is looking for a comparable tire.

[honline]

Really cool bike and this thread was what inspired to keep my GS and slapped some Heidenaus on. I realize that you got the luggage rack when you got your bike, but I wanted to ask if you knew the brand/model name of the rack and if it was modified at all (if you can tell). I'm really curious to find out because I've been looking for a luggage rack for mine and I don't know what fits.


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[Toner]

Really cool bike and this thread was what inspired to keep my GS and slapped some Heidenaus on. I realize that you got the luggage rack when you got your bike, but I wanted to ask if you knew the brand/model name of the rack and if it was modified at all (if you can tell). I'm really curious to find out because I've been looking for a luggage rack for mine and I don't know what fits.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Know it's an old thread but the one I got years ago was a Hepco&Becker Complete Rack Suzuki GS500. The side luggage and the back carrier are separate pieces. I've only used the back carrier for a top box and put a Givi topbox on there with a couple of steel braces. The Hepco & Becker luggage is nicer than Givi if you can afford it though. Here's a couple of links for the racks

http://www.motorbikesandparts.co.uk/hepco-becker-black-complete-rack-suzuki-gs-500e-89-2000-650348-00-01.html
https://www.louis.ie/artikel/hepco-becker-complete-carrier-tubular-construction-fuer-suzuki-gs-500-e-t-y/10024432?filter_bike_id=0695&filter_article_number=10024471&list=ca1065b25a2e76af201c9229f5d94c56

There might be different versions for the different years. The one I got does not look like the one in the pic. I think they use a stock pic of some bike's rack for all the different racks.
It's Similar though, obviously designed to fit the gs500. 

I bought mine from Louis.de

You can get the back rack on it's own without the side-racks.

H&B's luggage is really nice. One day I hope I'm wealthy enough to be able to afford it.   
Simple but classic:




About $130 for that box. another $100 for the railing and back pad. 
That's for the smallest one!

In the mean time, I'll make do with my givi bolted on with some braces. It works but looks like a spaceship.