ShowBizWolf's 1998 GS500E

[qcbaker]

I saw the picture of the lens separated from the reflector housing before I read the text of your post and my first reaction was "Oh god, what has ShowBiz done THIS time?" lol.

I think the bike will look awesome once you have a real headlight inside of the GSX-R fairing. Keep up the good work

[ShowBizWolf]

      

I'm always up to something

I think it'll look a TON better too. Didn't really want it to take 5 years to finally get to this point but here I am !!

[ShowBizWolf]

New brake lines came yesterday 

New 4' florescent light fixture is up in my garage so I can see better!

Got the workmate table out of my shed, cleaned it up and it's ready to be used.

Have to find my bench grinder and set it up... hopefully I'll get some headlight brackets made up this weekend.

[iamhiding]

some really good work going on showbiz  your solution to clamps for the front mudguard is so clean and simple, but more importantly well executed. theres something ever so explicit about fresh stainless pipes as well   

[ShowBizWolf]

Hey thanks for checkin' out my work!! And I'm glad you like my clamps!! I can't help but agree about the shiny pipes

I haven't gotten anything else done with those yet, been working on setting up my workmate table and dusting off my bench grinder... buying new blades for my jigsaw... figuring out this headlight stuff... took some time to relax this weekend too, wasn't feeling the best physically.

I just now finished making 1/8" thick aluminum brackets that will be attached to the headlight... a Home Depot trip is in my future for more stainless bolts etc... maybe tonight or tomorrow before work I'll get the brackets made for on the forks.

[ShowBizWolf]

Just a few pics. Didn't get as far today before work as I wanted but oh well. There's tomorrow!!

One of the headlight brackets I made (no they aren't finished yet), the 5/16" bolts I picked up along with some internal tooth lock washers for on the inside of the headlight and the nylon lock nuts I already had cuz I bought that nifty kit a while back.


Pic from the side of the brackets attached. Put the bolt heads inside the headlight for clearance issues with the adjuster on that side.


Pic of the inside of the headlight. Those toothed washers are under the heads of the bolts to grip into the plastic. Once I tightened them down, I was actually able to tighten the lock nut on the outside of the headlight without the bolt spinning. The reasoning behind this is because once I put the clear lens back on the headlight (when I get a new one that I'm actually going to use), I won't be able to get to the heads of the bolts anymore... unless I re-bake it and take it back apart etc. These brackets have to be super secure/permanent.


So then I was like well how the eff am I gonna hold this headlight centered and where it needs to be AND look at the sides, draw up the other brackets, figure out what's next on my own? Bungee cord to the rescueeee. I drew up a shape for the bracket that will go from the forks to the headlight, drilled two of the 3 holes and then had to get ready for work. My plan is to have a single bolt connecting the two home-made brackets so I have a bit of adjustment/pivot. Then if I want to, once everything is lined up and I actually aim the headlight, I can drill a second hole if I want. Dunno yet.




I can't stop being thankful that this is just a rough-draft headlight. I can be a bit less careful with it, I'm not as afraid of making a mistake or whatever... and once I get a new one I'll know exactly what I have to do.

[cbrfxr67]

I like it!  Can't you just glass something up to use the one you have?  You're multitalented like that!

[ShowBizWolf]

Awe thanks cbr, I'm sure I could come up with something !!  Glad you like it so far!

This headlight was dirt cheap cuz it has scratches on the front lens, all the mounting tabs for the nose fairing were broken except one and when I was experimenting with how to open it, I tried the heat gun/prying method first. Really distorted the one side and it looks awful. I bought a damaged one to see (in person) if it was even remotely possible to make work.

Plus a new one is only ~$45 with free shipping

[ShowBizWolf]

I finished up the last bracket today before work and attached the headlight. Hooray!! Sat the plastic lens on for the pic... now to take it back off and start tidying up all the wires. Hopefully I'll be able to do that this weekend. I'm tempted to pull some of them in and tuck them under the tank like I've read the F models are... but my tank is full to the top.... :grumble:

[cbrfxr67]

Sweetness,....and winning with that shop stool by the way

[the_63]

Coming together nicely. Looks really good. 

Chris

[ShowBizWolf]

Thanks you guys!!! You both made my day

[peteGS]

That's lookin' pretty fancy ShowBiz! Nice work! 

[ShowBizWolf]

Many thanks Pete!

I'm really excited about this project because... I look back to when I first threw on the nose fairing and I remember how intimidating the thought was to do this headlight. There's no way back then I would have been able to figure this out. Hanging out on this forum for 5-ish years has taught me so much... and I'm glad to finally try to tackle this.

My dad is the best, I just have to say. He brought me a new package of the wire connectors with the heat shrink on 'em to save me a midnight trip to Walmart and also a rotisserie chicken for my supper later OH and a spare 9/16 wrench cuz I don't have one and I need one for that last pair of bolts I used to mount the headlight. Managed to get some vice-grips wedged in there to tighten everything down but the wrench will make it much easier.

[ShowBizWolf]

Had a fun weekend working on the wiring. For the most part LOL... They really are a mess the way they come (came) from the factory. First explored the option of putting them under the tank but I decided against that. I realized there is adequate space right under the gauges for neatly storing the wires that come down from the bars. Then it leaves the bulk of the space between the headlight brackets/forks for the huge bundle of plugs etc coming out and up from the frame.

The only snag I ran into was for some reason, the OEM spacer that goes from the H7 bulb out to the back of the headlight housing has prongs on it that are set too far apart for a regular H7 pigtail/plug/socket. They make spacers similar to the OEM one that is just hollow all the way through... might get one of those and then a straight H7 plug... or just get an H4 plug and nip off the 3rd wire (because that's cheaper and the OEM spacer's prongs fit perfect into the H4 plug).


I also got out my q-tips and cleaner and detailed under the gauges and other bits between the forks... places I couldn't really reach before when everything was together.

Pics once I get farther along! Oh and hoping to do the brake lines this weekend coming up while all this is out of the way of the front one and then I can also put my exhaust back on.

[The fink]

Biz, I believe I suggested you start a thread about your bike. Holy smokes it's turned out to be a great thread. I have some catching up to do, but everything is looking great. Especially  that exhaust! HOT DAMN! 

[ShowBizWolf]

I think you're right fink!!! Thanks for visiting my thread and for the kind words!! I'm super excited about my exhaust too... it's 5 years old and I'm glad it's still looking so nice.

Saturday the new brake lines got put on. Couple of things, one is that Galfer has the label for which end goes to the master cylinder on the end that doesn't match up to how the factory bends are. Second thing is that the new banjo bolt for the front line that goes to the caliper would not wind in. When I took a closer look, that one bolt that was in my caliper has courser threads on it than all the others.
EDIT: I looked at the parts diagrams and that one bolt has a different part number than the other three. I guess Galfer overlooked that detail

Once that was done I was able to put the muffler and pipes back on and lemmie just make it known how much easier it was with the new studs and nuts!!


Let's try that again LOL


And then finally, after a week of arranging, tucking, looming, 5000 trips to Harbor Freight for more wire connectors and heat shrink, starting over and deciding ditch the looms and trim, untangle, splice and heat wrap rather than just fold and tape and kink wires etc etc my wires are tidied up in the front. Ran through a test and everything still works (praise Jesus)... I can't begin to describe how careful I was with all this but you just never know... sh*it happens... but thankfully it's all ready now and I should have my new gixxer headlight this week.

I used wire connectors with the heat wrap on them already, various sizes of black heat wrap (all the way up to 1" to slide over the plastic plugs) and some "Self Bonding Super Tape" instead of regular electrical tape which gets gooey and hard and ick over time and I've never been a fan of that. The picture doesn't to it justice... the wiring looks SO much better now.


I also realized that I've been missing 3 screws that go into the back of the black gauge housing and hold it tight against the silver frame. I added them to my cart on motosport along with OEM fuel lines and clamps, 4 screws to attach the headlight to the nose fairing and that cushion that goes under the gas tank on the front of the frame.

[Big Rich]

 

Looking good Showbiz! Every time I see wiring hanging out from the bucket for a rewire, I call it "copper vomit". Yours is definitely tidy now!

Did you get a chance to bleed the brakes yet? You're going to love those braided lines.....

[ShowBizWolf]

Thanks Rich! Haha yes copper vomit is a very good way to put it. MAN it was a freaking mess! And soooo much extra....

I haven't gotten to go for a test ride up and down my street yet but both levers feel good. I was working on the wires in the front while Pops bled the rear so I didn't get to see that part... but I got to see the front and there was some air in there we had to get out. Hopefully it's all good now and I'll get to test it maybe later this week.

[ShowBizWolf]

Here's another pic of the cleaned up wiring...


And I had time before work today to get that 3rd fender bracket made finally.