Customiser Getting a GS500

[pattman]

Well, had a look at the seat, didn't like it so slept on it.  Had a look again this morning, still didn't like it so it went.  I shall be chopping and rebuilding a little 125 commuter after this so its been put aside for that, not to be wasteful and all that.

So, the seat decision was again in disarray, as was and is much of the build, so I do like most people do... bend some tube... well probably not most people, just me



Getting the hang of the ring roller at last



Then worked out what I was going to do with the tube after staring at it for a bit longer than was probably helpful.  Chopped out the curved tube, noted and profiled the rolled tube to make the seat frame



Used a bit more to make the back arch and something to stop me sliding off the back of the seat pad



Welded it on



Just the actual seat pan to make for the foam to stick to and be covered in most likely leather.

Then made some tank mounts





I seem to have an attachment to 12mm bar now, seeing as its used everywhere.  Perhaps I should name the bike 12mm, that'll confuse some people.

Trial fit for my ample arse, wedges in there fine



More things ticked off the list that I keep adding more things to... I can see this being one of those never ending project bike builds...

[Endopotential]

So wickedly cool!  Hardly even recognizable as a GS after all the work you've put into it.

Thanks for sharing with us all!

[ShowBizWolf]

+1 !!!

I am loving this thread

[Ne0n]

This looks motherfuckin badass dude!

But after you've made the new "seat", you are now sitting literally on the frame, don't you? Won't that be a little "stiff"?
Like you would get every vibrations from the street directly transferred to your spine?

[pattman]

I'm making a seat pan to sit where I'm sat, then using a 2" thick piece of upholstery foam shaped to suit and covering it with leather.  I make most of my hardtails with a solid mount seat, the position you sit makes all the difference to comfort or pain.

[pattman]

Couple of little bits sorted, in-between the snow, dodging d**kheads who cant drive for sh*t and trying not to freeze my balls off.

Stripped the rear brake off the old frame and fitted it in place, the old torque arm wasn't long enough so I chopped the ends off and used the same 20mm square tubing to create a new one but with a bit of a bend, thanks to a four foot piece of tubing.





Made a bracket and welded that to the frame and now the rear brake is sorted apart from a hose once the foot pegs are fitted in place



For the foot pegs and levers I was going to make some from scratch but seeing as there was nothing wrong with the originals, the pegs are on their own bootable backing plate and everything worked it should before disassembling for chopping I'm going to use them instead.

I cut the mounts from 12mm plate and pre drilled it ready to be tapped to M8, same as originally used.  The only bit I need to make or modify is the gear pedal as it was mounted directly to gearbox shaft, meaning I need a link arm and a couple of threaded rose joints.



Once thats sorted its mainly gussets, electrics box, battery tray or box, sort out where the wiring will run and hide as much as possible, decide on indicators, switch gear.......

[cbrfxr67]

sweee-eeet

[The fink]

This is one of my favorite threads going. Great job. 

[pattman]

As Judas Priest sing: Breaking the Law breaking the LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWW!!!!!!!

Well, wrong sort of braking but near enough.  They are sort of important though for the idiots who don't look where they are pointing the steel killing machine.  Unless your Steve McQueen, then you don't need brakes.  F*cking legend.

So, brakes it was along with foot pegs and associated bracketry and linkages.  First order was the mounts.  Had some new taps arrive, just as well as I snapped the last M8 on another job.  With that sorted the holes in the foot mounts where taped, some tubing notched and cut to length.  I'll make some flanges to weld in to hold it all nicely later on.

 

Bolted the foot peg plates to them and tacked it in place at 34.6 degrees.  Not for any particular reason but thats what the angle finder said it was, and now you dont need to wonder no more.  Your welcome.



I chopped the master cylinder mount from the foot mount as it wouldn't work where it was, hitting the engine casing, so I'll mount that on the frame later.



So, now its a bit later... master cylinder getting positioned for mounting



The foot brake lever wasn't the right angle to reach easily for use so I cut and widened the gap, bending the peg closer to my foot and ease of reach.



Got the master cylinder mounted then the associated linkages.  Roughly a 2-1 lever action from the rod to the cylinder giving a small amount foot travel to a twice of cylinder travel making for a nice easy braking feel.  Used some M10 threaded bar, turned down to M8 and threaded to take the tie rod ends.



Then after various attempts at the gear linkage I got it working spot on.  Some more M10 threaded bar turned down to M8 and threaded for the tie rod ends.  I'll probably switch out the threaded bar for some normal 12mm bar later on. 



Tomorrow it may be exhausts or it may be side stand and coil mounts and what ever else I can think of.

[Endopotential]

Wow, you're showing me that pretty much anything is possible with a bike build!

Well anything with a skilled pair of hands and a good eye at least...

Love how you've totally reversed the fore and aft of the pedal assemblies.

[Nudie]

I love this thread. Your work makes my feeble attempts at modification look, well, feeble!
Please keep posting!

[pattman]

Well the exhausts won the toss of what to do today, apart from they needed making I also kept on falling over the headers.  I had various designs for the exhausts batting round my head, most of which where pretty ridiculous, but ended up going with the initial idea of under the engine.

Utilising the original end can



Chopped the end off... these stock exhausts are so restrictive



Marked out for the new length



And ended up with this after smashing what was left of the baffles out



End cap positioned, new length loud stubby empty can



End welded on



Had to lengthen the headers and change the angle of the exhausts so they met in the right place





End can ready for mating to the headers



(in the voice of David Attenborough) Mating successful, there should be a new breed of end cans arriving in about 9 months



And as it sits on the bike now.  I'll make a proper spacer for the hanger rather than a couple of bolts





Just shy of 2" of road clearance so should be ok, only sparks will tell

[qcbaker]

Good stuff man. That exhaust looks like it will be loud as all hell lol.

[cbrfxr67]

Will be real interested in how your clearance turns out,......  My header is around the same " as yours and I've scraped a couple times already. 

[pattman]

After having way to much fun on my VS1400, I thought it was time to do a bit more on the GS project.  Had a bit of a dodgy back as well so Ive altered the seating position a bit to ease the sciatica.

I bent a couple of rails up to lift the seat height to a more comfortable and manageable height and in doing so its giving me somewhere to make an electrics box incorporated into the seat.



Then it was time to make yet another random bodged up tool for bending tubing for the exhausts to replace the piece of god awful crap I made before.  Grabbed a bargain die from eBay, made a former and slung together the rest from bits lying around the garage.





And it even worked like it was meant to!!  



Bent with an offset for the side exit... note the right exhausts about 2" shorter than the left... thats what happens when you get cocky with the new toy...



And rectified with a 2" section welded in.  All thats needed is a slight adjustment on the angle to get it to follow the bottom rail a bit better.  Apart from that it worked pretty well and was almost a one piece bent exhaust.





So electrics box next, then seat pan and what ever else it needs

[cbrfxr67]

I think this looks and works much better bossman!

[pattman]

Doggin' on, as you do.....

Plenty of things crossed off the list today.  Exhausts have been bent a small bit to bring them inline with the frame rails



Welded a plate under the tank to mount the coils and help with the throttle / clutch cable routing



Utilising the last bit of 12mm bar I had bored out before, it was drilled through the frame rail to make part of the manifold support utilising some threaded bar and nuts, one drilled out and one stock to secure the bolt.



I had a brake light and number plate holder hanging around for a while so I used that welded onto the sissy bar



Then it was seat fabrication.  Any excuse to get the plasma cutter out.... but don't cut over plastic saw horses.... they melt in a fraction of  a second.  Bit of 2mm sheet steel 



Profiled to the frame rails



Configuring the back panel









Welded in a bit of bar around the radius to strengthen the upstand



And cut some upholsterers foam ready for a leather seat cover that I've yet to decide on... but its going to be black.... no hipster shaZam! yourself colour seat here



Sorted out some cable for the clutch and brass nipples to suit from a kit I bought a couple of years ago.  All in all this kit has done three bikes with both clutch and throttle cables.



Throttle cable with the smallest nipple possible to suit the VM carb.



VM's have got an internal spring so only need one throttle cable, no need for return cable



From past experience working with VM's, its easier to clamp the cable with the spring tight to get the cable located in the slide





Cable fed through the cable guide



Spring in place



And fully assembled ready to go



Might even get the bike sorted for paint before christmas at this rate but I wouldn't hold your breath 

[cbrfxr67]

great tip on clamping that cable!  ive fought with those mofos before!
Great update and thrilled to see your progress!!

[crackin]

I'm interested to see how the engine run's with the single VM carby. Have you done any testing?
I want to run twin Keihen FCR's on my bike, but iv'e never seen it done and it's and expensive venture.
Your doing a mad job on this build old mate, totally full on.

[pattman]

Have I done any testing  Of course not.  Its a hit or miss situation but I'll be able to put the twin carbs back on if need be but hopefully I wont have to.  I may loose a bit of power top end but its not going to be a speed machine especially with a solid mounted seat on a hardtail.