Desert beater project

[mrgaru]

Hello all, first time bike owner here.
I just purchased a GS500 from good ol' eBay, $500 AUD for an '03 with 57000kms on the clock. Only catch was it was 550 kms away near Wagga Wagga (heading towards the middle of Australia) which is a 5 and a half hour drive away from Sydneys north end which is where I live.
I missed the Auction and hit up the guy offering to buy it at the start price since no one bid and therefore no one won the auction. He obliged and listed it again 500 buy it now. Done, it was mine! Now I have to drive over 1000kms return trip to potentially pick up a lemon. Next issue, how will I bring it back?? Luckily my brother is an apprentice bike mechanic so he has a bit of knowledge, far more than I to say the least. He tells me we can pull the front end off and put it in the back of my 4WD, a mitsubushi pajero (montero for you americans i believe). So I took the rear seat out and the 3 kids cars seats and set off with my brother on the long journey...
Unfortunately my joy was hampered thanks to a sneaky cop who caught me on the way going 133km/h... 23km/h over the limit... thats going to be a hit to the wallet and a chunk of points off my newly acquired full licence
Anyway, once we reach our destination the sun is just starting to set, we need to get the front end off still. Once we pickup the bike we visually eye it up, cobwebs, redback spiders, red aussie dirt all over it... looks dirty and neglected but ok. will need alot of love to get to being anywhere near lovable. Best part is we ended up rolling the bike right into the back of the car. no pulling apart needed!! it was a perfect fit. The good dude gave me 2 spare sets of wheels which we used to chock the bike up, tied it down as best we could and drove off to return home... obligatory country pub dinner on the way of course.

So there it is, I have attached some images. I plan to update this space with everything I do to the bike. Advice is very much welcome. I know absolutely nothing about what I am doing. I will however get my brother to oversee any major changes I make before I jump on the road.

Thanks for reading this long post. 



'straya



in she went (this was taken back in sydney after we returned)

[J_Walker]

looks fine, just dirty from all that red clay stuff ya got. a bath will make it look like x5 better.

carbs probably need some cleaning! and fuel tank, and maybe change the fuel lines if their super crusty.

pro-tip so you don't damage rubbery bits, WD40 actually cleans out the dry powdery looking fuel stuff that ends up clogging up carbs. no reason to really use carb cleaner unless you got a real mess, but then you need to take all the rubber bits out. I'm not normally a heavy WD40 user either, but for cleaning carbs. its my favorite. you can even clean inside of fuel lines with it, spray it in, and push a paper towel through with a stick or something.

[ShowBizWolf]

Welcome to the site mrgaru and awesome first post!!! Loved the story

I can't see the pics here at work but I'll be sure to check 'em out when I get home soon.

I'm looking forward to a great project thread. Congrats on the bike purchase!

There is a TON of information here on the forum as well as the wiki http://wiki.gstwins.com/index.php?n=Main.HomePage

Also, it's a good idea to buy an owner's manual as well as a Haynes or Clymer manual for the GS. Tons of info and instructions in them!

[cbrfxr67]

Bikehauler win right there!  I miss mine

Welcome and sweeet pics!

Can't wait to see your progress and share your experience!

[ajensen]

So, I understand you are going to be using the bike on the dirt. Has anyone out there put a dirt bike front end and 21" front wheel on a GS500?  Just curious. Best wishes, and keep us posted.

[mrgaru]

No, I'm from Sydney. No dirt at all. I just picked it up from the country. I'll be commuting mostly in city traffic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mrgaru]

After being at my brothers place for a few months and him not touching it at all, I decided to bring her home


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Endopotential]

Good luck with the project and have fun!

Looking forward to updates from Down Under.  There's gotta be good karma for resurrecting a bike from the Outback.

[The Buddha]

That was epic cramming into the SUV and I have seen better and I have seen worse ... however I should take away points for not thinking about this though.
Get a bumper hitch and weld a little pipe of the right length and diameter to it.
Then take the front wheel off and put the bike across that tube and fit the front axle bolt back through the steel sleeve.
Bike is the trailer and you can drive around like you're pulling a little trailer.

Cool.
Buddha.

[gregjet]

I have something to add to the buddah suggestion ( yeah I know it's a little late now for you).
Before you tow it. Check the rear wheel bearings are OK AND remove the chain!!! Also check the rear axle is tight.  You don't know how old or maintained the chain on a bike that has been sitting and broken chains are pretty much a common early problem on that sort of bike. If the chain breaks or comes off and is being driven by the wheel the damage can be catastrophic.
Hiring a bike trailer  , or borrowing one, is always an easier option.

[mrgaru]

The chain is totally seized. Have the replacement at my brothers place.
Rolling the bike into the back of the 4wd was easy as, push in and drop the stand. Simple. Oh and drive slow!!!
Dear brother also lost the key so there's another fix to add to the list. Anyone have experience with replacement ignition + fuel caps from eBay?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gregjet]

Key is a bugger to get off the triple clamp. Fuel cap I just bought an aftermarket quick release one ( no key) but I live in a town and the bike is well away from the street at home.

[mrgaru]

So I decided to have a decent look at all the electricals and see what's salvageable and what needs replaced. Only to find the seat lock mechanism was completely screwed. Ripped off the ugly plastic guard and ended up pulling the seat off with brute force. I will be replacing the seat with a flat one anyway.
Have a look at how dirty she is!! That's good old Aussie outback dirt haha




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Buddha]

The first thing you should have done to that bike is to douse it nose to tail with wd40. And use the nozzle into the key holes and all other orifices.
You're doing a ton of damage to it trying to fix it. Seat - easier to get it off by cutting a small slot in the inner fender and using a little allen wrench to slide the lock prong side ways.
Brute force on the seat = you need a seat (which with that cover you prolly were better off replacing anyway). But locks and what not could have been saved.
Original steering lock has a key code on it the dealer can use to cut you a key. In my hood its $5 vs $100 for a new mis-matched lockset. The trick is to get the triple off, cut the bolt heads out and remove the lock cyl to get the code.
Cool.
Buddha.

[Kenner]

Anyone have experience with replacement ignition + fuel caps from eBay?

I know you're in Australia so I am not sure if the straight from China eBay stuff is available to you but I just bought this set for about $30US.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ignition-Switch-Gas-Cap-Seat-Lock-Keys-Suzuki-GS500-2001-2010-02-03-04-05-06-07/142435274209?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

All I really needed was a new keyed seat latch piece since my bike didn't come with one. The seat latch piece fit right in the rear cowling and functions fine. It was much cheaper than sourcing a used set (no one sells just the seat latch piece, it is always included with a whole seat, tank, ignition set for about $100US). I can't attest to the quality of the ignition or tank pieces yet as far as fit and function because I haven't installed them. I probably won't either; I'll just have 2 keys, one for the seat and another for the tank and ignition. They feel fairly stout and are somewhat heavy. If you want more of a review I can test them out tonight when I get home.

Ken

[gregjet]

Kenner. That is an awesome find!
Admin this link could be of use as a sticky., I feel.
Site is listed on ebay as FX fxcnc racing in china if the ebay item disappears. I had a similar problem when I got my GS.

[mrgaru]

Thanks Buddha and ken. Unfortunately the pin was busted and the locking mechanism was all bent so it wouldn't have been able to be saved anyway. I'll try get a replacement from the key code. I'd prefer to not replace the locks if necessary


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nudie]

I didn't get a key with mine either, but I'm lucky enough to have a heap of other Suzi's in the shed and one of the other keys unlocked the petrol cap. I took the whole thing off the tank and left it with a locksmith who cut me a new pair of keys.

[mrgaru]

Oh nice. How much did that set you back? Weighing up getting the ebay replacements or visiting the locksmith


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[qcbaker]

When I wrecked my bike, my seat lock was destroyed. I ended up buying a new seat lock mechanism (lock, cable, latch), but it didn't include a key. I just brought the lock mechanism to a locksmith and had them make a key for the lock. The lock set was like $20 or so, and the locksmith service to get a key made, get that key duplicated, and to get my ignition key duplicated was only another $40 (it would probably be less if having the new key made was the only thing I had done). So, like Kenner, I just have 2 keys: one that works for the ignition and one that works for the seat lock. Relatively cheap solution and it works well for me.

I was very hesitant to look into installing a new ignition because I have read that it is a b*tch to replace and I was not interested in tearing apart the front end I had just spent a few hundred dollars rebuilding (My forks, axle, steering stem, and bars were all bent in the crash, I replaced basically the entire front end).