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Project Pheonix - First ever bike project

Started by RedHead_Gez, May 31, 2021, 02:22:05 PM

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RedHead_Gez

Hey there guys, so this started out as me thinking "Yeah I should be able to do this, I have a Haynes manual, some tools, and shouldn't take me too long".


Oh how wrong I was. Let's start with some basic info on me, I'm former British forces (engineering sector of it) and I used to take stuff apart, rebuild and maintain the equipment. Loved the job itself as I was always interested in doing stuff like that, whether it's a computer, car or motorbike and never really had the opportunity.


The bike itself is a GS500E R (94) which was my grandfather's, and I was always told that when I do my test the bike would be handed down to me and when I eventually did it (curently 32 and did my test about 2 years ago) he passed it on.



When I started I gave myself a 5 month time frame as a number of people who have worked on their own vehicles mentioned how easy bikes would be compared to cars. This has been thrown completely out, as mentioned I have been working on this for over 2 years now (began in March 2019), it has been a number of things that have pushed the project back (pandemic, age of the bike and parts not being readily available, other personal issues) chief among those issues was the sheer scale of what I was doing.

The plan in a nutshell - strip the ENTIRE bike down, get the frame powder coated for rust removal and a decent paint job, then rebuild and improve on some things.

So I began with the strip down, finding seized bolts, lots of rust and to my joyous surprise; the crankcase/engine mounting bracket had broken off.



To the end of the strip down process it was moved from the front of the house, to inside the house (winter months) before finally being put inside a family members garage, where it currently resides during the rebuild.

With the strip down finally completed, I sent it away to get powder coated, then the lock-downs started and the rebuild was put on a hiatus. Months went past before eventually getting the powder coat completed, but I am happy with the results, if not with the price tag that accompanied it.



Rebuilding the bike could commence, which was a minor pain in the backside as I learnt my lesson with powder coating (never had it done before) and that parts would be a bit of a tighter fit than they originally were, as well as having to re-tap all threaded holes. These lessons will be valuable as I do plan on potentially doing another project bike in the future (even with the cost and minor stress it has been, it's an absolute joy being in the garage and working on the bike).

Without going into even greater detail and listing every single minute I spent, here is the list of changes done;
  • New bearings (on eveything).
  • Rear shock changed out for a YSS shock.
  • Both sprockets changed.
  • Brake calipers stripped, cleaned, new brake pistons, seals, pads and brake lines.
  • New forks, fork springs, seals and oil
  • New clutch, throttle, speedo and tacho cables.
  • New spark plugs
  • Changed the headlight brackets for chrome universal ones.

That's everything so far, as mentioned I am still rebuilding this as - due to the age - parts are a little hard to come by. Sadly I don't have an up to date picture at the moment, however here it how it looks from a month ago when my dad and a friend helped me get the engine back in.



For those interested in keeping up to date I do have an Instagram account and do put some pictures up on there, as well as a Twitch channel where I sometimes do garage chats, where I talk a load of crap as well as work on the bike. This thread will be updated as I go along and work on it, the plan is to hopefully get this bike finished for the summer and get riding on it as my first big bike (Used to have a CB125F back during my CBT days).

https://www.instagram.com/redhead_gez/

https://www.twitch.tv/redhead_gez

Will ask some questions on this thread as well guys when I need help, stops me from creating threads every time I have a question.

RedHead_Gez

So guys, a minor update for you along with a picture, not much of a difference compared to the last picture I put on the original post but some progress at least.



Main updates really are the clocks being on, headlight put on loose so I can sort out the last bit of electrics and the clutch cable fitted.

Now I need some help off you fine people, looking at what I have left and some parts diagrams I am not sure on some parts associated with the choke lever. Here's the picture for reference;



So I am missing parts 6,7, 8 and 9. When I look at my old choke cable it has an end to it much like item 6, rather than the ball end that fits into the choke lever, any ideas whether this is just a variant end of the choke cable, or do I need these items added onto my choke cable.

Another minor issue I am having is underneath the left controls there appears to be a few gaps for some stuff and I'm not sure what goes into them, any help would be greatly appreciated as well as maybe some photos if it's not too much of a drama.

Hopefully get some feedback off you guys soon as I can then get the parts sharpish and, with a bit of luck, will be on the road by August, right in time for summer  :D

cbrfxr67

6 7 8 aren't those into the clutch switch?  Pretty sure mine was broke, then I replaced it and as soon as I pulled the clutch it broke again.  Farg that.  I just bypassed it to not have to worry about it.
I dunno how i missed this thread but thanks for sharing.  Followed you on ig and hope to see more!  Good work!
"Its something you take apart in 2-3 days and takes 10 years to go back together."
-buddha

RedHead_Gez

Hey there guys and gals, just a minor update for the bike, no pictures this time just because I am going up later and will get some updated ones for you all.

So then, last time I asked about the parts on the left hand controls, many thanks to cbrfxr67 for that, if they're that easy to break then I am going to leave fitting them until after the MOT and turns out it's just a hold for using the choke cable on cold starts, so not vital. The left hand controls are now all on the bike with the CORRECT grip, ordered a replacement handlebar and got a new grip to match both sides, sadly the one that came was from a different model.

The left - as your riding the bike - fork was leaking before hand, which has sadly led me to get a new fork cylinder and get it replaced, that's been done now and with me heading back to the garage shortly it should have sorted the issue out. Worst case scenario I go up there and find out there's still a leak, which would mean there's a problem with the stanchion itself and I swear to whatever power is out there, I find out there's an issue with that I may start throwing hammers around  >:(

Battery next, so I got a Motobatt battery which sounded good, the whole "maintenance free, install and go" phrases it had was a decent draw for me, you can imagine then my disappointment when I installed it and found it didn't work. Looking into it, turns out it needs an initial charge, great when I'm running low on funds and getting close to my credit card limit  >:( so after getting a charger, plugging it in for an hour or two, I installed it and we had power. No ignition clicking though, which is a bit of a pain as I was hoping it would attempt to start (carbs and tank are still removed due to carb service/setup being done by garage when I am finished) but sadly nothing. Read the Haynes manual and it's led me to the starter relay or even the starter motor, hopefully I will find out later.

Latest addition which was a surprise delivery, the exhaust system arrived and it's now fitted, lovely looking stainless steel exhaust, I think the only disappointment I had with it is the "clamps" for the down-pipes, they're just blocks of stainless steel which press the pipes into the gaskets which do what they need to but not as nice/fancy looking as the originals. The picture updates later will show you what I mean, but it's a minor disappointment which I will have to live with.

Hopefully by end of this month/first week of next month (with great appreciation to the misses right now) it should be with the garage, getting the carbs done and then the MOT.

RedHead_Gez

So guys, here are the pictures I mentioned about, first up is the updated look of the bike.



Nice new stainless steel exhaust fitted, but like I said a little disappointed in the clamps for the downpipes. New ones look like this;



Whereas the old ones look like this;



Like I said before, it's only a small thing and doesn't harm/change anything on the running of the bike but would have been nice if they were similar. So the bike is pretty much ready for pickup from the garage in order to get the carbs and MOT done, so should be on the road soon, although there is an electrical issue which they are going to investigate/repair for me, only thing stopping it now, the fuel tank.  >:(

So the misses came up yesterday and helped out after I posted the previous reply, just needed a little help with the centre stand springs as they're new and were a bit of a Buddha Loves You getting on. Had some shoddy fuel given to me by a family member that was being used in order to swill around the petrol tank, get rid of any moisture and crud that may be hanging around inside the tank, as soon as I did it and laid it down for a moment I found multiple leaks along the fuel tank where the rust has eaten through it.

Joyful  >:(





Luckily, I have found a couple of tanks on the facebook marketplace, so hopefully that issue will be rectified which, kinda need it done before the bike gets picked up, otherwise no MOT.

mr72

that exhaust flange thing is pretty common on aftermarket pipes. Same thing on my Triumph. If the headpipe can be separated from the collector, you might be able to use the finned aluminum parts on the new pipes.

RedHead_Gez

Hey there guys, just a quick update on the bike, nothing visually has changed so the last set of pictures I put up are exactly how it's still looking, turns out the electrical issues are as follows:


  • earth issue - not starting correctly and by the looks it's trying to earth via the sidelight.
  • indicator lights issue - front left (as your riding it) indicator lights, none of the others do, bulbs are all good so potentially a wiring problem there.
  • Tank replacement - rubber seal is perished, however it does keep the fuel in so not completely kaput just yet, only other problem is needing it sprayed.
  • Carb service - as mentioned, being done by the garage, however not sure if I got the right amount of stuff for it (bought a rebuild kit, but not seems to only have seals for 1 instead of 2)

The bike is being picked up by the garage on Wednesday, so hopefully by end of next month at the latest, I should be riding her on the roads.

Oh yeah, didn't realise this but turns out the powder coat has covered the VIN number on the frame, so going to have to remove a square portion of that before Wednesday, not best amused by that as I am under the impression they should have known about it. Then again the person who apparently knew something like that left before it could all be done.

When the MOT is all done I will put up a picture of it before riding it back home for you guys (will go up on the Instagram before I put it up on here)

mr72 - Sadly the down pipes come as one unit, so in order to do what you said I would have to break the weld and re weld them together (got no welding kit and haven't done any welding in over 10 years, so not about to do that) so it's staying as it is. Like I said, annoying cosmetically but I can live with it.

Cheers to those of you who have followed the Instagram so far, when I get comfortable with riding her I will be putting up pictures of any routes I find, who knows may even meet some of you guys in the South of the UK  ;) :)

RedHead_Gez

MASSIVE UPDATE

Hey there ladies and gents, massive update post for you guys as I have been negligent in updating this topic. So we left off last time with the bike being picked up by the garage, having it's carb service and MOT sorted.

Let's start with the easiest thing, turns out the carb repair kit I bought was just for one, rather than the actual full carb set. So bought another and sent straight to the garage, which is a good thing as when they told me, it was mentioned it needed doing as it was full of gunk and the seals had near enough perished.

MOT failed on a major point - part of the frame had been taken off previous to my ownership, which was the block on the lower steering stem, meaning the handlebars could turn so far that they touched the fuel tank. Luckily there was a welder in the same place as the garage which they welded a block to it for a decent price of £20, so winner there.

Next was the exhaust, didn't realise the gaskets are actually "crush" gaskets, so fitted new ones and refitted the old exhaust (at the time I was in 2 minds on getting a new one) and afterwards bought the new exhaust and fitted it, not realising with them being crush gaskets, it's a one time use. Passed on the gaskets that came with the exhausts, which they fitted for me. Couple of other little bits done at the same time such as, tightened up the steering stem nuts too much (went by a rough guess, as the Haynes manual stated 40 Nm, didn't have a c spanner that could be attached to a torque wrench) which hasn't affected the bearings thankfully.

Finally - at least for the initial issues - turns out the perished fuel tank seal wasn't as minor of an issue as I initially thought, so needed a new fuel cap, as well as the fuel tap being shagged as well, massive bit of luck on that as the shop I have used for a lot of my parts had one, so as far as I am aware, the garage should have the parts and be fitting them.

So yeah, not as big of a post as I thought it would be, but those are the updates ladies and gents, so been a minor stressful situation as was hoping I could ride it this summer (may be lucky to ride for the last bit if the weather improves) but such is life.

When everything is all said and done I will post an update a LOT faster onto here, and there will be an update on the Instagram when I go to collect the bike.

Couple of things I am looking at doing in the future, maybe a hugger for the rear end, fuel tank currently has some shoddy carbon wrap stuff on it which will be removed and sprayed gloss black, renew the seat and potentially get a decent covering for it, not sure what exactly to get on it, maybe a GS5 stitched into it.

So yeah keep an eye on here and the Instagram guys as that will also have some posts/photos of it's adventures in the future.

Many thanks for the advice and support ladies and gents.

cbrfxr67

 :thumb:Love me some updates!  Cant wait to see this one on the road!
"Its something you take apart in 2-3 days and takes 10 years to go back together."
-buddha

ShowBizWolf

Great thread! I love updates too.

I know what you mean about those exhaust gaskets. The first time removing the old ones from my bike... it looked like there weren't any even there... had to really dig to pick them out. Crushed, they sure were.

I've got some links for huggers, if you do decide to install one and need options. I also did a detailed writeup back when I installed a Bandit 400 hugger on my GS.
Superbike bars, '04 GSXR headlight & cowl, DRZ signals, 1/2" fork brace, 'Busa fender, stainless exhaust & brake lines, belly pan, LED dash & brake bulbs, 140/80 rear hoop, F tail lens, SV650 shock, Bandit400 hugger, aluminum heel guards & pegs, fork preload adjusters, .75 SonicSprings, heated grips

RedHead_Gez

Very late update, on the tablet so no pics for now.

For those not currently following on Instagram, we have some news

SHE LIVES! THE PHEONIX FLIES ONCE MORE!

The garage called up just shy of 2 weeks ago letting me know it's finished (luckily was out in the area with the family, took the gear just in case 8) ) so got to ride it back, where I noticed a couple of things that didn't exactly make the ride back comfortable.

Gear pedal was fitted high, meaning I had to lift my entire leg to change gears. Clutch lever was setup alright but after a few gear changes it felt like I was going to snap my wrist, she loves the revs as well, after it's warmed up with an initial ride she wants to sit at 4000 revs. Now then the gear pedal and clutch lever are sorted (may have to move the pedal once more but not drastically) but the rev situation is baffling me, read the Haynes manual and set the adjusting screw on the carbs, nothing. Last issue is start up, doesn't exactly like starting up and not sure on what the solution could potentially be for this.

Potential problem I am thinking is the throttle cable, put it in the second hole on the grip, may change it to the first/front hole and see if that helps, if not then all out of options for myself. Should it persist then it's a trip back to the garage (closer one this time) to get it sorted. Gas tank and seat are still on the cards but again, that's a future issue that can be done at any other time.

Those wanting pictures, head on over to the Instagram for now as, not sure why but the forum thinks my browser is a spam address  ??? Weird but I will sort it eventually.

Here's the Instagram for those wanting pics of adventures (first one was around Cheddar Gorge)

https://www.instagram.com/redhead_gez/

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