Hey all! I just cam e across this site and thought I'd say hello. I just picked up a basket case 1989 GS500; hoping to assemble it all and get it back on the road in short order. I'm new to motorcycles, but very interested in learning!
Will try to post pics once I get it home.
Welcome! :cheers:
Welcome Baco99!!!
Looking forward to some pics on your new project. If ever you need help you will most definitely find it here.
Below are a couple of member sites that helped me immensely on my rebuild project.
Kerry's site ----- http://www.bbburma.net/
Starwalts site ---- http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&groupid=41309&ck=
Good luck :cheers:
and post pics (I have a GS rebuild fetish to satisfy :icon_twisted:)
just got a message back from the PO, it's not as much of a basket case as i'd thought! needs new front fork seals installed (come with sale), needs tank hooked up, and wheels put back on. hopefully i can ride it home!
O0
then the mods begin... :o
Welcome baco bits. Sounds like a fun projects. :thumb:
If you can ride it home, then you are the man.
Meh. Fork seals are over rated.
What color is this beast?
i think all the 89s were white... no? i'd like to strip the graphics and go with the simpler lettering found on newer bikes. probably in a titanium grey metallic finish on the tank and tail.
Welcome, and congrats on your new bike!!! :cheers: :icon_mrgreen:
Welcome! :thumb: Pics of your bike?
Welcome!
'89's came in either white with a dark blue and light blue stripe, or black with a red and white stripe.
From another noob, welcome! :thumb:
Quote from: scratch on June 27, 2006, 12:12:14 PM
'89's came in either white with a dark blue and light blue stripe, or black with a red and white stripe.
Or, according to the Haynes, "Pearl White", "Italian Red" and "Pearl Black" (not to be confused with the "Saturn Black" of my K2 :laugh:).
Most have been re-painted a time or two anyway.
But the coolest thing about the 89? Sweet ass clip on handle bars that 18 years worth of GS owners will totally be jealous of. That is worth the price of admission right there (in the the very elite GS owners club).
Welcome Baco!!
pretty sure this one's stock white.
will the clip ons make it easier to install clubman-style bars later? and advantages or disadvantages?
also, annguyen1981 ...i like your Corgis. i have 2 myself!
baco how are we supposed to pronounce your name
is it like this
Bay Co
or
Bah Co
Option 1
like bacon, but without the n. unless you pronouce bacon as bahcon. in which case, i can't help you.
Welcome, bacon! ;) :icon_mrgreen:
Quote from: baco99 on June 27, 2006, 05:58:46 PM
Option 1
like bacon, but without the n. unless you pronouce bacon as bahcon. in which case, i can't help you.
Bwahaha.... you'll come to find that most of us are beyond help.. for many reasons besides our horrible pronunciation of commonplace words.
Welcome to the forum!
I think to install clubman bars, you'll actually have to swap your clip ons for the standard mounting hardware. Fortunately for you, there are any number of people on this forum who would sell their left testicle (or other genitalia) to get their hands on some clip ons for the GS. So it should be fairly easy for you to post in the WTS forum that you wish to trade for some standard hardware.. I'd bet you get a hit within a day or two.
Enjoy your stay here.. watch out for the dumbasses, and even moreso for the smartasses *cough*ME*cough*
:laugh:
Picked up the bike today and passed papers. It needs some significant assembly before I can get it on the road:
- Gas tank was primed on the outside and needs to be painted
- Gas tank was left out and has rust on the inside. Needs POR15 or similar treatment
- Chain is filthy dirty, needs to be oiled and all links need to be checked
- Needs rear rotor
- Needs rear wheel mounted and aligned
- Needs front fork seals and forks reinstalled; front wheel mounted
- Underseat fairings need to be refinished and installed
- Install choke cable
- Front brake lever needs adjustment or replacement
Once all of this is done, it should be ready to go. Then it's a matter of keeping it on the road until winter when it can be fully stripped and refinished. The frame paint is white and looks horrible.
If anyone has any of these parts hanging around, shoot me a PM.
yo if u need anything on exhaust i got ur back dude and welcome to the forum.
headers have a lot of surface rust, but i'll just use a wire brush and some hi-temp black to clean it up.
baco, welcome to the fold.
Quote from: baco99 on June 27, 2006, 05:58:46 PM
Option 1
like bacon, but without the n. unless you pronouce bacon as bahcon. in which case, i can't help you.
hahhahaha, I think you're going to fit in nicely around here...
anyway, about the clubmans. most people are installing clubmans/Suburban-Machinery bars to get the position nearest to what you already have-the clip ons. I know from having the S-M bars that they position the bars about same place as where the stock above-triple clipons you have are located.
white frame? ugh. too bad. Primed bodywork? ugh, too bad again. the white 89' look is a classic. paint it all back to stock if you can.
plenty of good info around here to help you with your project. Quite an auspicious start for someone new to motorcycles. congrats and good luck.
i'm thinking a dark silver frame (like a titanium or graphite color) with matte black tank and tail sections like a Ducati Monster Dark with a rad rod twist...
(http://www.ducatiaylesbury.co.uk/ducati_bikes/m1000s_05/black.jpg)
Quote from: NiceGuysFinishLast on June 28, 2006, 06:03:32 AM
I think to install clubman bars, you'll actually have to swap your clip ons for the standard mounting hardware. Fortunately for you, there are any number of people on this forum who would sell their left testicle (or other genitalia) to get their hands on some clip ons for the GS. So it should be fairly easy for you to post in the WTS forum that you wish to trade for some standard hardware.. I'd bet you get a hit within a day or two.
NGFL... I PM'd him about the clip-ons as soon as he mentioned not liking them. HAHAHAHa. I did not offer my left nut though.
HA! Left nut, not required. I've decided to keep the bars for now. I've sat on the bike a few times to make engine noises and the seating position seems good for now. Once I get it on the road I'll know for sure.
Took the forks off this weekend, and primed and painted the wheels. The wheels will match the body color, a metallic charcoal/black. Will look good IMO. When I tear the bike down again in the winter, I think the frame will go anthracite.
I'm hoping to have this on the road by the end of the weekend.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=24409.0
Here is my old thread on the bike I ressurected. be sure to post pics on your project, dude. You will be surprised at how many of us get a kick out of it.
good luck.
will do. i need to find my camera first!
rear wheel is painted and cleared
front wheel painted, clear will go on tomorrow
tank is sanded and patched, POR15 came tonight and will be done tomorrow; paint, paint, and clear on Fri.
side panels cleaned, left side is cracked and needs repair; will repair tomorrow, fill on Fri, and paint on Sat.
Once ALL THIS is done, I'm assembling, doing the fork seals, cleaning the chain, charging the battery, and firing it up.
sorry i probably won't have pics until she's reassembled....it's quite a transformation....
forks are done. took all day!!!! could only find SAE 10 oil locally.
POR15 for tank is done
tank, side fairings, and rear handle were sanded primed and painted today. i didn't bother patching the side panel, oh well.
hopefully wheels go back on tomorrow after Italy beats France.
One step closer, got my tag and insurance today. i should be able to button her up before the weekend!
can anyone outline what they do for a motorcycle inspection?
Quote from: baco99 on July 11, 2006, 08:43:52 AM
One step closer, got my tag and insurance today. i should be able to button her up before the weekend!
can anyone outline what they do for a motorcycle inspection?
Hope this helps, pulled it from the massrmv site
What do they inspect on my motorcycle?
VIN Number/Registration/License Plates
Tire and Wheels/Wheel Bearings
Axle Clamps/Cotter Pins
Brake Operation/Condition
Steering Head Bearings/Stops
Handlebars/Fork Tubes/Cables
Frame/Body/Fenders
Controls/Mirrors/Horn
Headlights/Headlight Aim
Turn Signals/4-Way Flashers
Tail Lamps/Brake Lights/ other Lighting Devices
Seating/Footrests
Fuel System/Engine/Battery/Exhaust/Excessive Noise
Swingarm/Shocks
Chain/Sprockets/Guard
Windshield/Cowling (if applicable)
Safety Bars/Luggage Racks
Sidecar (if applicable)
nice thanks. do our bikes have 4-way flashers?
And how do they check wheel bearings if they can't see them?
Got her running today for about a minute, then the engine flooded. Time to adjust the carbs. I hope the floats aren't stuck, would be a PITA to take the tank off again...
Needs a battery too. I started it off the Saab.
Also, the horn doesn't work, nor does the low beam light. it used to, but now doesn't. GREAT!
Good news is the engine has a nice sound to it, no weird clacking or jumping. Very smooth start once the gas lines filled up. ALMOST THERE!
(http://users.rcn.com/baco99/suzi/IMG_4532.jpg)
(http://users.rcn.com/baco99/suzi/IMG_4535.jpg)
This is a good shot of the metallic black and clearcoat. Needs another shot of clear...maybe next year.
(http://users.rcn.com/baco99/suzi/IMG_4542.jpg)
also. tell me why my gauges look so weird. are they mounted upside-down?
take close up pics of the gages.
they look upside down, but I've had these apart and can't think for the life of me how someone could do that.
I bet they are off another bike.
Please take closeups, I really want to know. :cheers:
i'll see if i can upload to the gallery from work.
anyone have a STEP-BY-STEP procedure for solving the flooding issue. gas literally poors out of the carbs after 30 seconds of idling. i search for "flooding" and there are a number of articles on rejetting, but nothing that tries to track down an existing issue.
THANKS!!!!
Quote from: baco99 on July 14, 2006, 06:36:43 AM
gas literally poors out of the carbs after 30 seconds of idling.
where is it pouring from/to?
it was dark, so i'm not 100% sure, but it was def the carbs, not the tank or fuel lines (although i did put the petcock under the tank on backwards, that will be a Buddha Loves You to swap over. i can still turn the fuel on and off with pliers, tho.
it seems to pour out faster when the fuel shutoff petcock by the intake is set to "prime" (arrow pointing up). when it is set to "on" (arrow pointing down) it flows slower until the overflow is complete and then stops.
sounds like you r frame mounted petcock is busted.
find out where the gas is comming from, and take pics if possible. let us know.
oh shaZam!. found a pinhole leak in the tank on the left side. went to take it off to play with the carbs and noticed the new paint peeling. I guess the POR15 didn't get that corner....
i can't win!!!!
OK. drained the tank, let it dry, opened the hole, and applied some liquid weld. after 3 hours, added fuel and waited to see what happened...NO LEAK! not sure how lobg this stuff lasts, but it seemed to do the trick.
also, i think the problem with flooding has to do with the "on" and "res" lines being switched. gonna investigate further later.
horn and lo-beam still aren't working, not sure why! maybe a fuse?
other than that, i took her out for a ride tonight!!! runs and shifts well enough for me. has a nice idle when the fuel is flowing properly.
thanks for all your help and suggestions, i'm 90% there!
How did you paint your bike? Did you use a spray gun or spray cans? How did it come out?
i used cans. 2 coats with the paint and 1 clear. it came out OK, but needs a wet sand before the second shot of clear. haven't done it yet because of the high humidity lately.
took her out again yesterday. runs fine when in gear, but not getting enough fuel at idle. I have to switch the petcock to PRIME for 5-10 seconds with it running, and then switch back to RUN before the gas poors out. Then it's fine again for another 2 or so miles or the next long light.
17.6 miles and counting...
still having the fuel issue. i think it's the petcock, and not the carbs. took it to my local shop and he said the petcock has a small filter that needs to be cleaned, could be impeding the fuel flow in RUN. suggested i take it apart and clean it. anyone tried this?
i also looked through the manual on the carbs: not much in the way of adjustability. How to you tune for idle, etc? i'm used to seeing a set screw or something; not familiar with Mikuni...
The idle screw is the big screw with a plastic knob that sticks down between the carbs. Warm her up, then adjust the idle with her running. I don't remember which way is which.. you can either search here.. or just try it... :laugh:
i'll give it a whirl when i get home. found more blistering on the left side of the tank. the PO did a poor job of repairing the tank.
So, the tank is a gonner. The POR15 treatment did not work and is peeling from the inside. Not sure why since I followed the directions exactly.
I used a wire brush and grinding wheel to remove all the PO's bondo patchin to reveal a HOST of small holes and some biguns.
Coyote, how soon can i get that tank???
POR15 peeling after 2 weeks.
(http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/14980/normal_tankinsidepeel.JPG)
Pinholes in tank seam
(http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/14980/normal_tankpinholes.JPG)
(http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/14980/normal_tankpinoles.JPG)
BIG Hole in tank
(http://www.gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/14980/normal_tankBIGholes.JPG)
OK, for those interested in my saga - I finally got the tank from coyote in working condition. Took the carbs apart to see what was inside and realized why the bugger was flooding. the float needles were installed in the wrong valve assemblies. one needle was jambed into a jetway for the idler. no wonder it would lose idle!
i replaced the valve assemblies and seals and will try it out when i get my new fuel petcock next week.
what's the really small o ring for? i know where the other 2 go.