For a few different reasons, I decided to garage my bike early this winter. :cry:
I've got a lot of stuff planned, and a lot that I just haven't gotten around to doing to the GS; including Race-Tech springs at the Kat wheel sitting in my garage collecting dust.
This is my ongoing thread of my progress this winter, and it will document everything I'm doing to the GS. I've got a LOT of work to do, and I'm finally going to be finding the time again to do some wrenching!
It's very exciting :icon_mrgreen:
I've got a ton of stuff planned, but I'm keeping that to myself for now; you'll be able to see my progress here with pictures.
The first step was ditching the F-model farings. I love fared bikes... but the F- farings dont do the GS500 ANY justice. They sort-of make it look like a sportbike... but you put it up next to SS bikes & it just doesnt look right. Suzuki could have done much better I think. A great thing about the GS is it's so damn thin. The farings hide this. I took them off, looked at the GS from the rear, and it was a night & day difference. It is so damn slender and sexy. :icon_razz:
So they're GONE!
well.... in my garage until someone buys them.
With these finally gone I'll be able to do most of my work. My bike is naked right now with the tach/speedo and bars dangling. Finally I can get wrenching on that front end!
I'll give you guys some pics next time.
Naked bikes are sexier.
Nice work.
looing forward to the progress. btw, what is this winter thing you speak of?
Quote from: pantablo on October 07, 2006, 09:38:57 PM
looing forward to the progress. btw, what is this winter thing you speak of?
Cockface! :laugh:
[that fulfills my daily quota set by Mak...]
I've only got another 2 months of riding this season... :cry:
I've got 2 months till the really good track weather. then a few days of rain, then the start of the trackday season again....
I hate you.
:laugh:
not much of an update but I just wanted to throw this out there:
http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Categories.bok?category=%3E+CLIP+ONS%3AWOODCRAFT
These guys have outstanding prices for clipons; especially woodcraft (only $140?!?!). They have another set that rise a pretty good amount for all you F-model riders that are interested. I think they're around $200. Those are pretty expensive though.
I'm probably going to order a set of clipons off this site this weekend as soon as the ebay auctions end & paypal puts the money into my account. I'm gonna call 1st though & see what they're all about, & if they actually have them instock.
The bike is coming along good so far. I'd post a pic but it's pretty much just torn down some. I'm waiting for the farings to go so I can really dig into it. All I really got done yesterday was an oil & filter change. It's so much easier without the damn farings in the way...
Quote from: pantablo on October 07, 2006, 09:49:11 PM
I've got 2 months till the really good track weather. then a few days of rain, then the start of the trackday season again....
getting dam cold in the great white north eh!!!! screw this living in calli :flipoff:
We had a high of 47 today. Low near 30.
Oh, and. . .
naked bikes suck!!!
bah...I ride til there's ice on the road.
Quote from: Jake D on October 12, 2006, 11:18:34 AM
naked bikes suck!!!
get out of my thread :flipoff:
:icon_mrgreen:
well one cant hurt. Still just tearing it down...
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Maintenance%20Pics/DSCF0001-2.jpg)
I wanna get the Race Tech springs in first, and then the fun begins!
...and yes my toolbox is no longer a soggy mix of shoebox/tools in a pile on the floor. :thumb:
took the forks off today, only to find that the seals now need replacing too.... crap :mad:
Ok a little update.
It's been a few days figuring out what the hell to do with the fork seals. Bikebandit lists fork seals for the 04+ models as $25 PER seal. All older models were about $10 per seal. HUGE difference. Their part #s for each year are so all-over the place so there is really no way of matching the two. My guess was that it's a scam. The forks & internals havent changed in about 20 years to my knowledge. But wtf do I know. I asked here & on the UK site, and got more pushes in the direction that they are all pretty much universal.
So I ordered some seals today from bikebandit for the 2002 model GS. They are listed individually, so the price came out to about $27 shipped. I still think I saved myself $30, but we'll see when they get here. Keep a heads up for some new forkseals in the FS section ;)
Anyways, the bike is in even more pieces. I test fitted the Katana wheel out of boredom & it was a sinch. I think the difficulty of this mod is about the equivelant of changing the oil.... When I actually get some money I'll go ahead and order a set of rubber. I've got all winter & putting new tires will probably be the last thing I do.
I also figured that since I was on such a roll ordering online, that I'd go ahead & order a set of these from the website I listed above. I did it over the phone after checking that they were actually in stock, customer service was great, & I saved myself about $8. The woodcraft CFM site lists them in the mid-$140s, and for some reason parts411 has them for about $185 :flipoff:
(http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/catalog/12100clip-ons400.jpg)
I asked woodcraft about them & they have a 7degree down-angle, which is "ideal for most sportbike racers" :dunno_white: :laugh:
They're going to throw me over the front end a lot more, but I actually like that. I get more feedback & control out of it, but to each his own....
slow to progress lately. :cry:
unfortunatly working on my bike is on the backburner until I get some critical things done in the next two months. I'm not gonna bore u all w/ the details of my life, but I have been able to get some research done. The headlight is going to be the big mod.
someone in a different forum is streetfightering his 600RR, and is putting one of these on his bike:
http://www.acerbis.com/p107_headlight/3002.html
note: here is a link to all of their headlights/taillights: http://www.acerbis.com/p107_headlight/p107.html
they're pretty neat I guess. Acerbis is primarily a dirtbike company, but this unit us pretty much universal because it mounts onto the forks instead of the steering stem. I figured worth posting here because it IS an alternative. They have a few different styles of headlight assemblies if you check out the site.
Search for acerbis on ebay & you can find pics of them installed on different bikes. I think it's a bit much.... and they're only crappy halogen bulbs. My idea is much muuuuuch better, but will take some crafting to figure out the best way to mount it & protect it from the elements... not to mention get it to work. But more on that when the time comes.
on another note the clipons have finally arrived, but I am STILL waiting for the damn fork oil seals from bikebandit. Once I get those damn seals I can take apart the forks, change the seals, install the race tech springs & oil, and put it all back together with the clipons installed. Right now my bike looks like the above pic, minus the forks, the Kat rim test-fitted, and surrounded by Bud Light bottles...
wow I havent updated this thread in a while...
anyways. since my last post I've moved from a place with a grage, to an appartment, so the bike is at my sister's house about 20 minutes away from me.
needless to say, I dont get to tinker with the bike everyday now... :cry:
spring will be here soon, & hopefully it'll be all back together by then.
anyways, as soon as I got the whole front end together (springs, clipons, etc) a killer deal for this ZX-7 front end landed in my lap:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/gsforsaleleft.jpg?t=1170382408)
The forks were set up by GMD Computrack, and it includes the GMD machined triples.
hopefully everything will work out & I'll get it!
plus a penseke race monoshock, and maybe someother stuff.
If nobody buys the bike whole, this guy'll be parting everythign out.
till next time....
... I just noticed from the pic- it looks like this has the Woodcraft split clip-ons as well.... sweet!
Things have been in limbo for a little while, but they should be picking up pretty quickly.
I'm picking up the parts package in VT on Sunday, and will hopefully install it Monday night; we'll see.
I am not getting the Penseke race shock. I think it was an SV650 shock & the owner is keeping it. I do still have my GSX-R rear shock installed.
I AM getting:
-two Bandit 400 4" wheels.
-two ZX-7 wheels.
-one set of very slightly used Pilot Sport Tires (mounted).
-one set of Rain tires (mounted).
-Full GMD ZX-7 USD Front End, wheel to clips w. GMD machined triple trees & SS lines.
crappy pics to follow...
*excited*
Sounds awesome, post those pictures up! :thumb:
seriously.. I wanna see this new front end!
Ok here are a few pics of the new front end.
I'll start with the extra wheels I got. Two Bandit400 wheels, and one zx-7 front (the other is on my bike). The black wheel is going on my bike as soon as I get it cleaned up some. Lighting in this one sux:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Maintenance%20Pics/DSCF0001-1.jpg?)
Here is a pic of the top triple that was machined by GMD. Some sticker glue on there that I gotta clean off, but it's friggin sweet. You cant see from the pic, but the steering stem was also custom made, as well as the lower triple:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Maintenance%20Pics/DSCF0004.jpg?t=1172077182)
Here is a close-up of the front. The steering stops on the bottom triple are drilled offset & very much adjustable. The resevoir is a bit banged up, well, the whole master cylinder assembly is; so I'll be getting a new one shortly. Ignition will have to be remounted, as well as the guages. I'll be keeping the stock tach, but getting a cheap digital speedo somewhere:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Maintenance%20Pics/DSCF0005.jpg?t=1172077559)
Front again:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Maintenance%20Pics/DSCF0002.jpg?t=1172078070)
The front fender had a bunch of stickers on it. I got most of them off, but it still needs to com off & be cleaned up a bit:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Maintenance%20Pics/DSCF0003.jpg?t=1172078127)
One of the calipers:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Maintenance%20Pics/DSCF0006.jpg?t=1172078245)
That's all for now :thumb:
How's tank clearance with those clipons at full lock?
no clearance issues at all. In the position the clipons are set up, there is about 1.5" of clearance between the grip and the frame at full turn(they are too low to touch the tank). Clipons are adjustable, so they can be rotated into pretty much any position desired. I like them close & tucked in, but you could rotate them outwards if you wanted.
they are set in basicaly the same position on this front end, as they were on my GS front end w/ clipons.
Nice. I know my '89 clipons had to be slightly bent to avoid clearance issues at full lock, that's why I asked.
I dunno why I was thinking Pilot Sport; they are Pilot Race tires. Not planning on using them for the street though.
I've still got a bit of work to do on the front alone, just to get it streetable again & cleaned up.
I'd really like to do something with all the cables; they're so freakishly long! They used to be hidden under the F-model farings. I wonder if the '04+ are actually longer than the E-model's cables....
any idea why all the electricals work, except anything to do with the turn signals????
I've got the wiring diagram & am going to dig into it in a few days. maybe I overlooked something in wiring the headlight. It's very strange.
battery is dead. has been in on a charger for months & topped off, but still useless. I tried jumping the bike off my car battery with no luck. Starter turns over like a champ but the bike wont fire. gonna do the usual w/ new plugs, gas, fuel lines, clean the carbs...
new lines because something strange happened this winter. One of the hoses attaching to the tank fuel valve started leaking gas for some reason. Couldnt figure it out really. i thought it was coming from the carbs, but it looked to be coming all the way from the tank. I closed the valve & it stopped. I figure if it were coming from the carbs or somewhere lower, a little bit more gas would have leaked out throught the lines once I closed the tank valve. Once I closed it though; it stopped.
I did put stabil in the tank for the winter, but was lazy & didnt run it through the system or drain the carbs. :cookoo: now I'm paying for it.
new chain needs to be cut & installed, but that's no concern really.
speedo is gone. tach still needs to be mounted. I dont even wanna think about it till I get the bike working again though...
mount the ignition...
scratch got mad at me because I am lazy & resurrected a bunch or old-ass threads. :icon_twisted:
I'm really just thinking out loud at this point...
So a few more simple but tedious steps to go & I should be all set & riding for the spring.
suddenly I'm glad theres still snow on the ground :dunno_white:
bike looks great w/ the new headlight. I've snapped some pics but wont be able to put them up till mid-next week. :icon_confused:
any ideas about those turn signals??
You wanna sell that white Bandit rim?
no, the colored wheels are for the track rubber.
here are a few more pics. I still have quite a few little things to do.
the headlight is an Acerbis. I caved & bought it because I'm not sure how much more I'll be using the GS for the street. It'll be serving track-duty pretty soon. The lighting is sub-par (no suprise), but I'm gonna check out a few LED options for improvement. The color is a little off, but that's a quick fix. I'm not expecting that windscreen to do much, I do like the look of it though. If I can find a better bulb or wire it up for something w/ a much greater intensity it'd be perfect:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Maintenance%20Pics/DSCF0003-1.jpg?)
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Maintenance%20Pics/DSCF0004-1.jpg?)
speedo is gone. tach still needs to be mounted though:
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Maintenance%20Pics/DSCF0001-3.jpg?)
IT'S ALIIIIVEEEEEE!!!!! MWUAHAHAHAHHAHAH!
hide your daughters.
Quote from: l3uddha on March 28, 2007, 04:04:27 PM
IT'S ALIIIIVEEEEEE!!!!! MWUAHAHAHAHHAHAH!
hide your daughters.
Pictures. Now.
How are you mounting the elec speedo?
James
Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on March 28, 2007, 04:15:45 PM
Pictures. Now.
sheesh, lemme wash the thing 1st!
Anakist, I'm gonna pick up a bicycle speedo that uses a magnetic sensor at the wheel. Mounting it will be a sinch since they're so small; probably just find something sticky :icon_razz:
I was looking at other stuff but those are probably the simplest. many of them have features like top speed, odometer, temperature display, etc.
When I pick one up I'm gonna crack it open, wire it to the GS harness, and bypass the illuminate button so it will be lit all the time. Shouldnt be difficult, but hard to figure out since I dont have it yet. I'll have to check out the current & voltage diferences as well. If they gets too tricky, I'll just cram a tiny LED in there that's wired to the GS harness. I dont expect it to be hard though.
it's almost May, so I'll have to get the bike inspected soon :o
should be alright though. I ordered the 7" single headlight & bracket kit w/ signals from www.aztec8.com , which should arrive in a few days. Scott (from aztec8) said he'd powdercoat it black for me for free. I dunno why. I think it's just because I kept confusing him over the phone & he was like "whatever"... :laugh:
Forgot to mention that when I got the chain on a few weeks ago, I cut it down to 14 teeth. So, up 6 teeth on the rear sprocket = 14 or 15 tooth chain.
ummm.... ordered a set of woodcraft stands because I NEEEEED them. :icon_rolleyes:
Picked up the bicycle speedo today, but that will be one of the last things to go on. For some reason, it says in the directions that a sticker magnet is included in the box, but of course it's not. Nor was it in any of the other boxes when I went back to the store. Thankfully a hardware store was right next door. Got some magnets, just gotta stick them on somehow. I forget the speedo brand off the top of my head, but I'll put it up.
Once I get the new headlight I'll go ahead & mount the tach. I've been working on the bracket for the past few days. I cut up the stock stuff with a hand saw & sanded it down. It's pretty funny actually, & it might look good. The spraypaint is drying right now. I'll post pics later because my arm is tired from all the cutting! :)
yea I need a new friggin battery too :cry:
I went for a ride today & the bike died. I had to push it up a little hill & turn it around to bump start it.
oh and the new suspension & tires: :kiss3: :bowdown: :kiss3: :bowdown: :kiss3: :bowdown: :kiss3: :bowdown:
What-the-hell sprockets are you running? ??? Is first gear even going to do anything? :icon_confused:
stock 16t front & 45t rear.
1st gear= WEEEEEEEEEEEE :laugh:
just like a 14t front & stock rear
I like the 15T 'cause I need 1st a lot in Seattle... *grumble* *grumble* *traffic* *grumble*
crappy cell phone pic.
more to come when I get my new digicam.
the GS is a trackbike only now.
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l98/l3luemang0/Photo-3.jpg?t=1188148140)
Quote from: l3uddha on August 26, 2007, 10:16:05 AM
more to come when I get my new digicam.
Slow shipping eeehh??? :laugh:
Anything new??
I completely forgot about this build, it's been so long since we had an update... *hint hint* *wink wink* :icon_mrgreen:
lol yea the GS has been gathering dust since last august. I did a few more sweet things (all suspension if I remember) over this past winter and will post pics shortly. I've been taking my other bike to the track all this year, but am going to get the GS fixed up again for the next two dates in july. I just need a new battery (again), a new chain (again), and possibly clean the carbs. I'll see how bad it is when it fires up for the first time in months.
came by to try and look up what chain size I got before lol. They're 520 chains, right???
oh yea the new bike... I picked up one of these silly little things back in february:
(http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v239/69/120/667406726/n667406726_766831_7330.jpg)
(http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v256/69/120/667406726/n667406726_912145_2476.jpg)
Truimph Daytona 675 SE if im not mistaken :thumb: