GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

Well, sort of. I've replaced the tank and resprayed the tank, mudguard, tail plastics and frame. Here are the results.

Before:

(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg53/stdb11/SNB20192.jpg)

(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg53/stdb11/SNB20190.jpg)

(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg53/stdb11/SNB20191.jpg)

During:

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/hmu02344/1.jpg)

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/hmu02344/2.jpg)

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/hmu02344/0.jpg)


And here are the 'after' shots.

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/hmu02344/3.jpg)

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/hmu02344/4.jpg)

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/hmu02344/5.jpg)

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/hmu02344/6.jpg)

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/hmu02344/7.jpg)

I'm really happy with how it's turned out. I must have spent sooooooo many hours doing this, I'd have been crushed if it had looked rubbish. I spent £30 on a new (used) tank, £20 on primer, paint and petrol resistant lacquer, £10 on decals, and £10 on sand paper. £70 all in.

The instructions on the petrol resistant lacquer insisted that the paint must be fine-sanded to a matt finish to achieve the correct gloss finish afterwards. I was reluctant to do this, and was initially disappointed that it doesn't shine as it might, but the slightly matt effect is growing on me. I'd be interested to see what others think.

Oh, and I realise that the chain is slack: I installed my 14t sprocket, then it started pouring with rain, so I didn't get a chance to tighten the chain or test it out!

Love the matt black look  :thumb:

One other thing - I have some stickers left over, and there's prolly no point putting them on eBay, so if anyone wants them I'm happy to pop them in the post. Despite appearing gold in this shot, they are in fact "metallic silver", as seen on my finished bike.

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/hmu02344/SNB20242.jpg)

I agonised over whether to put one of the 'S's on the mudguard, but went for 'less is better'. Ditto tank decals.

I also have a question: after reconnecting the new tank, the fuel pipes are now full of air rather than petrol. When I fill the tank am I ok to just carry on as normal or is there some sort of bleeding process that I need to carry out to remove the air?

I had fuel starvation , from removing the tank , alot of checking and giving her a rev , and it was working fine,

Ill take those off ur hands , my bikes due for paint soon , and they would help :D Thanks !

Excellent, I hate wasting things. PM me your address and I'l send them tomorrow.

Nice work! The bike looks great.  :thumb:

Excellent work!  :)

Quote from: Villager on April 09, 2008, 10:27:24 AM
after reconnecting the new tank, the fuel pipes are now full of air rather than petrol. When I fill the tank am I ok to just carry on as normal or is there some sort of bleeding process that I need to carry out to remove the air?

The "bleeding" process is accomplished by turning the petcock to PRIme and letting the bike sit for a couple of minutes. This allows time for fuel to flow through the fuel lines and down into the carburetor bowls; the air gets pushed out the carburetor vents in the process.

Very nice! looks a helluva lot better than before. You did a really good job with the paint job, the decals are a nice finishing touch.

Cheers, looks great man.   :cheers: Brilliant! (always wanted to say that).  bucks1605 up above and I have been going back and forth about painting and colors, etc.  so we know what you went through.  It's nice to know that across "the pond" gs owners are experiencing the same tasks.  I even appreciate the masking photos as I was trying to figure out how to do it myself.

Decals came out great too.  Question - did you put a clear coat on it?  Will it stand up to scratching, etc.?

Pete

Part of me regrets not going for a more radical colour scheme that would really catch the eye... but alas.

I used a petrol resistant lacquer on top (see here (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchCmd?text=petrol+resistant+lacquer&action=search&storeId=10001&catalogId=10151&langId=-1)). It promises to dry to a "tough, durable shell". I hope so.

Using paper and masking tape is very fiddly (took me about 20 minutes to get it all covered, but I suppose the only alternatives are completely dissassembling the bike, or using a brush rather than a spray can - which would be easier, but I had a can of silver spray handy!

The hardest part was getting a smooth finish on the tank. The replacement tank had small imperfections / dents and it's impossible to simply put some filler in the dent; you've got to smother it over the whole panel and create a whole new finish. I must have spent 10-15 hours sanding, filling, resanding and priming to get it right.

(http://washford.scene7.com/is/image/Washford/768697?$prod$)

Quick question though, is that a standard license plate over in the UK? It's almost twice as big as the ones over here in the states.

'fraid so!

Ha,mine is bigger  :flipoff:

That matte black looks great man ! I guess your side of the pond gets 'flash to pass' on all their bikes - or is that a mod you've done yourself ?

Nice sv650 mirrors too. The clip ons / grips /all looks fantastic.

I see others are posting like mad - where did you buy the graphics ? That turned out great on your tank !

Congrats, looks cool !

www.bikedecals.co.uk/ (http://www.bikedecals.co.uk/)

The flash button came with the bike - I've no idea whether it's stock or not.

I didn't realise the mirrors weren't stock either!

I'm loving the heated grips personally - no more frostbite on my morning commute!

Quote from: ohgood on April 09, 2008, 01:25:00 PM
I guess your side of the pond gets 'flash to pass' on all their bikes - or is that a mod you've done yourself ?

I was wondering what that thing was.

We have the "flash to pass" or "passing" button as stock on all our vehicles here in EU. I think it's mandatory.
Is there a reason you don't have that in US?

Oh, and nice bike! :icon_mrgreen:
Love that colour. Reminds me of a Duc Monster Dark. :icon_mrgreen:

Quote from: simon79 on April 09, 2008, 01:40:39 PM
We have the "flash to pass" or "passing" button as stock on all our vehicles here in EU. I think it's mandatory.
Is there a reason you don't have that in US?

The newer bikes have flash to pass. I don't know what year it started here. I was just surprised to see an older model gs with it.

There are allot of things I'm surprised we don't have in the US actually ;)

VERY nice job!  :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

Bike looks excellent!
Also, what kind of clip-ons are those?

I have no idea; I didn't realise they weren't stock.

It's nice to get a good response to what I've done: when you spend hour after hour on the small details I think you end up liking it by psychological necessity. Hopefully I've had a positive impact on the quality of the bike.

Quote from: Villager on April 09, 2008, 08:32:55 PM
I have no idea; I didn't realise they weren't stock.

It's nice to get a good response to what I've done: when you spend hour after hour on the small details I think you end up liking it by psychological necessity. Hopefully I've had a positive impact on the quality of the bike.

Those are stock clip ons for euro spec bikes.Only 89 got clip ons in the US.My 89 still has it's original clip ons.

looks way better!!

Quote from: ben2go on April 09, 2008, 09:01:06 PM

Quote from: Villager on April 09, 2008, 08:32:55 PM
I have no idea; I didn't realise they weren't stock.

It's nice to get a good response to what I've done: when you spend hour after hour on the small details I think you end up liking it by psychological necessity. Hopefully I've had a positive impact on the quality of the bike.

Those are stock clip ons for euro spec bikes.Only 89 got clip ons in the US.My 89 still has it's original clip ons.

I want them  :cry:

matte black FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I did mine the same, except bronze wheels.  Great bike.

I'd highly recommend treating innards of the tank with POR-15 to prevent rusting. Read in the Wiki - http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Restoration/TankRust (http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Restoration/TankRust)
A pretty colored tank with mucho gunk inside will not get you very far (distance-wise)  :icon_lol:

Looks fantastic, mate!  :cheers:

I absolutely love the gen1 SV650 mickey mouse mirrors. They look so darn good on the GS.

I have treated the tank innards - I wasn't going to bother, then I decided I would keep the bike for more than the short term, and went ahead and did it.

Quote from: bombadillo on April 10, 2008, 09:49:10 AM
matte black FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I did mine the same, except bronze wheels.  Great bike.

FTW? I really wanted to use more imaginative colours, but I chickened out. I suppose it's not too late for the wheels - any suggestions? It wouldn't be a great hassle to repaint the frame if anyone has any great ideas to go with the matt black.


After replacing tank etc, installing heated grips and 14 front sprocket, I took the bike for it's first run today. Here's what I found:

- Paint job added a perceived 6bhp - it just feels better to ride something you have some pride in.

- Heated grips are fecking ace. Why did I court frostbite for so long? Seriously worth the money - they get HOT!

- I was initially disappointed with the difference made by the 14t. I didn't feel it to be much stronger pulling away, barely noticeable. Where I was pleased though was in power delivery at higher rpms. It DOES feel like a different bike, and sounds a lot angrier too, which is lovely. It doesn't just sound like it's revving harder, it sounds different - can anyone explain?

- Put into practice the advice solicited regarding cornering - countersteering, looking through the corner, relaxing etc. All stuff which I knew, but had stopped (or never properly started) doing.

All of these things combined to produce my most enjoyable motorcycle ride to date. I'm cornering much more naturally, and feel a lot more comfortable on the bike. Thanks for all the advice.


HOWEVER

All is not well. I followed beRto's advice on fuel bleeding, and for the first 3/4 miles of my journey everything was hunky dory. Then it started spluttering, and died. I could only get it running again by switching to PRIME, and had to leave it on as when I returned it to normal it kept dieing. I didn't think it a good idea to run on PRIME for long, but I had to get to work. Is that harmful? What else can I do to purge the air - will it sort itself in time?

Dude, people run their bikes on prime all the time.  Petcock diaphragms break, it's better than a chick's diaphragm breaking.  No harm outta running it in prime just remember to turn it off when you stop.

Oh dear - I have left it on prime, and I won't be able to get to it for a week now (I'm visiting my parents). Is it going to eat itself?

i think ur be fine , i think theres something to stop ur carbs filling to much

Quote from: Villager on April 10, 2008, 04:15:05 PM
HOWEVER

All is not well. I followed beRto's advice on fuel bleeding, and for the first 3/4 miles of my journey everything was hunky dory. Then it started spluttering, and died. I could only get it running again by switching to PRIME, and had to leave it on as when I returned it to normal it kept dieing. I didn't think it a good idea to run on PRIME for long, but I had to get to work. Is that harmful? What else can I do to purge the air - will it sort itself in time?

Congratulations! You are now suffering from the dreaded fuel starvation ailment.  :cry:  This is unrelated to failure to "bleed" the fuel lines.

As spcterry said, this problem usually results from a bad diaphragm in the frame-mounted petcock. I solved the same problem by replacing the petcock with a new OEM one. My bike is a '95, so the petcock was twelve years old when it went.

There are other solutions (search for "fuel starvation). Alternately, you can continue to run it on PRIme every time you ride. The risk with PRI is that if the carb float valves stick, the fuel can free flow and overflow the carbs. In the worst case, gasoline can run into the cylinder and cause hydrolock.

Personally, I replaced the petcock because I wasn't convinced I'd remember to turn it back to ON every time I finished the ride. Maybe you are more diligent...  ;)

I barely remember to take the key out of the ignition!

I take it running in prime hurts mpg?

Quote from: Villager on April 11, 2008, 08:13:23 AM
I barely remember to take the key out of the ignition!

Better get a new petcock then!  :icon_mrgreen:

Quote
I take it running in prime hurts mpg?

I doubt that PRI would have any effect on mpg. Fuel mileage depends on delivery of fuel from the carbs to the engine. The petcock just ensures that the carbs have fuel when they need it.

When working well, ON (or is it RUN?) and PRI should be the same when the bike is running. RUN requires vacuum from the engine to allow fuel to flow, PRI eliminates the need for vacuum.

Oh dear.  :cry:


So, I finally return to my house and attempt to start my bike that has been sitting with the petcock switched to PRIME for the past two weeks. It won't start. It makes a very feeble attempt to turn over, then alll I get is the fast clicking noise. What have I done to my bike?!

Check battery voltage ,crank it without choke and with full throttle till it starts   :thumb:

Yes, the clicking is tha battery being nearly dead. Charge it up.

  -Anti  8)

Looks good  :thumb:

And the no start has nothing to do with being on prime  :icon_mrgreen: You need to charge your battery  :thumb:

have you cleaned your carbs? I would suggest you take the petcock apart and clean it as well  :thumb:

Try these for the petcock problems.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=19363.0

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=36958.0

I like the look in matte black a lot. Might do that to my 93 just looks newer then the red

You were all spot on! Searching for a charger led me to discover a previously unknown motorcycle accessories shop, which was nice, and it did the job nicely. I'm just a little concerned that the battery dies very soon after I added the heated grips - coincidence?

I'm happy to run on PRI for the time being. I'll sort it out next time I'm doing something to the bike.

I also have an unrelated question - I'm tidying up painted surfaces that have either faded or rusted - what's the best thing to paint the exhaust pipes with?

Update:

After running in prime for a few hundred miles, I forget to turn it on one day. It goes fine for about 50 miles before starving. I put it back on prime for the rest of thr journey, but since then I've done 250 miles on ON without any further problems, so it looks like it just needed to work through the air in the system.

The inside of the petcock is very restrictive on the prime circut and running on prime will cause fuel starvation and lean conditions.