so i am looking at picking up a 1989 gs500 for next to nothing, the only down side is the engine is seized. it has 42000km on it. i dont really want to rebuild the engine, i dont see it being worth the work when i am not really paying anything for the bike. i was mostly wondering if the engine was used in any other bikes that are more easy to come by. i am struggling to find a replacement engine anywhere.\
any suggestions or info would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks
Im thinking rebuild that engine will be easer than find some to replace it. And by the way 42k/km not that much, and with some easy prepare it will run perfect
If it was me I'd probably just wait until I found a good deal on a good engine that was local. In the meantime, I'd probably start taking apart the siezed engine to see if it was repairable or if the damage was too much to be worth fixing.
That's what I'm doing, waiting on a cheap engine to turn up locally. If I can find an engine for 200 or less, it would be worth my while to buy back my gs. As far as it being used in other bikes? No.
Quote from: amogog on February 11, 2011, 02:10:50 AM
so i am looking at picking up a 1989 gs500 for next to nothing, the only down side is the engine is seized. it has 42000km on it. i dont really want to rebuild the engine, i dont see it being worth the work when i am not really paying anything for the bike. i was mostly wondering if the engine was used in any other bikes that are more easy to come by. i am struggling to find a replacement engine anywhere.\
any suggestions or info would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks
All gs motors will swap in. And with some cutting and welding a GR650 would too. More work = more motors will fit. I can almost see a savage single motor in it too.
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha
And with some cutting and welding a GR650 would too.
Cool.
Buddha.
How much cutting and welding are we talking? If it's small and a GR650 is more powerful.... HMM...
just get a busa then throw on some GS500 stickers on the fairings....aaaaaaaaaaaaand BAM!!! beasty GS
Quote from: jeffdodge on February 11, 2011, 09:56:20 AM
Quote from: The Buddha
And with some cutting and welding a GR650 would too.
Cool.
Buddha.
How much cutting and welding are we talking? If it's small and a GR650 is more powerful.... HMM...
Not much at all. I would however cut that Top T brace and make it unboltable. That is the hardest part. If you dont, you cant take the valve cover off with the engine in the frame. If you do it right you actually end up with a bike that is easier to pull the motor out. I welded all the ears to the outside of the frame rather than the inside. I had to use much longer bolts - which I have plenty of so no problem there and I had to make spacers ... longer spacers so the motor has a lot more room.
The GR motor is narrower side to side and shorter front to back than the gs motor. However it is almost an inch+ taller. It fits but you lose all the room to get the valve cover out. You could conversely cut the valve cover in 1/2 and they would then slide out sideways. May work. Dont blame me if it leaks like the BP oil rig.
Now for power - a gr is 3mm bored and 13mm stroked over a GS. It also has more primitive carbs with a 34mm dia. AKA ... not much of a high rpm capacity.
To make it worse, or rather weird, a GR has a 2 stage flywheel and that thing disengages @ 5K. That makes for a cruiser like bottom end, and a sport bike like top end. Sadly the 9500 redline is a PITA on that bike, but I could live with it I think.
Cool.
Buddha.
Actually, GR's have BS36VSS carbs. The 2 stage flywheel isn't a huge deal. I've heard it compared to the powerband in a 2 stroke dirt bike- it's nothing like that. One obstacle is the exhaust since the heads point different directions. Not a huge problem though. Biggest problem with a GR motor is........they are rare. Only sold in the US for 1 almost 2 years. In comparison, gs500 motors are everywhere.
So just curious.. What kind of power can a GS motor make without spending a ton? Say just swapping cams, exhaust, K&N lunchbox, jet kit and advanced timing? How much of a difference would it make?
The stuff you listed would cost >$1000. Much more than is justifiable unless you're a serious tinkerer, or race.
If you want a lot more power, buying a different bike is going to be the best bet. If you want to go faster, do the suspension and learn to ride better.
Just did the suspension and have good sticky tires. I get down pretty low, just looking for a few more ponies to drag my fat ass up the hills around here at an even higher rate of speed..
Quote from: jeffdodge on February 11, 2011, 09:07:45 PM
Just did the suspension and have good sticky tires. I get down pretty low, just looking for a few more ponies to drag my fat ass up the hills around here at an even higher rate of speed..
Running a smaller front sprocket should easily make that a reality..
Quote from: tb0lt on February 11, 2011, 10:38:26 PM
Running a smaller front sprocket should easily make that a reality..
+1, going to a 14t will always be my best suggestion for first mod. Makes it a completely different bike.
Quote from: jeffdodge on February 11, 2011, 05:47:01 PM
So just curious.. What kind of power can a GS motor make without spending a ton? Say just swapping cams, exhaust, K&N lunchbox, jet kit and advanced timing? How much of a difference would it make?
To answer your question - partially:
Exhaust, K&N, jets and timing will get you about 10%. 10% of not much is, well, not much!
I don't think there are any cams to "swap", but you could have some custom ground for $$$.
I read somewhere on here that GR650 cams are hotter than the GS500 and go in pretty easily, though they probably are hard to come by because of the rarity of the motor. I plan on doing the 14 tooth front sprocket, and will go from there. I planned on doing an exhaust until I saw the price :cookoo:
By the time I did an exhaust, jets, DIY timing advance and a K&N I'm looking at $450 for about three or four horsepower. Not really that cost effective, when I would much rather set that money aside for another bike. Ill most likely keep my GS500 when I get another bike, because everyone seems to regret selling theirs. I have been riding for years, and just recently bought my own bike, but before that, I was riding friends 'spare' bikes R1s, R6s and Ninja 636s, so even though I cant afford to own one, I would like a little more power since I am used to over 100.