I'll start off with, Hello! Been checking out the forums for the past couple days and it seems I've found my new favorite spot.
I just picked up a 2004 GS500f for a couple hundred bucks. I've been itching for a project and this bike fell in my lap. Looks like I'll be tearing her down and hopefully form her a bit to be more of a café racer style bike. We'll see how that goes.
I'll try to keep a chronicle here of my progress and I've no doubt I'll be asking tons of questions. My (limited) experience with vehicles is a rebuild of a 351 Windsor and rebuild / full restoration of a 1965 mustang fastback. Never done a bike yet. A little nervous, but excited.
A few pics of what I'm starting with:
Oil under the bike is from crankcase cover bolts being pulled ages ago and not being put back in. Slow drip. (Thank god I found the bolts)
(http://i.imgur.com/BAqw26al.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ItKme2wl.jpg)
I started pulling off flairing
(http://i.imgur.com/E0DguoKl.jpg)
Here's the story of the bike:
It's been in a garage for about 4 years after the owner heard a knocking in the engine. Got put out in the weather for about 6 months of that. I was able to piece it back together enough to start it and run it for about 10 seconds to see if it would even turn over, had compression, etc. It did!
In those 10 seconds I heard the knocking and it's not pleasant. In fact it sounds like maybe crankshaft or connecting rods knocking. Not sure yet, so that'll be step one in my adventure.
Unfortunately, in my haste, I didn't realize the gas was also as old as it's been sitting. I found what feels like 1/4" of rust / sludge in the gas tank. Checked the inline fuel filter (must've been added by the last owner) between the tank and the petcock and saw no noticeable debris. Filters may have saved the day, but I'll be tearing the carb out and checking everything to be sure. I've got some por 15 today and I'll be shaking that tank for a couple hours tonight it looks like.
I am having a heck of a time getting all the fuel out of the tank though. I've removed the filler cap entirely and the fuel delivery valve / pre-petcock (or whatever it is) and shook the living daylights out of it and there's still stuff in it. It seems the odd tank size makes it hard to get all the gas out. Any tips on that?
I'll be pulling the engine tonight as well, inbetween Por 15 shaking, and starting to strip it down to the core and see what's up inside. Any tips on what to do or NOT to do would be very helpful from experienced rebuilders. I've heard that pulling the crank before removing the rotor can make life difficult later, things like that.
Anyways, I'm very very appreciative of any and all help from you guys. I look forward to updated this and learning a lot in the process. I'm excited that I've got a good project to keep my hands busy this winter.
Thanks for having me and I look forward to our interactions!
Andy
Just got out of the garage. Tank resealed and curing (por 15) and I got the rest of the fairing off and pulled the engine. Got it sitting up on my bench now for easy access to tear apart. I'll post a couple pics tomorrow of the progress from tonight.
Hi Andy , looking good and sounds exiting! Can't wait for more updates :thumb:
Welcome!
Heads up on the '04 yellow plastics... that's the only year with that color for the F model bikes, so they tend to be a little more sought after. Depending on the condition and your plans, you may consider selling or trading them on the forum if you are going to paint or chop them anyway.
:cheers:
- Bboy
Quote from: BockinBboy on October 02, 2013, 09:53:13 AM
Welcome!
Heads up on the '04 yellow plastics... that's the only year with that color for the F model bikes, so they tend to be a little more sought after. Depending on the condition and your plans, you may consider selling or trading them on the forum if you are going to paint or chop them anyway.
:cheers:
- Bboy
Thanks for the heads up. Yeah, I'll most likely be selling all the plastics. I really have no interest in that look. Wasn't planning on chopping them up, just ebay or something. But good idea trying to get rid of them here first.
Ok, here's a bit of the update from last night. Apparently I didn't get out of the garage til 2am. I'm feeling it today...
Before going at the engine, I started the process of por 15 on the fuel tank. I had found some rust and sludge in it a couple days ago and the $45 kit from Westco Paints seemed to be the best option. Well that was the most exhausting process ever. The GS500 tank doesn't drain fully without a lot of excessing back and forth shaking and then ultimately heat gunning to dry out. Fortunately I hung in there and got the job done.
Got me thinking on the tank though, I think I'm going to wire brush the paint off and go with a brushed steel look under clear coat. Could be cool... Maybe photoshop testing is my friend though.
Inbetween / after Por 15 work I started the process of dropping the engine out.
(http://i.imgur.com/mbiMOqk.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/b0kfG03.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ubcbJk1.jpg)
This next image here you can see where my brilliant skateboard engine dolly was a bad choice. Though only about a 3 inch drop, I had the engine sitting, turned to get the bench ready and heard the motor slowly fall over. Broke a top fin clean off. I guess I could jb weld it or something?
(http://i.imgur.com/w7bsyzJ.jpg)
I managed to get the crankbolt out of the front of the generator before pulling the engine, which is why the cover is off already. I didn't want to have to spin that bolt out without resistance on the table.
(http://i.imgur.com/B32Imrq.jpg)
Well that's the update. Thanks everyone for popping by!
So far so good :) :bowdown:
Got her cracked open and found the problem!
One of the connecting rods is overheating. Worn bearing. Anyone know of a good spot to get replacement parts for that? I'm in Seattle if that matters...
Quote from: NikonAndy on October 03, 2013, 04:38:24 PM
Got her cracked open and found the problem!
One of the connecting rods is overheating. Worn bearing. Anyone know of a good spot to get replacement parts for that? I'm in Seattle if that matters...
adidasguy may be the best source of help for you. He is the Seattle Parts Whore :thumb:
Thanks for the tip, good to have locals around with knowledge and parts :)
I actually just picked up a replacement rod on eBay for $22. Could see the code stamp on it, so I'll have to wait til it gets in to order new crankpins to match.
You would be wise to contact adidasguy sooner than later... he stocks more parts than any dealer would, and has more GS500s in his stable than a Suzuki dealer... operates on trading system more than anything... trade your wrench time, parts, beers, etc.. for things you need on your bike... whether that's another person's helping hand or other parts. Located in West Seattle.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?action=profile;u=11426
- Bboy
Quote from: BockinBboy on October 04, 2013, 09:33:20 AM
You would be wise to contact adidasguy sooner than later... he stocks more parts than any dealer would, and has more GS500s in his stable than a Suzuki dealer... operates on trading system more than anything... trade your wrench time, parts, beers, etc.. for things you need on your bike... whether that's another person's helping hand or other parts. Located in West Seattle.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?action=profile;u=11426
- Bboy
Awesome, thanks Bboy, I'll give him a shout.
Update:
Cracked the crankcase yesterday. Found discoloration and slight warping on one connecting rod and crankpin bearing. That'll be the main source of my knock, I believe. Everything else looks pretty good. I also found no noticeable metal shavings in the case, so nothing had busted off. I've ordered my connecting rod and once that comes in I'll grab the stamp code to get the new bearings.
Pics!
(http://i.imgur.com/jeLnGJZ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Vqp3iX3.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/mDnJEZW.jpg)
Here's the discoloration:
(http://i.imgur.com/fVv92BV.jpg?1)
yup. she ran hot. job well done sir job well done. the photos besides documenting your adventure into this nüthaus. will also assist you in reassembling her. theres one other thing. once reaasembled to spec, ive run soybean oil as a breakin, for maybe 20 minutes, at idle, then changed and flushed. not necessary at all really. but id fill her to spec, run it a bit, and change that. then proceed with new engine breakin procedure.
Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on October 05, 2013, 10:57:20 PM
yup. she ran hot. job well done sir job well done. the photos besides documenting your adventure into this nüthaus. will also assist you in reassembling her. theres one other thing. once reaasembled to spec, ive run soybean oil as a breakin, for maybe 20 minutes, at idle, then changed and flushed. not necessary at all really. but id fill her to spec, run it a bit, and change that. then proceed with new engine breakin procedure.
Interesting, what does the soybean oil help do? Better lubtication at low speeds?
I had used it in place of engine oil. to run it for a few minutes. mainly a test. nothing more. cause it will disiteggrate after a few minutes and be all but worthless. ( plus it acts err it mainly flushes the engine out as well. after than I put its break in oil in. its not necessary. but I did this on the advice of one mf my mmi instructors. who had decades of experience. ( and several patents under his name. ( he wa Charlie cavallo.) one of those folks I didn't doubt what he said. like I said its nto necessary, but it does work.
Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on October 05, 2013, 11:46:04 PM
I had used it in place of engine oil. to run it for a few minutes. mainly a test. nothing more. cause it will disiteggrate after a few minutes and be all but worthless. ( plus it acts err it mainly flushes the engine out as well. after than I put its break in oil in. its not necessary. but I did this on the advice of one mf my mmi instructors. who had decades of experience. ( and several patents under his name. ( he wa Charlie cavallo.) one of those folks I didn't doubt what he said. like I said its nto necessary, but it does work.
Interesting. Thanks for the tip.
Update:
Got my new crankpin bearings ordered and on the way, should have all my bearings and connecting rod stuff by Wednesday. Then I'll have to find the time to actually install them.
Now on to the frustration.
I started reassembly of the motor to get a headstart so I'll have to all but drop in the crank when my parts are in. I STUPIDLY decided it was necessary (for some unknown reason I'll leave to garage craziness, the illness I get after hours hovering over an engine) to pull the magneto flywheel rotor dohicky. Ok cool, dropped a spacer rod in used a gear puller to start pulling against the pin and theoretically pull off the wheel. Whelp. That backfired right in my face. The pin got wedged in and I can't get the f*ing thing out. I've started to try and drill it out and chip it out and it's just more stuck now. BTW the glue on the magnets are nearly all off, so I didn't think it would be a horrible idea to pull off and try to repair or replace. Thing now is, I've got that metal chunk now basically fused in the bolt hole and can't get the wheel off the crank either. I've also managed to do some bits of damage to the threading. I found the cool little tutorial about using a metric bolt to work it out, but too much good info too late. I'm so frustrated I could drink a beer. Maybe two! Ugh.
Anyways, I'll be taking it to a buddy's shop hopefully sometime this week to pry that thing off using some form of thermal expansion or small explosives, or a combination.
It looks like I need a new rotor now :( If you have any knowledge on where to get one, it would be much appreciated. If I can't find one, I may have to drop my current one off at a machine shop to rethread and make sure it's somewhat balanced, unless that's gonna cost more than a new crank.
Lemme know if you know where to find one, I've also posted to the WANTED section of the forum: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=65780.0 (http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=65780.0)
And a bit of an update.
Machine shop is saying the bad connecting rod wore the crankbearing a bit too much and uneven. Looks like it would have to be welded and repolished to get it back to spec. Too much to dump into the bike to do that for what it's worth.
So, plan B. I'm picking up a used engine. Should be shipping from the Midwest and be here in the next 3 weeks (at worst) I assume. Atleast that will get her on the road quicker, but bummer that my rebuild got stopped due to the crank.
In the meantime maybe I'll find time to do some good, like clean up the bike and parts.
Quote from: NikonAndy on October 09, 2013, 02:31:49 PM
And a bit of an update.
Machine shop is saying the bad connecting rod wore the crankbearing a bit too much and uneven. Looks like it would have to be welded and repolished to get it back to spec. Too much to dump into the bike to do that for what it's worth.
So, plan B. I'm picking up a used engine. Should be shipping from the Midwest and be here in the next 3 weeks (at worst) I assume. Atleast that will get her on the road quicker, but bummer that my rebuild got stopped due to the crank.
In the meantime maybe I'll find time to do some good, like clean up the bike and parts.
This Plan B .. its gets implemented so often ... its really plan A and rebuilding the crank is something like plan Z.
I know of 1 guy who rebuilt his crank, by hand sanding and getting it shiny and bolting it back, and it lasted ... just about 30 seconds.
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha on October 09, 2013, 05:57:32 PM
This Plan B .. its gets implemented so often ... its really plan A and rebuilding the crank is something like plan Z.
I know of 1 guy who rebuilt his crank, by hand sanding and getting it shiny and bolting it back, and it lasted ... just about 30 seconds.
Cool.
Buddha.
Hand sanding his crank sounds a bit crazy. Did he know he needs to get it down to .oo1" +/-? By hand?! That's some confidence to put it nicely.
I really always had the "Worst case scenario I buy a new engine" thought in my mind. If the motor was too far gone, that was my plan. I've had enough money pit experiences in the past to know where to cut my losses.
I'm super excited about the motor I just bought though, 11K miles and looks clean, just needs fresh gaskets (which I have from readying up for the rebuild). After shipping was just over $400, so I lucked out there.
I'll keep you all posted on the next exciting phases of her life!
We told the guy it cant be done, but he did it anyway.
It was a few years ago, search for it. I will too.
Cool.
Buddha.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=45251.0
Cool.
Buddha.
Ha, yeah, good read. At least he got a good experience with his kids, might've taught them the wrong lesson though.
I think I'm out about $20 pulling apart the motor. Gas money, crank evaluation (which was free but I drove it to the shop). So I feel like I got real with the situation pretty quick and with minimal harm. Hope others read this thread and use it as a guide to knowing when to say no and just buy a replacement.
Getting everything in order!
(http://i.imgur.com/IOg8vK1.jpg)
She's all legal now! :woohoo:
My engine arrives Thursday night. That leaves Fri - Sun to get her roadworthy enough to find a weekend date soon over at Adidas' Bike Cave to get valve shimming and carb sync, etc. to spec. I'm super excited to have a community close that's so passionate about these bikes and the people who ride them. What could be better than Seattle Beer n' Bikes community?!
I've ordered her new 7" round headlight and some bar mirrors.
Once she's buttoned up enough to be fairing free and running, I'll be putting up all her extra pieces on the forums for sale. Feel free to ping me if you're interested in any parts I'd be willing to let go.
For now, I'm losing the headlight fairing and bracket and side fairing pieces, and mirrors. Engine-wise I've got two good connecting rods and pistons, both with around 23K miles on them. One of the connecting rods is the replacement for the worn one (which is in my bin o' steel useless junk now), so these are two good ones. Top end of the motor has good cams, but I haven't spec'd them to see how good. The rest of the old engine that'll be available will be dependent upon what I'll need to add to my new one to get a full motor.
Hope you're all getting some riding time with the weather getting colder, I've seen a few riders out lately and it's making me itch to get out soon :)
Saturday is a wrench day. Stop over and pickup headlight mounts. (I have too many f them.) make a list of anything else you need - including spare nuts & bolts for things. Drop off some beers. Local brews only, please.
We might have a spare bottom end. Worth looking at.
I wouldn't dare think of anything but local, my god man, you bring a macrobrew to my place and I may not speak to you. I'd never think of doing that to anyone :)
I'll see what the motor ends up needing and maybe with the rest we can add it to your spare bottom end for a spare motor for someone. Could be cool for someone who needs it.
Eagle has landed! Motor is my garage. Oh man this is gonna be the longest hours at work today til I can get home.
WA state huh ...
I was there in eastern WA - spokane in 2010. I lived there 93-94. Still kicking myself for quitting that job. I should have lived there and got my green card and my life would have been 1000 times easier.
Anyway enjoy the bike cave ...
I love micro brew's too, only they are so small, you have to drink like 1000 of them for being equal to a brew.
Micro brew, 10 of those make a milli brew, 10 of those make a centi brew, 10 of those is a deci brew, and 10 of those make a brew ... yea.
Cool.
Buddha.
Ok, got my motor today. Replaced both the head and cylinder body gaskets. Think I've got the cams and crank lined up right. We'll see when I try to fire her up. No way I can lift that motor in alone though. So I'll have to wait for a buddy this weekend. Closing in...
Pulled the valve cover tonight and ignition rotor cover and double checked my work from last night. I didn't trust my 2am self and I was right. I was a tooth off! It actually took two tries for me to even get it right tonight, but she's in perfect timing now, theoretically. Everything lines up :woohoo:
Was overzealous and decided to give the motor install a go alone with a different floor jack with a wider pad. That was my stupid decision of the night, it rolled a bit and off the jack, didn't move far, but far enough to chip the part of the crankcase that mates to the sprocket cover. Fortunately it's not a spot that has to hold oil, so I lucked the hell out. Calling it quits and waiting for my buddy to help in the morning.
Lesson learned, don't try to put the motor in alone!
Got my headlight assy in and new chain and sprockets and bar end mirrors in the mail! She's getting serious now :)
Motor is in! Yes!
Hooked up the throttle cables and the return spring was sending the cables at the carb back, but not spinning the throttle grip back, so I pulled the grip and found that one of the throttle cables there had gone off track. 5 minutes and a screwdriver and I was back in business. She's smooth now :)
I also found a pinhole in the bottom of my tank. Mustve been a weak spot that the POR 15 ate through when I was resealing it. JB weld to the rescue and in the near future a replacement tank.
Carb lines are making me second guess myself, so I hit up some online diagrams that help. Hopefully....
Tomorrow, button up exhaust and carb lines, reattach tank (not dripping fuel hopefully), and we'll see if she fires up.
God I'm nervous.
Quote from: NikonAndy on October 19, 2013, 09:36:41 PM
Motor is in! Yes!
Hooked up the throttle cables and the return spring was sending the cables at the carb back, but not spinning the throttle grip back, so I pulled the grip and found that one of the throttle cables there had gone off track. 5 minutes and a screwdriver and I was back in business. She's smooth now :)
I also found a pinhole in the bottom of my tank. Mustve been a weak spot that the POR 15 ate through when I was resealing it. JB weld to the rescue and in the near future a replacement tank.
Carb lines are making me second guess myself, so I hit up some online diagrams that help. Hopefully....
Tomorrow, button up exhaust and carb lines, reattach tank (not dripping fuel hopefully), and we'll see if she fires up.
God I'm nervous.
I've used JB weld on a metal tank with gas and it didn't hold up for long. Replace that tank soon! You don't want to come out to your bike and find 5 gal of fuel all over the ground, especially if it's in a garage.
Excited for you. I just brought my '05 back to life this week after 5 years of sitting and it was awesome! Good luck!
Dan
You blew a hole after a POR15 patch and want to try JB weld ... no, hell no.
POR15 I have patched tanks and they hold, in fact its on the one I've been riding of late. As much as its a pin hole POR15 is your man. Anything larger than that, it will not hold. And dont worry, nothing else will either. True welding needs all the metal near it to be near stock thickness ... you cant heat 1 spot to 7-800 and hope the thing stays intact unless its atleast 1/32th thick all across.
If its on the underside, I'd tap around that hole ~1" diameter with a screwdriver, if you go through anywhere, try another 1/2" outward ... keep going till you get to solid metal. Mark that and cut it ... In fact cut even bigger, big enough to get your hand in.
Then do what I have done a few times ... scrape off the POR15, hand sand the walls of your tank (why - cos if you blew through the POR15 in 1 spot what makes you think the POR15 elsewhere is on solid surface- if its on good, it will usually not come off like sheet of newspaper) ... paint POR15 with a brush, leave 1" around the part you cut out, then cut up scrap sheet metal, weld it in, and POR15 that weld and new patch part.
Cool.
Buddha.
Thanks for the tips Buddha, but yeah, jb weld will hold fine for a week or two until I get a replacement tank. $200 is way more appealing than cutting and resurfacing and welding a thin metal tank.
:)
So I turned over the bike with the new motor for the first time today.....
She runs!!!!
:woohoo:
http://vimeo.com/77372679
I'll have to figure out the carbs, they're having idle hovering at 4K, but that's a relief that that is my only motor issue. She sounds AWESOME! Such a healthy purrrrrrr.
Pics!
(http://i.imgur.com/o2ufjtJl.jpg)
I also mounted a new headlight, I used E brackets that adidasguy gave me (yay community!) and the new headlight I bought on ebay. She's starting to look like I want her.
(http://i.imgur.com/75VBMXNl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/cXIuFuil.jpg)
Quote from: Turd Ferguson on October 20, 2013, 01:03:42 PM
I've used JB weld on a metal tank with gas and it didn't hold up for long. Replace that tank soon! You don't want to come out to your bike and find 5 gal of fuel all over the ground, especially if it's in a garage.
Excited for you. I just brought my '05 back to life this week after 5 years of sitting and it was awesome! Good luck!
Dan
Thanks Dan!
Yeah, I'm looking at replacement tanks right now.
I just posted a video of her running for the first time in 4 years! Not including the 10 seconds she ran about 3 weeks ago on the old motor to confirm it was bad.
Congrats on your bike resurrection!
Quote from: NikonAndy on October 20, 2013, 07:28:03 PM
Thanks for the tips Buddha, but yeah, jb weld will hold fine for a week or two until I get a replacement tank. $200 is way more appealing than cutting and resurfacing and welding a thin metal tank.
:)
I used to do those tank cut and weld jobs and coat, and I'd even pop out dents if you had any - not guaranteed to be dent free, just a lot less dented maybe - for 200 or so ... I cant say it was a $$$ loser - cos it was all labor and I had lots of time 4-5 years ago, Only cost was the welding, took up $50-75, but now I dont have a welder who can weld that thin sheite.
I thing I did a couple of tanks with a de-dent, POR15 coat and powdercoat outside for like $300.
Cool.
Buddha
Quote from: NikonAndy on October 20, 2013, 08:58:11 PM
Congrats on your bike resurrection!
Hey, likewise! Glad you got her running. Hovering idle means lean typically. Any vacuum leaks? Did you adjust the throttle stop (idle screw)? Silly question, but I had to back mine down from 4k because I had randomly set it during rebuild of carbs.
Dan
yup poop lol. a ds80 is doing this. once I warm her up she holds idle. but I know theres a leak cause its obvious. aka a hole in airbox tube. but not my bike and owner is meh will see type attitude.
Quote from: Turd Ferguson on October 21, 2013, 05:32:04 PM
Quote from: NikonAndy on October 20, 2013, 08:58:11 PM
Congrats on your bike resurrection!
Hey, likewise! Glad you got her running. Hovering idle means lean typically. Any vacuum leaks? Did you adjust the throttle stop (idle screw)? Silly question, but I had to back mine down from 4k because I had randomly set it during rebuild of carbs.
Dan
Yep, I did the stop screw adjustment, it bumps the idle enough to drop it , but hovers again if I hit the gas. It's a vacuum leak of some sort, I'll figure it out next time I get in the shop. Plus adidasguy is a phone call away so that's helpful :) I ordered new exhaust gaskets and intake o-rings so that should also tighten things up. I'll find the leak soon.
Ok, she had her first real trip today! 18 miles from the garage to work. I repaired the gas tank with a fiberglass tank repair which is holding well. I have a replacement tank that'll be painted up as well to take the old one's place soon.
This was my first bike ride on proper roads. I got my motorcycle endorsement Wednesday. It's a cold day in Seattle, but the adrenaline kept me real warm.
She's still hovering a bit at idle and I can kick it down with a bit of clutch, but I'll be at adidasguy's place tomorrow to take a close look with some experienced eyes. I suspect my choke cable is catching a bit and may need to get lubed and set a bit better, but we'll see.
Other than that. She's running like a champ. Atleast as far as I can tell without ever having ridden another GS. Might do valve shims tomorrow too.
First ride today, still has a ways to go to get the look I want, but here she is:
(http://i.imgur.com/xyGfcc3l.jpg)
Looks awesome, and congrats on the first ride! So cool that you are local to someone like adidasguy who goes out of thier way to open their shop up and help people. Kick ass community!
Dan
Quote from: Turd Ferguson on October 25, 2013, 05:51:01 PM
Looks awesome, and congrats on the first ride! So cool that you are local to someone like adidasguy who goes out of thier way to open their shop up and help people. Kick ass community!
Dan
They bring beers (supposed to). :cheers: I do it so I don't have to go shop for beers. :cheers:
Quote from: adidasguy on October 25, 2013, 05:51:01 PM
They bring beers (supposed to). :cheers: I do it so I don't have to go shop for beers. :cheers:
My kind of guy. :cheers: Too bad I'm 2300 miles away and only travel to Seattle once a year.
Dan
Quote from: Turd Ferguson on October 25, 2013, 06:05:22 PM
Quote from: adidasguy on October 25, 2013, 05:51:01 PM
They bring beers (supposed to). :cheers: I do it so I don't have to go shop for beers. :cheers:
My kind of guy. :cheers: Too bad I'm 2300 miles away and only travel to Seattle once a year.
Dan
same here, cept ive yet to go. will bring em when im able to go.
What headlight did you buy off of eBay?
Quote from: Xevamir on October 29, 2013, 07:13:00 AM
What headlight did you buy off of eBay?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&vxp=mtr&item=131033107623
I used 500e headlight brackets. This light is a little smaller than the stock e light by about an inch and the bracket location is about 1-2 inches narrower on this light. If you flip the 500e headlight brackets so the left one is on the right and upsidedown and the right one is on the left upside down, it flips the tabs in perfectly and is the perfect size for this light. That was lucky for me to find out, no research first, haha. I also picked up a couple nylon washers to buffer the contact between the brackets and the chrome. Oh, you'll also need to drill out the old bracket where it meets the headlight a bit to accommodate the m14 (I think...) bolt. Make sure you use a lockwasher too!
I love the look, though, it's turned out awesome!
(http://i.imgur.com/BjQbKkOl.jpg)
Also, here's a pic of Betty in her current state:
(http://i.imgur.com/0sh3tQY.jpg?3)
A second application of stove polish might be in order for the headers. Then they should look good for quite a while.
Looking good! She needs a Vashon Island ride.
Quote from: adidasguy on October 29, 2013, 12:18:03 PM
A second application of stove polish might be in order for the headers. Then they should look good for quite a while.
Looking good! She needs a Vashon Island ride.
I was thinking the same thing on both points: Stove polish and Vashon :)
I've just removed the wheels and getting new rubber on tomorrow, so she's taking a break for a few days. Plus it's forecasted to get wet, so it's a good break point. Though driving my car just got much much more depressing.
Your blue tank coming soon?
I might have a white tail that would look OK for a while until you paint up a blue set. I'll have to look in the storage area for that.
Quote from: adidasguy on October 29, 2013, 03:55:35 PM
Your blue tank coming soon?
I might have a white tail that would look OK for a while until you paint up a blue set. I'll have to look in the storage area for that.
Ah, that'd be good idea! Betty would have an outfit change while I painted her current set.
UPDATE!!!!!!!!
Betty has gone to paint. I'm going to need to let the color dry for a couple days then I'll be off to clear coat and sanding and polishing and blah blah blah.
Blue tank is a replacement tank for my old one which is patched up from leaking, one of many reasons I decided to get fresh paint on her. Old plastics paint was scratched and dull anyway.
Here's some pics :)
(http://i.imgur.com/islXCo8l.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/vHF3GS8l.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/wdQok8hl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/VMcnynyl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/9OdS4Byl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/V7tJ5DHl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/hIGRgnNl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/xV8GZQql.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/PGqAjRAl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ZdgW6yHl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/etoxnI6l.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/kLOkwK4l.jpg)
Hope to have pics of her with her new paint all put together soon, next week maybe?
nice!! :thumb:
that racing stripe has gotta be good for another 3-4 hp alone!! ;)
Quote from: Janx101 on November 18, 2013, 10:50:22 PM
nice!! :thumb:
that racing stripe has gotta be good for another 3-4 hp alone!! ;)
That's what I was thinking. Maybe I should put more on...
yeah but see .. thats tricky ... too much extra power means you need bigger tyres, then you need bigger brakes, then bigger swingarm, bigger frame... etc etc etc!
pretty soon you have this
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9_3y_tr2_qs/UfJg-e062lI/AAAAAAABPDc/AigfZPMwOrI/s1600/big-toe-_motorcycle_2.jpg)
now the gs500 is often referred to as having 'tractor technology' around here... but there is a point to stop at eh!!? :icon_lol: ;)
Quote from: Janx101 on November 18, 2013, 10:50:22 PM
that racing stripe has gotta be good for another 3-4 hp alone!! ;)
Don't forget the real advantage: enhanced aerodynamic profile - should be good for another 10MPH :thumb:
hrm .. aerodynamics.... but would the yellow and silver heat up in the sun at different rates?! ... thereby creating a difference in rising heat .. heat rising in air can cause turbulence!! ... i think? ... so ... turbulence over the tank.... hrmmmmmm... :icon_question:
nah its ok.. ive just realised... extra cooling/ turbulent air for your groin area!! .. great for those hot summer rides!... no dramas! :D ;) :flipoff: