Yep, I bought this 2006 GS500F with 5000ish miles on it for $500 bucks. The bike had nasty gunked up rusty carbs and cracked intake boots and dry rotted hosed and vacuum lines. One of the fairings was cracked, a Jardine exhuast was nastily welded on, the bar end weights were all beat up. Looks like it had been dropped in the driveway a few times. It also seemed to have sat out in a driveway in the Arizona sun for a long time. Overall just a neglected bike. Rebuilt the carbs and removed the PAIR system and got it running pretty well. I figured this was a score for $500 bucks.
I only put about 25 miles on it when I decided I wanted to make it look a little more classic. I am going to chop the rear, make a different seat, repaint the frame and swingarm, put a round headlight on, detail and paint the motor, put a slimmer exhaust on, K&N Lunchbox, more meaty tires, upgrade the rear shock and maybe respring the front fork. I would also like to clean up the wiring if possible. Not gong to have any plastics so I will get rid of the un-needed tabs. Also looking at different handlebars and pegs. Might as well do and oil change, rejet and valve check while I am at it. Here are two pics to get the build thread started.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e326/Neatus/1614345_10151888376987657_991851018_o_zps2b367c25.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e326/Neatus/1920612_10151890126447657_1607967494_n_zps5dc0fbf1.jpg)
Waw that's pretty naked :D
(Running footsteps) .. puff pant. . Did someone say naked!!? .... oh the frame! .. . Nice! .... my bad
sent by willpower and a phone
I have detabbed and have chopped the frame. I am hooping the rear of the frame. My first three attempts resulted in some imperfect hoops so I found a guy who has a metal shop and he is making me the hooped piece. I should have it by next week.
I was going to go for a tracker/scramblerish look but now I think I am going full blown Mad Max. I am going to check the valves while the motor is out and then paint the motor. I have an R6 shock and spring, .75 straight rate front springs (I am 165lbs with gear) I need to make a seat pan and relocate the stock seat release flush with the top of the frame. I also have a new tail light, foot pegs, K&N Lunchbox, some paint for the gun. I am going to do all the bearings on the bike while it is apart too. Other things to figure out will be the fenders and if I am going to keep the bike two up or just make it a solo.
In the mean time, here are some things that aren't going back on the bike and a pic of the tires I will be putting on. I was going to go with a mild dual sport tire for riding through a few dirt roads around here. I just could not resist these tires though. Oh, if anyone wants to trade a round headlight and bucket for any of my old F model parts let me know.
Oh, and in the the last pic, what is the green wire for?
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3745/13747293214_5591cb89c0_b.jpg)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3686/13746828984_68b713e48d_b.jpg)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3785/13746452905_936ea02e51_b.jpg)
sub'd :star:
Motor is painted. Will shave the paint off some of the fins next chance I get to work on it.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/13839560894_5d2913d71b_b.jpg)
How much did it cost to do the engine? Did you get a shop to do it?
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Quote from: pomme123 on April 14, 2014, 12:00:21 AM
How much did it cost to do the engine? Did you get a shop to do it?
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I did it myself. It took more work than it did money. Lots of meticulous cleaning and scuffing especially between all the engine cooling fins. I used Rustoleum ceramic semi-gloss paint. Two cans of paint, a pack of Scotchbrite pads, wax and grease remover and some painters tape (what ever that costs). I used this before on my KLR650 and it held up well. I had sold the bike and then saw it two years later and it still looked great. Here is how that bike turned out.
(https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6126/6003415036_025c88c1fa_b.jpg)
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5107/5744216066_e380a4b657_b.jpg)
That's wicked. Do you have any photos mid paint
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Quote from: pomme123 on April 14, 2014, 11:57:24 PM
That's wicked. Do you have any photos mid paint
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No man I don't. I am a bad record keeper. I will try and take more pics as I go along.
I got the radius piece from the bender. It is now sleeved and welded on. No one in town had metric tubing so I gave the guy the measurements and he bent a little piece of scrap that was a close fit. I should have a couple of hours this week to work on it. Hopefully I can figure out how to make a seat pan and weld the old seat bracket back in so it will work like stock with the key to remove the seat.
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2846/13885049964_797aa46d24_b.jpg)
Quote from: neatus on February 26, 2014, 01:12:50 PM
I only put about 25 miles on it when I decided I wanted to make it look a little more classic.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e326/Neatus/1614345_10151888376987657_991851018_o_zps2b367c25.jpg)
Man that was really classic. Why dont you "mod it" to look like that.
Cool.
Buddha.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
Here is the engine with the cooling fins sanded down.
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/13894536642_01e9839c69_b.jpg)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/13918073674_2670565dd6_b.jpg)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/13894525672_38ef0d5be5_b.jpg)
It was a nice looking bike... But buddha is always angry when people ruin perfect oem bikes haha. I think you are going in the right direction though!! Cant wait for updates on the seat.
its uncanny how much that looks like a scene from inside my garage right now
Quote from: jacob92icu on April 17, 2014, 09:42:16 PM
It was a nice looking bike... But buddha is always angry when people ruin perfect oem bikes haha. I think you are going in the right direction though!! Cant wait for updates on the seat.
It wasn't a nice looking bike to me. It had been left out in the Arizona sun for who knows how long and driveway dropped on both sides. The exhaust was half ass welded on and rubbing into the swingarm. All the hoses were dry rotted and the tires were cracked. Mirriors scraped up and side plastics cracked and or faded. Just tons of little stuff and cosmetic stuff. I figure doing this will pretty much give me a new bike and let me have a little fun tinkering. I will not even have $1500 into it when I am done (that includes the price of the bike).
I started messing with the seat last night. I was going to make a new seat pan but I thought I would try massaging the old seat pan first and then trim it down. I took a heat gun to the old pan last night and was able to reshape some of it. The heat gun I have is a little to weak to do large areas at a time though. I may slowly heat the whole pan in my oven and then shape it that way. If that doesn't work then I will just make a fiberglass pan.
Stay tuned!
I gots me some big ol meats for my rig! These are Kenda Big Blocks radials. I'm goin all red neck n stuff! :woohoo:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/13930018384_748d75eae8_b.jpg)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7263/13929619423_258c027d34_b.jpg)
Okay, she is all ready to go!
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7426/14090883483_a52afee8fb_b.jpg)
I am liking what youre doing! The paint you did on your engine is awesome! Thats basically what I want to do except mine with me satin finish instead of gloss. Cant wait to see it assembled.
Jo, I started painting it with a satin black metallic and felt it would be hard to keep clean so I switched to a semi gloss black. I felt that the gloss would release grime easier. I guess we will see. I can't wait to assemble it either. Still have to rebuild the forks and make a seat pan. Time is hard to come by when you have a teenager and a 2 year old. A little at a time though.