I bought a stock 1995 GS500 with 25000 miles on the clock for 600€ last year. Although a bit small for me, the bike ran great and I couldn't resist the cheap price.
After replacing the chain, spark plugs, overhauling the brakes and getting used to the bike, I took it on a 2500km trip to the Arctic Circle last summer. My goal was Sodankylä in Northern Finland - a small town 200km North from the Arctic Circle - where the Midnight Sun Film Festival takes place. I spent a week there and rode back home to Estonia after that. The bike held up great and apart from some rain and low temperatures, I didn't have any problems whatsoever.
(http://i.imgur.com/1gTJHtG.jpg)
The bike came with a luggage rack when I bought it and the trip would have been impossible without it.
(http://i.imgur.com/OhBYKlj.jpg)
Here's some of my gear - a small backpack, sleeping bag, Ferrino Spectre 2 tent (great for solo camping), camera, cooking equipment. Not visible are two DIY cases for the rack and a waterproof duffel bag.
(http://i.imgur.com/SUund9Y.jpg)
Here's how all the stuff looks loaded on the bike. The roads were nice and it was great to see how the nature changed the further North I got. I had to take the bike offroad as well as I was camping every night.
(http://i.imgur.com/rtk4aqq.jpg)
The trip was a blast and I was really impressed with the bike. It had no problem to carry me and all my gear and do 120-130km/h on the highway.
(http://i.imgur.com/LyUBvdX.jpg)
I rode the bike in pretty much stock condition after returning home. I removed the rear fairings but that's about it.
Fast forward a couple of months: the temperature drops and it starts snowing. Yes, five long months of winter were ahead and I started looking for inspiration to rebuild the bike. The bottom one is from SpaceMonkey's build thread:
(http://i.imgur.com/7ZYHfEY.jpg)
I however didn't want to cut the frame as I wanted to keep using the luggage rack and the possibility to return to stock in case I want to sell the bike won't hurt either. Add my non-existent spare money and the result is a super low-budget build.
First step was to pull the tank, headlight housing and handlebars and have them sandblasted and painted. Visible on the rear wheel is a donor fender that I later used.
(http://i.imgur.com/ANqxzJt.jpg)
I installed a RF shock to stiffen and raise the rear end a bit. Ignore the dirty garage and cheapo fork gaiters that I got from eBay.
(http://i.imgur.com/bbB2ADs.jpg)
Got the tank and other parts back and cut the front fender. Went with dark grey for the tank and black for the headlight housing and bars.
(http://i.imgur.com/ZUmBLNe.jpg)
Mounted the new rear fender, taillight, turn signals and bar end mirrors. I also used some scrap leather I had lying around to cover the grips. Note the external canister for the RF shock on the second picture. Haven't gotten around to fixing it yet.
(http://i.imgur.com/WPCUzYm.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/l6oFGAT.jpg)
I didn't however like how high the seat was compared to the subframe. As I didn't want to cut it, I decided to cheat a bit and paint the subframe to make it less obvious. Works alright in my opinion.
(http://i.imgur.com/xVAH2KO.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/zlmKHak.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/xgJYulO.jpg)
Still left to do: wiring, oil change, new tires (Mitas E-08 120-90 on the front and 140/80 on the back) and maybe paint the rims.
I want to relocate the rectifier and made a mount for it under the battery box. Does anyone know how waterproof the thing is? Should I cover it to protect it from mud and water? I know that it gets rather hot, so I won't cover it completely. I'd also like to move the CDI and install it between the airbox and tank. Would that be ok or does it need cooling as well?
Awesome thread! Really enjoyed your pictures. Smart idea about painting only the tail section of the subframe ;) What color were you thinking for the rims if you do paint them? I have a 140/80 rear tire and I love it... you will too, I'm sure :D
Hopefully someone will reply soon with the answers to your questions!
The white rims are quite unpractical considering the fact that I have to take the bike off-road now and then. So I decided to paint them black.
I'll probably have enough free time tomorrow morning to go pick up the new tires and mount them.
Looking damn good! :cool:
I got the new tires mounted today. It feels like a completely different bike now - it sits higher and fits me much better. I'll have to extend the sidestand and the front fender was rubbing as well. This won't be a problem though and I'll probably have it done in the next couple of days.
(http://i.imgur.com/6SIe2jD.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/SoYxQqc.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/cBqmPFU.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/UBFg7Ey.jpg)
Marvelous!
Thanks a lot! Hopefully I'll be able to finish the front fender, wiring and new fuel hoses in the next week and get the bike running.
And three more pictures from today. The licence plate looks a bit funny, I'll try to adjust in the next days.
(http://i.imgur.com/eEhywgF.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/gL1o5sg.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/DnzqO3y.jpg)
I love the leather over the grips. Did you stich by hand? Was it easy enough to get the leather tight enough to the grips?
My girlfriend makes leather bags by hand, maybe I can get her to do my grips.
Yes, I did them by hand and used fishing line instead of thread to make the stitching stronger.
I recommend soaking the leather in hot water before tightening the stitches on the grips. Hot water allows the leather to stretch more and thus it tightens by itself when drying.
I got some work done yesterday - finished the front fender (dammit Suzuki, I can make stronger bolts out of play-doh compared to the stock ones!), painted the forks, replaced brake pads and started with the wiring. All the indicators, lights etc work. Also mounted the luggage rack to see how it's going to look.
I still haven't decided on how to proceed with the rectifier. Does anyone know how waterproof it is? I'd like to mount it under the battery box.
(http://i.imgur.com/AwbuNga.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/qERT8nk.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/9YAfBYx.jpg)
I mounted my rectifier under the battery box. The license plate shields it from direct rear wheel spray.
I wouldn't count on it being waterproof. But if you keep water from soaking it you will probably be fine. There are people who run without the side plastics, exposing the rectifier, and they seem to be doing ok.
Nice work man nice work... those grips are classy :cheers:
Looks really cool. It's ready to do work with those tires. :thumb:
Looks amazingly well executed! :cool:
Thanks a lot!
There's still some stuff to do (relocate the rectifier, clean up the wiring, oil change) but I just couldn't wait any longer. The weather was nice and quite warm so I took the bike for a ride.
The bigger tires make the handling a bit slower but I really like the stability they seem to offer on the highway. The rear end is really stiff thanks to the new shock - still have some fine-tuning to do. Everything else seemed to be ok.
(http://i.imgur.com/cVu6mJB.jpg)
Great pics here! :thumb:
Had some major problems with the bike - the tank was rusty as hell so the carbs kept clogging. I decided to clean the inside of the tank by spraying half a can of carb cleaner inside and shaking it with some screws and nuts for around two hours. This worked out quite well although I'll probably treat the tank with some acid next winter.
After solving the rust issue, the bike randomly started running on left cylinder only. I was certain that the jets were clogged so I pulled the carbs once again and cleaned them. The problem persisted, so I replaced the spark plugs. This seemed to fix it for some kilometers but the problem returned. Turns out that the cable going to the right coil was faulty. Replaced that and now everything works perfectly!
Adjusted the mixture and I'm quite happy with how the bike runs although I have a flat spot at around 4000 RPM. The plugs look good so I'll probably leave it the way it is.
The new tires are great and give me much better traction on gravel and offroad. Here's some pictures from today:
(http://i.imgur.com/m4pMa5w.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/q0fVPhH.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/d0DfBBj.jpg)
This machine looks fantastic, I've been looking to do something similar with my 94, the years have taken their toll on the old girl and this thread has been really inspirational.. Awesome result!
Looks incredible!
looks like it turned out great and i bet its a ton of fun to take off road ... well done
I really like the tire choice.
So another riding season is coming to an end on my GS.
Not much has changed since my last post. Went on the 2500km round trip to the Arctic Circle again.
This is what my bike looked like this year with all the gear on it:
(http://i.imgur.com/4y6P9Md.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Dcj6U5Q.jpg)
Unlike last time, I had some major troubles with the bike this year. The rectifier died two days before leaving so I wasn't able to fix it and had to go through the trip without a working charging system on the bike. This meant push starting the bike at every gas station, every morning, every break etc. Not really enjoyable to do with other people around.
Another problem struck me around 100km from the nearest gas station - I ran out of fuel. At least that's what I thought when the bike died. But no, there were at least 7 liters of fuel left in the tank so it had to be something else. I thought that maybe the carbs were clogged because of some loose rust inside my tank so I had to go through a roadside repair in the middle of nowhere:
(http://i.imgur.com/Q4LTMvM.jpg)
It turned out that it wasn't the carbs but a clogged tank petcock - I cleaned the carbs in a hurry before leaving home and rested the tank on the ground. Some dirt got inside the petcock and blocked the passages. I got lucky that it was an easy fix and try to be more careful next time when removing the tank.
The bike started again after cleaning the petcock and on I went. The weather got colder and colder and it was around 5-6C when I passed the Arctic Circle but the views and hiking trails were so nice, that it was definitely worth the small discomfort.
(http://i.imgur.com/ko3l74V.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/MUzUiI8.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/AEnqzjk.jpg)
Did some minor work on the bike after getting back home - cleaned up the wiring and adjusted the rear shock to be a bit softer. I lowsided the bike one day after a car cut me off but I was wearing all my gear and the bike only got some small scratches on the crash bars. Even the bar-end mirrors survived so a really lucky crash.
Went for a ride the other day, stopped to check and lube the chain and noticed this:
(https://i.redd.it/ttv0bzmbtjex.jpg)
The master link clip had fallen off and I got really lucky again. Hitchhiked back home, bought a new master link, hitchhiked back to the bike, installed it and rode on.
So that's about it. The autumn is here and it's getting a bit uncomfortable to ride with the quite cold weather and rain so the riding season is about to end. I ordered a new speedo that I want to install over the winter break and I'll probably paint the rims as well. Apart from that I'm really happy with the bike. I got an old Kawasaki KZ550 for cheap and I'll work on that over the winter and hopefully get it running. So I hold my fingers crossed that I'll have two great bikes to ride next spring.
(http://i.imgur.com/HYe8YMd.jpg)
I like your photos! Also your GS is great, the bike looks like it is purpose built for go-anywhere transportation. Nothing flashy and very rugged.
I totally agree, awesome photos!!
What a story mihkels... :icon_eek: at the chain!!
You are a prepared, nothin-stops-me, just get it done kind of person and I really really like that. Thank you for sharing!!
Looking good!
absolutely love it mihkel, you're my kind of crazy :cheers:
Some small updates - it's still freezing and the bike is sitting in the garage. I've cleaned up the wiring during the winter by removing the sidestand relay, moving the blinker relay and most of the connectors inside the headlight bucket and relocating the rectifier under the battery box.
Turns out the handlebars were bent from my last crash so I replaced them with a Renthal Fatbar knockoff. Bought a new speedo and replaced the headlight brackets to raise the stock headlight bucket closer to the speedo. I also removed the tach drive cable and plugged the hole with an oil pan drain plug that fit perfectly. The tank was rusty again so I'm treating it with vinegar at the moment. Works great and it's perfectly safe to the environment.
Finally got around to painting the rims as well. I managed to snap a bolt on the rear rotor so I had to drill it out, retap the threads and replace the bolt with a bigger one. Should be quite safe though as I used loads of threadlock and the rear brake gets used rarely anyway.
I'll hopefully be able to reinstall the wheels in the next days and snap some photos of the bike as well.
I'd like to chop off the stock muffler and make a shorter stubby can out of it. The only problem is that the stock can isn't riveted but welded together. Has anyone tried it?
(http://i.imgur.com/B5GGu7l.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/OMTwyj3.jpg)
Made some progress today:
Finally mounted the painted wheels and love how they turned out. Also rebuilt the front caliper, bled the brakes, installed the fork gaiters and new handlebar. Hopefully the headlight brackets I ordered from eBay will show up soon.
(http://i.imgur.com/AGNzqN2.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/fYbHYkQ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/yp9xiGR.jpg)
The bike is pretty much done and ready for another riding season. Finished syncing the carbs and installed new headlight brackets and fuel filter.
I wasn't sure if it was worth spending money on new brackets and pegs when the stock ones worked ok. But after replacing them, the stock ones look bluky and are super heavy. Well worth it.
The previous owner managed to completely round off one and break an allen wrench into another exhaust bolt and I haven't been able to remove the headers and paint them. I'll probably take the bike to a shop and let them sort it out for me.
(http://i.imgur.com/G9skHS2.jpg)
Quote from: mihkels on March 19, 2017, 08:12:40 AM
The previous owner managed to completely round off one and break an allen wrench into another exhaust bolt and I haven't been able to remove the headers and paint them. I'll probably take the bike to a shop and let them sort it out for me.
Let us know how you get on, I'm looking to have a bike shop remove my header bolts too for the exact same reason of painting the headers. I'm thinking I'll replace the header bolts with stainless steel bolts to hopefully prevent it being an issue in future.
Quote from: Zombified_Cheeseburgers on March 22, 2017, 09:02:23 PM
Quote from: mihkels on March 19, 2017, 08:12:40 AM
The previous owner managed to completely round off one and break an allen wrench into another exhaust bolt and I haven't been able to remove the headers and paint them. I'll probably take the bike to a shop and let them sort it out for me.
Let us know how you get on, I'm looking to have a bike shop remove my header bolts too for the exact same reason of painting the headers. I'm thinking I'll replace the header bolts with stainless steel bolts to hopefully prevent it being an issue in future.
I used silicone bronze bolts.. M8 1.25 x 40
let your google-fu be strong if you go this route, ebay is your friend if you can find a good vendor, most sites that sell SB machine screws want a minimum order.
Quote from: J_Walker on March 23, 2017, 12:19:38 AM
Quote from: Zombified_Cheeseburgers on March 22, 2017, 09:02:23 PM
Quote from: mihkels on March 19, 2017, 08:12:40 AM
The previous owner managed to completely round off one and break an allen wrench into another exhaust bolt and I haven't been able to remove the headers and paint them. I'll probably take the bike to a shop and let them sort it out for me.
Let us know how you get on, I'm looking to have a bike shop remove my header bolts too for the exact same reason of painting the headers. I'm thinking I'll replace the header bolts with stainless steel bolts to hopefully prevent it being an issue in future.
I used silicone bronze bolts.. M8 1.25 x 40
let your google-fu be strong if you go this route, ebay is your friend if you can find a good vendor, most sites that sell SB machine screws want a minimum order.
*Puts on metallurgist hat*
You don't
really need to use silicone bronze bolts on a motorcycle unless you plan on converting it into a boat. 304 (A2) and 316 (A4) stainless are fine for a header bolt application. Silicone Bronze alloy is used because it has better corrosion resistance while immersed in salt water, where there is less oxygen availability for stainless to form a chromium oxide layer. For that application it has been largely superseded by duplex 2205 stainless, super duplex 2507, and zeron 100, although it is still used where fastener strength requirements are not so high, because it's cheaper than those materials.
A word on heat, 18% chromium content stainless steel and higher can withstand intermittent high temperatures within the operating range of a motorcycle exhaust without suffering from "sensitization" where carbide formation can destroy the stainless properties. Sensitization just begins to occur in low grade 12% chromium stainless steel at around 450 degrees C, which is the same temperature at which steel begins to glow! So long as you buy A2/304 stainless fasteners or higher, you should be good to go with an intermittent tolerance up to 900 degrees C, at which point your pipes would be cherry red!
Silicone bronze doesn't do any harm though, and at least that way you know for sure it isn't cheap Chinese crap. :thumb:
First warm Sunday here in Estonia so I took the bike for a long ride.
Everything seems to work fine. I raised the needle one notch and the throttle response seems to be much better. Of course I might just be imagining things as today was my first ride in 6 months. The bike is still a bit hesitant in 6th gear but I'm quite happy with how it's running.
The speedo I ordered from eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-LED-Backlight-Signal-Motorcycle-Odometer-Speedometer-Gauge-Cafe-Racer-KM-H-/152452936887?hash=item237ee734b7:g:5lwAAOSw5cNYEvlM&vxp=mtr) doesn't work properly. The ratio is wrong so it's off by at least 30km/h and I'll have to get a different one. I really like the digital speedo GSjon used on his build so I'll probably try it out.
Left my camera at home so here's a crappy phone pic from today.
(http://i.imgur.com/ojpEzMm.jpg)
how dem tires for off-road?
The tires are listed as 80/20 (on-road/offroad). Most of my riding is 50% paved and 50% dirt and gravel roads and they hold up great for that.
Quote from: mihkels on April 03, 2017, 04:27:24 AM
The tires are listed as 80/20 (on-road/offroad). Most of my riding is 50% paved and 50% dirt and gravel roads and they hold up great for that.
what are the brand of tires? I like them I'd like to get some.. I like how they look taller, and meaty. they "Fill in" the bike.
Mitas E08: 120/90-17 front and 140/80-17 rear.
Quote from: mihkels on April 13, 2017, 12:23:05 AM
Mitas E08: 120/90-17 front and 140/80-17 rear.
did you buy them online? My google-fu is either REALLY off. or they don't offer that tire any more? or they don't offer it in the states*
never mind, I found a comparable tire.
Shinko 705 Dual Sport Tires* if anyone state side is looking for a comparable tire.
Really cool bike and this thread was what inspired to keep my GS and slapped some Heidenaus on. I realize that you got the luggage rack when you got your bike, but I wanted to ask if you knew the brand/model name of the rack and if it was modified at all (if you can tell). I'm really curious to find out because I've been looking for a luggage rack for mine and I don't know what fits.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: honline on June 07, 2017, 07:55:29 PM
Really cool bike and this thread was what inspired to keep my GS and slapped some Heidenaus on. I realize that you got the luggage rack when you got your bike, but I wanted to ask if you knew the brand/model name of the rack and if it was modified at all (if you can tell). I'm really curious to find out because I've been looking for a luggage rack for mine and I don't know what fits.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Know it's an old thread but the one I got years ago was a Hepco&Becker Complete Rack Suzuki GS500. The side luggage and the back carrier are separate pieces. I've only used the back carrier for a top box and put a Givi topbox on there with a couple of steel braces. The Hepco & Becker luggage is nicer than Givi if you can afford it though. Here's a couple of links for the racks
http://www.motorbikesandparts.co.uk/hepco-becker-black-complete-rack-suzuki-gs-500e-89-2000-650348-00-01.html
https://www.louis.ie/artikel/hepco-becker-complete-carrier-tubular-construction-fuer-suzuki-gs-500-e-t-y/10024432?filter_bike_id=0695&filter_article_number=10024471&list=ca1065b25a2e76af201c9229f5d94c56
There might be different versions for the different years. The one I got does not look like the one in the pic. I think they use a stock pic of some bike's rack for all the different racks.
It's Similar though, obviously designed to fit the gs500.
I bought mine from Louis.de
You can get the back rack on it's own without the side-racks.
H&B's luggage is really nice. One day I hope I'm wealthy enough to be able to afford it.
Simple but classic:
(https://i.imgur.com/AVR4px8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vCD6jSA.jpg)
About $130 for that box. another $100 for the railing and back pad. :o
That's for the smallest one!
In the mean time, I'll make do with my givi bolted on with some braces. It works but looks like a spaceship.
(https://i.imgur.com/fIUsxOj.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/hYXob3g.jpg?1)