Hey Y'all,
i'm starting to do mods to my bike...
Yesterday i scored a full Yoshimura exhaust in GREAT condition, for real cheap. i'm real excited and want to get it set up on the bike ASAP. i'm debating pretty hard about whether or not to bring it in to the shop to get it jetted or do it my self.
i know nothing about working on motorcycles, and am really crunched for time, but the price tag of bringing it into the shop is pretty staggering.
so... a few questions for all y'all...
1. Should i jet it myself, knowing nothing, or bring it in to the shop?
2. Should i get the Dyno-Jet Kit from the shop ($81.95) or is there a cheeper place?
3. Should i get the K&N Air Filter fromt the shop ($55.95) or is there a cheeper place?
4. I've also get leaky fork seals, should i fix 'em myself, or have the shop do it? How difficult is it? Time consuming?
5. While i'm at it should i put in progressive springs? The guy at the shop also mentioned Race Tech springs... are these better?
Thanks so much y'all!
Josh
:cheers:
:guns:
DIY on all...
Jetting can be done wihtout a kit... the kit if you must get it is cheaper at K&Nfilters.com.
Forks are likely to be the hardest... and even those are easy.
Many people have posted about making the tool for the forks etc... just use that advice... and its easy. If you want to you can send me the carbs along with the bar... I'll send it back with the bar... making shipping free for the carbs. Send me $25 for parts and labor... I'll put jets in it.. .$15, $1 for allen bolts for floats and $9 for labor... clean the thing, and swap pilots and mains. Just if any of those are stuck I'll ask for more for labor. I'll drill out the pilot brass plugs on the air screws too. Anyway let me know.
Cool.
Srinath.
Unless you need everything done all at once, definitely Do It Yourself (DIY). I'm a computer geek with no real mechanical skills, and (albeit with some help from Kerry) I've managed a good bit of tinkering on my own.
I'd invest in a Haynes Manual first thing: you can get one at http://www.motorcyclebooks.com/suzgs500etwi.html (http://www.motorcyclebooks.com/suzgs500etwi.html)
I think if you go through the Make a donation (http://www.gstwin.com/gstwin_donation.htm) link to amazon and search for "Haynes Suzuki GS500" to purchase it part of your purchase goes to support this site. The Haynes manual is the one Kerry and I were using when we replaced my fork seals, and it has fairly clear instructions for most mechanical tasks. Clymer also makes one, but I don't have a lot of experience with that one (yet)
Fork Seals aren't too difficult. They are a little bit time consuming the first time you do them, and if you don't have air tools it helps to have another person around (and an allen wrench with a good handle for some extra tork). If you're going to replace your fork seals, you'll want to install some Progressive Springs while you're at it (trust me, it's worth it) and replace the oil with 15w (15 weight) fork oil, available at most motorcycle shops.
You can order progressives fork springs at Chapparal Racing (http://www.chapparal-racing.com). the part number is 377-1128. when I got mine, they were $46.99
a diagram of the forks, everything inside them, and the part numbers, is at http://www.bikebandit.com/PartsBandit/Assets/schematics/Suzuki/s4_0034J07.gif (http://www.bikebandit.com/PartsBandit/Assets/schematics/Suzuki/s4_0034J07.gif)
it looks like the part number for the oil seal is 51153-01000 and the dust seal is 51173-01000. check the dust seals for cracks to see if you need to replace those as well.
You'll find that once you start fiddling with things, it gets easier. Also, most problems you'll run into someone else has already seen.. the search feature on this forum works quite well, and you can find most of what you need to know that way.
For more information about replacing the oil seals, check here. (http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7404&highlight=oil+seal)
For more information about getting the right oil height when you fill it back up, check here (http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7427&highlight=)