So, with a pile of parts in hand, I set out to do some routine maintenance and make some modifications to my bike.  I couldn't have done it without my awesome motorcycle mechanic, Ward.  Thanks Dad!!  Thanks also to the people who write all the "How-To's" on this board, and to Pandy for pointing me in the direction of some of them.  And thanks to my Hubby, Jim, for shuttling me and all the bike parts around, and for letting me come home greasy.

The goals for the day initially were: valve adjustment, oil change (and filter), new front-end springs, new rear shock.  The SM2 bars went on last week ( http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=24700.15 ).

So here's a picture of my bike from a ride 2 weeks ago.  Stock-tastic.


Getting started on the bike. At about 2:30 pm, Saturday.  Naked:


SSSShhhhhhhhhhh!!  The tank is sleeping in the cat's bed.  Ha, and also a printout of the valve adjustment how-to.


So the valve adjustment went good, once we figured out how to get the tank off.  Had to run to buy feeler gauges, as Dad's had apparently run off with a stolen toolbox.  Found one that worked, but if anybody could recommend a feeler guage, that'd be great.  Thought one side needed a bigger shim.  Tracked down a shim, then measured again, and it didn't need it. ?  Oh well, left the stock shims in.  Bought new spark pugs with the shim, and put those in.

Oil filter and oil change were a breeze, especially with the fairing off.  Cleaned the air filter with the air compressor, but didn't replace it.

Wanted to synch the carbs, but we weren't sure where the ports were so Dad gave me a hard time about not owning a manual, and we moved on to the springs.  I bought the progressives from Motocycle Accessory Warehouse (mawonline.com).

Front wheel off:


Unfortunately a blurry pic, but you can see the big difference between the stock spring (short) and the progressive (tall).  Cut PVC spacers to ¾", cause I had read both ½" and 1" and I was too lazy to do the math.


Next we put on a rear spring off an SV650.  Got it on ebay.  Picked it over the Katana shock because of the spring color.
This shows the stock one (black):


Here's the new one installed:


Here's the comparison shot:

Cutting down the SV shock to fit involved a drill, silicone spray, a sawzall, a rubber hammer, and some swearing.
The bike is a good inch taller in the back end now (didn't measure).  Course, that made the centerstand not work so good.

Wedged 2x4 under the centerstand as a temporary fix.  Gonna have to lengthen the sidestand soon.


Strange lawn art:


1:00 am, bike reassembled:


Rode it home the next morning and WOW.  It's like a different bike.  I feel like I am on a sport bike now.  That extra inch in the back really makes me feel much more "on top" of the bike than "down in" the bike.  The front end no longer nose dives when I'm braking, and it dosen't bottom-out in driveway ramps.  Engine is running better, maybe the spark plugs fixed it?

Can't wait to get it out on a longer, twister ride!

Next work on the bike: wash off all the greasy, oily fingerprints.  Make the centerstand rubber thingie bigger.  Lengthen kickstand.  Find and re-install barends.
Then, if I can find some cheap ones, rearsets.

Cool.  Very cool.  (Especially the literary reference!  )

wow dude love the bike.  were did u get the bars and the gsr sticker, ive been looking for that for a wile.

Quote from: nick_villan on June 05, 2006, 01:56:51 PM
wow dude love the bike.  were did u get the bars and the gsr sticker, ive been looking for that for a wile.

The bars are the SM2's by Suburban Machinery.  Pricey but pretty.

The sticker is just a GSX-R sticker I bought on ebay and I cut off the X-R part.  Lots of people selling stickers on ebay can custom print them in whatever colors you want for a little more $$.  That set of 2 was made in yellow with a "carbon fiber" background and the "GS" in shiny silver.  I seem to remember they cost about $30 with shipping.

Mmmmmmm, yellow GS 

I bottomed out the stock front shocks on a hard stop last week.... gotta have me a look at those progressives. 

Looks like you had a blast working on that bike.  That's a really kewl GS!!


Chris

I'm shocked at how small the stock springs are.

no wonder they bottom out so easy. There is no spring travel!

Quote from: Kerry on June 05, 2006, 01:53:08 PM
Cool.  Very cool.  (Especially the literary reference!  )

+1  Great post!

awesome job you and your dad have done.... coz of your post.... i just had to order the progressive springs that i was holding out...  

I just ordered me some progressives  It'll prolly take me all weekend to install them, though... 

Quote from: galahs on June 05, 2006, 06:58:10 PMI'm shocked at how small the stock springs are.

no wonder they bottom out so easy. There is no spring travel!

Wait till you see them side-by-side in real life.  The coil material that the Progressives are made of is significantly thicker (and heavier) as well.

Nice writeup.  Does your windscreen really say, "Batgirl?"

Which one do you look like, Yvonne Craig or Alicia Silverstone
(or the new lesbian Batwoman)?

Holy do-it-yourselves, Batman!

know witch one of these 2 handle bars did u order, so i can get the idea of which one is better?
http://www.suburban-machinery.com/sv650.htm#order

Yeah, the springs are really a LOT different.  The stock spacers are what, like 6" long?  And I replaced them with 3/4" spacers...

From what I've read lurking on this board for a while I got the impression that front suspension upgrades are really the first/best mod you can do for this bike.  Well, besides chopping off the fender...

Quote from: lumpoffire on June 05, 2006, 10:18:23 PM
Nice writeup.  Does your windscreen really say, "Batgirl?"

Which one do you look like, Yvonne Craig or Alicia Silverstone
(or the new lesbian Batwoman)?

Yep, it really says batgirl.  And it's reflective, so it's a safety feature! Yeah!
Alicia Silverstone looked pretty good as Batgirl.  I like the ones in the comics better, like Barbara Gordon, or Cassandra Cain (my fave).

I havent read any books with the new Batwoman, so I'll reserve judgement.  But I smell a gimmick.

Quote from: nick_villan on June 05, 2006, 11:37:59 PM
know witch one of these 2 handle bars did u order, so i can get the idea of which one is better?
http://www.suburban-machinery.com/sv650.htm#order

Suburban Machinery Type 2 bars for the GS500.  Dude, there are like a million threads on this.  SM Type 1's don't fit (they hit the fairing or the tank or something).  SM Type 2's aren't perfect either, the are going to hit the tach housing.

You GO girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

so hows the handeling alot beter ? faster responce or is it the same and how dows the rear end react to it

I thought it said "bargirl".. I was like... "Oh, she's either a bartender or an alcoholic".. haha, glad to hear it's batgirl..

sorry i know this is a stupid question, but what is hit the tach housing?

Quote from: nick_villan on June 07, 2006, 01:52:51 PM
sorry i know this is a stupid question, but what is hit the tach housing?

See that box thingie attached to your brake lever, with the round fluid window in the front?  On one side it has a big bolt where the hose comes out of it.  That bolt hits the tach housing.  You can tilt your brake lever around to sorta miss the bevel on the tach housing.  Kinda.

I actually tried drilling a hole in the bars farther out than the hole they give you to anchor the throttle to.  This was moderately successful, but now I have to trim the grip on that side to get my bar end to stay in.