Hi all,

My bike came with the round metal Suzuki "sticker" on the right side of the crank case missing.  The PO had covered that area up with a bumper sticker, but it's starting to peel.

I checked bikebandit.com, and they want $18 for a new sticker (not counting the $6 in shipping just to get it out to me).  Other than putting on another bumper sticker, do I have any other options?

Chilly

You could glue a tuna can lid on there  it'd look ugly but would do the job. I might have a round scrap of aluminum that you can have, polish it up and stick it on there and it would look pretty good. 

I'll take it, thanks!  Anything would look better than the torn bumper sticker.

Chilly

hey its not $18. I bought the whole disc, emblem sticker and bolts which came out to about $35 from bike bandit. The piece you need is actually about $8 but yeah i'd hold off till you need to order some other thigns while your at it.

If you only need the one part check the prices at your local dealer,  sometimes it actually comes out cheaper buying from a dealer + paying taxes than it does paying online + shipping.

Not that this is going to help AT ALL but I was on Ebay and they have some pretty freakin' nice ones for sale at $79 US for both sides.  They are custom aluminum billet with the polished Suzuki emblem.  Just go to Ebay and search for "gs 500"  make sure to put the space between the gs and the 500.  They should come up on the first page.

They are indeed nice, just far more than I want to pay right now.  Thanks for the tip, though.  I believe Average has a set for his bike.

You could glue a tuna can lid on there  laugh it'd look ugly but would do the job.

You joke but


lightly dome a can lid and file the edges then glue it on.
Once it's sprayed it looks good.

I don't know Phil, I'm a little too old to be riding a tuna cruiser...

Chilly

Quote from: OhDot on October 18, 2006, 04:16:45 PM
Not that this is going to help AT ALL but I was on Ebay and they have some pretty freakin' nice ones for sale at $79 US for both sides.  They are custom aluminum billet with the polished Suzuki emblem.  Just go to Ebay and search for "gs 500"  make sure to put the space between the gs and the 500.  They should come up on the first page.

Those are chucks custom pieces. I actually have the right side and waiting on Payday to get the leftside. 

I would have thought that Phil would have used Scottish salmon but Tuna looks OK to me. I believe that this "Emblem" panel is the most purchased Suzuki part for the bike, owners want to keep the bike looking good and Suzuki see a permit to print money.

Ever consider engine bars?

Yes, but again $ is a factor.  They do look nice though and would do a good job of protecting the engine in a crash.  Since I bought the bike, I've been in the process of fixing up the mostly cosmetic damage from the PO's crash.  My goal is not to have a "pimped out" ride, but just to restore it so that it's functional and not an eyesore.  BTW, Phil, your suggestion is great--how do you bow out the lid?

Chilly

$120 for engine guards = best money I've spent on my bike. In my highside, without them, I'd be looking at new case guards for the left, and probably a dented/scratched tank, and possibly worse. With them, I was able to stand the bike up (After a 30mph highside) and ride it home. Bent the forks and the bars, and that's it. (Well, bent the subframe, but that's cuz the bike went end over end..)

NGFL--thank you for the recommendation!  In the best of all possible scenarios (i.e. I was given a grand or so to spend on the bike), I would a) buy a luggage rack and hard touring luggage, b) buy some engine bars, and c) buy some new handlebars.

Right now, though, I am working on a shoe-string budget (ah, the well-paid life of teachers) and having fun wiring up some horns for the bike.

Chilly

Quote from: Cal Price on October 19, 2006, 03:57:36 AM
I believe that this "Emblem" panel is the most purchased Suzuki part for the bike, owners want to keep the bike looking good and Suzuki see a permit to print money.

I thought the blue high-beam indicator was the most purchased part. 

The PO took the bike (a stock purple) and painted it all yellow.  There are no stickers on the bike whatsoever to mark it as a Suzuki.  In a weird sort of way, I kind of like it like that.  I'll snag one of my cat's cans of tuna tonight and see what I can rig up.

What would be a good glue to use?

Chilly

I bowed the tin lid by putting it on some foam (camping mat) and pushing down on it with a crystal ball my Ex left lying around in my flat.
I shaZam! you not.
Then I tapped it a bit with a ball pean hammer to even things out a bit.

I replaced my sticker by using Bondo to plug the hole, sanded the whole thing nice and smooth and painted it glossy black.  Looks sharp and is holding up perfectly.

Just be careful that you don't go crazy with globbing the Bondo on the inside... you have to leave a little clearance for the moving parts.  I personally did over do it, but it was easy enough to remove the excess after the fact.  A minute amount of forsight would have saved me a little time, though.

Anywho, I recomend this as low-budget option #2.

Perhaps you could send your crystal ball around like Kerry's valve adjusting sets...

Can't find the scrap aluminum, you can buy some at Ace but they rip you off, It'd cost the same as a new suzuki thing. But I like the Idea of it not saying suzuki. Sometimes people ask if my bike is a Buel or a Ducati when they don't see the enblems, I just say yes 

Paint can and cookie can lids don't have the ridges like a tuna can and would look better. I like the bondo Idea, I'm sure it would look great after paint but it would be fragile and could break in a fall, and the chunks could screw up the ignition. Maybee bondo over the tuna can 

The shop teacher or maintnance guys at school might have some piece of aluminum

I used duct tape once.  I covered the area where the emblem would go with a couple strips, then used a knife to trim the excess off.  The duct tape matches the 97+ silver engine pretty well; you wouldn't even notice it it you weren't looking at it.