Well, I had a few requests to put a build thread on here so... here it is so far.

Frame (90% done)





Front single a-arms (99% done)





Rear single swingarm, made using larger, stronger tubing than the plans show (100% done)







NOW, the bike. Yesterday bought this damaged GS-500F. The plate says it was manufactured December 2006, so I'm not sure if that means it is a 2007 model or a 2006. Anyway, I (unfortunately) neglected to take any pictures of it when I first got it home but I have this picture from the auction website.



As you can see the whole front end was completely rooted, and the shocks were bent quite badly.



Almost all the fairings were cracked and broken





Oil cooler was destroyed and the exhaust balance pipe has a dent in it (still looks useable, the main pipes are intact and not damaged)



Some of the usable bits which I will sell



Here are some pictures of the bike as it sits now in the garage







I've taken all the wiring out, the carburettors are out, exhaust is off, engine sprocket cover and sprocket is off, front end is all removed as well as the tank and the seat. I have drained the oil and I should be taking the engine out of the bike tomorrow afternoon. I will get some more pictures then.

The first (of many) questions: When I opened the under seat compartment there was an "L" plate. Is the GS-500F restricted (power-wise) for learner drivers? How can I check if it is restricted? And is there a cheap way to un-restrict it myself? I have a full workshop at my house with a lathe, mill drill, shaper, etc. so I should be able to make the necessary parts.

Comments, questions and criticism welcome.

Andrew

P.S anyone in Australia who is looking for some parts for their GS, PM me and I will put the part up on ebay.

forgive me, but all i can think of is you're building an X-Wing Fighter:

and

and absolutely these are wings, not suspension!:



ok, i'm ribbin ya- looks like you know what you're doing there, and this is going to be a really cool build to follow.

your questions:

1) When I opened the under seat compartment there was an "L" plate. (no idea about the L plate, sorry)
2) Is the GS-500F restricted (power-wise) for learner drivers? (it may have had a restrictor ring in the airbox, but you can remove that easily enough (it just looks like a rubber doughnut) and re-jet the carbs easily enough if you care to))             

3)  And is there a cheap way to un-restrict it myself?  yes, see answer 2
4)  I have a full workshop at my house with a lathe, mill drill, shaper, etc. so I should be able to make the necessary parts. (answer: i hate you. no, not really, just a good deal of envy because it looks like you're having quite a bit of fun and you happen to have a machine shop in the house ! woo hooo ! )


I was going to wish you luck but you don't need it- you got it going !

Thanks for the write up. That looks like a very fun project. I look forward to keeping track of your progress.

Quote from: ohgood on December 12, 2008, 05:28:41 AM
2) Is the GS-500F restricted (power-wise) for learner drivers? (it may have had a restrictor ring in the airbox, but you can remove that easily enough (it just looks like a rubber doughnut) and re-jet the carbs easily enough if you care to)) 

No, the GS500 is not restricted in Australia as it already fits within LAMS in its stock configuration.

I'm really looking forward to seeing your build progress! 

looks awesome!  How are you planning to mount the engine? 

+1, Let's hope our beloved little engine doesnt let you down on the dunes!

if that tank has no damage, DIBS!

Thanks very much for the replies guys! Very encouraging.

ohgood, you are the third person to tell me it looks like a spaceship or something from star wars. I hope when it's finished it doesn't look like that.

The engine is mounted on the right hand side of the buggy, and I will be changing to a 50 tooth rear sprocket and possibly a 15 tooth front sprocket to get more acceleration. I'm aiming for a top speed of about 110km/h or about 70mph.

The buggy will not really be used on dunes, mostly on flat dirt roads with a few bumps on it. I am going to put a larger oil cooler on it with a fan to make SURE it doesn't overheat.

Hopefully later today I will be taking the engine out of the bike, will take pics.

I have another question. When I took the engine sprocket cover off it had some pretty heavy grease around the shift and clutch shafts. All the grease had dirt and rocks and stuff embedded in it. Do I need to put new grease there? I assume it was just there to prevent rust.

Andrew

Sweet idea. You need tach and cable and bracket for gauges?

Quote from: Beelzeboss on December 12, 2008, 07:12:12 PM
I have another question. When I took the engine sprocket cover off it had some pretty heavy grease around the shift and clutch shafts. All the grease had dirt and rocks and stuff embedded in it. Do I need to put new grease there? I assume it was just there to prevent rust.

Andrew,

That's chain lube.  When the chain reverses direction inside the sprocket housing it slings off all the excess chain lube.  The result is the mess you found.  Just clean it all out.  While you're in there, disassemble the clutch pushrod cam inside the sprocket cover, then clean, lubricate, and reinstall.  Crap in the pushrod cam will give the clutch a "crunchy" feel.

I suggest lubing your new drive chain with a Teflon chain spray.  It goes on clear and does not collect dirt which will wear the chain and sprockets.

What kind of machinery do you have in your shop?  Is it imported equipment, or Australian-made?  I've never seen an Australian machine tool.  

The bracket for the gauges was pretty bent up, but not cracked.

Thanks Geep, so should I take out the small rod which I assume is the clutch and clean and oil inside that hole? Good tip with the teflon spray, would silicon spray work as well?

The machinery in my workshop is mostly from Hare and Forbes, so it's imported. I tried to get the Taiwanese made machines instead of the chinese made ones as they are MUCH better quality. I have an HM30 mill drill, an AL-960B 12"x36" lathe, a Douglas 10-1/2" Shaper, a nameless drill press, and a HAFCO small horizontal bandsaw. I usually use these to build miniature steam and internal combustion engines but they are currently occupied building this buggy.

Andrew

P.S is going to straight pipes a bad idea? I don't mind wearing ear plugs under my helmet and I would like to sell the exhaust to try and get back some money. I know I will have to rejet.

Think the bracket and lights still work would be happy to buy just bracket if you don't wanna sell tach. My moms bf is a really good welder he could prob fix whatevers wrong with bracket {pics }

Andrew,

You don't need to pull the clutch pushrod from the engine, if that is what you're considering.  It has a seal to keep out the dirt and is lubricated by engine oil behind the seal.

On the sprocket cover you removed, have a look at where the clutch cable comes in and connects to the clutch cam arm.  There is a cup in the clutch release cam that engages the clutch pushrod.  Remove that assembly from the sprocket cover and clean it up and re-lubricate as required.  It will probably be filled with crap as well.  On the exterior of the sprocket cover you'll find a small inspection plate with two screws in it.  Remove this to help gain access to the mechanism.  It is easy to disassemble/reassemble.




Silicone spray won't cut the mustard.  Unfortunately, it wears away too quickly.

Since we're on the subject, I thought I'd take a minute to explain a few thoughts on motorcycle chain lube.  Motorcycle chains are usually of the sealed variety.  They have O-rings or X-rings or some other special seal between the link plates to help keep the chain grease where it belongs.  However, the outside of the chain must still be protected from rust, the roller bushings must be lubricated to a degree (they're not sealed like the plates) and the O-rings themselves will fail prematurely without lube.  The sprocket to roller interface does not require lubrication.

There are a few schools of thought on motorcycle chain lube.  One school says lube it with gear oil, which works.  However, it is messy and requires continuous upkeep as the oil collects abrasive dirt.  With a continuous trickle of oil, the chain will last a VERY long time though.

Second in line is "chain lube".  Basically industrial "tacky" chain lube in a spray can with a photo of a motorcycle plastered on the can.  I used to use this stuff.  It goes on thin, ends up thick and sticky, while retaining everything it comes in contact with.  If it slings off onto your bodywork, good luck getting it off!  Chains lubed with this stuff will last a long time, if you clean the chain with Kerosene religiously to remove abrasives.

Third in line are "chain waxes".  These come in all kinds of forms, some are industrial, some are food-grade industrial, some are specific.  Same thing, they sell it in a spray can with a motorcycle photo on the front.  These spray out thin, usually clear or a light color, they dry to a tacky or perfectly dry finish.  These work fine and are my #2 choice.

Then there's my current favorite, Dupont Teflon Multi-Purpose Spray.  It comes in a can like this:



It acts like a chain wax, but is made up mostly of Teflon.  The Teflon slowly builds up on the chain with multiple applications and does not wear off for at least a thousand miles.  It seems to be superior to most chain waxes in that regard. 

Frankly, the only reason why I prefer it over chain waxes is that it is readily available in my area, cheap, and has a fairly large following in both the motorcycle and industrial markets.  It may, or may not be available over there.  I buy mine at a lumber yard / home center called "Lowe's".  The local hardware store also carries it.




Sounds like you have a nice setup there!  I have been at other people's shops working on bikes / airplanes / whatever and I just can't understand how anybody can live without a full compliment of machine tools.   
Are you aware of www.practicalmachinist.com and www.homeshopmachinist.net ?



Going to straight pipes isn't bad if you like loud, angry lawnmower sound!   

Keep up the good work!  :thumbsup:

Thanks very much for that info Geep, and I completely agree about needing a workshop at the house. So very, very useful for so many things.
Hmmm, loud angry lawnmower sound? Do they really sound like that? What about if I put a rather large diameter pipe (4") at the last 2 feet or so of the pipe?

Is the stock chain that comes with the bike an O-ring chain, X-ring chain, or a roller chain?

stock chain is a 520 pitch, 110 link, o-ring chain.

+1 on the 'loud angry lawnmower' with straight pipes.

the star wars comment was a compliment, just so there is no confusion, i think it looks pretty cool as is !

practicalmachinist is one of my favorite places to glean information, and pick up usefull tricks. loooove that forum. i've thumbed through the home machinist at the book store, but haven't subscribed. i don't subscribe to -any- magazines though, so it's not a negative.

having a shaper means your shop is automagically 10x cooler.

got any pictures of your mini-steamers ?

(nice to know another metal hacker is on gstwins!)

Quotehaving a shaper means your shop is automagically 10x cooler.

Haha, thanks. They're so great for flattening surfaces and it feels really good to cut a perfect dovetail with a $4 tool rather than a $40. I have only built 2 mini steamers so far, and I'm half way through a 7cc horizontal, single cylinder, hopper cooled, 4-stroke petrol engine.
Here is the one steam engine I have a pic of http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/jones_pbkt/Steam203.jpg

I check practicalmachinist often, and also homeshopmachinist. There are also a couple more forums to do with metal working, but most that I have are geared toward 'model engineering' which is building miniature working models. Here are the main ones if you're interested:
http://floridaame.org/
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?www
http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/index.php?sid=12a17cb2d56c1eb54b5e5172e5b0015a
http://bbs.livesteam.net/forumdisplay.php?f=5

Then there's a couple of forums on buggy building, but that is mostly fabrication rather than machining. Still, might be interesting to someone.
http://edge.au.com/forum1/
http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/index.php
http://www.minibuggy.net/forum/

Tomorrow the engine comes out of the bike and goes into the buggy. (... well that's the plan, anyway)

On the straight pipes:
A few posts on this forum tend to imply that the GS500 does better with a little bit of back pressure.  Straight pipes actually lose a bit of power (but maybe the ease of fabricating them makes it a worthwhile tradeoff?)  Keep us posted! I've got my eye on this thread.   

Hahaha. Sweet.

Thats a 2007 gs. Same as mine. 

Straight pipes will not cost power.  Increasing an engine's ability to breath a greater volume only bears the potential for more power.  In certain respects all internal combustion engines are the same...you won't see any mufflers in NASCAR, F1, or (many) in MGP.

The problem is that people hack their mufflers off and don't support the modification...no shaZam! you'll lose power.  You have to support every modification or you will never see the full potential.

nice project!  I built a cart a few years ago, with a gsx750 engine.  It flat out hauled.


A tip for you, if you have to lengthen the oil cooler lines, make sure you flare the ends of the metal tubing, to be sure the hose doesn't slide off and pump all your oil onto the road.  ask me how I know....... 

after that happened, I put the kart into storage.  About a month ago, I stumbled onto another gsx750 engine, so "Project Overkill" is back on!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.