i purchased this bike about 2 months ago for $475. PO said everything was there, as far as they knew, the bike ran. upon bringing it home i split this cases and found a spun rod bearing. left hand side. I started researching my options and found this site. Great info to be had here!! I started my hunt for a new crank and rod. $600 for a new crank... ouch! even ebay was quite pricey for used cranks. (at least at the time i was looking) i learned through a post on here and much research that the gs450 crank is identical! And no price gouging due to it being less popular then the 500. I picked up a used gs450 crank in great shape on ebay for $50 shipped! Also found a set of rods with good bearings for $20 plus shipping. After ordering the missing pieces i set to put it together. I'm on a tight budget and so far everthing was working great. Checked clearances and everything was good to go. I swapped my rotor from the bad crank to the 450 crank, everything dropped right in. Cleaned the carbs and set to get rid of the worn stock paint. after cleaning and painting it here is the before and after.. I used flat black paint on the engine cases and head, and grabber green engine enamel on the cylinders, valve cover and wheels. turned out great. going for the monster theme lol. let me know what you guys think. all this was done in about 2 months in my spare time. a literal basket case lol. not bad for twom months of work 

Good job getting a useless bike working again!

I think you need some Monster stickers if you want to get away with that paint scheme

thanks! got to order some stickers for it still. wanted to get the mechanics in order first lol. This is my first real bike. i used to own a 83 yamaha riva 180 scooter.. big step up. i like the bike and it's practicality. much more fun than my brothers cbr600rr, i can actually rake through the gears before breaking the sound barrier. its handling and power delivery is very predictable. i didn't think i'd be as happy as i am. in the future i plan on changing the rear subframe to something more sporty, but for now i'm very happy with it. the motor is cake to tear completely down to bare cases and just as easy to assemble.

Less than 5 posts and already finished?!  Talk about inspiring!

I wish Tomb's build was this easy!  You made it look like it is actually POSSIBLE to take a broke-shaZam bike and get it running with no problems!  Amazing,.....

Good Job (applause)!  Very interesting paint as well!

i did lots of research before posting. ive worked on cars all my life, so for the bike it was a matter of what else could i use to get the engine up running again as cheap as possible. there will def be more to come, i always mean to take pics and get taken up in my project, finish it and forget to take them lol. if you look at the cases closely i used monster energy caps from the xxl can on them. PO lost the original suzuki emblems, it worked out perfect

Quote from: cbrfxr67 on March 06, 2012, 11:06:35 AM
Less than 5 posts and already finished?!  Talk about inspiring!

I wish Tomb's build was this easy!  You made it look like it is actually POSSIBLE to take a broke-shaZam bike and get it running with no problems!  Amazing,.....

Good Job (applause)!  Very interesting paint as well!

yes it is quite nice indeed.
and I was thinkin the same thing cbr but theres a few things to consider.
A. Poster has more experience then me. (I was a virgin when I started mine) hahaha
B. Someone has to have Very bad luck, it just so happens to be me. hahahaha

tombstone, your bike looks great. this is my first bike rebuild but ive rebuilt a few car engines. same principle so it is all common knowledge. now it's going, customizations to ensue, in due time. I'm on a strict budget, i've only got about $600 wrapped up in this bike, including purchase.

Quote from: dropitlow88 on March 06, 2012, 03:55:08 PM
tombstone, your bike looks great. this is my first bike rebuild but ive rebuilt a few car engines. same principle so it is all common knowledge. now it's going, customizations to ensue, in due time. I'm on a strict budget, i've only got about $600 wrapped up in this bike, including purchase.

thanks 
and wow! wish I could say that! only $600!

Mine was going fine until I ran into engine problems, which was totally new to me.

Tomb is going to iron out those problems yet..  I am just woundering, why did you go green?

Quote from: SS Adrenaline on March 06, 2012, 05:23:43 PM
Tomb is going to iron out those problems yet..  I am just woundering, why did you go green?

def. different and I like it.

that green portion of the fins is making me want to paint the ends of my fins red to match as I debated on before.
think I just might when I am all done with the engine work.

tnx, I wasnt sure how well anything but black would come out on the fins. 

I painted the engine while it was apart, about three coats on the fins. I went with green because I'm doing a monster energy drink theme. So far the paint is holding up well, but it is definitely easier to paint with the engine disassembled. So far the bike is running great, but it does need valve seals, it smokes upon start up.

Quote from: dropitlow88 on March 07, 2012, 05:25:09 AM
I painted the engine while it was apart, about three coats on the fins. I went with green because I'm doing a monster energy drink theme. So far the paint is holding up well, but it is definitely easier to paint with the engine disassembled. So far the bike is running great, but it does need valve seals, it smokes upon start up.

yeah atm my upper engine is off because of a POS lower cylinder gasket.
that was the initial reason i took it off but found another problem but wont get into my troubles in ur thread.

but yeah, going to paint just the ends facing out Red to match the bike before I put the engine back together.

Should look good, i actually painted as much as the spray could get to, top and bottom and I'm happy with the results. I used a tooth brush to clean in between fins with acetone.

Progression of my work thus far: new wheel bearings, carb o-rings(needle and seat) Patched my watering pail (aka gas tank) and more paint/decals (for that extra powwwaa!!)