Hey guys. I've just "completed" my s500 build. By completed I mean it's rideable, but of course there is still work to be done. Fortunately for y'all, I already have it done, so there's no waiting for pictures.

Let's begin.

Here's what she looked like when I first bought her for $800. just under 10,000 miles.


I rode it like that last summer, but I eventually got sick of the purple. There were a bunch of rust spots on the top of the tank also. So I decided to tear it down and start chopping things up...

I marked out the approximate areas on the frame where I was going to make my cuts and were I wanted the new sections to end up.



Then I started hacking away and this is what I ended up with...


Then I mocked up my new supports and welded them in place..




My whole goal with this project was to eliminate the rear tail section and come up with a sleek way to clean up the tail. So I fabricated this tail piece which was designed to double as handles for the passenger, as well as support for the rear of the seat. This was the first version..



But once on the bike, I didn't like the point. Looked too much like it belonged on a custom chopper. So I cut off the point and welded in a bar to make it run straight across.



The rubber seat pads rest directly on the piece of flat stock that runs across the tail piece.

I also decided to make a set of handlebars mimicked after a pair I found online with a google image search..




Once everything was welded up to my liking, I started the painting process. (This is were it pays off to own an auto repair facility )  (Thought I guess owning a body shop would have been more suiting in this situation)




I primered all bare metal with a self-etching primer. Then I spray it all with gloss black enamel and finished with a matte clear coat.

AND FINALLY! Here is the finished product as she sits. still needs a taillight (just have the stocker stuck on there for now to be legal) and several other little touches. Hope you guys like it!








By the way.... The rear tire is a 150/60R17 in case anyone is wondering. I know there's a lot of debating going on over this tire size but I decided to give it a shot. The front is a 120/70/17.

I dig it man. Very nice, clean work. Minimalistic without being a hack job.

Wow that looks like some quality work!  I love the bars  Can't wait to see more 

She's a thing of beauty. I'm jealous! Good work.

How does that pipe sound?

wow, you did that totally backwards. 

for futures notice. matte colors dry/cure faster then the glossy colors, so its better to spray matte than spray your "shine desired" clear overtop. 

Looks really good. 
But you need to reinstall the fork brace. It does more then just hold the fender on. In fact for better handling a thicker aftermarket brace is preferred.
And you should pick up a set of $10 bar end weights from ebay to plug up the opened bars. They detract from how nice the rest of the bike looks.

Looks beautiful - I am aiming for similar look but have to rebuild subframe completely (is bend) and making seat myself as I bought my GS without one

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