Nice! 

Hour and a half ride today. Bike ran perfectly, aside from the new behavior of slightly grumpy starting and fussy cold running for the first few minutes. Once warmed up it was brilliant. At this point I don't think I'd hesitate to do any long distance trip on it.

What Arent you over in TX somewhere Its there a Tornado or 12 roaming around there that they are fear porning the crap out of us here in SC ?
I mean weather channel is worse than super bowl for ads now. Plus with 14 tickers for everything from pollen to bear sightings to corona virus biting the chupacabra you got everything scrolling everywhere ... they might as well call it ADD TV, if you have it, here's the medication, if you dont keep watching and you'd get it soon.

Cool.
Buddha.

LOL. Well, it was windy. And eventually got really windy, so much that I put both bikes in the garage because the GS in particular will blow over. North of us there were tornadoes, but we just had a brief overnight thunderstorm and then it was overcast, cool and windy.

Looks like the next three or four days are going to be brilliant Texas spring weather  and I'm hoping to ride every day. Probably will take the Triumph but I'll mix in the GS now that it's working so well.

Yea that sheitte is here now and likely 3-4 days of brilliant weather after. Too bad I'm making a Charlotte run hauling some plywood saturday.
Cool.
Buddha.

This is turning into a real "classic bike" ownership experience.

That is, you spend more time working on it than riding it.

I went for a brief ride, maybe 30-40 minutes. Bike continues to be fussy when cold. It starts ok but I think the choke is really not working, so I need to check and make sure the cable is adjusted and seated right. But once it warms up, it runs like a scalded cat.

But, first thing I noticed was lots of oil leaking from the left fork seal. So I ordered new fork seals. And I think my rear brake situation has gotten a lot worse, it seems now I press the pedal 4 inches before it begins to engage. I have new brake pads ready to put in, need to bleed it and adjust. But more alarming, the bike winds up with false neutrals in between 3-4-5-6 gearshifts often and even sometimes will not shift at all even though the shifter has been actuated. Last time I changed the oil, I didn't change the filter (this was a gas-in-the-oil change), and I put in Rotella T4. Well, I hear T4 can cause shifting misbehavior so I hope this is the case. I bought a gal of T6 and have a new filter so I'll do an oil change and hope that fixes it.

The bike's still a riot to ride. With the zip-tie-mod throttle and 14t front sprocket it is high strung and just wants to go. The clutch is surprisingly non-linear compared with my Triumph so it kind of jerks a little bit which makes it do little teeny wheelies sometimes coming from a stop.

Anyway, I have some rides planned for this bike and I would be doing them in the next week before I start my new job but I doubt I'll get the fork seals done in time. The shifting thing worries me enough that doing a 2.5 hour one-way ride sounds like a kind of bad idea. But I still want to go. I'll see if I can get in gear over the weekend and sort out the fork seals and do the oil change, rear brake pads, bleed the rear brake, try to get it 100% roadworthy for a 5 hour round trip ride.

Your GS sounds like what they would call "a good hobby" in my neck of the woods - because there is always something to do on it on weekends. 

My 2004 GS OTOH, was quite serviceable with no problems whatsoever when I cut off the sub-frame to start the restomod process. Sounds crazy, but I just couldn't stand looking at the neglected appearance anymore. It stood in the sun and rain for three years before I acquired it.

Good luck with the new job.

Yeah well I want my hobby to be RIDING it.

I'm sure I'll keep it around and keep it running. Getting a regimen of fuel treatment and riding cadence down should improve my experience with it quite a bit. Fork seals are timely right now. Rear brake is timely. So this is not like it's a huge thing. But geez, this bike has only 26K miles on it, my Triumph has nearly 17K and is basically mint condition comparably.

I am on the lookout for a VanVan or maybe a DR650SE. If I wind up with one of those, it might seriously intrude on my GS's riding time and my patience for working on it. It's just if I am to have a classic bike that's a project bike, the GS is not the one I want. Maybe an XS650 would be worth this amount of tinkering. Or a Norton Commando. Even a GS450 or a GR650.

It's understandable that you feel that way about your GS. After all, it's not a very special bike, nor a collector's item.

The GS500 is all I have though, and at my age and in my financial situation, I cherish having, and working on my GS. It's either that or not having a bike at all, so I'm rather sentimental about the GS.

I hate to say it but what you are experiencing is not unique to your GS500. Its just the nature of the GS500. The last bikes destined for USA were made 13 years ago so at this point every GS500 has either a lot of miles, a lot of sitting around, or some combination of the two. With enough effort, mechanical and electrical aptitude, it is possible to get 4,000 miles intervals out of a GS500 without any problems. Anything more than that is just luck.

There are few parts on my GS500 I haven't touched, repaired or replaced. Off the top of my head, the only things I haven't had issues with are the bottom end and the starter motor. I've repaired or replaced or just dealt long-term with malfunctions in parts that other bikes never have issues with. For some illogical reason that makes me more willing to take it on trips because I feel like I can fix anything on the darn thing or find someone who can and many of the things that go wrong won't prevent you from getting home again.

You won't like hearing this but even if you buy that VanVan, you are in too deep with the GS. Its in your blood and soul at this point and it will always be your motorcycle. Even if you sell it, you will spend years regretting it and eventually find it on craigslist and have to buy it back to fix all the issues the intermediate owner inflicted upon the GS.

Quote from: Bluesmudge on March 26, 2021, 12:13:36 PM
I hate to say it but what you are experiencing is not unique to your GS500.

yeah, I know. What baffles me though is how it is not as reliable as some other bike of the same age and mileage typically are, in particular Triumph. I think part of this equation is that the GS was designed and built to a specific market price target. But also I think the parts bin reuse may have resulted in a lot of corner cutting in the GS whole something like my Bonneville was a completely fresh design in 2001.

Quote
You won't like hearing this but even if you buy that VanVan, you are in too deep with the GS. Its in your blood and soul at this point and it will always be your motorcycle.

that's for sure. It's why I didn't sell it and likely never will. I just get cyclically frustrated with it because I put a lot of work into getting it finally sorted and then like 100 miles later something new breaks. At this rate I'm sure once I finally replace that one last 30 year old part, the first things I replaced will begin to go south.

My dad keeps trying to talk me into buying some vintage motorcycle I think mostly because he'd love to have one and I can afford it. But given my limited tolerance for working on my GS, I don't want something that's twice as much work to keep running with part 10x as hard to find. At least with the GS, there is no real downside to creative repair, improvising the non stock part to work here and there, or really value-detrimental mods. I mean, I have a 2004 tank on mine!

I heard long ago that one people are creators an others are maintainers. This is the core issue. I enjoy working on stuff that I am creating or building. I detest working on things for maintenance. Replacing fork seals? No. Replacing the whole forks with DR650 forks and fabrication of special parts that require ingenuity and trial and error? Yes! Cleaning the carbs? Nope. Fitting fuel injection from a ninja 400 with months of tinkering and having to learn to weld in the process? Sign me up. But once I have done enough of this creative work, it becomes my creation and I'm stuck maintaining it if for no reason besides that nobody else knows what it is.

NEW MILESTONE MET!

Yesterday I rode my GS, twice, without anything breaking!

Both were errand runs, shake-out since the last work I did on it. In First was probably 20 miles split among a couple of errands, then I went on a 1.5 hour ride on my Bonneville, and then I put the top box back on the GS and used it for another errand where I needed to take home a can of spray paint.

So. The work.

I replaced the fork seals last weekend. Once I made the "special tool" out of the long bolts that came from a set of coil spring compressors, this job was pretty easy. I figured out that to avoid having to realign the forks afterward, remove them one leg at a time. I didn't have enough of one type of fork oil to do the job so I did what you are told not to do, I mixed about 45% Bel-Ray 15w, 45% Maxima 10w, and the rest Advance Auto Parts house brand ATF. One of the dust caps didn't want to stay put so I put some black RTV on it. Bike rides great, handles right, I have no complaints about my totally redneck oil cocktail.

Also, ever since my foot peg mod the rear brake has had issues. I thought the problem was that the pivot was in the wrong place, but I figured I could improve it a little bit with some adjustment. Problem was it had about three inches of travel before the brake engaged. I carefully adjusted the pushrod until 1/4" movement activates the pressure brake light switch. This resulted in a useful and firm rear brake pedal. WIN!

I also adjusted the choke because the bike doesn't seem to want to start when cold and runs like ... well... poorly, until it warms up. I took about 10mm of slack out of the choke cable. No help. Well maybe a little bit. But it still is hard to start and runs bad when cold. But it is a beast when it's warmed up. So the choke has issues. And I am going to live with those issues because I hate pulling that tank off.

Bike is running like a top and is back to its old ways of being an absolute blast to ride. If only it'll stay running long enough, I hope to very soon take some longer (5 hour plus) trips including a lot of gravel and plenty of highways on it.

I dug riding it enough that I thought maybe I should make up a GS500 ADV conversion kit to sell, because I really do think it's a great ADV platform. It's 100 lb lighter than most of the latest batch of medium displacement (~500cc) ADV bikes with road-biased tires/wheels like a CB5000X. It has nearly double the power of the modern single-cylinder ADV bikes in the same weight category (BMW, KTM, Kawa 3xx). Of course, there's no way to make a kit.

Here's what it took:
1. Dual-sport handlebar (I used KX-Hi bend alloy bar)
2. ROX-style risers (set the bar back 2" towards seat)
3. Katana 600 rear shock
4. Lower forks in triples, caps level with top triple
5. 0.90kg/mm fork springs
6. Custom footpeg/shifter/brake mounting plates, BMW foot pegs
7. Tusk shift lever with heim joint, custom shift linkage with pushrod and heim joints built from cut up stock shifter
8. 80/20 tires ... 150/70 rear and 120/70 front Shinko E705 or similar

I also made up a rear rack and put a "scooter" top box on it, also have a medium size magnetic tank bag, bar end mirrors, and made wire mesh side panels for appearance purposes to go with my flat-tracker vintage "72" side number plates. And I reversed the rear fender and made mods to that.

No way to turn all that into a kit. Mostly the suspension, control (HB/footpeg/brake/shifter) and tires are absolutely necessary to ADVize a GS500. It's a completely different animal after the changes.

Quote from: mr72 on April 02, 2021, 05:39:39 AM

I dug riding it enough that I thought maybe I should make up a GS500 ADV conversion kit to sell, because I really do think it's a great ADV platform. It's 100 lb lighter than most of the latest batch of medium displacement (~500cc) ADV bikes with road-biased tires/wheels like a CB5000X. It has nearly double the power of the modern single-cylinder ADV bikes in the same weight category (BMW, KTM, Kawa 3xx). Of course, there's no way to make a kit.

I wouldn't give the GS500 too much credit. The wet weight of a GS500F is actually 4 pounds heavier than the CB500X. They make about the same power so its basically a wash. If anything, the CB is getting an extra couple horsepower to the rear wheel.
A GS500E is 19 lbs lighter than a CB500F but the GS doesn't have to carry around a catalytic converter, ABS brake system or larger forks and tires...all of which may be worth the 19 pounds. And again, I think the CB is putting an extra couple horsepower to the rear wheel so its basically a wash.

If I was going in fresh without 13 years of interest in the GS500 I would choose the CB500F as the better do everything bike and the CB500X as the better adventure bike. GS is only better if you want to learn to turn a wrench. Your bike has shown us that much.

My research says a CB500X is 434 lb and a GS500E is 373 lb. That makes the Honda 61 lb heavier. My GS has had the center stand removed, has much smaller and lighter muffler, alloy handlebar, and a handful of other sub 1lb weight reductions so I estimate my GS to be more like 360 lb. With the weight saving mods on my Triumph, I figure it's around 460 lb wet weight. Let me tell you, the difference in weight between it and my GS is absolutely night and day.

True, if I were starting over, I likely would start with something like a CB500X. If my GS were to be stolen off my street, I'd buy a CB500X. But I'd be sorry I had to do that, because there's a lot of character the GS has that is missing in the CB. Mostly, I just can't get along with the idea of a water cooled motorcycle. I'm sure the Honda would be a lot more reliable and perform better, and I'd love fuel injection.

I actually did some "adventure" type riding on my GS just two days ago. Up here in Lago Vista and Jonestown there are a lot of "roads" that are unbearably steep and really only passable with a 4wd vehicle. My adventurized GS did it just fine!

Why is a CB500 so freaking heavy ? I thought perimeter frames were heavy as are the ridiculous old casting with dirty aluminum in the GS cyl and fins and steel sleeves. The CB has a much much smaller motor with cleaner aluminum and nikasil coating isn't it ?
Well that could be offset by the water and the radiator, but still that's a lot more than I'd expect.
Yea cat and other crap needs to be tossed first chance you get, but does the O2 sensor go into the part after the kat ?
The Bolt has it before and I carefully cut the thing right after it but o2 sensor in that bike does nothing to the jetting, they should have had it run closed loop, I think its only closed loop at idle or something stupid like that.
Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: mr72 on April 04, 2021, 06:41:52 AM
My research says a CB500X is 434 lb and a GS500E is 373 lb. That makes the Honda 61 lb heavier. My GS has had the center stand removed, has much smaller and lighter muffler, alloy handlebar, and a handful of other sub 1lb weight reductions so I estimate my GS to be more like 360 lb. With the weight saving mods on my Triumph, I figure it's around 460 lb wet weight. Let me tell you, the difference in weight between it and my GS is absolutely night and day.

True, if I were starting over, I likely would start with something like a CB500X. If my GS were to be stolen off my street, I'd buy a CB500X. But I'd be sorry I had to do that, because there's a lot of character the GS has that is missing in the CB. Mostly, I just can't get along with the idea of a water cooled motorcycle. I'm sure the Honda would be a lot more reliable and perform better, and I'd love fuel injection.

I actually did some "adventure" type riding on my GS just two days ago. Up here in Lago Vista and Jonestown there are a lot of "roads" that are unbearably steep and really only passable with a 4wd vehicle. My adventurized GS did it just fine!

You are comparing the dry weight of the GS500 to the wet (curb) weight of the CB500X. Fort9 has a great video about how dry weights are calculated using the sum of the bottom end of the tolerances of every part on the motorcycle. Manufacturers never actually put a finished motorcycle on a scale to get that number. So is it possible that some GS500E magically received the lightest manufactured version of every part on the assembly line so that it could weigh 373 lbs without battery acid, oil, brake fluid or gasoline? Technically yes, but I doubt any of us received that unicorn motorcycle. Manufacturer weights from the "dry" weight days are just fantasy.

The road ready weight of a 2001 GS500E is 425 lbs+ so I doubt the  '89 - '00 E model can be much less than that. Maybe around 417 lbs because the older models have less fuel capacity.

373 was the quoted wet weight of a GS500E of pre-2000 vintage. I think you might be thinking the F, which with fairings, bigger tank, oil cooler, who knows what else, adds weight.

Manufacturers used dry weight back then. Where do you see that 373 is the wet weight?
Here is a good summary of the E models:
http://www.suzukicycles.org/GS-series/GS500E.shtml#gsc.tab=0

Quote from: The Buddha on April 05, 2021, 05:35:05 AM
Why is a CB500 so freaking heavy ?

The CB500X is that heavy. I think a lot of it is in the bigger front wheel, longer forks, longer shock, and who knows what else "Adventure" parts they put on it.

But modern bikes are just freaking heavy. I mean, why is my Bonneville nearly 500 lb? I can't figure where they have hidden the extra 100 lb. I am sure it's in the very stiff frame and overbuilt cast iron bottom end and I probably am glad it's that strong, and I've seen how you have to gut one of these bikes to get it close to 400 lb. Insane.

Quote
Yea cat and other crap needs to be tossed first chance you get, but does the O2 sensor go into the part after the kat ?
The Bolt has it before and I carefully cut the thing right after it but o2 sensor in that bike does nothing to the jetting, they should have had it run closed loop, I think its only closed loop at idle or something stupid like that.

On my Triumph the "mini cats" were integrated in the entry to the silencers. That's what's mostly different between the stock exhaust and the "TORS" (Triumph Off Road Specific) exhaust that are commonly swapped on. And the O2 sensors on the Triumph are only used at idle. The whole thing runs open loop. I disabled the O2 sensor using TuneECU along with the remap. Makes no difference in how it runs at all. It only cares about MAF and IAT at certain RPM ranges but the vast majority of the time the mapping is static according to RPM and throttle position. I suspect that's the way most motorcycles are these days.

Surprised your Bolt has carbs! Isn't that like a 2018 model or something?

Quote from: Bluesmudge on April 05, 2021, 10:30:15 AM
Manufacturers used dry weight back then. Where do you see that 373 is the wet weight?
Here is a good summary of the E models:
http://www.suzukicycles.org/GS-series/GS500E.shtml#gsc.tab=0

Hmm... I don't remember where I found that number. I also found a number of errors on that specific page, but hey, they are probably right about the weight. I find it surprising that the wet weight of a GS500 is almost exactly that of a SV650!