Customiser Getting a GS500

[pattman]

Hail Lemmy!!!

No doubt you guessed I'm a Motörhead fan.

I'm third generation biker from the south west UK.  My old mans still riding and my gramps was still riding at the good age of 80 after spending his years after the war as an AA patrol man on a Norton sidecar outfit.  Im a carpenter by trade, old mans an engineer and taught me to weld, bend tube etc and I've been creating my one off's ever since out of anything I can get hold of.

I'm picking up a GS500 slingshot at the end of the month and I'm stuck for ideas of what to do with it.  I would say I'll tart it up a bit, ride it and love it but who am I kidding, that'll never happen.  I cant help but meddle and cut stuff up., I'm a serial motorbike abuser with an angle grinder and noise problem.

I love the parallel twin engine for its simplicity as with the singles.  I'm planning on using most of the bike for a hardtail custom to put a lot of miles on.  Not exactly conventional I know but having seen a couple and having some free time on my hands in the evenings since departing from the other half I'm going to blast this one out in time for summer.  How far I take it is yet unsolved but I'm sure it'll come to me as soon as its on the lift.

So heres a couple of pics of previous projects, the orange one was turned around in month of evenings in January 2014, originally a Honda CM 125 copy converted to a 150cc with uprated carb, sprockets, ports polished etc... The Yamaha came to me as a dodgy runner, completely bodged to pieces and would run for more than five miles before dieing and refusing to start as well as most of the electrics where shot.






With a fullish build here

[ShowBizWolf]

Nice first post pattman!! Glad to have ya here on the board and can't wait to see what ya do with a GS 

[iamhiding]

yep, looking forward to seeing where your gs journey winds as well pattman 

[the_63]

Hey pattman, check out Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, if you haven't already. He's plucked his sons out of their respective bands and they've been touring and recording lately.

Any ideas for the Suzuki yet?

Chris

[pattman]

Cheers for the welcome 

Whats the carbs like to work on these bikes and could they handle minimally baffled exhausts?  If they are anything like the abortions Yamaha decided to put on the Virago range I'll be really tempted to swap them out for a pair of Mikuni VM34's or a single VM38 on a dual feed manifold for their sheer simplicity and reliability.

I've got a few ideas floating around, the lack of a metal lathe at the moment somewhat limits the extent of parts I can make though.  I'll more than likely try and keep the front cradle of the frame if possible and rework the back end.  I'll have to check dimensions and seating position once I've got it home as to how much will need to go.  The orange bike was really cramped, being just over 6'3" and 15 stone you could say a clown on a monkey bike but the Yam was just right.  Don't want the foot controls to far out in front as it doesn't help with the rain going up your legs or the stretched out position for hitting any pot holes with no support for my dodgy back.  Not sure what style of tank to use or possible make although I do have a weird shaped mustang tank sat in the corner being neglected which needs to be made a lot bigger, its friggin tiny!

I've got a run planned in late May to Wales so hopefully the bike will be finished to an extent and sorted with shakedown runs before hand so if I loose anything I can make a replacement.  I've only lost a battery cover and a seat bolt so far so haven't done to bad.

So three months of evenings and a couple of weekends I haven't got my nippers to get it sorted.  Now for colour choice.  I always loved the purple with gold pin striping my old man had on his GS850, now rocking around on a Suzuki Intruder trike.



Might say the GS bug was caught from a young age.

[ShowBizWolf]

ooooo I like that purple and gold as well. Those rims remind me of Chrysler rims... I like that too!

[pattman]

Does anyone know if the cast 5 spoke wheels from the early GS range are a direct replacement or do the bearing need to be changed?  Thinking of the end look, may get a pair and powder coat them.

[pattman]

Well, I've been let down as the the bike is now no longer available after we already struck a deal Nice.  So I'm on the lookout for another one to play with.  Project currently on hold which sucks.

[pattman]

Finally sorted a GS500.  FSH, new MOT, 16k on the clock, 53 reg for a monkey, and it was less than a mile down the road.
Going to put a few hundred miles on it first to get a feel for the engine then it'll be chop time.

[gregjet]

Considered going to VM34's myself. They should work fine .

[Suzi Q]

Cool looking stable of past projects. Best of luck in the quest for a GS

[pattman]

Now I have a dilemma.  I've never really been into street bikes, always customs, but the bike I picked up is a minter and its solid engine performance has grown on me so I don't want to chop it, so I picked up a right shitter of a bike to chop instead for next to nothing.  So I'm thinking of keeping the GS and tricking it up a bit.

So, what to do to it... I'm thinking air filter and end can for now as I'll be using it to commute.  Recommendations of cans and filters with jets to suit?

[The Buddha]

Now I have a dilemma.  I've never really been into street bikes, always customs, but the bike I picked up is a minter and its solid engine performance has grown on me so I don't want to chop it, so I picked up a right shitter of a bike to chop instead for next to nothing.  So I'm thinking of keeping the GS and tricking it up a bit.

So, what to do to it... I'm thinking air filter and end can for now as I'll be using it to commute.  Recommendations of cans and filters with jets to suit?

Good call. I was getting ready to boycott this thread forever.
OK airfilter - the stock paper one can be washed and reused, and otherwise replacing it every 6-8K costs $10 or so, its an expense I've come to tolerate. The GS lasts a whole lot longer with that paper filter kept clean over anything else.
I would do a nice slip on or even a good full system, and jet it to breathe right and call it a day. I make up kits to jet for K&N etc etc, but I run the stock air filter, and I in fact have a new one sitting on the shelf waiting to go in (maybe early next week). For the exhaust I'm running a Titanium Yosh tri oval pipe on stock headers.
Cool.
Buddha.

[sledge]

How much did the slingshot go for and how did it look? Was it a private sale or was it advertised? Where in the UK are you?

88/89 were the years they branded GS5s as slingshots in the UK. F and G reg and very very rare now. I am presently looking for a semj-decent one with original paint and graphics and the all important cast suspension knuckle as a resto' project. I have got contacts all over the country looking for one for me but it just isn't happening!!!

Don't anybody ever chop a slingshot, they will be worth something..........one day!!

And if someone sees one in the UK PM me.......quick!!!

[pattman]

Slingshot was an 89, wasn't mint by any means and was advertised for £895 in the midlands.  Settled on a price but it was sold before I could get the deposit sent.
Still running my GS stock, I've put 1500 miles on it, tops out at 105ish mph.

The bike I bought for chopping wasn't worth it so I picked up a GS500 frame from a breakers that was written off, salvaged the headstock as the frame was twisted, rear end impact.  Going to build a hardtail frame as a direct replacement for the original to literally bolt everything on to and back if required so keeping the original frame intact and unmolested.

Cheers for the info Buddha, looking into exhausts depending what I do.

[J_Walker]

How much did the slingshot go for and how did it look? Was it a private sale or was it advertised? Where in the UK are you?

88/89 were the years they branded GS5s as slingshots in the UK. F and G reg and very very rare now. I am presently looking for a semj-decent one with original paint and graphics and the all important cast suspension knuckle as a resto' project. I have got contacts all over the country looking for one for me but it just isn't happening!!!

Don't anybody ever chop a slingshot, they will be worth something..........one day!!

And if someone sees one in the UK PM me.......quick!!!

gonna buy a slingshot from the UK, and chop it all up now. lets see... maybe a dirtbike mod? 

[yamahonkawazuki]

With nitrous?
Aaron

[pattman]

So, the story so far....  not a lot.

I've made the bench, well top of it


And a height adjustable neck holder to keep everything straight and true


Some tapered neck supports


And fitted ready to build


And one of me from a local bike night in aid of the Royal British Legion


And one from last year on my previous project, same bike night


All being well I might actually get started properly at some point

[pattman]

Well, finally the bench is up, axle plates made and jig is in place. Bench has been laser levelled in and bolted down so all measurements can be taken of off it for reference and making sure everything is true and straight. Heights have all be worked out, 6" from bottom rails to ground as the exhausts are going to be run under the frame and side exiting through a muffler box. The heights of the axle plates and headstock have been lowered accordingly so the bench is at frame rail height so everything can sit straight on it. Everything has been centred so it should be plain sailing, hopefully.

All the steel is here for the frame and I've got some sheet steel waiting to be made into a fuel tank and battery box etc. Need to find or make a seat, headlight, electric box, fuse holder, fenders and sissy bar for camping gear as well as deciding on the handlebars, seat height... but its build time, at last.  And of course, the pics.

[pattman]

Went for a ride to the last RBL bike night of the year, was a good turn out.  Had fun dodging the goats and now deer chucked in the mix through the gorge on the way home....

Front down tube notched, tacked, straightened and welded, lower rails bent and notched to the down tube ready for rear ends to be bent and notched for the axle plates.  All good fun.