Overlander Scrambler

[thatshitcray]

Project: Scramble overland around Australia
Bike: 18000km 2013 GS500E

Objective: Build and kit out a bike to travel around Australia on. I would like a bike that feels comfortable on and off road. I'll be carrying my sleeping and cooking kit with approx. 10L of water and 5-10L of additional fuel (or the option to carry). Bike security is going to be a priority as I would like to hike some mountains and trails along the way.

To do list:

• Upgrade front suspension and see what height can be gained while doing so.
• Replace rear shock with a gsx 750 rear shock
• Modify front fender using the two front fender in one mod
• Fit two batteries under the seat. One primary and one secondary that charges while riding.
• Reshape the original seat to fit the frame without back fenders, possibly revinyl with different padding to change the aesthetics
• Strip the back plastics, hide everything on the outside and replace lights.
• Add supports for panniers and fit luggage wherever it will go (Panniers, tank panniers, water bag, fuel bag, tool kit and a large backpack riding tandem)
• DIY a skid plate, nothing bullet proof but something to take the hits
• Paint forks, tank and other odd bits

It would be nice to have this done by the end of winter to set off in spring to see the Australian alps at their finest but I don't know how long some of this will take me (or how much it will cost). Pics of starting point coming soon.

Wade.

[mr72]

Check out my build thread, you might find I have done some of the things you are talking about.

Lowering the forks in the triples will give you about 30mm more ride height up front before you run into trouble. Changing to 120/70 tires on front, like the Shinkos I have will give a few more mm. This matches well with the Katana shock in rear (which I also have), but you will want to bump the front spring rate up to 0.85 or 0.90 kg/mm to match the rear shock's spring rate, and that will also increase ride height due to much less sag. Round it out with a 150/70 rear tire and a 1" block (I cut up a hockey puck) on the side stand and you're golden. You wind up with over an inch more static ride height (bike unladen) and probably close to two inches with rider & cargo due to stiffer springs. All this without screwing up the road handling geometry like you would with something like a DR350 fork and 19" front wheel. Plus you can use tubeless tires that are lighter and available in better mostly-road compounds.

Also, consider reversing the rear fender and cutting off the license plate "block" as an alternative to the other fender mod. Part's already on the bike. Works like a champ on mine.

I think you will likely wind up wanting to change the foot peg position, which also is covered in my thread. You can't effectively stand on the pegs in their stock position if you are over about 5 ft tall.

About the dual batteries... the charging system is not up to having them both connected at once. You'll melt down the connectors in the reg/rect to stator wiring and eventually burn the wires up. The whole system is just marginal even with just the stock battery, right on the edge of burning itself up, and adding more charge load would make it a lot worse. You'd want to have some kind of hard switch to go between the two batteries, not trying them both at once. For the 2nd battery you might consider a LiFePo4 since they are smaller and lighter for the capacity you need, easier to jam under the seat, and ideal for extra capacity especially in Oz where cold temps are not going to be a limiting factor. I couldn't get my bike to start reliably if it was under 50F with LiFePo4 batt but you shouldn't have that issue at all, plus you'll have an ordinary AGM batt that can be used for cold starts when needed. Anyway, I think dual batteries are likely overkill. Switch the headlight and taillight to LED and you reduce the draw on the system by over half, voila your battery is double capacity without having to change it. Only thing is starting, which can be accomplished with a Li-Ion USB jump pack that you carry around pre-charged.

I'd love to see what you do for cargo. That's a problem I have not solved yet on mine. But the truth is, my topcase and homebrew rack work perfectly for what I need. I don't do overland trips. But I am seriously considering a beach camping trip solo on the bike this summer and my one topcase is not going to cut it.

[thatshitcray]

...

Thanks, I've started to read your thread but the photos don't work anymore and that's a shame. I'll try to skip forward to the relevant suspension info.

I was considering the Shinkos since finding out the Dunlop Trailmax's are T/T. Damn shame, I wanted that look. Did you run into any issues with the 150 tyre on the back? I'm looking forward to the added height as I stand over 6'1". I guess I may have to change foot positions like you say...

I found this kick stand hack that I think will work well. http://pantablo500.tripod.com/id12.html . It involves cutting the stand and using a rod and some JB Weld, which suits me because I don't have a welder.

I don't understand why the charging system would not handle the job. Also I should have added that I would like to use Li-Ion. There are a few options that come to mind here but I don't know enough to make the right decision yet.

• First option is run with one battery and keep a Li-Ion USB pack as back up. (This could be what I run with based on convenience.)
• My original thought was two Li-Ions, a start/main battery and an auxiliary battery separated by a battery isolator.
• Now that you mention LiFePo4, I could use that as the main with a hard switch.. But I worry will that be safe enough..

I plan on charging electronics (possibly a small laptop or tablet, I'm studying) and could leave the aux battery unreliable as a back up often so then do I safeguard the LiFePo4 with a Li-Ion USB pack or run with the original 2 battery plan. IDK.


What is the exact answer to " What does a petcock control?: " ? Nothing seems to work.

[mr72]

...

Thanks, I've started to read your thread but the photos don't work anymore and that's a shame. I'll try to skip forward to the relevant suspension info.

Yeah the old photos are just gone, IDK where. But get to the last few pages, it is more helpful info anyway and the pics should be good.

I was considering the Shinkos since finding out the Dunlop Trailmax's are T/T. Damn shame, I wanted that look. Did you run into any issues with the 150 tyre on the back? I'm looking forward to the added height as I stand over 6'1". I guess I may have to change foot positions like you say...

I am about 5-11.5" with 33" inseam and the stock footpegs were way too cramped for me. Standing on the pegs was not really possible. Now it's brilliant.

I had to put a dent in the rear brake brace to get the 150 tire to clear but it works great.

I don't understand why the charging system would not handle the job. Also I should have added that I would like to use Li-Ion. There are a few options that come to mind here but I don't know enough to make the right decision yet.

OK, two things. First of all, the charging system on any motorcycle won't safely charge a Li-Ion battery. What you want is LiFePO4 ("Lithium Iron").

but the reason the charging system won't work with two batteries in parallel is because they will draw twice as much current during charging and this will overwhelm the capacity of the wiring and reg/rect by a factor of two. You would have to have a switch, which would be a pain at least, but you can't charge them both at the same time.

• First option is run with one battery and keep a Li-Ion USB pack as back up. (This could be what I run with based on convenience.)
• My original thought was two Li-Ions, a start/main battery and an auxiliary battery separated by a battery isolator.
• Now that you mention LiFePo4, I could use that as the main with a hard switch.. But I worry will that be safe enough..

I would recommend option 1. My experience with these charging systems is that they are poorly regulated and very close to the margin on capacity, and you really need to understand charging voltage and current when putting a battery in the system. LiFePo4 requires more precise voltage regulation to get the maximum charge. A typical GS will only put out maybe 14.2V which IIRC won't charge a LiFePO4 past about 80%. Also the stock charging system won't charge anything if you are riding below about 2500 rpm. So imagine you put bigger/more batteries in there, they would never be fully charged anyway even if you didn't melt down the reg/rect because you would not spend enough time at >2500 rpm to do it. Idling in traffic you are full-loss. Putting at low revs on gravel, full loss. If you reduce the constant load of the lights (headlight and tail light) by putting in LEDs you will reduce the rate of drain of the batt in full loss by a lot, reduce therefore the charge time, and increase the reserve capacity.

I plan on charging electronics (possibly a small laptop or tablet, I'm studying) and could leave the aux battery unreliable as a back up often so then do I safeguard the LiFePo4 with a Li-Ion USB pack or run with the original 2 battery plan. IDK.

The only downside I ran into with LiFePO4 battery (which I returned!) was cold weather starts. I got tired of push starting the bike when it was cold. I made the problem worse with my LED lighting, since pulling light current out of the battery didn't heat it up as it does on other motos that come with LiFePO4 batts (KTM, for example). Also the fact that it would never really fully charge was a double whammy. Changing to a ZX6R reg/rect (MOSFET) which puts out a solid 14.6 even at idle and runs way cooler and a new AGM batt was far better in every way.

I do carry a Li-Ion USB-charged type jump pack / USB battery with me on both bikes when going very far from home. It will also charge my phone or my chromebook even while in the bag. I use these USB battery packs all the time, making my charging system portable. Just charge these batts at home or in the hotel and then use them to charge phone/etc while on the road.

[thatshitcray]

Thanks, your thread is great. Shame about the pics though.

If I use a smart battery isolator that switches at the full charge voltage I can limit the current to one battery.

You do make a good point on the charging voltage that the bike can output. I must look into this and weigh up the benefits of the fast charge (maybe like you say only to 80%) vs the slow charge of the standard. Was the ZX6R reg/rect (MOSFET) hard to install?

I'm leaning towards 2 x LiFePO4, one small just for starting and running and one larger for any extra electricity I'll use. LED's will be a must and I'll probably keep a power bank jump starter with me in addition to what's here.. Maybe an overkill but electricity = comfort in a lot of ways.

Do you have a photo of the dent you made for the tire to fit? It would be good to know what needs to be done before I commit, because bangin the bike in with a hammer seems drastic.

[SK Racing]

I'm leaning towards 2 x LiFePO4, one small just for starting and running and one larger for any extra electricity I'll use. LED's will be a must and I'll probably keep a power bank jump starter with me in addition to what's here.. Maybe an overkill but electricity = comfort in a lot of ways.

In my experience, the use of a LiFePO₄ battery requires a BMS (Battery Management System) to keep the cells balanced while charging. So make sure the battery has one built-in, otherwise you will have to add a BMS yourself.

This is how I've done it on my bike: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=73327.msg881094#msg881094

[mr72]

You do make a good point on the charging voltage that the bike can output. I must look into this and weigh up the benefits of the fast charge (maybe like you say only to 80%) vs the slow charge of the standard. Was the ZX6R reg/rect (MOSFET) hard to install?

That's also somewhere in my thread

It was easy enough that I don't even remember it. I just hooked it up. But it's not plug and play. I had to create new connections by clipping off the old stuff and crimping on new. And I also simplified the wiring by removing superfluous junk and beefed up the charging wiring a lot... I think I went with 8 ga.

Anyway, it works and works very well. The previous part melted down. It's just one of the jillion little things I did to try to make my GS reliable enough to be a daily rider before giving up and buying a 20 years newer bike.

Do you have a photo of the dent you made for the tire to fit? It would be good to know what needs to be done before I commit, because bangin the bike in with a hammer seems drastic.

No but it's in the FAQ and all over the internet. I used a small sledge hammer and just had to make two or three good whacks to sort of bend and flatten the bar right where it crosses the tire. There's probably a picture in my thread

[thatshitcray]

So. I hate Photobucket and any other image hosting options and haven't shared pics for this reason. I'm testing another method, blogger. It's an old Gmail blogging platform, basic and free.

[SK Racing]

Well, it seems to be working.

You could try to add a width limiter, then the displayed image won't exceed the specified width until one clicks on it.

Like this:


I also recommend resizing large images to about 1200px width before posting.

Btw, it's good to see what your bike looks like.

[thatshitcray]

Thanks SK!

https://www.blogpagewade.com/2022/04/headlight.html?m=1

[thatshitcray]

blogpagewade.com

IT'S TIME!

Time to put everything back together. Here's a sneak peak 😉

[thatshitcray]

[thatshitcray]

Things are moving slow, but it is coming together.