1983 GS550e rebuild

[Sburgss98]

I found a kid on craigslist awhile back that had a bike that he no longer wanted. It came with no description and no pictures. But for 200 bucks a guys gotta look. It turned out to be a 1983 Gs550e that looked like its had a interesting life. The kid couldnt get it to run so he figured by cutting and splicing random wires that would fix it. SOOO I took it off his hands for 150.00 spend a couple of minutes finding the bad ground and I was off to the races. Expect I dont think the bike would have fared well on the road. Keeping that in mind i decided to do some some "cosmetic" work..... Which keeped geeting more like a triple bypass surgery. So far I have gutted the bike, shortened the frame, sandblasted about everything, got rid of the old light fairing, seat, rear fender, and side covers, repainted the majority of it( engine included), fixed the dents in the tank and build a one off cafe style seat. I still need to build side covers and figure out if removing the old style air box is possible without having to re-jet, (clean the carbs), redo the electrical... the list goes on and on. But Im excited to see the finished product should be like no other..... At least around here... I do have a question on a fairing/cowling though.. Found one off of a 1985 gs700es that is unlike any that I have found.. However it mounts right up to my bike. Im wondering if its a uncommon piece or a dime a dozen.. Its not a full engine cowling it just covers the front (headers, frame) and doesnt extend past the front of the engine. It s factory I know that.... Any ways I hope to have some pictures up soon.. thanks!

 

[Sburgss98]

Picture

Picture

 

[tkent02]

Cool but is that swing arm strong enough?

 

[Sburgss98]

It's the stock swing arm. Thought about changing it but I figured I have enough on my hands.

 

[wally]

That looks nice. The tailpiece works nicely with the bike!

 

[Guest]

If you remove the air box you WILL have to rejet the carbs no way around it.

 

[bluewool]

Don't the these 550's have a siamese intake on the carbs that are difficult(nigh impossible) to find filters for?

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

Yup no pods for this old girl.

 

[Sburgss98]

Thanks! As for the Airbox. It is a 1 into2 design the previous owner rigged a K&N filter to it and kinda ruined the airbox. So Im looking at options. I wouldnt mind fabricating a new one that will accept a normal pod. However, the oval Carb intakes are kind of a pain in the butt to work around. I think I could get a UNI filter to go direct onto the carbs but it is no more than a oil sock.. I like the rigid pods shaped like a cone but nobody makes one for that style of carb... As for a rejet I suppose its possible. But I may just forget this whole business and run stock until I can devise a better idea (than the huge bulky airbox).

 

[gerb73]

Very interested to see where you go with this. I have an 83 gs550 as well and found this post awhile back, http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?p=1351800&highlight=gs550+pods&page=2.
A guy replied about using 52mm pods. Since they are large enough you can form them into the oval shape you need. He even included pictures.

 

[Sburgss98]

I will be sure to check out the link. Thank you!
I also have another question in regards to gauges... I have a bit of a problem. my worm gear on my cam shaft is stripped for my tach. In order to use my mechanical tach I believe I need to replace the cam (which other than the worm gear is just fine). I would like to keep the original tach but I know now I need a electronic tach to replace it. Does anybody have a good place to find a good (not break the bank of a small country good) electronic tach that goes to 12,000 rpm? if not I have a hair brain Idea to take a tack out of a junker and retro fit it to my gauges.... I would appreciate any input.

Thanks in advance!