"Goose" My 1980 GS550

[Allie]

Nice bike! Course if it were mine, I'd put rear brakes on it. And muffle it. And add the rear frame, fender, lights and original seat back. And put the front fender back on. And the guages. And... and you don't give a wet slap what I'd do because it's your bike! But that is one seriously good looking bike, and looks not unpleasant to ride around. Still, I guess my co-pilot would strenuously object to no back seat. No he wouldn't, he'd just leave me home I'm sure!

 

[240punk]

Grip tape would kill my pants. But along those lines for sure.
If you like rear brakes you have never locked them up. I feel much safer with the weight transferring forward and then settling out with throttle.

 

[Flyboy]

If you like rear brakes you have never locked them up. I feel much safer with the weight transferring forward and then settling out with throttle.

Horse sh*t, then you need to learn to ride bro, I own and ride a 500lbs+ 1000G, have done for 29 years, personally put 226 000 miles on it, thrown it around the track plenty and steer her through corners with the back end plenty, have had her in rear and two wheel slides more often than I care to remember, all perfectly controlled.

Not knocking your build, I do like the cafe thing you have achieved, very nice, good work there. Just don't agree on that point.

 

[240punk]

Horse sh*t, then you need to learn to ride bro, I own and ride a 500lbs+ 1000G, have done for 29 years, personally put 226 000 miles on it, thrown it around the track plenty and steer her through corners with the back end plenty, have had her in rear and two wheel slides more often than I care to remember, all perfectly controlled.

Not knocking your build, I do like the cafe thing you have achieved, very nice, good work there. Just don't agree on that point.

Totally understand what you're saying. I like the weight up front, forks compressed, because i like the way my bike handles like that in corners. A rear brake flattens your bike out and I think it feels like sloppy crap. Tomatoes and potatoes brother.

 

[nvr2old]

I like this build, too..except as many have mentioned, the lack of a rear brake. Even if you only use it while waiting on a hill at a stop light or something. A rear brake is a very valuable asset to any motorcycle. If for some reason your front caliper (on the one-only disk) ever causes any problems, yer screwed. Also, the clearance from the tail section to the rear tire..does it hit under hard bumps? Not slammin' you, man..just concerned..

 

[240punk]

Any Orange county soccer mom sipping her frappuccino and talking on her Iphone will be the reason I go down. Not my riding skills, lack of rear brake, or front brake failure. The hills are a good point. Ive encountered this. Luckily I can count the hills around here on one hand and the hills I seek out have no stops. The tail does rub when I have my shocks on the lowest setting and I go over rough train tracks or speed bumps.

Thank you for the concern, I do appreciate it.

 

[Allie]

I like the rear brake for low speed maneuvers, though it's hardly necessary, at least with a bike as light as mine. I probably use it TOO much otherwise, a bad little habit of mine. Maybe I should disconnect it for a while just to learn me to use the front more often. It still seems to put the bike in a good attitude coming into a turn but that could be a false sense of security on my part. I've never gotten into trouble in a turn though, the only time I've had trouble was locking the rear wheel in a panic stop - bad, bad, BAD! On steep hills I will sometimes put BOTH feet down just because I feel better that way, it's not that difficult to modulate the throttle and front brake simultaneously on take off. A lot of people say you should pretty much forget the rear brake on the street, and forget the front brake in the dirt. There's a lot of truth in that I suppose, tho I still like having the rear brake personally.

 

[240punk]

Well its smoking like crazy and running like crap so I need to get this other engine built. *sigh*

 

[Flyboy]

Nooooooo, man, what a bummer, any Idea why, have you done any diagnosis?

 

[240punk]

No diagnosis yet. The burning oil smell became smoke yesterday. Only after it warms up.
I checked my oil level and it was very low.
So.... rings? valves?

 

[BigD_83]

No diagnosis yet. The burning oil smell became smoke yesterday. Only after it warms up.
I checked my oil level and it was very low.
So.... rings? valves?

It does sound like you are now burning oil. What colour is your smoke?

Do you have any pictures of your plugs yet?

 

[240punk]

Burning a lot of oil. This sucks. I'll check my plugs tonight.

 

[240punk]

Just found my oil pressure guage NOS.
Apparently they were specifically for GS.
Also ordered parts for my 670 conversion on my other motor. Need to have that done asap.

 

[240punk]

So I got a killer deal on a twin for my bike. My brother will be here in feb so I have until then to get both bikes solid.

 

[240punk]

Started the tear down this evening.
Excited to cruise with my brother.

Liking the exhaust on both sides so I think I'm going with that.
Smaller headlight, new tires, some cool bars, random parts, zero budget.

 

[240punk]

Engine will be ready to pull tonight.

 

[IanDMacDonald]

I think it's funny you found the money for a twin to your bike, but, not the money for a rear caliper for your bike. Lol, jk. But, I've been riding awhile and use both brakes. Redundancy is good with our bikes, and that's exactly the biggest deal with brakes are, besides stopping power. If Suzuki felt that front brakes would suffice, they would have never wasted their money on a rear brake. Please don't defy the engineers with riding without a rear brake. If you have loved ones, etc., take them into consideration before ever getting on the bike again without a rear brake, and wonder if it's worth it to ride without it. It's better to be safe than sorry. It's just my opinion, so, please don't be mad, as you'll do what you do. But, care and concern for a fellow rider is always on my mind!

 

[240punk]

Like I said before, it'll be an idiot in a cage that kills me.