GS1100GL Cafe Monster

[Bustedknuckles]

1982 GS1100GL Cafe conversion :dancing:
Frame up rebuild! (haven't done the motor yet)

~ LOTS of powder coating, Some traditional paint where powder cant go (rear wheel, side covers)

~ So much polishing my fingers are bleeding.

~ A couple hundred just in nuts, bolts, washers, spacers, etc. ALL new gaskets, bearings, bushings, oil seals, everything thats rubber.

~ Pirelli tires, Phillips digital 3K HID headlight, VonZeti cafe seat, INSANELY bright $300 LED tail light + Brake strobe module, K&N pod filters, Stage 3 jet kit, 4-1 open exhaust (don't judge me, its a weekend warrior not a daily rider), black exhaust wrap w/ stainless ties, mini polished aluminum LED gauges, cafe bars, bar end mirrors, Stainless steel braided brake lines, Tommaselli headlight brackets, custom hinged and locking seat pan, mini round LED amber turn signals, integral bladder reservoir nitrogen shocks, Modern black and silver hand controls, probably a few other things I'm forgetting...

some things are just being mocked up while others parts are assembled and staying. Still tweaking here and there. Many more pictures and updates to come as assembly continues!

 

[Bustedknuckles]

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I DO have one question... i just got done rebuilding the forks and got to the point of putting in the fork oil and the shop manual was a little confusing... I'm not sure if it is supposed to take 12.67 ounces OR 8.3 ounces... the first fork got 12.67 but it almost went all the way to the top. It seemed like there wasn't a lot of room for suspension compression. Please help a GS'er out!
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[Guest]

The fork oil stated in my Suzuki service manual for the 1100GL shows it takes 245 ml (8.28 oz)

The oil level in each fork leg should be 260 mm (10.2 in) from the top, measured with the spring removed & the inner tube fully compressed.

 

[simonw]

Looks like a beast !
Thanks for sharing
Look forward to seeing it finished and along the way!

 

[HaggisHombre]

Looking very nice, I like the seat also the levers.

 

[Bustedknuckles]

Thanks Hikermike, When i poured the oil in the first fork my first thought was "this cant be right". I'm going to pull it off, empty it out and fill it to the proper amount.

 

[boingk]

Great start mate, and a beautiful tailpiece. Some might think its a bit off to make a 'cafe' out of such a large, heavy bike but I reckon its awesome - bring on the beast!

I had an 850 I stripped back awhile ago, too:

Very budget build but rode very well after I tuned it for the 4-1 and pods.

All the best for your build mate, should be a pearler!

- boingk

 

[jms]

Would you care to share what kind of rear shocks those are?

 

[Bustedknuckles]

They are RFY shocks. I found them on Amazon for $100 and they got decent reviews so I figured I would give them a try. but they are too short and also seem cheap. After doing a bit more research into them (post-purchase) I discovered that the internal parts are cheap and they tend to fail and degrade quickly. so I am going to buy different ones before spring. Haven't decided yet, but they will be the same style of shocks

 

[jms]

Roger that.

I was considering Hagons or Ikons (in case you wanted to look some more). What's the purpose of that remote reservoir?

http://www.hagonshocksusa.com/HagShocks.htm

I think these are the Ikons that would fit your bike:

http://www.ikonsuspensionusa.com/shop/7610-1418/

 

[Bustedknuckles]

http://www.racetech.com/page/title/G3S Shock Types

This was the site that I referred to when choosing a shock. From what I understand, the resevoir keeps some of the oil seperate from the piston keeping it cooler which in turn prolongs shock life and also allows for more aggressive riding (far beyond what i will do). I'm pretty sure it has some other benefits as well but i think those are the main ones.

 

[jms]

Nice resource! I'll look more into it when I get home, thanks!

 

[Bustedknuckles]

And if you REALLY wanna go deep into suspensions...

http://www.carbibles.com/suspension_bible_bikes.html

 

[Guest]

Thanks Hikermike, When i poured the oil in the first fork my first thought was "this cant be right". I'm going to pull it off, empty it out and fill it to the proper amount.

No problem, the manual page you showed in your post didn't look like an OEM service manual... Clymer's? Haynes? They are not always correct...

You can download the 1100 G-GL-GK service manuals from BikeCliff's site here:

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

Lots & lots of great info there.

Good luck with the build - I think it looks great!! I really like the seat.

 

[Bustedknuckles]

Yea its a Clymer... Thanks for BikeCliff's link. Ive been in there before but completely forgot about it. Great resource!

 

[Bustedknuckles]

I think I goofed up...

in my excitement and haste, while putting the front wheel together, I forgot to put the wheel bearing spacer in (picture 1). Now, while mocking up the front end, the axle seems to be sticking too far out on the left side and is also getting a bit tight as I am tightening down on the castle nut. There seems to be too much un-used room on the axle shaft. BUT I also think I may be missing another spacer along the axle shaft according to my Clymer (crappy I know)

So, what I want to know is, is this extra open space on the axle shaft due to the bearings being pushed too far into the wheel? (lack of bearing spacer) Or am I missing a spacer somewhere along the axle? Or is the tightness normal and I just need to finish tightening it?

(FYI, i know the rotors are missing bolts/wrong bolts, and i know there is paint on the right side of the bearing housing, it will be fixed before riding)

 

[jms]

Thanks for the info! Had a chance to read through it over the weekend and I really enjoyed it.

I'm in the process of modernizing the front fork on my 1980 GS850G. I noticed that you kept yours stock, do you think I'll run into problems if I upgrade the front forks to '92 GSXR forks, wheel and brakes but keep the back stock? And by stock I mean upgrading the rear suspension to Hagons

Thoughts anyone?

 

[Bustedknuckles]

Shock Update!!!!

So i trashed the crappy RFY's and bought some Hagons!

I splurged a little and bought myself some Hagon Nitro's and then added a remote reservoir. They ran me $650 but look dang sexy! I haven't ridden them yet so i cant give much more of a review than just how they look.