GS550 Custom...

[minime]

Purists look away...


I picked up ths bike a week ago off the back of a truck for $200. My intentions are to make it look mean (Superhero mean) and have it reliable enough to be a daily driver to save some money on gas.

So far here is what I have done and pictures to show...

Custom built forward controls (In progress, need to get to a welder)
Custom Seat (Also in progress)
HD Donated Front Blinks and Rear tails (Need to get red lenses and an integrator for the rear)
Low mounted plate frame
Chopped rear frame
Re located Ignition and all forward wiring to below seat
Removed all stock tach, gear indicator and all warning lights to make room for just speedo
Shaved all excess mounting tabs from frame

Still need to get my drag bars, a dyna S (To make her start) some pods and some other bits to finish loose ends.

Hope you enjoy the pics and progress. Im hoping to be done in two weeks, with minimal investment. I think I can have this entire project complete for under $400 total (Including cost of bike)

 

[minime]

 

[Mike_H]

I hope your gonna change that rear tire?

 

[jimcor]

Purists look away...


I picked up ths bike a week ago off the back of a truck for $200. My intentions are to make it look mean (Superhero mean) and have it reliable enough to be a daily driver to save some money on gas...

Im hoping to be done in two weeks, with minimal investment. I think I can have this entire project complete for under $400 total (Including cost of bike)

You know the old saying: "Want to hear God laugh? Tell him your plans."

Good luck with your project.

 

[Guest]

wow...

i should have not clicked on this thread

 

[minime]

Yeah the rear tire has to go. I have no Idea what the DPO was thinking.. However, I do have an 81 GS450 that I will be accepting as a parts donor with two good wheels and tires.

As far as laughing at my plans, well... laugh all you want. Im not worried I guess I have more ambition and hope for MY Bike than you ever will.

Cheers!

 

[steely]

I think you have a pretty good start on a custom. I would recommend figuring out the seat and rear fender before deciding on a brake light and turn signals. I would close in the chopped rear frame members with some plate, just to keep them from distorting. You have them cut pretty close to the rear shock mounts. I will be watching this with interest...

 

[MaxxRonin]

if there was a way to keep the back lights like they are...just the two blinkers, and have them both go on when you brake and only one or the other when you use your blinker, that would be pretty sweet. good luck with the project when its done, it should be a real nice bike
and yeah, it'll be a bit noisy with that back tire on haha.

 

[minime]

The lights are staying like that. You can use a taillight integrator for trailers. It allows you to have two seperate dual fillament bulbs act as brake, tail and blinkers with only some wiring.

I am going to plug the ends of the frame, I just want to make sure I am not running any wiring through there just yet. I have to get some wire out to the plate mount and havn't decided if I want to go inside or outside the frame yet....

 

[ron bayless]

I dont know if you need my input,but if you are going to make some forward controls,I have lots and lots of input on that subject.I spent almost a year before iI gave up on that deal.I know how to make some now if you need any help.I just cant make some with splined couplers the way it should be done.

 

[badbrown]

Is that a factory chrome gas tank? What's the deal with that? Damn interesting if Suzuki made a factory chrome tank. Is that possible or is that chrome paint or somrthing?

 

[minime]

The tank is sanded bare... Ron, Thanks for the offer. I think I am coming round the bend on my forward controls, I just need ao get a better 5/8ths drill bit to bore out my stock shifter. I am using some line bolts (Used to hold wires on telephone poles) some 3/4" EMT tubing, and some harley rubbers All with the stock controls to keep my project lo-budget

Here is the custom fiberglass seatpan I finished today. I still have to foam it and vinyl... Soon

So far I am up to $40 Had to buy fiberglass (Got halfway with the fiberglass resin and matting I had in stock before I decided that the fiberglass "cloth" is WAY better to use) Also Picked up some $9.42 drag bars from ridenow.com That is a piece of EMT in the picture NOT the new bars. It was only for testing to see how my stance is going to be.

 

[ron bayless]

man, i think the bike shows great potential.sure it looks like crap now,but if the motor is good all is possible.

 

[Bopi]

Gods not lauging at you, he's laughing with you. Frankly so am I. Personally I love an ambitious Chop. Theres plenty of stock bikes to go around. But....
I hope you throw in a short fender for that beast ,kinda like this one.
just my two cents.

And Ron, if you have any drawn plans for a foward control, I'd like to see them, I was considering that option.





http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/RowdyAudi/Suzuki GS/GS019.jpg

 

[ron bayless]

bOPI,LET ME TELL YOU OOPS! sorry about the caps.I am at work(supposed to be working) and we use all caps there.Heres the thing,i spent a year trying to make forward controls the right way,with splined couplers.It was going to cost me 2200 dollars for the tools to cut the parts,then the material itself,then a machinist to cut the parts plus i would have to make all the linkages myself or pay to have them made.I can tell you exactly how to make some that look like splined couplers and using some stock parts as the base. In fact, i would be glad to share that withthe whole forum if they want.i was going to go to the expense of having/buying the cutters and make some for other gs guys,then i found out every year and every dsplacement gs bike would have different measurements,so that made the whole thing not feasible.But with my directions a person could make the parts and get their own measurements.I would have to buy a gs bike of every size and every year to have a model to make them with.Go to Jim's customs.To see forward controls for goldwing 4 cylinders, and to Seeger Cycles to see some on a honda cb 750 for some ideas.I bought a set of plans from the internet that "how to make forward controls for any motorcycle" only showed how to make them for v twins.Grrr.Ron B

 

[Bopi]

So do you see any problems with this design

 

[Bopi]

ya know, for $400 bucks, i'd be better off getting the lathe fired up and make a set of my own.

 

[Bopi]

ya know, for $400 bucks, i'd be better off getting the lathe fired up and make a set of my own.

Also isn't there a groove cut into the shift shaft '
i'd have to "carefully" cut another one at 12 oclock.


wrong button Edit/quote

 

[ron bayless]

Also isn't there a groove cut into the shift shaft '
i'd have to "carefully" cut another one at 12 oclock.


wrong button Edit/quote

HERE ARE ALL THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS.YES THE DESIGN WOULD WORK FOR THE SHIFTER SIDE.THAT IS WHAT i HAVE FOR MY BIKE, EXCEPT I USED ROD ENDS,not the turnbuckl thing.I (my buddy) welded a 5/16 threaded bolt to and end of a small tubing on either end.The bolt threads perfectly into the female threads of the rod ends and the bolt can screw in or out a little bit to give some adjustment.On the shifter side you just cut down the stock lever and reuse it.no, it doesnt have a groove.On the brake side that wont work.The brake side the lever goes forward,not down.I heated it up and after many attempts got it to go down,out and slanted at the right amount to work with the same design linkage as you had in mind for the shifter side.Once again i used rod ends,but either way will work.So, that looks like crap on the brake thing.So, make yoyr own splined coupler.Not on Jim's customs site if you take the splined shaft on our brake side,cover it with a tube,then extend the tube out about 2 3/4 inches it will clear the cases and could be connected with linkage from the front to the back.Take off your crash bar engine gurards,either side will do.Make another mounting bar like the one that attachhes to the 2 engine mounting bolts.I used 1 and 1/2 inch wide and 1/4 inch thick i believe.Only it has to be a much longer rectangle now.The bottom of it needs to come down to near the bottom of the engine case.You then do what i did or similar and i used a bolt,about 8 1/2 inches in length, it has a head about 1 inche in diameter.Weld the head of the bolt to the bottom of your rectangle.Drill 2 more holes at the same place the original crash bar bolt holes were.Simple,lay the old plate over the new rectangle and trace the holes.Now, the pipe thick walled structural tubing,probably doesnt have to be that strong, is the part used for the brake side splined coupler.It will be about 2/12 or 2 3/4 inches long.Just hold it up against the brake splined thing with the pinch bolt and see where it comes out to to clear the cases.Cut off the old brake lever completely.Weld your tubing piece to that.Using the tubing open end for a pattern trace the 1 inch circle on a piece of paper.Then make a pie shape form either side of the circle down to whatever distqance it takes the clear the case at the bottom.A sort of triangular rounded piece now.Cut it out,weld it onto the end of the tubing piece.drill a hol at the bottom of the pie shaped piece,secure one end of your linkage to that,go forward to the other end.The bolt is too small, so take another length of tubing the same size you used for the brake thing and cut it to fit over the bolt.Thes 2 should be as tight a fit as you can find.This pipe thing turns now over the bolt like a hinge sort of.You can either make this whole front pipe piece the turning part/pivot part or weld it to the bolt and use only about the last outermst 1 inch piece for the pivot part.Now, the linkage coming from your new brake coupler will attach to the bottom of your new front control pivot piece.You will have to take some flat stock and weld to the pivoting part and make a hole in the bottom of it for your linkage to hook to.The brake coupler needs to angle towards the front of the motor a little bit.So when you push down on the new front brake pedal the klinkage moves from the front of the bike towarsd the rear of the bike.The brake splined coupler area makes about 1 inch of a total rotation,so you give it a head start by advancing it forward, then push the pedal down and the linkage moves it rearward and thereby applies the rear brake fully.I made some cool arms for new shifter pegs and brake pegs and intend welding them on top of the pivot pieces on either side.Until you sit on the bike,put your left toe about where you think the shifter peg should be and have someone mark it, you dont know how long the linkage should be.The same on the brake side.There,that's it.Probably 20 dollars for rod ends,about 20 for materials,?$ for pegs,welding time,stock extra parts to make the new ones out of, probably for less than 100 dollars you can make a set of raw controls that fit only your bike or others exactly like it.

 

[Hector Penalosa]

Here's my 1980 Suzuki GS 1100E .

Here's my 1980 Suzuki GS 1100E .

Yeah the rear tire has to go. I have no Idea what the DPO was thinking.. However, I do have an 81 GS450 that I will be accepting as a parts donor with two good wheels and tires.

As far as laughing at my plans, well... laugh all you want. Im not worried I guess I have more ambition and hope for MY Bike than you ever will.

Cheers!

Hi Minime, I like it when someone can think "out of the box", so to speak.
I bought my Suzuki GS 1100E w/ the intention to modify it's looks. Which I did. Here's a picture of it . Hopefully it may give you some ideas.
I'll be waitng patiently to see the end result of your project.
GO TEAM! H