Gs550l just picked up

[kondrez]

So I live in the Netherlands and I just picked up a gs550l from 1983. I didn't know what the state of it was until I went to take a look. The previous owner said that it would run fine and that just the battery needed replacement. So I took a battery and went to pick it up. Once battery installed it ran and i took it for a ride. The bike ran very well just needed some maintenance. So my plan was to buy a bike for a cafe racer project. I know the l is not the best for this but the price was very good. So i already removed some parts and did small repairs like the gauge that wasn't working. So is a cafe racer doable with this bike?? The main problem i see is the fork for being so long can i put another forks from like a gs850e that also has 37mm? And is maybe shorter.
Last question is that I ran it today while it was raining and it shut off every time I stopped. Is this a common problem?

 

[kondrez]

Got some part in today.

 

[Guest]

First off, I am a totally stock kind of guy and the bike you have is in very good condition. I also prefer the "L" model.
Having said that I think the L's make better looking bobber's than cafe racers. But if it needs cut up to get the look you want I'd pick something that needs "more work" already.

Again, that's a nice bike.

 

[Rijko]

heee... nog een kaaskop ! welkom.

the L can be made into a nice cafe racer, just check out what this guy did to his 1100L



If you go for clipons and drop your fork a bit like this guy did, you may be happy with the result.

 

[Rijko]

I ran it today while it was raining and it shut off every time I stopped.

does it run great in dry weather ?

If so, check electrics and spark plug caps, leads, etc.
Was the righthand side cover off when you drove it, any exposed wires there
vulnerable to moist ?

 

[kondrez]

Yes very nice bikes too bad I have the model with the monoshock. The front is higher but maybe with other fork. Also the tank is smaller are there alot of dutch people on this forum?

 

[kondrez]

It runs perfect in dry weather I will check the plug caps and cables as the covers where on. If it's just this should be a easy fix. Thank you

 

[kondrez]

Yeah it's an awesome bike i have a modern bike also but I love how this one handles. Thank you for your reply!

 

[Rijko]

Yes very nice bikes too bad I have the model with the monoshock. The front is higher but maybe with other fork.

Just a friendly warning - if you use another fork and change the rake,
usually handling does not improve ! You may not like it with a shorter fork.

if you don't like the fork and monoshock, why not sell it ?
The bike looks great - there are people searching for a nice L in that condition.

Extra money in the pocket to buy something you really like !

 

[kondrez]

I got some more parts in and I painted some stuff. My budget is not very high so I'm aiming at the main parts. I also don't have a garage so i'm working on it in front of my house wich can be challenging sometimes. So I lowered the fork and put some clip ons on it. It looks much better now and as for handling it handles actually better for me. I think I will be looking at a fork thats shorter so it doesnt stick out like this one. this forks didn't have fork caps on it so 3d printed some.

 

[Cipher]

Radically altering the handling of the bike is going to end

 

[kondrez]

Does anyone know if the suzuki letters on the tank are a sticker or if it's painted ?