81 gs550 highway speed?

[Chaz]

If you stop before it gets close to the power band, you're lugging it. It's not a truck.

Hey, pull up an old truck thread sometime! Guys who have never driven anything but late-model cars/trucks with overdrive transmissions often proclaim the "top speed" where "the engine is screaming" to be something like 50MPH...lol. Some people honestly don't think a SBC will cruise at 3,000RPM without the rods coming out. I feel like I'm one of a withering number of people contently motoring down the road at 70 listening to the sound of a 350 turning 3,200...

[81gs550l]

Ok so I'm back and I only half agree about the high rmp's. After warming up to the redline I banged through all the gears between 7k and 10k at every stop that was safe to do so. I noticed after 9- 9 1/2k the power starts to dwindle and you lose that pop of power. I will agree smuggishly that I was lugging it around. the bike really does come to life in higher rmp's just not at the redline.

[Steve]

Each bike is a little bit different, but you might have some small tuning issue that is preventing full power at redline.

Even so, there is no need to worry about "highway speeds for 45 minutes" as you stated in your first post.

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[chuck hahn]

Its feels ike it topped out or "floating" because its running like it should at that power range. Stop worrying about it and drive the helllz out of it.

[GSCafe]

Its feels ike it topped out or "floating" because its running like it should at that power range. Stop worrying about it and drive the helllz out of it.

Amen to that. I learned to open mine up too. If it a'int screamin' it a'int in the zone. That wee 30 or so ft lbs is way up in the red.

[81gs550l]

Thanks all for the feedback it's much appreciated

[81gs550l]

One really dumb question what's the thing on the left side of the bike right below the seat it has a key hole

[chuck hahn]

I would assume its a helmet lock.

[Steve]

I don't know how much they changed the 550L from '80 to '81, but I just went out to my shop and snapped a picture of something that is on the RIGHT side, just under the seat. Is this it?


If that's it, that is the helmet lock.

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[81gs550l]

ha ha I said it's a dumb question.

I removed the weathered saddle bags from the previous owner today and saw this little gem. I thought to myself do I just put the key in and see what happens? I quickly told myself don't F?!$ up one of the last few rides of the season by messing around.

Thanks again no more walking around like an ass carrying my helmet.

[Chaz]

Each bike is a little bit different, but you might have some small tuning issue that is preventing full power at redline.

Even so, there is no need to worry about "highway speeds for 45 minutes" as you stated in your first post.

.

35-year-old mechanical tachometers are also of somewhat dubious accuracy.

[81gs550l]

Is there a special tool to adjust the rear suspension?

[GSCafe]

35-year-old mechanical tachometers are also of somewhat dubious accuracy.

Mine routinely tells me I'm turning somewhere between 0 and 10,000+.

[tkent02]

Huh, mine shows 12,000 a lot.

[Steve]

ha ha I said it's a dumb question.

Dumb questions are a LOT easier to handle than dumb mistakes.

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