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I am new to this group, a 51-year old, Electronics Engineer, operate my own business (from my home) and this affords me to have a full Electronics Lab and very comprehensive Precision Machine Shop right here in my backyard. Having the shop out back, trusting my engineering background and my Go-kart Racing experience of years gone by, I begin to tackle this new hobby project.
I’ve always had a passion for Motorcycles, but was always discouraged from such activity by my parents during my early years, so I never did get around to it till January 2006.
A friend of mine had a GS650GL that was in horrible condition, just laying there, dust covered, missing parts all gunked-up and not mounted since late 1999. So I picked this “beauty” up for a song, and spent that entire evening explaining this new “family-member” to the wife.
Simultaneous to the rebuild activity, I arranged for my Motorcycle License tests and Motorcycle Insurance (very loose licensing and insurance practices down here, but that’s a whole new story ...BTW, I’m in Trinidad, West Indies)
Being an engineer, I tend to document stuff so here’s a couple of sites detailing the rebuild http://www.geocities.com/cberkeley/GS650G and other stuff about me and my many escapades http://www.geocities.com/cberkeley
Beginning the rebuild, I orderd the Clymer Shop Manual and I wised-up on motorcycle mechanics with http://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm
there being no Motorcycle riding school here I read among other stuff http://c.faculty.umkc.edu/cmlc5b/lessons.html
So just what’s wrong with this bike?….. well, what’s not wrong with it is the real question?
Very dirty, some electricals don’t work. Tank, side panels and battery missing. Carbs full of gunk and seem to have been attacked by a gorilla on viagara. Need new tires, upholstery shot, some rusting and corrosion issues, dents and paintwork need serious work.
Got her all cleaned-up. Eventually got the tank and side panels and we ended up with something resembling a bike. The rust and corrosion turned out to be surface oriented and did not pose any structural problems, except some in the homemade exhaust pipes.
Parts are difficult to come-by, especially here in Trinidad & Tobago, so some things were scrounged locally from junked bikes (carbs, tank, side panels), some things were flown-in by courier (tires, pet-cock, stop-light-switch) and some things were made right here on my lathe and mill (fittings, bits and pieces).
I hooked up 12V power via jumper-cables from the family car, put a teaspoon of oil into each cylinder and hit the start button……. the starter motor turned over the engine just fine, all plugs even fired. Fueled-up, and tried again and presto….. she’s alive! Running really rich, backfiring and spitting flames through the corrosion holes in the homemade exhaust like an angry dragon (hence the decision to airbrush a “Celtic Dragon” theme for the new tank paint-job…… but at least she runs.
Encouraged, I go to the bike shop and avail myself of a motorcycle battery, new oil, filter, plugs, helmet, leather-gloves and a battery charger. I get the motor running reasonably well with a tune-up using my automotive instruments but she won’t lean out properly. I get my good friend and experienced Dirt-Biker, Tony to come over for a test ride. Tony gives the bike a once over decides that it’s roadworthy for a short trial ride given the lack of tread on tires. He insists that I, not him mount the bike for the test ride “baptism of fire”, he called it. Remember now, that I’ve never been on a motorcycle before. But, Tony insisted “you learn to ride what you’ve got, and now’s the time”.
Well, during the rebuild phase I would mount the bike, duck-walk the thing back and forth in the garage and generally got accustomed to this new-found weight between my legs, statically leaning it over from side to side. So for the first test ride I startup and attempt to just move off in the driveway, only to find that the clutch is locking up, and I’m in-gear, with the rear wheels turning once I shift out of neutral….. this can’t be good. On the spot, I devise a plan “maybe it’s the plates, just gunked-up from sitting there all these years”. So we put the bike up on the center-stand, start the motor, get the revs up to about 1500RPM dis-engage the clutch and apply the rear brake suddenly. Doing this a few times released the stuck plates (one has just to think through the working principle and be creative, sometimes).
Back to the test ride….. I make a few powered attempts at taking off and stopping in my driveway, to get a “feel” for the machine…. No problems, no inclination to “put the bike down”, bike and rider seem to be cooperating nicely.
So far so good…… I live on a quiet road which leads directly onto some quiet, nicely paved, undulating back-roads of the countryside, through sugar-cane fields. Dressed in my new helmet, leather gloves, denim jacket, jeans and my steel-tip work-boots, I take to the road for the test ride, with Tony and my Daughter following with the car. I’m wearing my mobile phone headset under the helmet and I’ve already dialed Tony’s number, so there’s hands-free open communication established between me and the chase-car, for any “on-tour” advice and instruction from the expert.
Trying to take it slow, I move off and instantly realize….. Wow! That’s a lot of power between my legs! and pretty soon we’re off, covering seven miles of lovely winding countryside (which I don’t get to take notice of, cause I’m too occupied with the road ahead and those relatively unfamiliar control locations), no handling problems save for some under-steer on my part, corrected by not being so chicken and improving my leaning technique in the corners and remembering the counter-steer technique the Harley store owner told me about. A bit of an idle problem 4-miles out, the idle speed kept creeping up and the plugs were seeming to foul-up. But, the first ride was a blast (wife glad to see me back home intact) and I’m hooked!! (max. speed attained on this ride, a modest 35-MPH, highest gear 4th ). On return to my home I seized the opportunity of that hot engine to change that old, black oil and the filter, also the final drive oil.
In the weeks following, the bike’s been to a professional shop a few times to try and correct the carb problem to no avail. I end up getting another bank of used carbs in good condition where the factory adjustments were intact. What a difference that made, no more fouled plugs, fuel consumption went way, way down and no more backfiring, wow! even more power. Front fork seals developed a leak and that was sorted out with new seals and oil.
I have put about 350-miles on the bike so far, as I am confident enough to take her on the highway during off-peak periods. I do most of my riding on Sunday mornings its quiet on the highway at that time a. Maximum distance so far on a single round-trip 62-miles, with short-burst excursions of up to 65-mph. I find the bike really groves on the quiet highway a about 50-55 MPH, very stable and comfortable straightway speed for me.
So I ride on weekends, and work on the bike on week evenings after work. Right now the tank’s off, so too are the side panels, kickstand, center-stand and starter-motor cover these are either at the paint-shop or at the air-brush artist being custom painted (those Celtic-Dragons). I’ve already had the wheels sandblasted, wet-sanded, primed and painted and fitted new Pirelli MT-66 Route tires.
Recognizing that Motorcycling, like flying, is an activity involving an elevated risk potential and given that I was embarking on this activity pretty much alone, I believe that my holistic approach to the hobby has paid-off. I started off with a clunker which I had to rebuild myself, reading all that I could find on the subject, along with my engineering background, allowed me to accomplish this while having fun and opening up a whole new learning experience.
I mitigated the risk potential as much as humanly possible, compensating the lack of a riding school, by reading much safety material and noting riding tips, talking to as many experts as possible on the subject, using all available safety gear and applying copious amounts of good old common-sense.
In all the ensuing activity, I exercised this high level of practical, common sense, and as far as possible, thought through every step before initiating any action, always cognizant of the risk potential and as far as possible, having a “plan B”, prepared way in advance.
In concluding this article I must comment on how helpful the people of the biking community are, I got lots of tips (riding, safety and repair) from the biking community..... really cool people! Even the Harley-Davidson bunch and the Motorcycle Cops are super cool. I met one Motorcycle Cop at the bike shop, when I was drooling over a Kawasaki Vulcan on the showroom floor. He came over and we got to talking about this being my new hobby experience, my approach to it and my concerns for vehicular traffic competing with me for lane-space, he had great tips and advice to give. We went out into the parking lot and he showed off his new BMW Police Cruiser Bike and he also offered loads of riding advice there again.
Well I’m hooked!…. Can’t wait to get the stuff back from the paint-shop and then its on to more riding and customizing, maybe even getting that new Kawasaki Vulcan later this year…. But I’m not selling my GS650GL, that’s my “tinker-toy”.
This article is dedicated to all those who helped me along the way and hopefully will assist those who are interested in getting into the wonderful world of Motorcycles, safely.
I’ve always had a passion for Motorcycles, but was always discouraged from such activity by my parents during my early years, so I never did get around to it till January 2006.
A friend of mine had a GS650GL that was in horrible condition, just laying there, dust covered, missing parts all gunked-up and not mounted since late 1999. So I picked this “beauty” up for a song, and spent that entire evening explaining this new “family-member” to the wife.
Simultaneous to the rebuild activity, I arranged for my Motorcycle License tests and Motorcycle Insurance (very loose licensing and insurance practices down here, but that’s a whole new story ...BTW, I’m in Trinidad, West Indies)
Being an engineer, I tend to document stuff so here’s a couple of sites detailing the rebuild http://www.geocities.com/cberkeley/GS650G and other stuff about me and my many escapades http://www.geocities.com/cberkeley
Beginning the rebuild, I orderd the Clymer Shop Manual and I wised-up on motorcycle mechanics with http://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm
there being no Motorcycle riding school here I read among other stuff http://c.faculty.umkc.edu/cmlc5b/lessons.html
So just what’s wrong with this bike?….. well, what’s not wrong with it is the real question?
Very dirty, some electricals don’t work. Tank, side panels and battery missing. Carbs full of gunk and seem to have been attacked by a gorilla on viagara. Need new tires, upholstery shot, some rusting and corrosion issues, dents and paintwork need serious work.
Got her all cleaned-up. Eventually got the tank and side panels and we ended up with something resembling a bike. The rust and corrosion turned out to be surface oriented and did not pose any structural problems, except some in the homemade exhaust pipes.
Parts are difficult to come-by, especially here in Trinidad & Tobago, so some things were scrounged locally from junked bikes (carbs, tank, side panels), some things were flown-in by courier (tires, pet-cock, stop-light-switch) and some things were made right here on my lathe and mill (fittings, bits and pieces).
I hooked up 12V power via jumper-cables from the family car, put a teaspoon of oil into each cylinder and hit the start button……. the starter motor turned over the engine just fine, all plugs even fired. Fueled-up, and tried again and presto….. she’s alive! Running really rich, backfiring and spitting flames through the corrosion holes in the homemade exhaust like an angry dragon (hence the decision to airbrush a “Celtic Dragon” theme for the new tank paint-job…… but at least she runs.
Encouraged, I go to the bike shop and avail myself of a motorcycle battery, new oil, filter, plugs, helmet, leather-gloves and a battery charger. I get the motor running reasonably well with a tune-up using my automotive instruments but she won’t lean out properly. I get my good friend and experienced Dirt-Biker, Tony to come over for a test ride. Tony gives the bike a once over decides that it’s roadworthy for a short trial ride given the lack of tread on tires. He insists that I, not him mount the bike for the test ride “baptism of fire”, he called it. Remember now, that I’ve never been on a motorcycle before. But, Tony insisted “you learn to ride what you’ve got, and now’s the time”.
Well, during the rebuild phase I would mount the bike, duck-walk the thing back and forth in the garage and generally got accustomed to this new-found weight between my legs, statically leaning it over from side to side. So for the first test ride I startup and attempt to just move off in the driveway, only to find that the clutch is locking up, and I’m in-gear, with the rear wheels turning once I shift out of neutral….. this can’t be good. On the spot, I devise a plan “maybe it’s the plates, just gunked-up from sitting there all these years”. So we put the bike up on the center-stand, start the motor, get the revs up to about 1500RPM dis-engage the clutch and apply the rear brake suddenly. Doing this a few times released the stuck plates (one has just to think through the working principle and be creative, sometimes).
Back to the test ride….. I make a few powered attempts at taking off and stopping in my driveway, to get a “feel” for the machine…. No problems, no inclination to “put the bike down”, bike and rider seem to be cooperating nicely.
So far so good…… I live on a quiet road which leads directly onto some quiet, nicely paved, undulating back-roads of the countryside, through sugar-cane fields. Dressed in my new helmet, leather gloves, denim jacket, jeans and my steel-tip work-boots, I take to the road for the test ride, with Tony and my Daughter following with the car. I’m wearing my mobile phone headset under the helmet and I’ve already dialed Tony’s number, so there’s hands-free open communication established between me and the chase-car, for any “on-tour” advice and instruction from the expert.
Trying to take it slow, I move off and instantly realize….. Wow! That’s a lot of power between my legs! and pretty soon we’re off, covering seven miles of lovely winding countryside (which I don’t get to take notice of, cause I’m too occupied with the road ahead and those relatively unfamiliar control locations), no handling problems save for some under-steer on my part, corrected by not being so chicken and improving my leaning technique in the corners and remembering the counter-steer technique the Harley store owner told me about. A bit of an idle problem 4-miles out, the idle speed kept creeping up and the plugs were seeming to foul-up. But, the first ride was a blast (wife glad to see me back home intact) and I’m hooked!! (max. speed attained on this ride, a modest 35-MPH, highest gear 4th ). On return to my home I seized the opportunity of that hot engine to change that old, black oil and the filter, also the final drive oil.
In the weeks following, the bike’s been to a professional shop a few times to try and correct the carb problem to no avail. I end up getting another bank of used carbs in good condition where the factory adjustments were intact. What a difference that made, no more fouled plugs, fuel consumption went way, way down and no more backfiring, wow! even more power. Front fork seals developed a leak and that was sorted out with new seals and oil.
I have put about 350-miles on the bike so far, as I am confident enough to take her on the highway during off-peak periods. I do most of my riding on Sunday mornings its quiet on the highway at that time a. Maximum distance so far on a single round-trip 62-miles, with short-burst excursions of up to 65-mph. I find the bike really groves on the quiet highway a about 50-55 MPH, very stable and comfortable straightway speed for me.
So I ride on weekends, and work on the bike on week evenings after work. Right now the tank’s off, so too are the side panels, kickstand, center-stand and starter-motor cover these are either at the paint-shop or at the air-brush artist being custom painted (those Celtic-Dragons). I’ve already had the wheels sandblasted, wet-sanded, primed and painted and fitted new Pirelli MT-66 Route tires.
Recognizing that Motorcycling, like flying, is an activity involving an elevated risk potential and given that I was embarking on this activity pretty much alone, I believe that my holistic approach to the hobby has paid-off. I started off with a clunker which I had to rebuild myself, reading all that I could find on the subject, along with my engineering background, allowed me to accomplish this while having fun and opening up a whole new learning experience.
I mitigated the risk potential as much as humanly possible, compensating the lack of a riding school, by reading much safety material and noting riding tips, talking to as many experts as possible on the subject, using all available safety gear and applying copious amounts of good old common-sense.
In all the ensuing activity, I exercised this high level of practical, common sense, and as far as possible, thought through every step before initiating any action, always cognizant of the risk potential and as far as possible, having a “plan B”, prepared way in advance.
In concluding this article I must comment on how helpful the people of the biking community are, I got lots of tips (riding, safety and repair) from the biking community..... really cool people! Even the Harley-Davidson bunch and the Motorcycle Cops are super cool. I met one Motorcycle Cop at the bike shop, when I was drooling over a Kawasaki Vulcan on the showroom floor. He came over and we got to talking about this being my new hobby experience, my approach to it and my concerns for vehicular traffic competing with me for lane-space, he had great tips and advice to give. We went out into the parking lot and he showed off his new BMW Police Cruiser Bike and he also offered loads of riding advice there again.
Well I’m hooked!…. Can’t wait to get the stuff back from the paint-shop and then its on to more riding and customizing, maybe even getting that new Kawasaki Vulcan later this year…. But I’m not selling my GS650GL, that’s my “tinker-toy”.
This article is dedicated to all those who helped me along the way and hopefully will assist those who are interested in getting into the wonderful world of Motorcycles, safely.
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