GS1000 streetfighter idea w/ picture

[salty_monk]

You're paying someone else to do the work for you now... we'd best be seeing this bike in July in that case!!

[80GS1000]

You're paying someone else to do the work for you now... we'd best be seeing this bike in July in that case!!

Hah, yep. Riding a GS to a GS rally? Stranger things have happened.

From here on out it's gonna look like this:

Forks rebuilt with new oil/heavier springs.

Engine rebuild scaled back due to time/cost considerations to restoring compression - new pistons, rings, 1085 or 1100 cc overbore, valves if needed.

Bodywork paint - tank, seat trim, tail

Battery relocation version 2.0 w/ GSXR 1100 battery box

4-2-1 header for more ground clearance and midrange grunt

New Dyna coils and plug leads

Maybe a bit more frame bracing

Tank coated on the inside with POR-15

[salty_monk]

Great, that gives you all of June for test riding then

[Bad Kaw]

Just make sure you post progress pics so I can get inspiration!
-KR

[80GS1000]

Suspension, brakes and tires day today.

Wiseco 1100cc piston kit is on order.

The GSXR 1000 forks are back from Jason @ Corporate Suspension. 1 kg/mm springs were installed along with new oil and fork seals. They feel goooood, Jason knows his stuff. The forks used to compress too easily, now they feel about perfect in spring stiffness.

The old Michelin Pilot Powers that were on the GS were getting close to the wear bars so a set of the Gixxer's BT-002 RS trackday takeoffs got mounted on the GS's rims. They had excellent stick on the track and still have a lot of center tread left.

Slightly molten from a trackday, GS bound:




After a few hundred GSXR street miles to scrub off the gooey bits:



they're bound for the GS wheels:



Got the wheels back from the shop and decided to inspect/service the brakes.

Set of EBC HH sintered front brake pads. Makes braking like hitting a brick wall in a good way. I tried this same compound at the track on the Gixxer and these pads made the rear end get really light going into corners, highly impressive. Can't wait to try them out on the GS.

[80GS1000]

The old pads were thin and wearing unevenly. The mounting bolts for the pads were strongly overtorqued so they didn't wear evenly.

Yank, and throw in the garbage:





Much better.





Time to bleed that old icky brake fluid and replace it with some nice Galfer DOT 4 fluid.



Version 2.0 mockup. Picture the motor and exhaust blacked out, and a shades of blue/white like the GSXR in the background along with some sponsor stickers and this is close to how I think this bike'll look in the end.

The tank on there is a $20 rusted out eBay special GS1000S tank that'll make a perfect paint template.

[80GS1000]

[renobruce]

That looks awesome!! Do you think you'll have her done before Yosemite?

[80GS1000]

That looks awesome!! Do you think you'll have her done before Yosemite?

Sure hope so...

This is the part of the project where I get to farm out a lot of the work I can't do myself, like painting the bodywork, welding GS1000 exhaust flanges on the 4-2-1 GSXR 1100 header, respringing the front end etc etc. Spendy but it gets done quickly by the pros.

[80GS1000]

Put the bike on the ultra-accurate () bathroom scale last night, and as pictured above it's at at 385 pounds dry. Good 51/49% front/rear weight distribution too. The new header is at least 5 pounds lighter than the old V&H header. Add carbs, headlight, turn signals, a small muffler, a battery, 3300 mL of oil and a tank of gas and I'm guessing it'll be right around 425 pounds. Should be a rocket once the 1100cc Wiseco kit gets installed, can't wait to get it out on the street/track.

[80GS750]

how good of shape is your old V&H header in?

i may buy one here soon.....

[Bad Kaw]

GS1000,
As always: fantastic work!
Q: You had your GS exhaust flanges welded onto a GSXR exhaust? If so, what year GSXR exhaust, and any problems? (thanks for answering questions from a geek!).
I'm impressed that you ride it like it was made to be ridden. To know that it does track-day duty is very cool...and you clearly know what to do to a bike for track-day purposes; suspension (to include tires and brakes) first, all else next.
Looks: black motor and Suzuki factory-ish paint will absolutely complete that bike in my eyes; and no chrome...that's perfect!

If you have the chance to confirm your weight estimates, that would complete the 'tri fecta' perfection. Just can't say how impressed I am with this one.

Drive on man,
-KR

[80GS1000]

GS1000,
As always: fantastic work!
Q: You had your GS exhaust flanges welded onto a GSXR exhaust? If so, what year GSXR exhaust, and any problems? (thanks for answering questions from a geek!).
I'm impressed that you ride it like it was made to be ridden. To know that it does track-day duty is very cool...and you clearly know what to do to a bike for track-day purposes; suspension (to include tires and brakes) first, all else next.
Looks: black motor and Suzuki factory-ish paint will absolutely complete that bike in my eyes; and no chrome...that's perfect!

If you have the chance to confirm your weight estimates, that would complete the 'tri fecta' perfection. Just can't say how impressed I am with this one.

Drive on man,
-KR

KR-

Thanks for the comments.

It's a 1989 GSXR 1100 exhaust. Haven't had the flanges welded on yet, but that's the plan. The pic above is a mockup. The exhaust spacing is perfect between the header and the exhaust ports on the engine. You gain about 1.5" of ground clearance from the 4-2-1 design, plus I hear you get better midrange performance from that header design. The V&H is pretty much toast so it'll make a good donor for its flanges - big dents in the bottom of the collector etc.

The GS will pull roadracing-style trackday duty sometime this season once it's finished, can't wait to see what kind of cornering speed it can handle and what the top speed will be. Should be lots of fun.

It'll be Grandpa Gixxer amongst all his whippersnapper grandkids like the GSXR 1000/750/600 which are probably 60-70% of the bikes out at Miller on a trackday.

The biggest concern is dragging hard parts with the large width of the GS1000 engine and how those GS1000 stator and ignition plate covers stick out- will they touch down before the knee does? I wonder how Pops Yoshimura dealt with that - did he bevel the bottom of the covers or something?

PJ

[KiwiGS]

The biggest concern is dragging hard parts with the large width of the GS1000 engine and how those GS1000 stator and ignition plate covers stick out- will they touch down before the knee does? I wonder how Pops Yoshimura dealt with that - did he bevel the bottom of the covers or something?

PJ

Yes they did bevel the cases this is from an old Cycle world article

The one exception to the "stock
parts" statement above is the number
one cylinder crankshaft
counterbalancer and alternator taper.
The Suzuki cranks used by Yoshimura
are made with a .75-in. shorter taper to
work with a magneto. That allows the
alternator cover to be shortened and
beveled, the result being improved left
side cornering clearance.

Love the bike mate.
Cheers

[Bad Kaw]

GS1000,
Good info; thanks!
I have an old Cycle magazine with a highly modified GS1000 in it; drop me a line at this email address and we can chat about me making you a color copy and shooting it to you.
badkawkr@yahoo.com
Talk to you soon, can't wait to see the black motor and blue/blue/white paint.

-KR