1980 GS850 Appearance Modified

[Chris Bohane]

After all the problems now back on the road.

USD front end is next on the list.

Regards to all.

Chris

[80GS750]

now that is one sweet looking trike!!!! that thing looks sweet man

[spyug]

Wow, that is an awesome ride.

Can we get more pics of the rear end.

What are the specs. Who built it....what parts used?

Details please.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Cheers,
Spyug.

[j.w.napier]

beautiful

chris you already know how i feel about the trike:-D, but still i can't say it enough. man that is by far the nicest trike that i have seen, and i don't even like them. even with that you'd have a hard time keeping me off of it. the paint look so sweet. you got any more plans for it? outside of riding it is what i mean? my dad is looking forward to finding a bike :-Dand getting started we just have to find the right one for him. thanks for the info on the shifters that really pushed him toward starting a build. thanks for the advice and make be soon me and my dad can ride together. \\/by the way how's your mum doing hope our prayers have helped take care and god bless.

[Chris Bohane]

Wow, that is an awesome ride.

Can we get more pics of the rear end.

What are the specs. Who built it....what parts used?

Details please.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Cheers,
Spyug.

The back end. Stainless underseat exhaust, fog lamp fitted between standard rear lamp and exhaust finisher.


Back axle from a Reliant rialto 3.23:1 ratio. 17" Woolfrace Toxins with long, conical 3/8 UNF conical wheelnuts to make fit.

3" dia. 5mm wall tubing bent on a hand pumped hydraulic bender - I lost half a stone pumping that bender in the heat last summer!
"swingarm" drying after powdercoating.
OOPS WRONG PICTURE - should be this one.



Thanks for the nice comments.

[Chris Bohane]

chris you already know how i feel about the trike:-D, but still i can't say it enough. man that is by far the nicest trike that i have seen, and i don't even like them. even with that you'd have a hard time keeping me off of it. the paint look so sweet. you got any more plans for it? outside of riding it is what i mean? my dad is looking forward to finding a bike :-Dand getting started we just have to find the right one for him. thanks for the info on the shifters that really pushed him toward starting a build. thanks for the advice and make be soon me and my dad can ride together. \\/by the way how's your mum doing hope our prayers have helped take care and god bless.

Thanks for your kind thoughs and comments JW

My Mum is back on her feet again and is doing well. She has just been fitted with new digital hearing aids, as well, so now she can hear again she feels much better.
She is now 86 so that is not a bad age!

I'm glad you found the article on gearchanges helpful, so no excuse not to get started now is there??????

Once you get going it's surprising how quickly everything falls into place - the hardest part is starting, you can always think of good reasons not to!

Keep me posted, if I can be of any help let me know.

I have promised my wife a trip to New York, around Christmas time, for a short break/holiday/shopping trip, to say "thank you" for putting up with me when things didn't go right with the build. (don't ask about the engine fire!!!!!)

Regards to you and your Dad.

Chris

[Mr.Ed]

Man I do not like trikes at all, but that thing is sweet! How does she handle?

You said not to ask about the engine fire, but what did you use to paint the engine?

[Chris Bohane]

Man I do not like trikes at all, but that thing is sweet! How does she handle?

You said not to ask about the engine fire, but what did you use to paint the engine?

Rock solid handling at any speed in a straight line.
Needs a good pull on the bars on corners. The fork brace helped 100% to stop the front flexing. Next part of the project USD front end.

The engine is not painted. Stripped down for a rebuild over the winter.
Engine vapour blasted (£70-$140 ish) and cases polished.
Every fastner replaced with polished stainless hex, cap heads

The fire...... Over the winter replaced head due to cracked fins on old head.
Engine vapour blasted.
Rebuild engine.
Try to fit inlet rubbers - rubbers and carbs do not fit. (I now have a later head, should have checked before cleaning and rebuild)
Source CV carbs to suit new head instead of slide carbs.
Sell old carbs to guy in Portugal
Discover airbox won't fit.
Source new airbox, on here, in exchange for CD of Norton engine rebuild.
Sell old airbox to someone else in Portugal.
Discover choke cable dosen't fit.
Order new cable.
Fit everything back onto engine and try to start it.
Fuel flooding from carbs ignited by me dislodging battery charger terminal!!!!
Put out fire.
Listen to wife complaining about the fire, moaning about what could have happened to the house.
Spend two days cleaning fire extinguisher powder from trike.
Spend one day replacing burnt wiring.
Continue to apply ointment to burns on hands.
Start rebuild again.
Buy O ring kit on here and learn how to rebuild carbs.
Install carbs (no leaks) and discover flat spot due to blocked pilot circuit.
Strip carbs again and clean properly this time.
Re-install, now runs fine.
Get tank repaired and airbrush work while at paint shop.

SEE, I told you not to ask about the fire.

[Mike_H]

Wow, nice lookin trike. Never ceases to amaze me by the quality of the projects I see here. I am a member on a couple other forums, and this one, by far, has the most creative, and active group of tinkerers (if thats a word ) anywhere. keep it up!

[AOD]

I'm not a fan of trikes...but I like how you did the rear exhaust, very trick. The wheel/tire combo and lights on the fenders looks neat too.

Do you find it hard to work in those leather boots?

~Adam

[petelardo]

Well, like many others here, I must admit that I'm not a big fan of trikes, but I have to make an exception for yours! First of all, let me say that your work is outstanding! The fit and finish, the attention to detail... looks like it rolled off the assembly line yesterday!

I'm not familiar with the UK-market models; in the US, Suzuki made several changes to the 1980 GS850G, and yours would be a 1979 model here... SO, are you SURE that is a 1980 model? It looks more like a (US-market) '79 GS850 to me; the brake discs are solid, not slotted; I see only ONE throttle cable, instead of two, which means you DON'T have CV carbs (yours are probably easier to dial-in); and the BIGGEST clue is, your GS has a kickstarter! I don't have anything against the CV carb models, but I think you're way ahead of the game, if the battery runs down too much to get things moving with the electric foot...

Now, I'll spend a LONG time wondering what it would look like with a sidecar attached, instead of as a trike, but I imagine there are a few advantages to NOT using a sidecar, especially when it comes to parking...

Do I see a fork brace? Got any close-ups / details for us? What is written on the tank? I can't take my eyes off the artwork long enough to figure it out... Those are some hellacious riding boots you've got there, you won't have any problems kicking the engine over! Did you paint the fender? If so, did you strip the chrome first, or did you simply paint over it? DETAILS, we want DETAILS!

OK, I won't hassle you any more; thanks for posting those photos... hopefully, you'll find the time to answer some of my questions, and maybe post a photo of the fork brace, if you have one.

I do hope you plan to enter your GS in some bike shows, and ride it in local parades when the weather cooperates; the build quality looks excellent, and now I'm wondering whether or not you have any formal training in engineering...

If I ever get to England, can I ride it?

[Chris Bohane]

Well, like many others here, I must admit that I'm not a big fan of trikes, but I have to make an exception for yours! First of all, let me say that your work is outstanding! The fit and finish, the attention to detail... looks like it rolled off the assembly line yesterday!

I'm not familiar with the UK-market models; in the US, Suzuki made several changes to the 1980 GS850G, and yours would be a 1979 model here... SO, are you SURE that is a 1980 model? It looks more like a (US-market) '79 GS850 to me; the brake discs are solid, not slotted; I see only ONE throttle cable, instead of two, which means you DON'T have CV carbs (yours are probably easier to dial-in); and the BIGGEST clue is, your GS has a kickstarter! I don't have anything against the CV carb models, but I think you're way ahead of the game, if the battery runs down too much to get things moving with the electric foot...

Now, I'll spend a LONG time wondering what it would look like with a sidecar attached, instead of as a trike, but I imagine there are a few advantages to NOT using a sidecar, especially when it comes to parking...

Do I see a fork brace? Got any close-ups / details for us? What is written on the tank? I can't take my eyes off the artwork long enough to figure it out... Those are some hellacious riding boots you've got there, you won't have any problems kicking the engine over! Did you paint the fender? If so, did you strip the chrome first, or did you simply paint over it? DETAILS, we want DETAILS!

OK, I won't hassle you any more; thanks for posting those photos... hopefully, you'll find the time to answer some of my questions, and maybe post a photo of the fork brace, if you have one.

I do hope you plan to enter your GS in some bike shows, and ride it in local parades when the weather cooperates; the build quality looks excellent, and now I'm wondering whether or not you have any formal training in engineering...

If I ever get to England, can I ride it?

The bike is / was a 1979 but was first registered in 1980 in the UK the engine and frame numbers all match.

It did have slide carbs but now runs CV's after changing the head (see previous post)

The fork brace has made so much difference to the handling. Before fitting it the front would flex under braking and the higher cornering forces. It cost £37 from ebay and was money well spent. I will try to post a pic soon.
There are several Micron forkbraces on ebay, buy one , you will not rergret it!

The script on the tank above the artwork reads "Miss Behaving" again read previous posts relating to the rebuild, fire etc... Miss Behaving, my idea of humour!

The front mudguard was shot blasted and etch primed before repainting with the Panther black metalic to match the rest of the paintwork. So far it has not lifted or bubbled, so fingers crossed.

I will be entering the trike in a custom show, sponsored by a well known custom builder in the UK, at my local bikers pub on July 22nd. The model for the paint will be there for some additional photo's I hope.

If you ever get to England you would be welcome to come for a beer, at said bikers pub.

Thanks for the comments.

[emjay]

...The model for the paint will be there for some additional photo's I hope...

I would definitely crash that trike as I'd be looking at the tank all the time!

[petelardo]

The DEVIL is in the details...

Chris Bohane,

My apologies to you for asking questions about details you'd already covered in your previous posts; I DID read EVERY detail you wrote SEVERAL times, BUT, I was fighting a migraine at the time, and didn't remember much of it when I began typing. For some reason, I THOUGHT I'd read all those details (fork brace, CV carbs, guy in Portugal, Norton engine rebuild CD, OTHER guy in Portugal, choke cable, FIRE, burns, wife, ointment, rebuild engine, rebuild carbs AGAIN, airbrushing... did I miss anything?) about a DIFFERENT motorcycle, in a different forum. Migraines can disorient the hell out of me... the first clue I SHOULD have had was when I got the details about the CV / non-CV carb throttle cables confused, but I didn't even realize that until just now, when I read your reply... OF COURSE those are CV carbs mounted in the photos, the poliished diaphragm covers are a dead giveaway... no slide carbs to be seen in ANY photo... I also asked you about the fork brace, even though it is one of the FIRST things you mentioned when you provided so many details about the build, the fire, and the rebuild... migraines bend my brain...

Spent some time in Yurrip on the American plan more than 25 years ago, but never made it to the isles; I especially wanted to attend the TT at the Isle of Man, but somehow never managed to escape the Continent. In my heart, I'm sure that at least ONE of my Celtic ancestors (from both Scotland AND Ireland, mixed among various other bloodlines) HAD to be a Manxman...

Trust me on this; if that kind of workmanship does NOT win a prize at the custom show next month, the fix was in...

If we ever DO meet at the pub, the first round is on me...

Thanks for taking the time to answer my (mostly unneeded) questions...

BTW, you might want to hit those head-pipes with some Blue Job Chrome Polish every few days, to have them perfect before the show... looks like there is an errant overflow hose (or a vent hose) sticking out on the left side of the tank in that third photo, close to the carbs, in your original post. I'm NOT criticizing your work, I just want to remind you that even the minor details become major in some competitions...

Are the bolt heads and sparkplug wires aligned? Are the sparkplugs themselves aligned? Have you set the screw heads in the taillight lens at the same depth, and aligned them with one another? I think they'd look better positioned to display the letter "X", rather than as plus (+) signs, but that is your call... You'll have to clean every stone and pebble out of the tire treads, make sure the springs on the rear shocks are aligned to one another, match the clearances of all the fenders (mudguards to you) over the tires, so they're proportional... I'd even suggest that you double-check the alignment of the boltheads holding on the fork brace, align the screws in the cam covers, then align all the emblems and badges, and make sure the mounting screws for the emblems are aligned... you know, go COMPLETELY nuts trying to get ALL of the detailing done, only to be disqualified because of a smudge on the underside of the mirror, or because a zip-tie wasn't properly trimmed under the seat...

After that, you can make sure that the directionals are all level and symmetrical, align the nuts holding the cosmetic cover on the back of the instrument cluster, align the mounting bolts on the front mudguard, along with the fork mounting bolts, and the bolts on the triple-trees... Clean off any rust on the bottom of the springs for the folding footpegs, clean the heads of every screw with cotton swabs... Make sure that all the valve caps on the tires match, get the fork reflectors flush, level with the ground, and aligned with one another... don't forget to remove the cosmetic cover over the handlebars, so you can clean and detail the mounting bolts, and double-check the spacing and alignment of the handlebar clamps, then slash your wrists when you go INSANE from all the detailing...

OK, so the work required when detailing is just about ENDLESS, but you never know what the judges are going to focus on... if workmanship is the ONLY concern, you've already won. If DETAILING counts, you've still got some ground to cover, though I'm NOT a fan of shows where the focus is on detailing skills... from MY perspective, form follows function, workmanship is KING, and everything else is anal-retentive nonsense... which is why I could NEVER enter a show of ANY kind; I just can't be bothered with purely cosmetic issues... and if some judge complained because I'd used a stainless steel washer under a bolthead, instead of a "proper" zinc-plated washer, he'd learn first-hand just how quickly an old soldier can choke him to death with a clutch cable...

If Joey Dunlop were alive today, and we got him drunk enough, do you think we could convince him to run your GS at the TT? I miss seeing photos of him, in his distinctive yellow helmets, dominating the IoM like no one before or since... I doubt there will ever be another genuine roadracer who rules TT racing like he did. Laguna Seca will be hosting an MGP on July 22, a few hours after your custom show ends, so I hope you'll lift a glass for Dunlop while you're there... I'll be doing the same thing to celebrate YOUR victory at the show...

In closing, let me wish the BEST of luck to you in the upcoming competition; no matter what else happens, you're going to knock a lot of eyeballs into orbit...

[Chris Bohane]

Chris Bohane,

My apologies to you for asking questions about details you'd already covered in your previous posts; I DID read EVERY detail you wrote SEVERAL times, BUT, I was fighting a migraine at the time, and didn't remember much of it when I began typing. For some reason, I THOUGHT I'd read all those details (fork brace, CV carbs, guy in Portugal, Norton engine rebuild CD, OTHER guy in Portugal, choke cable, FIRE, burns, wife, ointment, rebuild engine, rebuild carbs AGAIN, airbrushing... did I miss anything?) about a DIFFERENT motorcycle, in a different forum. Migraines can disorient the hell out of me... the first clue I SHOULD have had was when I got the details about the CV / non-CV carb throttle cables confused, but I didn't even realize that until just now, when I read your reply... OF COURSE those are CV carbs mounted in the photos, the poliished diaphragm covers are a dead giveaway... no slide carbs to be seen in ANY photo... I also asked you about the fork brace, even though it is one of the FIRST things you mentioned when you provided so many details about the build, the fire, and the rebuild... migraines bend my brain...

Spent some time in Yurrip on the American plan more than 25 years ago, but never made it to the isles; I especially wanted to attend the TT at the Isle of Man, but somehow never managed to escape the Continent. In my heart, I'm sure that at least ONE of my Celtic ancestors (from both Scotland AND Ireland, mixed among various other bloodlines) HAD to be a Manxman...

Trust me on this; if that kind of workmanship does NOT win a prize at the custom show next month, the fix was in...

If we ever DO meet at the pub, the first round is on me...

Thanks for taking the time to answer my (mostly unneeded) questions...

BTW, you might want to hit those head-pipes with some Blue Job Chrome Polish every few days, to have them perfect before the show... looks like there is an errant overflow hose (or a vent hose) sticking out on the left side of the tank in that third photo, close to the carbs, in your original post. I'm NOT criticizing your work, I just want to remind you that even the minor details become major in some competitions...

Are the bolt heads and sparkplug wires aligned? Are the sparkplugs themselves aligned? Have you set the screw heads in the taillight lens at the same depth, and aligned them with one another? I think they'd look better positioned to display the letter "X", rather than as plus (+) signs, but that is your call... You'll have to clean every stone and pebble out of the tire treads, make sure the springs on the rear shocks are aligned to one another, match the clearances of all the fenders (mudguards to you) over the tires, so they're proportional... I'd even suggest that you double-check the alignment of the boltheads holding on the fork brace, align the screws in the cam covers, then align all the emblems and badges, and make sure the mounting screws for the emblems are aligned... you know, go COMPLETELY nuts trying to get ALL of the detailing done, only to be disqualified because of a smudge on the underside of the mirror, or because a zip-tie wasn't properly trimmed under the seat...

After that, you can make sure that the directionals are all level and symmetrical, align the nuts holding the cosmetic cover on the back of the instrument cluster, align the mounting bolts on the front mudguard, along with the fork mounting bolts, and the bolts on the triple-trees... Clean off any rust on the bottom of the springs for the folding footpegs, clean the heads of every screw with cotton swabs... Make sure that all the valve caps on the tires match, get the fork reflectors flush, level with the ground, and aligned with one another... don't forget to remove the cosmetic cover over the handlebars, so you can clean and detail the mounting bolts, and double-check the spacing and alignment of the handlebar clamps, then slash your wrists when you go INSANE from all the detailing...

OK, so the work required when detailing is just about ENDLESS, but you never know what the judges are going to focus on... if workmanship is the ONLY concern, you've already won. If DETAILING counts, you've still got some ground to cover, though I'm NOT a fan of shows where the focus is on detailing skills... from MY perspective, form follows function, workmanship is KING, and everything else is anal-retentive nonsense... which is why I could NEVER enter a show of ANY kind; I just can't be bothered with purely cosmetic issues... and if some judge complained because I'd used a stainless steel washer under a bolthead, instead of a "proper" zinc-plated washer, he'd learn first-hand just how quickly an old soldier can choke him to death with a clutch cable...

If Joey Dunlop were alive today, and we got him drunk enough, do you think we could convince him to run your GS at the TT? I miss seeing photos of him, in his distinctive yellow helmets, dominating the IoM like no one before or since... I doubt there will ever be another genuine roadracer who rules TT racing like he did. Laguna Seca will be hosting an MGP on July 22, a few hours after your custom show ends, so I hope you'll lift a glass for Dunlop while you're there... I'll be doing the same thing to celebrate YOUR victory at the show...

In closing, let me wish the BEST of luck to you in the upcoming competition; no matter what else happens, you're going to knock a lot of eyeballs into orbit...

Thanks for the tip about the Blue Job for the exhausts, they were shiney before setting up the carbs, but, some hard use has discoloured them.

The photo's were taken as soon as I got the tank and sidepanels back from the painter, I was so keen to photograph it all I hadn't connected everything up.

As for all the detailing work........ I restored a 1958 Royal Enfield Crusader Sports before this, so I don't bother with all that detailing stuff anymore.
After all, it is only a bloody trike!

I'll take pics at the show and send you some if you are interested.
I expect that there will be any number of other trikes there that will have had a small fortune spent on them, one springs to mind that the Harley owner has spent over £36,000 ($71000) on.
Mine falls into the cheap and cheerful catogory...... she owes me about £2500ish including the original bike and all the paint.

We have just had the Moto GP at Donnington, which is only 3/4 of an hour up the motorway from us, that Casey Stoner is unbelieveably quick around the corners! But the IOM is a different story. Roadracers are a different breed. Make a mistake on the track and you run into the traps. Make a mistake on the island you are very lucky to get away with it.
We are going next year.
We avoided the centenery because we knew it would be packed. Those that went said that it was too full to really enjoy it.