Yosh Patina

[isleoman]

The Antiques Road Show always says don't mess with the "patina" or you'll kill the value. Here's a close up of my Yosh at 103K miles. I was considering getting something new but I've been liking the "weathered" look lately and will probably just stay with what I've got. Put it on when the bike had about 10K.

[hampshirehog]

It's worn out and needs to be thrown away - I'll take it to the tip for you:-D Actually looks nice. Quality items like this will always age well.

[steve murdoch]

Beauty bike.
It looks fast sitting still!
I have a new Yosh can for my '78 GS1000 and the badge does not look as nice as yours.

[posplayr]

Have you thought of Polishing the aluminum

I'm going thought my GS1100ED, and I'm down to the bare frame. I have already done refurb on the pipes (they were pretty rough) with Por-15 High heat Manifold Grey paint(part of my new color scheme) . I have debated whether to disturb the canister (see pic below). It is a beautiful piece even with the odd scratch. Fortunately the road rash on the back of mine is not really noticeable.

I was thinking of masking off the Yosh plate and either a.) polish and clear coat, or just clear coat the canister. It must already have a clear coat on it ; the pictures are a little complementary as it doesn't quite look that good at 5 feet away.

Any thoughts?

Posplayr

P.S. Great looking bike I dont know how I missed the wheel/suspension conversion. It just blended in so well it did not jump out at me till I looked again.

[isleoman]

I was thinking of masking off the Yosh plate and either a.) polish and clear coat, or just clear coat the canister. It must already have a clear coat on it ; the pictures are a little complementary as it doesn't quite look that good at 5 feet away.

Any thoughts?


Posplayr,

My headers have been painted with rattle can VHT paint multiple times. I think at one time I got carried away with polishing the Yosh plate on the canister with Never Dull and took a little of the black off. Luckily the brass (copper?) on the back side looks ok when the blacks rubbed away.

To shine the aluminum on the canister I just use a piece of "Never Dull" in a paper towel and it cleans up pretty well. The "clear" layer is long since gone. Same with the case covers. Mines a daily driver so I don't need to get too anal with it.

I was taking those photos at a town farm that's been turned into a park. At least ten people walked by and asked "So are you taking pictures of your new bike?" I'd tell them it was an 82 with 103K on it and get the "No way" comment.

They built that wall last year and it already looks like its been there since the Reveolution.

Believe me there are plenty of warts on the bike if you get close enough. Here some more pictures of the wall.

[isleoman]

One more from a distance. Why is it that Dandilions look great in an open farm field and like "SH*T" in your yard? Go figure

[Bad Kaw]

Ya know...I'm lookin' at this bike and lookin' at it and lookin' at it...and man...it all just flows so well together...it just looks 'stock' it's that well done.
Very nice.
-KR

[bonanzadave]

The Red, Blue & Silver debate will go on forever but IMHO this is the best looking bike on this site.

Isleoman, how do I get in your will...................:-D

[isleoman]

Ya know...I'm lookin' at this bike and lookin' at it and lookin' at it...and man...it all just flows so well together...it just looks 'stock' it's that well done.
Very nice.
-KR

KR and others,

Thanks for the kind words. After owning it since new I took it off the road for a few years in 2001, when I bought a new bike. I've been building it slowly over the years and got serious with the suspension mods after following several of Katman's builds.

I've been having a lot of fun driving it lately with the new suspension and the 530 chain conversion. The bike has 1135 Yosh pistions, Yosh Stage I cams, and header. The Bandit swing arm and RF900 rear wheel mated with the 95 GSXR1100 front with Bridgestone BT021 radials all work well together. The head was ported by HMP and the carbs are RS38 flatslides. The rear sets are from a ZX12R.

It sounds pretty cool when I'm warming it up and you can hear the lumpy cams and the clickity clack of the RS flatslides at idle. The flatslides sound reminds me of my buddies dry clutch on his 748 Ducati. Once its fully warm a lot of that goes away.

The 17" wheels with the stock gearing (which if I remember right is 16/45) makes for about a 10% optimistic reading on the speedometer. Before the changes I would be showing 80 mph at 5000 RPM. I now show 72 MPH at 5000. This effectively lowers the gearing and it now feels like an American muscle car when you shift through the gears.

I do a lot of New England back road riding @ around 45 to 55 mph and the engine now revs at about 3500 in 5th, instead of before where it would be @ about 3200. At 3200 in top gear it use to make a valve whine noise but now that is gone away entirely, and its closer to the power curve when you crank it up. I don't do them very often but the new gearing does allow for easy roll off/roll on wheelies in first gear.

Then there always the Sunday Go to Meeting body work that I put on for special occaisons

[groundshock]

Would drastically reduce the human population of the planet, by hand, if said bike was promised at the end.

Finest machine I've ever seen. Bar none.

[Bad Kaw]

8)The "spare suit" looks good, too!