newbie questions!

[Guest]

Hey guys just got my first gs ('84 550l) and ive got a few questions.
1: im having trouble getting the stock seat off
2: i wanna get a different seat that is flatter. i like the late '70s style but id like to have something that i can have a passenger on for now. (plan is to bob it)
3: whats a good set of handle bars? i was thinking about drag bars but dont know exactly.
4: bike hasnt ran in over a year and there is a bit of gas in the tank. what can i run threw it/ let sit in there for a bit to clean it out?
5: is there anything i should look for and be careful of??
Any responses would be great and thanks for making such a great forum

[Virginian]

I'm in the same boat as you re: the seat. All I could do, after much experimentation, was give up and decide to cafe the bike. The "L", I feel, is just very hard to flatten out at the rear while it has anything related to the stock seat in place.

Bars? I've had some success with superbike bars - a flattish, narrower standard bar - without having to reroute or replace cables or lines. Dumping the horn bars does wonders for the look of the bike, without taking too much away from the vintage appearance.

[aznpride75]

thats one thing im kinda seeing is EVERYBODY on here is doing cafe bikes....i was hopeing to do a bobber. but im thinking the same thing with the seat

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. aznpride,

1: im having trouble getting the stock seat off

After you unlock it, I think it just lifts off when you pull up from the back.

2: i wanna get a different seat that is flatter. i like the late '70s style but id like to have something that i can have a passenger on for now.

You'll have to take the seat to an upholstery shop and have it redone. Or you can get a cover and a foam kit and do it yourself. But you can't take a flatter GS seat and install it on an "L" model without some modifications to the seat pan and attachment points.

3: whats a good set of handle bars? i was thinking about drag bars but dont know exactly.

Daytona bars or Superbike bars are the most popular replacements around here. Maybe Clubman bars if you don't mind a little back pain.

4: bike hasnt ran in over a year and there is a bit of gas in the tank. what can i run threw it/ let sit in there for a bit to clean it out?

You'll want to clean the carbs properly and drain the tank. Check the tank for rust. It may need cleaning too and possibly coated with a tank lining like POR-15. You'll find proper procedures on my little website. Check the links below.

5: is there anything i should look for and be careful of??

Go through the maintenance lists in your "mega-welcome" below. Every item is critical to a safe and reliable vintage motorcycle. Take no shortcuts or you will be frustrated. You have a 30 year old motorcycle that probably needs 20 years worth of maintenance. Let us begin...

Now let me dump a TON of information on you and share some GS lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...



Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[aznpride75]

hahaha thank you very much for the large welcome. one of the frist things i read on here was the "top 10 newbie mistakes" and i deff. am going to book mark it so i can read it again and again. a few more questions as always tho. when you say unlock the seat what do you mean? also re covering it may be the way i go for this summer. like i said i plan on doing a ridge frame next winter. the bar situation ive got handeled...no pun intended. theres no rust in the tank but im going to run some chemicals threw it to make sure. and im getting the carbs in a few weeks from a guy that apperanly has ran threw them already. oooonnnneee last thing. ive seen crazy cheap parts from z1 are they a trusted company? and are there parts as cheap as there prices?? again any input is welcome and thank you for the big welcome to such a wonderful and technical forum

[cowboyup3371]

Z1 is a great company and sells both OEM and aftermarket parts. You'll find many of us shop with them quite frequently.

You should also have a key lock on the left side towards the front.


Btw, looks like your bike might be an 83 not 84. According to the parts fiche (AND I'm probably going to be wrong), the only 550s in 84 were E models.

[aznpride75]

Ha ya I saw the same thing somewhere...the vin tag says 84 but idk if there like cars and sell them under different years. But thanks for the diagram!