1984 Suzuki Gs 550ef side covers

[dulcimerbob]

need ideas for making some kind of side covers for this bike . Need not look stock so open to anything

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I've seen side covers cut from materials like aluminum, thick plastic, or diamond plate that look pretty good.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[spyug]

My favourite method of fabbing body parts is now thermoforming. Very similar to vacuum forming where heated plastic sheet is formed over a plug of the shape you want to create, only you don't use a vacuum to pull it down.To be technically correct it is termed "drape" forming.

Basically you would use 3 or 5mm ABS plastic sheet and a wooden form of what you are trying to make. Heat the sheet up in the oven until it starts to sag (5 or 6 minutes at around 200F) and "drape" it over the form. You can use plastic or wooden tools to help shape it. Since it hardens quickly as it cools, a paint stripper gun is useful to warm up the areas you may be working on.

The end result will not have the sharply defined corners and such of a vacuum formed product but they will be close enough for "government work" as we say.

Using ABS slurry you can attach mounting posts and mounting clips to it and or glue pieces together if you end up forming things seperately.

Its actually very easy stuff to work with just takes a little practice like everything else.

You can get the ABS sheet from most Plastic supply and or distribution companies. a 4X8' sheet of 5mm cost me around $50 and has lasted for ever it seems. You can likely get smaller off cuts for considerably less. Check the internet and call around.

I've used metal and fiberglass before and for me this is a lot easier. Give it a try.

If you want to make something similar to the stock covers, I can trace out the patternsof them for you, just let me know.

Good luck,
spyug

On thinking about it further you could also do them quite easily in "fiberglass over foam". Basically use pink or blue board foam from the local lumber yard, shape it the way you want and paint it over with epoxy resin, you don't even need fiberglass mat as they are not load bearing pieces. It has to be epoxy resin rather than normal polyester resin as that stuff will eat the foam to nothing. Once its coated you can cover with a light coat of bondo, sand and paint as normal. This should work too.

[JEEPRUSTY]

Hell do what Spyug suggested but use carbon fibre.
I recall many many years ago a lengthy discussion with a nascent Engineer on the subject.

We were drunk 18 and gonna build us a boat.

I think real carbon fibre is poisonous to "tuner" kiddies so exercise caution.

Oh and Spyug "Government work" joke was a good chuckle. Any post that has the word slurry in it also grand.

Almost all the 550e 83-86 side panels have the rear tips broken off so fabbing like you suggest is the best way to go. This is especially true as any premium examples on ebay are so nice that it would be a sin to paint em knowing some guy out there is hoping to score the part and the paint scheme.