1983 GS550ED Handlebar Width?

[GS550ED]

First of all let me say hey all, first post after lurking for a little while. I bought a 1983 GS-550ED as my first bike about a month ago and I've done some minor things to it like getting the turn signals working, cleaning the carbs, replacing clutch side plate gasket, etc etc. I'm about to rebuild the front brakes and I'm planning on replacing the front master cylinder. However, whoever owned the bike before me put a really crappy aftermarket master cylinder on the bike (doesn't even have hookup for the brake light).

My question is, what is the handlebar width of the '83 GS-550ED? 7/8" or 1"? I've found some brand new master cylinders for a GS-750/1100 which are for 7/8" bars, and a generic one with a brake light hookup for 1" bars.

Also, are most brake lines a single size? 1/2" right? Also the banjo bolt?

Thanks in advance!

[Jason the terminator]

Handle bar diameter should be 7/8.

[spyug]

Welcome aboard. Apart from the handlebars everything else should be measured in metric so we need to quote in millimeters. The standard brake hoses are 10mm OD ( stainless steel are 7mm) and the banjo bolts are 9mm. As far as I can tell that is pretty standard for most manufacturers of Japanese bikes at least.

On another matter, you will read here that these bikes are plagued by bad igniters ( I have a 550E I'm trying to restore right now, not running for want of an igniter) and replacement OEM units even used are hard to come by and extremely expensive. There are some aftermarket types available but they too are expensive or require engineering to be made to fit so it behooves you to keep yours working. During my research I was told that the charging system is most likely at fault as it tends to produce over voltages which fry the igniters. In this regard you will want to check that your charging system is good. Follow the Stator Papers flow chart to check. If your system is off I suggest you may want to update your Reg/Rect. to a more modern and robust Honda model. See our man Duaneage for one.

Good luck with your refurb and when you have time post some pics.

Cheers,
Spyug

[GS550ED]

Welcome aboard. Apart from the handlebars everything else should be measured in metric so we need to quote in millimeters. The standard brake hoses are 10mm OD ( stainless steel are 7mm) and the banjo bolts are 9mm. As far as I can tell that is pretty standard for most manufacturers of Japanese bikes at least.

On another matter, you will read here that these bikes are plagued by bad igniters ( I have a 550E I'm trying to restore right now, not running for want of an igniter) and replacement OEM units even used are hard to come by and extremely expensive. There are some aftermarket types available but they too are expensive or require engineering to be made to fit so it behooves you to keep yours working. During my research I was told that the charging system is most likely at fault as it tends to produce over voltages which fry the igniters. In this regard you will want to check that your charging system is good. Follow the Stator Papers flow chart to check. If your system is off I suggest you may want to update your Reg/Rect. to a more modern and robust Honda model. See our man Duaneage for one.

Good luck with your refurb and when you have time post some pics.

Cheers,
Spyug

Wow, thanks for all that! I'm also going to be replacing my brake lines with braided steel ones, which are 3/8". Will these be compatible? (I'll be replacing the banjo bolts as well, of course)

I consider myself lucky then that my igniter is doing alright so far, with the exception that the previous owner lost/removed the battery box which held the igniter in place, thus just letting it hang underneath the seat (the horror). Next up I'm doing a walkthrough of my entire electrical system so I'll definitely keep a heads up for anything that could kill the igniter. As soon as I get the new ignition coils in and brakes rebuilt, I'll be posting some pics. Thanks again!

[GS550ED]

Handle bar diameter should be 7/8.

Cool, thanks. I can now get to ordering a new master cylinder.

[spyug]

Yes to the compatability of the hoses. If you are used to bikes with rubber hoses you will find a huge difference with stainless lines. Much easier and firmer braking. When you first use them becareful as too much brake lever and you'll lock them up.

Enjoy them.

Cheers,
Spyug

[don]

Unfortunatly I don't have the time right now to go through all of what I went through on mine, I have one of these as you can see in my sig. I did ALOT of work on mine and it is now as reliable as a swiss watch. If you do an advanced search and search all posts under my name, you will find a wealth of information from everyone who helped me through it all.

I have to agree with the other folks, GET YOUR CHARGING SYSTEM MODIFIED BEFORE YOU HAVE TROUBLES. Get the Honda r/r or buy an Electrosport one and just hook everything up direct. Don't hook the stator wires that are in your harnes up to the new r/r, just go direct and pull the ones out of your harnes.

Please pm me with any questions you may have about anything. I've pretty mutch done most everything to my 550.

Don

[GS550ED]

Unfortunatly I don't have the time right now to go through all of what I went through on mine, I have one of these as you can see in my sig. I did ALOT of work on mine and it is now as reliable as a swiss watch. If you do an advanced search and search all posts under my name, you will find a wealth of information from everyone who helped me through it all.

I have to agree with the other folks, GET YOUR CHARGING SYSTEM MODIFIED BEFORE YOU HAVE TROUBLES. Get the Honda r/r or buy an Electrosport one and just hook everything up direct. Don't hook the stator wires that are in your harnes up to the new r/r, just go direct and pull the ones out of your harnes.

Please pm me with any questions you may have about anything. I've pretty mutch done most everything to my 550.

Don

Awesome, thanks a lot. Right now I'm working on a number of things. I just took apart my front brakes and the caliper pistons are horribly dirty. I'm rebuilding them tomorrow after a long soak in cleaner. Also I'm giving my carbs a clean- I'm looking for a carb cleaning kit but can't find anything online for my model year?

Would an '80-'82 GS550E carb rebuilding kit be compatible with the stock carbs on my '83?

[spyug]

I'm looking for a carb cleaning kit but can't find anything online for my model year?

Unless things are missing inside the carb or the float valve is malfunctioning, you do not need a carb kit. All you need are float bowl gaskets and you don't really even need them if you are half ways handy.

You can get gasket material from any good auto store. It is a dense paper/cardboard material a little thicker than a cereal box (which you could also use ) and about $10 a roll which would give you enough gaskets until the second coming.

Simply use the float bowl or old gasket to trace on to the material and cut it out. To make the gasket reusable, take a little axle grease and rub it in to both sides of the gasket with your finger. It improves the seal and yet won't let it stick to the carb or bowl.

The secret to a good carb cleaning is taking your time and allowing the dip to work on the carb body and jets for a minimum of 24 hours. Make sure you don't dunk any of the rubber parts and always replace the o-rings ( get them from Robt. Barr, Cycleorings.com). Follow the tutorial and you'll be fine.

Good luck with the project.
Spyug

[GS550ED]

Unless things are missing inside the carb or the float valve is malfunctioning, you do not need a carb kit. All you need are float bowl gaskets and you don't really even need them if you are half ways handy.

You can get gasket material from any good auto store. It is a dense paper/cardboard material a little thicker than a cereal box (which you could also use ) and about $10 a roll which would give you enough gaskets until the second coming.

Simply use the float bowl or old gasket to trace on to the material and cut it out. To make the gasket reusable, take a little axle grease and rub it in to both sides of the gasket with your finger. It improves the seal and yet won't let it stick to the carb or bowl.

The secret to a good carb cleaning is taking your time and allowing the dip to work on the carb body and jets for a minimum of 24 hours. Make sure you don't dunk any of the rubber parts and always replace the o-rings ( get them from Robt. Barr, Cycleorings.com). Follow the tutorial and you'll be fine.

Good luck with the project.
Spyug

I took your advice and made the gaskets today. The carbs on these are pretty basic-shaped so it was rather easy. I'm soaking the carbs now as we speak. Thanks again for all the advice!