What performance mods for '85 GS550ES? (power, handling, etc)

[550ERAT]

Lol, Thx. It'll Be Easier To Just Leave It Off....lol

[Nerobro]

pictures...





It's stupidly simple.

[Llamaguy]

my 86 550 would go abouts 130 at night when it was cool out and tucked all the way down. This was without any fairings, a 4-2-1 exhaust with little packing left, and the carbs were re-jetted to run at mid to full throttle. (pilot jet was untouched). It had quite a bit of get up and go. I can't remember how much gas it had at that time, but that was about as far as it would go. If I had re-geared it, it would have probably gone a little more and gotten there fast.

[550ERAT]

On my 83 550E I have a "load adjuster dial" on the left side of the bike. Does this shock change affect this dial? if so, what do I do with the darn thing? thx

[Nerobro]

That adjuster is a hydraulic preload adjuster. You elimininate that part when you switch to the GSXR shock. The GSXR shock has the castled nuts on it for preload adjustment.

[550ERAT]

I'll have to get some pics for ya on what mine looks like... I have my bike set up for me... so some folks think it's a bit harsh susoension wise(it's a tad tight up front)...

#1 reccomendation for the bike before you even look at gofast mods is the suspension. Either get that tired old rear rebuilt or replaced. The GSXR rear is damn cheap and pretty easy to do I suggest that route.

Progressive springs with the proper amount of preload will help immensely on the front end responsiveness. They shouldn't be more than 80$ and just follow the instructions on how to replace them. Though I'd all suggest spending the 20 - 25 dollars extra and replacing the slides inside the legs(bike bandit numbers 503545-001 and 502947-001) found here: www.bikebandit.com.

Be aware also that alot of the mods I've done to mine make it very picky concerning weather and general atmospheric conditions... If it's way humid out or foggy it acts pretty sluggis from time to time and throttle response under 2500RPM when not in tune is spotty at best.


Also if you need some parts, ask away. I have in my basement about enough parts to make 9/10ths of another GS550e/s(for example I do have a gas tank that's in pretty good shape)

do you have an extra set of carbs? I just got mine cleaned (sort of). the person who cleaned them suggests a total rebuild, but I'd like to ride the bike while rebuilding a different set. I have to get all the parts at a Suzuki dealer since no one sells parts for these damn carbs. Also, what years and kind of carbs should I be looking for? (ebay). The only other thing is I would like to find the plastics for the ES. I have an 83 E but I like the fairing on the ES. thx

[550ERAT]

bump bump

[Thomas Kenny]

Hey Criticman, see my post today. I am in the same place as you are with my 84 GS550ES, wish I would have seen this post first. Lets keep in touch as we put some extra power, lose some bike weight and enjoy the potential of this bike. The owner of the motorcycle shop that fixed my transmission used to race a 550ES and he remembers easily liftting the front wheel coming out of turns in second gear. Tom

[skreemer]

unfortunatly I do have extra carbs... but both extra sets are trashed. On one set the "tower" that holds the pilots is cracked off completely and the other set has all the fuel air mix adjusts royally screwed up...

if your's are in good shape at all, pull all the rubber bits and dip em. Then give em a once over with carb cleaner spray... the rebuild kit should just consist of all the parts you would take off during a cleaning anyway.

[550ERAT]

I guess from what I have read, these carbs are the major problem with these bikes (83 gs 550). Where do you get parts for these carbs? Dealer only? I have not been able to find any re build kits from anyone online. For that matter, where can I get any parts for this bike Thx, if I read other posts right, you have a hell of a bike, and I would like to have at least part of what you got.

[Nerobro]

you really dont' need a rebuild kit. :-) Just clean them well. If you're really paranoid buy new jets. parts are available at www.bikebandit.com

[criticman]

Hey Criticman, see my post today. I am in the same place as you are with my 84 GS550ES, wish I would have seen this post first. Lets keep in touch as we put some extra power, lose some bike weight and enjoy the potential of this bike. The owner of the motorcycle shop that fixed my transmission used to race a 550ES and he remembers easily liftting the front wheel coming out of turns in second gear. Tom

Guess I need to just check back here more often. Got so busy with work and got engaged...finally got my licenses moved over from SC to GA and got my bike permit. Getting insurance quotes now.

I saw in your post you picked up the exhaust setup...where'd you find it, on eBay? Link to completed listing?

[cberkeley]

Go to bikebandit.com or alpha-sports.com and lookup their microfische parts list for your bike. I actually downloaded all the diagrams and parts lists from Alpha-sports for my bike (GS650GL) and made a comprehensive pdf parts manual. I usually refer to these exploded views first then consult my Clymer manual. I find this invaluable when I need to do something on the bike.
I had no option but to teach myself on my bike using backroads, as there's no MSF course here. You have the opportunity to do it right, take an MSF course (wish I could). The HD boys have the begining of a structured course (following MSF courseware) and I've been assisting in trying to get it setup properly (hopefully one day we'll get it really going). Looks promising. Two Sundays ago we did some ultra-slow manouvres in large parking lot (slow-racing ....slowest bike wins and weaving between pylons at the slowest possible speeds), it's not easy but it teaches a lot of control balance, clutch and throttle technique. Learned alot!
Ahhh ...this old fart is rambling on again...... sorry!

[Commodus]

I bet a set of a RS34s could be made to work with some head work. Too bad WebCam doesn't make a set of cams for that model...

I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to fit a GSX750 motor, is the 550 completely different or just sleeved down? If they are different, is the 750 much larger or heavier?

Because then you could just buy a big bore kit, a set of cams, a rack of Mikuni smoothbores and a 4-1; all readily available.

[Nerobro]

Nope, you can not fit RS34's. It would require a LOT of head work, not justa little. The spigots are almost siamesed. What you could do is find the carbs from a KZ1300. Those are BSW32's instead of the BSW30's. Though it may be a challenge to set them up right. They're also rare carbs.

Yoshimura made cams. I'll bet they'll still make them for you if you're interested.

The GSX750 motor is a much larger block. I'm fairly sure they are incompatable. I'll take a look soon. Blender has a GSX750. There really isn't much room for a bigger motor.