gs550

[wayne]

i have been looking at a gs550 for a fist run around and am wondering what sort of speeds (acceleration and topend) i can expect from one of these. by the way the one i am looking at is a 1984 model also what sort of cost??/



cheers all

[Anonymous]

I have an authentic road report/test from 1977 on a stock gs550 and if memory serves me, they were able to squeeze 13.01 in the 1/4 and top speed of 112 mph on the flats. I don't know how accurate that is but its got to be close. I've had my 1977 gs550 up to almost 100mph with ease. As for the cost, you can get a clean one for under a grand for sure, perhaps even down to $500.00 for a semi-clean one.....depending on the condition. Buying a junker means lots of time and $$ in parts...tires.....and so on. Bought mine from an airline mechanic in excellent condition for $550....I lucked out. A dollar per cc. Bike had 17,000 miles on it. Needed new tires and a tuneup....some elbo grease too. Look around. Some people have gotten theirs for around $200 but had to bring them back from death's door....or perhaps get lucky and do a simple tune-up and hit the road. There is info on this site that can really help you. Good luck!

[wayne]

cheers 77gs550 i had an idea the one i am looking at is a later model(with the nose cowling) are they the same engine??

[lhanscom]

http://www.bikez.com/bike/index.php?bike=17884

[Anonymous]

cheers 77gs550 i had an idea the one i am looking at is a later model(with the nose cowling) are they the same engine??

Yeah, I think the engine/drivetrain is basically the same from 77 to 85, 86? Roller bearings and all. Minor differences with the types of carbs, ignition system, electrics and a few other things like guages and fairings. The heart of that machine is still the same though.

[lhanscom]

Didn't the 550 switch to 4 valve per cyl in 83?

[wayne]

i think it is a twin cam model(a tscc?? 0

[Anonymous]

Didn't the 550 switch to 4 valve per cyl in 83?

Oh yeah.....right!

[lhanscom]

TSCC = Twin Swirl Combustion Chamber, and I'm pretty sure all TSCC engines are 16 valve. A very solid bike. Cost will very quite a bit, but this time of year I bet you could get a pretty nice one for $500.

[wayne]

what sort of mods can i do? and is it worth it?

[Anonymous]

Here is a link to just that topic.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/viewtopic.php?t=14100&highlight=550

Coils, Ignition, Pods, exhaust......some things. Get it running clean. If you want to do major blasting and get arm socket pulling torque and speed, go for a bigger bike. I find my gs550 to be plenty fast for me and way faster than anything on 4 wheels (mostly). Its all relative.......a 13 second 1/4 mile is nothing to laugh at. But its not even close to an 11 second bike.....

[wayne]

thanks for that 13 seconds isnt too bad for a 20years plus bike

[Anonymous]

GS 550 E/ES/EF from 83 on is completly different bike from the former one. Its much lighter, faster and quicker with all the main parts different.
Its much more complicated, and before making any improvements to its engine, I would try to get it to original performance first.
As somebody mentioned before I would first try to ride it to find out if I like 16``wheel on the front and quite nervous steering.
Its two double carbs, are not easy to work on specially doing jetting with pod filters and aftermarket exhaust. If you read some more posts about GS jetting, you will find out that is pretty tedious task to improve factory set up. And all posts from topic 14100 are irrelevant - they are posting about different model of the bike before 83.

Adam M.

[robben]

i think it is a twin cam model(a tscc?? 0

84's a 'twin cam' spelled out - DOHC. I've had the '84 550 for almost 10 years. It's an excellent bike.

Robben

[Anonymous]

GS 550 E/ES/EF from 83 on is completly different bike from the former one.........all posts from topic 14100 are irrelevant - they are posting about different model of the bike before 83.

Adam M.

.....but in general for a few mods can't you still put on a Dyna ignition, Dyna/Accel coils and hotter wires? Doesn't K&N still offer the pod conversion?

What about a 4 into 1 Kerker/Yosh/Mac exhaust? You can still rejet carbs right even though its hard to dial in? I don't know......mine is a 77