1981 GS450E Rebuild

[pete]

Well, aside from needing to take off the mudguards, tail light, and indicators, the bike's ready to be towed

I went around and took off all the bolts that don't need to be on it and torqued up all those that do including the triple clamp bolts, axle nuts, shock nuts, etc.

I then remembered that I hadn't sorted out the clutch adjustment lock nut yet... forgot to write that one on the white board! It's done up so tight that you can't adjust the clutch, and all that happens when you try to loosen the locknut is that you actuate the clutch...

So, off with the sprocket cover and took the inspection cover off, and there's the culprit in amongst the over enthusiastic application of marine grease:



Took it out and I needed to lock it in the bench vice to get the leverage i needed to loosen it:



Couple of quick reminders to make sure the hole in the mechanism lines up with the groove coming from the grease nipple under the inspection cover:



Back in, but left loose:



And cover back on with allen bolts nipped up safely ready for the tow, and if that nut does happen to fall off by being too loose, it will be safely captured under the inspection cover:



So... roll on 24th June... I'm all set

[pete]

And the last thing I did tonight was measure up the rear of the tank and compared that with the width I need for the duck tail etc.

The width at the bottom of the seat pan is 20mm wider than the width of the rear of the tank, so that means I should be easily able to use the rear of the tank as a mould to form some mesh or something like ITim did with his duck tail, and then I can use that to make the duck tail.

I'm thinking I'd like to curve the rear a bit though, so I may just mould some of it from the rear of the tank, just to get a hint of the tank shape into it so it blends with the rest of the bike.

I'm so keen now to get stuck into that, but I need to hold off and make sure I get the rear mudguard cut down and everything prepared for paint.

I'm going to attempt to take Thursday 23rd off as well to give me an extra day to try to find some paint. Just hoping I'm not leaving that too late to paint it the week after...

[davidduarte]

Good luck Pete, hope everything goes smoothly for you.

[pete]

Cheers David, me too!

[Redneck]

Was I ITim the one who used the small bars to build the frame then tacked on the mesh and fiberglassed over it. I thought that was pretty cool be cause the wire will make it good and strong especially along the edges to prevent cracking. I say go for it.

How long now till you send it off to get the pipes made? Cant wait to see them on.

Paul

[ITim]

Yup that was me!
I have a feeling I might drop it in the weeks to come, so wanted to make sure it was good and strong.

[pete]

Was I ITim the one who used the small bars to build the frame then tacked on the mesh and fiberglassed over it. I thought that was pretty cool be cause the wire will make it good and strong especially along the edges to prevent cracking. I say go for it.

How long now till you send it off to get the pipes made? Cant wait to see them on.

Paul

Yeah I reckon it was a good plan, which is why I wanna copy it

Big thing for me will be the welds... my house mate has a welder but I've never welded before... could be interesting

Bike's booked in to get towed to Tranzac on Friday 24th June, and I should have the bike back the following Wednesday/Thursday with the pipes coming back from being ceramic coated a couple of weeks after that

Yup that was me!
I have a feeling I might drop it in the weeks to come, so wanted to make sure it was good and strong.

'Twas indeed! Think positive, you won't drop it

[pete]

Well, I got a few hours in today, made some forward progress on noisy stuff, cut another finger, and then discovered another setback...

First of all, did a little modification to the front of the new rear mudguard as I was concerned that with it above the inner rear mudguard, in rain it would allow water to spray off the rear tyre directly down onto the new electrics tray.

So, I cut a couple of grooves out to allow the inner mudguard to sit on top of the rear mudguard so any water should stay within the guards.

This also enabled me to use the screws that hold the two guards together as well:



Then onto putting the rear guard onto a diet so it would flow better.

Made up a template from the curve of the inner guard:



First attempt at the left side:



Still wasn't quite happy with the thickness under the frame rail, so slimmed down some more:



Much better I think...

Forgot to get a before pic, but had to trim the inside edge of the front duck tail frame mounts as they were too close together with the new rear mudguard and it wasn't letting them line up with the mounting holes on the frame:



Then I assembled everything to get some mock up pic's so I could play with some colours in The GIMP to help me decide which way to go.

I put the old headlight on as well as the seat pan and the side rail under the pan as well as the duck tail frame so I can also edit in the duck tail I want to make to see how that looks.



Looking at it side on like that makes me realise my idea of a long flat seat would look out of proportion with the tank length, so I'm glad I ditched that idea.

So far I don't think I've screwed things up too much...

[pete]

Next up was time to drain the tank to think about prep'ing it for paint in a couple of weeks. I've put this off for years to hopefully prevent rust...



I was pretty sure I saw some rust flakes coming out while syphoning the old fuel...

But didn't look too bad underneath:



Until I removed the fuel tap:



Ooops... gotta do the damn rust treatment and POR 15 liner after all:



The fuel tap won't budge either, so that needs repair or replacing as well... charming.

So it looks like my week off won't be painting, but rather will be fixing the rust in the tank...

Anyway, last off I got a bit of time to revisit my 'bar mounted choke lever adaptor and smooth off all the sharp edges and make the bits that are supposed to be round a bit rounder:



This thing is getting more fun by the day... man I can't wait to get it on the road again!

[Redneck]

Looking at it side on like that makes me realise my idea of a long flat seat would look out of proportion with the tank length, so I'm glad I ditched that idea.

So far I don't think I've screwed things up too much...

I don't think you have screwed up that bad at all... Though now that I have seen it all together I will throw in my $.02 okay maybe more like $.002 but anyway... I like the rear fender and all but it seems to stick out awful far... to me kind of like the crayon that went outside the lines in the coloring book. I would try and bring it back in till it is more conforming with the tire. Other than that its looking good. I like the red paint maybe do a red and white theme on it. Keep up the good work.

Paul

[pete]

I don't think you have screwed up that bad at all... Though now that I have seen it all together I will throw in my $.02 okay maybe more like $.002 but anyway... I like the rear fender and all but it seems to stick out awful far... to me kind of like the crayon that went outside the lines in the coloring book. I would try and bring it back in till it is more conforming with the tire. Other than that its looking good. I like the red paint maybe do a red and white theme on it. Keep up the good work.

Paul

You know I looked at that pic tonight as I was posting it and yeah it looks a bit out there, however in person it's not that bad, so I think partly it has to do with the angle. If you look at where the frame rails end it doesn't protrude too far, and once I get the duck tail sorted I think it should work well as the area between the indicators and seat will be filled in.

This one's a bit more side on, and definitely not quite as out there as the main pic shows, but definitely getting there. I am going for a scrambler look though, so I'm hoping that will work in my favour somewhat...



However, I'll get it into the GIMP first to see how it looks before doing anything with it.

One thing I'm battling with that rear guard is that I need the end of the guard to be in a certain position where a line from the rear axle going upwards and backwards at a 45 degree angle intersects with it, so bringing it in will also need it to move down, which I can't see an easy way to do at the moment. This is a requirement for the Dept of Transport, and I need to get a safety certificate done, so considering that requirement is very obviously stated in their published modification guide, I reckon it's one they'll probably check for.

As to the existing colour, it's more of a maroon but very poorly done. It's a PO job with maybe two or three base coats and no clear coat, so I definitely want to do something better than that.

Think a burgundy or deep blue at the moment, but I really need to see what's available first...

Thanks for sharing Paul, I want honest feedback

[pete]

Ok, watched MotoGP (no spoilers), did some searching, and know what I'm going to do about the tank.

POR 15 motorcycle kit is $75 and there's a reseller round the corner from my house mate's work, so will try to get one after pay day, although I expect it will have to wait for my week off.

I'll also get some aquarium rocks as these seem the best bet to give a roll around the tank before using the marine clean as well as again with the marine clean (in the POR 15 kit).

The kit also includes a mirror which will give me a better idea of how bad it is inside as I can only see what's immediately below the filler hole, but I really don't think it's too bad, just enough to clog the fuel tap and carbs...

[cowboyup3371]

I think it looks really good Pete. What were you doing again to prevent the pipes from burning your leg like that? I don't remember.

[Flyboy]

You are really getting there now Pete, good work, I like the rear mud gaurd, looks perfect for a scrambler. Remember, off road bikes = flat colours, no metalics or candy apple. have you thought about doing the vinagar in the tank thing, then misting the inside with Q20 or WD40 to keep out the flash rust, may save you from going with a lining. I am going that route, I ain't putting no lining in my tank, it has also been standing for about 4 years with about 5 litres of fuel in, so we shall see, when we get there one day.

[landshark]

One thing I'm battling with that rear guard is that I need the end of the guard to be in a certain position where a line from the rear axle going upwards and backwards at a 45 degree angle intersects with it, so bringing it in will also need it to move down, which I can't see an easy way to do at the moment. This is a requirement for the Dept of Transport, and I need to get a safety certificate done, so considering that requirement is very obviously stated in their published modification guide, I reckon it's one they'll probably check for.

I wouldnt stress too much about this. I have mates who have had bikes passed that have a very big "RACE USE ONLY" stamped on the outside of the exhaust.
Having said that, when you get it all together i dont think the guard will look too bad.