$270 '78 GS1000EC Project (Frankenstien Re-build)

[psyguy]

Nice work Mr Midas... I dig all the mods... espec the rearsets that look 'stock"

[Hoosier Daddy]

WOW! She's a looker for sure... Congrats!

[Mr.Midas]

Hey all!
Just wanted to provide an update/conclusion to my project. Very long overdue...

The JB weld repair to engine case is still holding!

I rode from Georgia to New Jersey in early Fall, and spent almost two months working, visiting, and touring around up there(friends and family in NY, WV, ect).

Rigged and ready. I gave her a name, actually it's just the letter V. Short for Vindication:


All in all the, trip up was a blast. The first day was one of the most the most exciting... I hit the road later than I wanted and got caught in some crazy tight/fast traffic in NC and then had to ride on until about midnight to make it to where I was spending the night and next day in WV. (Talk about being unnerved, cold, and fatigued at night in hilly deer country! )

The next leg from WV to NJ went a bit smoother but still kept me on my toes. I had to run through a little rain in PA and shivered through the final hours of the trip... 806 total miles on the way up from GA.

Worked primarily as a builder/carpenter... Coolest projects were this moveable timber-framed horse run-in shed,


... and a collaborative educational trebuchet project. We got most of our wood from locally grown timber which we cut and milled ourselves(sawmill in background). It could chuck a 2lb pumpkin just over 100yds :



Upstate NY, a great place to live as a kid...



When the time came, I headed back South only a few days before the weather in New England turned foul. I followed the coast down to Myrtle Beach, crossing the Chesapeake Bay bridge-tunnel after nightfall and camping at First Landing state park.
It's a nice park, but the winds that kicked up that night at 3am in the morning had me clambering out of my tent to secure stuff and make sure V wouldn't tip over!

Just before the bridge-tunnel:



Round trip, including my prolonged stay up north, was about 2,100 miles!

I fell over twice; once in NJ and once on my way down to MB in VA(both at stops and loosing my balance on sloped hills... only scratched the engine guards and hurt my pride a little)

I ended up going back to the original needles from the stage 3 DJ's after making it to NJ.(Still running on the rich side)

I plan to upgrade the APE pod filters, and probably modify/replace the SuperTrapp silencer to remedy the richness issue. Just waiting for some warmer spring weather before prepping for the next adventure, wherever/whatever that may end up being...

Cheers everybody, and thanks to all who provided all the information and inspiration that I was able glean from these forums and use to make and enjoy V they way she is today.

RIDE ON!

[7981GS]

Glad to hear that only your pride got injured.
Thanks for sharing with us!

Daniel

[sedelen]

Hey all!
Just wanted to provide an update/conclusion to my project. Very long overdue...

The JB weld repair to engine case is still holding!

I rode from Georgia to New Jersey in early Fall, and spent almost two months working, visiting, and touring around up there(friends and family in NY, WV, ect).

Rigged and ready. I gave her a name, actually it's just the letter V. Short for Vindication:


RIDE ON!

I like the way you rigged your belongings, nice and tight!
I used two duffel bags on mine, one over the luggage rack and one over the seat. It was very top heavy at slow speeds, slept in a sleeping bag at rest stops with the bike cabled locked to my leg. 3,642 miles, mid summer.
Seattle to Orlando. No spills but a couple of close calls, what was I thinking?

[brslk]

Those pics make me wanna hit the road.

Damn job!

Bruce.

[psyguy]

great trip and the write up, thanks for sharing!

are the wheels still white ??

[ron bayless]

Uh, did u know you are a genius? incredible bike.

[Rover]

Incredible build! You definitely made it your own. Fab work was something else.

[razor02097]

Nice job man!

When people ask what you have you can tell them it's a Suzuki Sedelen

[uk gs nut]

my gs1000 was exactly the same. the engine case is cracked and oil leaks due to the bolt being to long. drain the oil, lay the bike on its side with crack uppermost. clean all signs of oil with a solvent eg paint thinner or carb cleaner, blow area with compressed air if possible. rough up crack area with 80 grit paper, clean again as above. then get some JB weld or similar and apply well into crack and around the area. leave to go off/24 hours. refill oil and check for leaks. my repair on mine has lasted over 10 years. beware, using long bolts around that area of engine. hope this helps and dont scrap that engine!.

[spyug]

Amazing work sir. You do have talent for bike building and that's no lie. I'm putting you in for "Fabricator of the Year". I especially enjoyed your seat build. It looks super professional. If you're looking for a new part-time profession, you could certainly do that.

I enjoyed this thread and hearing about your successful shakedown tour.

Well done!

cheers,
Spyug