Mike R's GS550/650 bare bones street racer

[boontonmike]

Close up of engine , carb, and filter setup. It just fits behind the rear frame rail and the carbs and so much lighter then the factory VMs and even the CVs off the 650 head:



I'm most likely going to be raising the oil lines as suggested. I need to source out some nice 90° fitting on the cooler and it should bump them up a couple inches.

Mocking up the guages again in their new lower position. Helps fill in the large void above the low headlight and still are very visibile in riding position:







I need to get a couple more bolts and tube spacers before I can mount them solid. I'm also going to be going with a single piston built in master brake lever to help lower master and run my single disk better.

[DrunkenChekhov]

Where'd your other disk go?

[boontonmike]

Where'd your other disk go?

I've decided to run single disk up front. going to use my stock 550 single disk master cyl lever. I like the way it looks, it's less weight, and my drz is pretty darn fast and stops well with only a single disk the size of this bikes rear disk. I feel as it should perform more then adequite.
I plan to grind down the brake mount off that leg when I do the fork seals.

(or maybe I'm just an idiot and/or nuts I'll let you guys decide)

[spyug]

Very nice job sir, keep it coming.

Cheers,
spyug

[Tim Tom]

I've decided to run single disk up front. going to use my stock 550 single disk master cyl lever. I like the way it looks, it's less weight, and my drz is pretty darn fast and stops well with only a single disk the size of this bikes rear disk. I feel as it should perform more then adequite.
I plan to grind down the brake mount off that leg when I do the fork seals.

(or maybe I'm just an idiot and/or nuts I'll let you guys decide)

Your drz is also quite a bit lighter. I think I'd rather have more brakes than I could use than not enough when I need them... Just my opinion.

The bike looking great though. Love the lower gauges and slimmed top triple.

[boontonmike]

Well, I'll find out when I get her running and let everyone know how that works out. I really think it'll be more than enough. I read up and thought alot about it. The biggest negative of single discs is brake fade under racing conditions. I should be able to stop as hard and as fast with a single setup as I would a dual setup. The only thing being the single disc setup will fade faster. But because this bike is not going to be my daily bike and will be for toying around i doubt I'll ever run the brakes hot enough to get em to fade out. I've rode my DRZ pretty hard on the streets and never had a lack of brakes. The DRZ comes in around 280 lbs. This bike shouldnt be much heavier, but I'd like to get it on a scale and see. from the feel of it I'd say 300-330 lb range

[boontonmike]

Does anyone have any advice on homebending exhaust without a mandrel bender? Or know of any outfits that do mandrel bending?

[Tim Tom]

Don't know if you saw this, or if it helps or not but this thread mentions a basic idea... No details though

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=188398

Honestly I would think your better off trying to get them done professionally or do a cut and weld re-shaping yourself. This for the headers or mufflers?

[boontonmike]

headers at the moment. stainless gsxr pipes that need to be modded. you can see them in som of my pics. I need to tighten two of the bends on each. its 4~2~1. once I get the headers formed the rest will need some minor reworking.

[boontonmike]

I was just reading that post. Seems easy enough but also a huge pain at the same time. I think I may have to wave the white flag and get some outside assistance from a shop with a high end bender.

[brslk]

I was just reading that post. Seems easy enough but also a huge pain at the same time. I think I may have to wave the white flag and get some outside assistance from a shop with a high end bender.

Sometimes you need to know when the fight is not worth it.

Bruce.

[boontonmike]

Definatly. Those BUB exhaust just popped up out of nowhere and Im going to go with one of them in matte black. Will save me a ton of hassle.

On a side note check out my new toy. s107 mini rc, alredy modded out the ass after a day of it coming in the mail. weighs only 32 grams now. bigger and deeper tail rotor. relocated the battery lower. plastic side covers. gutted anything un needed so much fun to fly. trying to get it sub 30 grams and make it more agile:




most fun you can have for 25 shipped off ebay

[Tim Tom]

Good call with the BUB exhausts, certainly a nice bit of timing there.

That r/c copter looks like fun, I got my 85 year old grandfather one for Christmas last year, the look on his face was priceless. He's quite good at flying it around now and bugs my Grandmother to no end with

[boontonmike]

I Finally got my new front sprockets in. Ended up going with a 13/48 setup to start with. I figured I will start out most radical and tone it down from there if I don't like it. I love the way my DRZ revs up so fast so I am trying to mimic that powerband.





I got them in and added one 1.25mm spacer behind the front sprocket then flipped the rear sprocket so the cutout pulled the sprocket in towards the tire more and it seems to have a perfect alignment now.



There is also about 1/2" give or take from hitting the swing arm. I'm a little concerned, but will see if it makes contact when I get it on the road.





I was ready to abandon the hydraulic clutch until my friend gave me a good idea on using the stock casing to mount the clutch cyl. I removed the stock cable mechanism, grinded down some of the scew mounts and ridges on the face, and lined up the hole with the clutch cyl using a socket that fit right through both. Drilled the case, bolted it down, and made a clutch rod extention. End result:



It feels beautiful. Checked the clutch action with the side cover off and everything seems to be flawless. The only remaining details are too clean up the grinding and I want to re-enforce where the cyl bolts through the case. I really like the look and feel of the whole setup.

I need to get a new lock washer and torque down the front sprocket. I have a new chain coming in the mail within the next week or two (DID 530 non Oring). The exhaust system I bought from Jim should be here middle of next week. I will keep cracking at it as time and parts come about. Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm getting very used to the idea that I will be riding this bike by summer time.

[pete]

Mike, haven't chimed in on this yet but looking like a bunch of fun!

Just a though with your chain on your swingarm... a think piece of that plastic bread board stuff stuck on the swingarm there might be the shot to protect it from any chain slap...