1978 GS550 project

[Mad Mark]

dang that looks great! do you know what bend those clubmans are?(if any of them are even different?) and did you paint them black or buy them like that?

what RPMs should you shift at? hmmm cant really help you there i dont even notice its just natural, but if your going slow you just short shift no need to wind it out.

[Nightcrawler]

dang that looks great! do you know what bend those clubmans are?(if any of them are even different?) and did you paint them black or buy them like that?

what RPMs should you shift at? hmmm cant really help you there i dont even notice its just natural, but if your going slow you just short shift no need to wind it out.

I bought them black. Was something like 60% gloss which is the exact powder coat on the wheels.

[Nightcrawler]

Its looking great so far. How do you like those gauges? I want to pick up a set for my 550.

Love the gauges nice clean look, small so you know when I do the ton I can see over them

[Mad Mark]

I bought them black. Was something like 60% gloss which is the exact powder coat on the wheels.

cool thanks do you know what company there from? and ill say it again. i really like your bike it has really good proportions and the matte pant is cool too.

[DannyMotor]

Are those shocks e-bay specials? I love the look, how do they handle??

[Nightcrawler]

Are those shocks e-bay specials? I love the look, how do they handle??

Yes RFY Chinese shocks off of ebay, they seem a bit stiff. I may take some nitrogen out of them but for 120 bucks or so well worth it from what I have read and ridden so far.

[ChicagoBob]

GS550 shift points

I have a shift-point chart from the 9/77 Cycle Magazine GS550 test:

1st - 38.3 mph
2nd - 57.5
3rd - 74.1
4th - 87.2
5th - 97.9
6th - good luck! (theoretically 112 mph)

They found max HP at 9000 rpm and max torque at 8000. They ran a 13.78 quarter at 94 .73 mph

[landspeedrich]

Shop up North

Sorry I haven't gotten back with you sooner.My shop is just east of downtown Libertyville,I live in Lake Zurich.Maybe I can stop over this coming weekend to check out what you would need done.email me at landspeedrich@hotmail.com to get my numbers.

[landspeedrich]

Shifting

I guess you shift when you need to.You'll just get the feel when you need to grab another gear.With my GS 1100,the torque lets me run up to 65 or so,or as low as 15 in second gear.No need to lug it excessively,just keep the motor in its sweet spot.

[Nightcrawler]

I have a shift-point chart from the 9/77 Cycle Magazine GS550 test:

1st - 38.3 mph
2nd - 57.5
3rd - 74.1
4th - 87.2
5th - 97.9
6th - good luck! (theoretically 112 mph)

They found max HP at 9000 rpm and max torque at 8000. They ran a 13.78 quarter at 94 .73 mph

Holy ****... I am in 3rd gear by 40 mph... I guess I need to shift more towards 5k rpm. Instead of 3.8k I did hit 105 yesterday on a friends private road.

[ChicagoBob]

105 was the reported top speed for the 550 when it was new, so I guess you know your engine is running right!

[CCC-TT]

good looking bike!

[Ricosmodernlife]

Wow this bike looks awesome!

[7981GS]

What did you make the external filter elbows out of?
Did I miss that part?

Eric

[Nightcrawler]

What did you make the external filter elbows out of?
Did I miss that part?

Eric

I made them out of some rubber 45degree plumbing elbows cut in half. It is almost a perfect fit, they sit behind the back of my knees and solved the issue I had with clearance between the filter and frame. Also I like how they look.

This past weekend I upped my main jets to 110's hoping to remove some flat spots I have above 5500rpm.

I also replaced the stator with a brand new one, recommended to me by BassCliff. (thanks amigo!) This was pretty easy, the biggest pain was putting the bike on its side (Tree jack to a engine mount bolt) by myself, without damaging anything. Took around 20 minutes to swap out the stator and sure enough getting a 13.15 reading back to battery at idle. (Was 11.58)

I now have almost 100 miles on her, and everyone I mean everyone stops me to ask about her. I even get people thinking its an old Triumph or Ducati. Really fun to ride so far, I will keep everyone updated I still have some changes in mind but really wanted to get the bike ready to ride for this summer.

Pictures.
Bike on her side before stator change. Note the oil stain is not from her, I had just changed the lawnmowers and missed the pan a bit.







A bath after a night of muddy rain.