1982 GS 550 M rolling resto/customization

[spyug]

Very good work my friend. I think powdercoating everything is a good idea just make sure any holes and espcially for the swing arm bearings and any that are threaded are plugged before they coat. Otherwise you will need to clean them out and you will stand a chance of chipping the finish near them.

As far as the VIN plate it looks like its attached by 2 rivets so if you grind the heads down the plate should come off. Rivet it back on after the coating is applied.

Good luck with the resto. We are all following along with anticipation of another fine job.

cheers,
Spyug

[El Giablo]

Hey, I gotta Bassani for your bike.
El G

[gabos666]

suspension modernization

Hi all!

I am thinking about to fit a modern suspension into my katana. I was busy to find some info about this. It was a hard job, because 90% of the tunings are about 750 or larger GS series bikes. I found a Bandit 1200 swingarm for cheap, for 0 step. Because the laws are hard about tuning in my country, the hardest part going to be the paper work for sure. (also can be very price)

So i wrote a letter to the office wich give the road legality to automotives, I am waiting to the answer, If I can do the swap legally, relatively cheap, I can begin the work.

This post going to be a reference point to sum up the informations, and If some data come together I will post a thread about it, this way other members can access the information.


step 0. Paper work
- permission for conversion from automotive office (18000 HUF/80 dollars)
required papers:
-building plans??? (from some mechanical engineer, price???)
-new ID paper for the motorcycle (9000 HUF/40 dollars)
-new individual road legality exam (18000 HUF/80 dollars)
-new licence plate (for aesthetic) (12000 HUF/ 55 dollars)

step 1. swingarm conversion
- bandit 1200 swingarm with all the little thingies (15000 HUF / 68 dollars)
- custom pivot bushings (price??)
- bearings (price??)
- custom spacers (price ??)
- swingarm modification (remove old shock mount, weld some new bung for shocks and brake torque arm) (price???)

step 2. wheel and chain alignment

- GSXR 5,5" wheel with 90% Dunlop tires (30000 HUF/ 136 dollars)
- custom spacers (price??)
- offset front sprocket (price??)
- chain (price??)

step 3. front set

not known for now, maybe gsxr 750 USD forks, with 954 top triple, with bar risers.... (pirce ???)

[gabos666]

relocation

Hi all!

It was a hard period. I had to make some serious decisions about the project. First things first, I moved the bike to home. This way I can save some money, and I have lot more place to work. It was a little 100 kms trip from Budapest. Finally I can look inside my engine, at least the oil pan, and the cylinder head, meanly because I found a nut in the oil, what I previously let down. And because this little metal pieces. I think it is from the transmission, there was a groundling noise in fifth gear.



In the cylinder head there was more uexpected problems.



Maybe the source of the nut in the oil. This could be happened when the PO changed the cylinders and cylinder jugs from the parts engine, wich I got with the bike. More bad news, lot of nuts can be undone with my fingers!! I think my luck is I didn't rode it lot, before I began the strip down. Could be much worst, I think. So no more hesitation, I began to teard down the engine completly. I will split the cases, and try to change the transmission from the parts engine. I dont know if the tranny is the same, because it is an older model with a kick-starter.

[gabos666]

I stopped with the outside transmission gears, because I cant undone 4 screw. So I will buy the right tools, and I will continue later.

I stripped down the seat, and hell, there were more bad news. PO...PO... poor little GS, what they did to you







At least the foam is in great shape:

[gabos666]

So my plans changed a bit:

First I rebuild, and paint the engine, meanwhile my neighbour paint the frame and the tank and side panels. Other friend will renew my seat panel, it is rusted out in the sides because the drills.

After that I finally can rebuild my carbs, and I hope my GSXR or Bandit front end pop up in ebay or I can find one locally. than I can do the swap and lastly the wiring. hmmm fingers crossed

[gabos666]

There was a little progress with the engine. First trouble I can't open the crankcase halves. I had to make some engine halves puller:





With a bit knock with the hammer, and voila!





Very bad thing, I realized that the engine was opened before, and they used some typ of silicon sealer man everywhere I see I could find it







So I could dismantle the tranny and the crankshaft

[gabos666]

The tranny looks OK, I have to measure everything with feeler gauge and a caliper, but for now, I could just inspect it with eye.

Another shot from a silicon build up



My crankshaft and the main bearings looks OK, but some little "pitting", like little punches. The bad thing is my bearing yournals looks a little sad. Again more "pitting". Very little damage, I almost can't sense it with my finger. Lets see what can be done with it...

[gabos666]

[gabos666]

And at last I could wash off the gunk from the under crankcase. It takes almost a day!! very hard job!

Before:




After:

[gabos666]

So I can't find any big damage wich caould cause the metal flakes. BUT I found a broken oil ring. My theory is: in the past a broken ring damaged the OEM cylinder wall. PO bought a secon hand engine and swapped that and the pistons. But they left the metal flakes in the engine.

[Sci85]

Painful my friend. I pulled the head off my 550 today. Broke two bolts getting it off. It's never easy is it? I also have a stuck valve bucket. Tomorrow I will remove the cylinder but so far the cylinders themselves look pretty good. I think the minor pitting on the bearing journals is harmless since roller bearings don't spin in the journals.

[gabos666]

Yeah,it was a hard process,but not because the bolts.this is my first rebuild,and
I dont want to mess up my engine! I think also the yournals are ok,maybe I wil carefully
Polish the surface to make a good seal to the outer ones.only concerns me the oil gallerys because
the silicon build up,and the pressed tranny bearing wich should be changed. I am seriously thinkig about the 650 conv.,but this have to wait.I am watching your progress

[gabos666]

Gentlemans!

It was a hars time for me, and to my beloved Katana. I can't work on it, so poor Katna was real sad, and disappointed. Me too. I dreamed about putting it together and ride, but the whole thing just faded away, deeple burried in my soul. I tried to sell it, but nobody buyed it. I doesn't really wanted to sell, just It was a pain to think about it. One day than I sad, no more hesitation! It has to be done! So I ask my boss, If I can bring my beloved bike to my working place, and working on it in my free time. He had to be in good mood, because he agreeded it, so I borrowed a car, and I returned with my engine, before he change his mind

Because money is thight now, I search a task, wich can be done without spending. So I think, I tackle with my really neasty cylinder studs. A nice table, a rachet set, and some M8 nuts, WD40, and a really handy strong hot air blower, and a small hammer. I was afraid, I don't wat to brak them. I read some horror stories here, but I was lucky, the first one come out relly hard, it takes about 30 mins, but the rest was easy, none of them breaked!!!

The working place, and the tools:


I wokred like this:
First I warmed the case near the studs, with max power on the air gun. Than I soaked them with WD40. Than waited some minutes. Than I screw 1 nut to the stud, to nut hurt the threads, and whacked the with the hammer. I used two nuts then and torqued them together, but the studs are way soft, and I just turned the two nuts, not the studs. So I had to use 3 nuts, and that is do it, With my left hand, I try to stabilize the studs, again the turning force wich I made with the wrench. I big air to the lungs, and yay they come off realy nice.



Look at that bad boy, I think it could break If I am toquing down the bolts. And the two on the sides looks like PO made them from threaded rod Thay will bw changed, but HD studs are damn expensve, like 300 dollars a set. Is there a cheaper replacement? OEM studs are too soft, but In the worst case, I buy some new ones from SUZUKI.





And voila, I called it a day, and go home for studiing.

[gabos666]

Hello all!

I can work on my little machines on Fridays, so It will be new post at every Fridays, I call it Suzuki Friday!

This week I made some inspection. It is transmission time!


I inspect everything with special tool Mark I Eyeball first. All the gears looks good, but please confirm it to me. If someone look something bad, please tell me. There are some problems, but nothing too bad, except one of the gears, it is the 5th driven gear if I remember correctly. Every other dogs are looks good to me, but these are looks like rounded off, and one washer was missing from the gears. Maybe this coused the grinding noise in fifth gear? All the bearings are moves somewhat crappy. There are some noise, if I rolled them with fingers. I think it is some grit inside the bearings. So every bearing and circlip and oil seal will be changed. But there are no part number for the bearing pressed on the drive shaft.