1980 GS550L rebuild

[chef1366]

That looks great!

[glenwill]

I've made great progress. I'll try to post pix this weekend. I had the frame powder coated. It cost $275 for the frame, swing arm, all mounting pieces, air box, battery box, etc. I thought it was a good deal, and they look great.

I'm putting the new swingarm bearings in, and I have a question. I froze them, and used bolt rod, and had no problem getting them installed.

My question is on how deep they should go. The original bearings were installed just below flush. However, the channel goes about 4-5 MM deeper than flush, and they were not installed all the way in until they stopped.

Here's a pic of the original bearing:


I measured the depth of the channel at 34.44 mm, and my bearing at 30 mm. Here's the caliper with the bearing in to show how much deeper the channel is than the bearing:


Finally, this is how deep I have the new ones installed:


So, do I have them deep enough? If I reach my finger in through the bearing, I can feel the edge where the channel gets smaller and the bearing would bottom out if I kept pushing it in.

Glen

[gsrick]

Per Eric

They are supposed to be flush with the outside but you can also install longer bearings to take up the gap that you found/cheaper.
You will be fine with them where they are.

[glenwill]

They are supposed to be flush with the outside but you can also install longer bearings to take up the gap that you found/cheaper.
You will be fine with them where they are.

Thanks for replying. Do you think it's ok that I recessed them a little bit? I guess I should have left them completely flush until I asked.

[mash35231]

Is there a spacer between the speedometer drive and the fork? I'm rebuilding a GS550LZ and the front wheel doesn't look centered to me. The speedometer drive unit rests directly against the fork when I assembled the front end. It looks like a thin spacer may have originally been between the drive unit and fork.

[glenwill]

I don't have the same model, so I don't think it would be comparable. I don't see a spacer on mine.

[glenwill]

Anyone have a thought on whether slightly recessing my bearings will cause an issue? I think I could back them out with a toggle bolt and a large washer until they are flush.

[glenwill]

Ok, I took some pix today, finally.

Here's the bling - polished aluminum and chrome. I'm sure better is possible, but I'm pretty happy:


The powder coated frame:


And the other powder coated parts:


I don't know what others pay for powder coating, but $275 for all of that seemed like a good deal.

Today I finished cleaning the engine and wheels. I wasn't completely happy with the engine cleaning, but I suspect it's because it really needs to be repainted. I just didn't want to do that now, since this is my only bike, and riding season is a-comin!

Tomorrow I start putting her back together! Can't wait to see how it looks and rides.

Glen

[82 GS550L Basket Case]

Subscribing

Subscribing

[glenwill]

It's starting to come together...

[glenwill]

It is done!! It even started on the very first attempt! I still need to sync the carbs, but I'll do that next weekend. Took it out for a ride, and it felt great. New stator and R/R is working great. Haven't fully tested the electrical system, but a quick measure at a couple thousand RPM showed 14v. I'll do a full measure this weekend too.

Here's some pix:








And here's the first startup:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...2015.12.22.mp4

Still lots more to learn about these bikes, but I could not have done it without this forum. Many thanks, and I hope to continue learning and be able to help others.

Next on the bike I'll replace the seat leather, and paint the tank and side panels. Budget didn't allow for them, and painting the frame was a higher priority.

Glen

[MAJikMARCer]

Not a huge L fan, but she's looking good!

[82 GS550L Basket Case]

Nicely done! That is a beautiful bike.

I'm not personally a fan of shiny chrome/polished aluminum, but wow! Your bike might be changing my mind.

Congrats!

[glenwill]

Not a huge L fan, but she's looking good!

Thanks!

Yeah, us "L" owners don't get much respect around here!

[glenwill]

Nicely done! That is a beautiful bike.

I'm not personally a fan of shiny chrome/polished aluminum, but wow! Your bike might be changing my mind.

Congrats!

Thanks. I wasn't sure myself, but all-in-all, the polished effect doesn't seem too much too me. It looks like a practically new bike.