Her 550T

[gsrick]

Picked up this '81 550T for my wife to ride, about a month ago. The owner was asking $500, but since it wouldn't start, we picked it up for the paltry sum of $200.

PO said he rode it for a few months and the carbs got better the more he rode it.

Then the battery started going dead on him. He had a friends dad change the stater that's when he noticed the oil leaks.


A little tear at the seam and missing exhaust transition tin on the right side.



Overall it looks good, so were just doing mechanicals, for now.


Tank is in great shape inside and out.

[bccap]

Nice score Rick...

[gsrick]

It has a few issues I noticed right off the bat. First was the starter, it wouldn't start and the owner said the was an oil leak near the bottom of the engine. I tried jumping the solenoid since all I was getting was a click, which means it's engaging, but you know you have to try anyway.

That's is the first thing to do, I want to get it to turn over to check compression. I have a spare 750 starter, so I had Bonnie(my wife) take off the starter cover. No go, a PO had reinstlled the cam chain tensioner on backwards or upside down. The cover has no room to come off.

Look at this


This isn't good, there in no way that tensioner is coming out without removing the carbs. Here is Bonnie removing the carb linkage. This is her bike so she going to do most of the wrenching.



And finally with the carbs out, we removed the tensioner and bad starter.


With the replacement starterand tensioner back in we hooked the electronics back up to see if she turns over. It does. I'm going to check the compression tonight.

[gsrick]

Took the carbs and seperated them last night. Only one slide was slow dropping back down. I tore down 3 and 4 and have them soaking. Everything came out nicely, a rareity with the bikes I usually buy.



My impact driver removed the racks without damaging the screws.



Progress being made. I had a spare oring kit for other project bikes that will help move these carbs along swiftly. Mr. Barr I will need two more CV oring sets please.

[gsrick]

Nice score Rick...

Thanks Garth, it has some minor issues but it's a good start. Better condition than anything I've pick up before. Bonnie is going to do most of the work.

I'll still need to lower the bike a little, so I want to slide the forks up in the trees about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. Rear shocks that will give about an inch of drop would be nice also. The front fork seals leak a little, but book says to try changing the oil first and see if that stops it. The front tire is over sized 110/90-19, if I change it to the 100 it might help and I can take off these fender spacers.


I think this is what caused the front fender damage.

[GSXR7ED]

Cool Little "T"

Picked up this '81 550T for my wife to ride, about a month ago. The owner was asking $500, but since it wouldn't start, we picked it up for the paltry sum of $200.

PO said he rode it for a few months and the carbs got better the more he rode it.

Then the battery started going dead on him. He had a friends dad change the stater that's when he noticed the oil leaks.


A little tear at the seam and missing exhaust transition tin on the right side.



Overall it looks good, so were just doing mechanicals, for now.


Tank is in great shape inside and out.

Great Find!

It's a mini 750T and I like it! You'll have this "T" back on the road soon enough and I'd be interested in the progress with pics. Thanks for sharing.






Ed

[pete]

Good one Rick!

Definitely looks in good cosmetic shape, should clean up real nice!

[Dogma]

... The front fork seals leak a little, but book says to try changing the oil first and see if that stops it. The front tire is over sized 110/90-19, if I change it to the 100 it might help and I can take off these fender spacers....

There is also a trick of using a slice of a plastic bottle to clean the seals. Apparently gunk can sometimes build up under the seals and prevent them from making good contact with the fork leg.

Changing back to 100/90-19 will put the handling and the fender both back where they belong, but I don't think there's going to be much help for fork seals there.

The bike looks like a great score for $200. I've ridden my brother's 550T. It's a nice bike, but 6 gears feels weird.

[steve murdoch]

You can buy one of those fork seal cleaners that Dogma mentioned for $5.00 or make your own out an old bleach/plastic bottle. Might be an inexpensive, temporary fix.
Worked for me.

[gsrick]

There is also a trick of using a slice of a plastic bottle to clean the seals. Apparently gunk can sometimes build up under the seals and prevent them from making good contact with the fork leg.

Changing back to 100/90-19 will put the handling and the fender both back where they belong, but I don't think there's going to be much help for fork seals there.

The bike looks like a great score for $200. I've ridden my brother's 550T. It's a nice bike, but 6 gears feels weird.

I ment it will help bring the bike down so Bonnie can flat foot the bike. Shes not tippy toeing, but every little bit will help. I was thinking of cutting the seat foam down a little also, since the seat needs recovering. Bonnie actually likes the steped L style seat better, so I might look into that as an option. I would prefer another seat, since the T seat is in good shape and would work for me on test runs. What is the tip with the plastic bottle and the seals? IDK on the 6 speed, on the highway I wish my 1000's had that 6th like an overdrive to lower the RPMs. Especially SuzyII my 1000G, it feels like I'm always looking to shift once more. Eric has been tinkering with a later model final drive gear ratio on Goldie his 1000G.

[gsrick]

You can buy one of those fork seal cleaners that Dogma mentioned for $5.00 or make your own out an old bleach/plastic bottle. Might be an inexpensive, temporary fix.
Worked for me.

Thanks Steve, I'll look into that. There isn't alot of oil, just more than I feel on my other bikes.

[Dogma]

I ment it will help bring the bike down so Bonnie can flat foot the bike. Shes not tippy toeing, but every little bit will help. I was thinking of cutting the seat foam down a little also, since the seat needs recovering. Bonnie actually likes the steped L style seat better, so I might look into that as an option. I would prefer another seat, since the T seat is in good shape and would work for me on test runs. What is the tip with the plastic bottle and the seals? IDK on the 6 speed, on the highway I wish my 1000's had that 6th like an overdrive to lower the RPMs. Especially SuzyII my 1000G, it feels like I'm always looking to shift once more. Eric has been tinkering with a later model final drive gear ratio on Goldie his 1000G.

I was joking about 6th. I'm so used to not having it now, any bike that has it feels odd. I think it's almost universally agreed that a 6th gear would be nice to have on most of the GS models. Especially the bigger ones with enough torque to use it.

[Steve]

I was thinking of cutting the seat foam down a little also, since the seat needs recovering.

Before you go gung-ho on shaving the seat, the first thing to try is to simply make the front a little narrower. That will not force her legs as far sideways before they can point downward. Shaving only the sides of the front will also not affect comfort while riding by reducing the thickness of the padding. You will have to take up some of the slack in the upholstery, but should not need a new cover just to do that.

Bonnie actually likes the steped L style seat better, so I might look into that as an option.

Try shaving the front first, as the L seat is a completely different pan, and might not even fit on your (her) T.

What is the tip with the plastic bottle and the seals?

Gsrick showed the 'official' tool that you can buy, but the basic idea is to take a thin piece of plastic, like a milk bottle, and slide it down between the seal and the fork tube. Run it all the way around the fork, it might catch any bugs or small debris that has gotten trapped in the rubber seal, preventing it from sealing properly. If your forks are pitted, it won't help with that, but if it's debris that is in the way, it does a decent job.

.

[gsrick]

Thanks for the advice. As soon as the kids finish up the milk I'll try it.

We're not going to do anything to the seat just yet. Got to get it running and stopping first, but with the right tire and sliding the forks just a little, might accomplish what is needed. She will be riding solo so the rears shocks can be set on their lowest setting also.

[azr]

Enjoying the thread Rick. Nice to see a couple being into bikes together. Should be a real nice bike for her.