1978 GS550E Project Mo

[cloudbreakmd]

So one of my best friends is leaving the army in a few months and comming home after 5 long years. So this morning we found his first motorcycle:

[cloudbreakmd]

[cloudbreakmd]

For $200 we couldn't say no. We pick it up tomorow.

[Nessism]

Looks like a fun project. Those 550E's are great bikes!

[cloudbreakmd]

I have a feeling I'll be learning how to replace/adjust points soon... The cover was off when we got there but he included it sans the screws.

[cloudbreakmd]

What I see it needs so far:

• Carb rebuild
• Carb clamps
• Carb manifold o-rings
• Points
• Condensers
• Fluids
• Battery
• Cleaning
• Tires (old ones seem hard)
• Spark plugs and air filter
• Rear caliper (seized)

Ofcourse there will be more but I'll update this thread as I go along.

[ukjules]

What a fabulastastic bike !
Hope the project goes well as the bikes are simply superb. I love em.
the ideal size for short cruising about.

Get her going tuned and slick first i would ! Then decide o n how far down you wanna go on the renovation.
try electronic ignition ? (i expect the experts on here will know how , what , where for that)

[Weasel]

Good deal, looks like a perfect project bike.

[tkent02]

For $200 we couldn't say no. We pick it up tomorow.

Looks like a fun project. Those 550E's are great bikes!

What a fabulastastic bike !
Hope the project goes well as the bikes are simply superb. I love em.
the ideal size for short cruising about.

Yep, yep and yep. A bit weak in the midrange, but that can be fixed. Other than that they are great bikes, my favorite of all the GS line.

[cloudbreakmd]

What a fabulastastic bike !
Hope the project goes well as the bikes are simply superb. I love em.
the ideal size for short cruising about.

Get her going tuned and slick first i would ! Then decide o n how far down you wanna go on the renovation.
try electronic ignition ? (i expect the experts on here will know how , what , where for that)

Getting it running is my first priority. It has to be safe. There was one caveat with this purchase... No title. So I have to get my buddy to take care of that before we dump too much into the bike.

[cloudbreakmd]

Well I have ordered a few parts:
Carburetor Clamps
Intake Manifold O-rings
Stainless hardware
Oil Filter
Points/Condenser

I happen to have a spare AGM battery that I pulled out of my GS750T (I wonder if it will fit). I still need to pick some carburetor cleaner and oil. The engine kicks right over so no worries there. More updates and pictures to follow as I get the parts in.

[cloudbreakmd]

Well I took the carbs off the bike... It was funny, the last owner mentioned they had replaced the carbs. I thought he meant rebuilt/cleaned.

No... They appear to be NOS Well the were before they sat with gas in them for the last few years. Surprisingly though they are in great shape.

[cloudbreakmd]

Oh yeah...they were yummy inside. Cylinders one and two were the worst ofcourse and the other two were relatively clean (sans the bowls).

[cloudbreakmd]

Well the bike is running now. It still needs some fine tuning but otherwise sounds good. I still need to replace the points and put in an air filter. The old foam disintegrated as soon as I touched it.