Basket Case Project 1980 GS1000

[Guest]

Hi folks, I'm a new member here so I figure I'd start off by showing off a project that's been equal parts pleasure and pain!
First, let me preface this by saying that I'm pretty useless when it comes to DIY stuff. I'm old enough now to not be embarrassed about it. I haven't the time nor inclination to tackle the headaches of building and modifying a 36 year old bike. So, in light of my lack of skills, I saved up money so that I could pay someone else to do it.

Secondly, my project is in extremely capable hands. Sean of MotoRelic (Hamilton, VA) has been patient, thoughtful, and very adaptable with regards to this project. Most of the setbacks have been my fault (lack of knowledge, jumping the gun on parts before I figured out if they fit or not, wild dreams not in line with my given budget).

So the story started out last summer, when I found what I thought to be was a great deal on a 1980 GS1000E. The bike ran well when I test rode it, the paint was pretty fresh, and the price was definitely right. Of course, being an idiot, my eyes were looking at the bike through rose-tinted glasses made from hours staring at Racefit GS/GSXes, extreme retro-mods with Spondon swingarms, welded frames, titanium exhausts and other sorts of bike-porn that makes us all weak at the knees.

So yeah, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I only knew that I'd want a classic 80s bike, take it home, and turn it into a muscle bike with modern technology.

Then, the honeymoon soured. The petcock was clogging up and leaking, the starter was fried, the battery died, later on down the road I was informed (thanks to Sean) that a cam was loose because the guide holding it wasn't torqued down properly. The bike went to the local shop, bike came back and ran for a day and broke down, bike went back to the shop, came back and ran for another couple of days before breaking down again. So eventually, it sat in the garage until I heard about MotoRelic. I paid Sean a visit and talked it over with him. He was hesitant about taking on the project (rightly so, in hindsight) but eventually, he drove his trailer over and off the GS went to get all the mechanical issues resolved. Apparently there was a lot of shoddy and sketchy shade-tree mechanic nonsense going on with the bike thanks to the previous owner, and probably from the previous shop I took it to. Those issues were quickly addressed and we started to talk about the modifications.

I originally had my heart set on upsidedown forks and a TL1000R braced swingarm with dual shock mounts welded on (as I saw on Racefit's GSX and a few other GSs) but alas, the pivot on the arm was about half an inch too wide to fit in, and the pivot bearing was nowhere near compatible. The GS1000 came with the GS1100 swinger but the GSXR rear wheel was too wide to fit and the axles weren't compatible either. There was also the issue about how the older front GSXR wheel was not compatible with the newer GSXR forks...there's a pattern to all of this. I should've consulted this forum TBH.

Anywho, to sum things up, I went all ebay-happy without knowing that certain things fit and others didn't. My budget was quickly getting eaten up by my ignorance (as well as not knowing what was done to the bike by the previous owner---like how he fitted GS1100 carbs on, meaning I didn't find out until I tried to fit GS1000 K&N pods).

So...anyways, in closing, the project has been a big headache, I need to troll this board a lot more, the GS is in capable hands with Sean at MotoRelic, and by God, I hope my wife never ever finds out how much I've spent on parts and labor.

Next post is pictures. Thanks for reading.


-Phil

[BasketCase]

Pictures!

So here she is the night I brought her home.



After a good detail and de-rusting.



I fitted a Delkevic 4-1 and shaved a wet dog's worth of weight.



Pretty loud without any baffles, actually.



So the mirrors were useless, and the bars were uneven (yeah, the previous owner had attached a bar-extender thingie that sat loose in the grips). I threw on the stock mirrors from my Ducati, and got a Renthal moto bar with Kevlar grips to replace the stock death-trap-y ones.



For a short time, I was a pretty happy camper.



The petcock was all sorts of wtf, the first visit to un-named shop resulted in a replacement...which now hits the carbs (due to 1100 carbs or relocation of mounting point for petcock?).



So cam guide loosey-goosey? Yeah, Sean picked up on the noise as the bike idles--was surprised the cam didn't snap in half. Go Suzuki?



So after all the technical stuff figured out and solved, it was off to the fun part of bolting on the cool stuff (or so I thought). It was actually at this point that the real headache started (mostly for MotoRelic...and my wallet).

[BasketCase]

Mods, Mods, Mods.

So first to go on was the front end, a 2006 GSX-R 750 fork and lower triple, with Nissin calipers, dual lines, and CognitoMoto upper triple (no rise). All held together with a AllBalls bearing conversion kit (pretty nifty as they have a spreadsheet for mixing and matching front ends to frames). I also bought new Renthal oversized bars and clamps and had Sean drill into my spiffy new upper triple. The bolts for the clamps were too long and we talked about using spacers until Sean decided to incorporate them into steering-stops.









Of course, the older front GSXR wheel didn't match with the axle and spacing of the newer GSXR forks. So...had to find new wheels (apparently, buying a complete front end saves a lot of headache). Also, with the smaller diameter wheel, and short upsidedown forks, the issue of ground-clearance started to rear its ugly head.

And here's the difference between the GS1100 swingarm (left) with the TL1000R swingarm (right).





Also finding its way onto the bike was an Ebay-sourced Brembo RCS19 radial master cylinder, CRG levers (that had the return spring brace broken--at least it was refunded), and dual brake steel-braided lines (incorrect length---GSXR-750 length ordered, I needed longer to cope with the wide bars) with brake switch from Z1. Eventually, I found properly functional CRG levers (folding!).







And I found the correct front wheel, fender, and snazzy wave rotors.



And then, after a few trial and errors, some internet trolling and lurking, I came across Rob (Katman) and his Bandit rear end conversion.

[BasketCase]

Enter the Katman, and KOSO

So after a lot of forum-lurking, I realized people have done the Katman-conversion with his custom spacers, shock mounts, and offset sprocket. I found a Bandit1200 swinger, matching rear wheel, brake caliper and arm on Ebay and with the kit, everyone fit together pretty well (I'm sure Sean was relieved as well).





Of course in my haste (and preference for a high rear end), the shocks I ordered were way too long. Note, this was the second set of shocks, the first didn't have the clevis mount so that was a bust.



So I had to order new, slightly shorter shocks, luckily they're cheapo Chinese-made no-name shocks. Now that I have the proper length figured out, some nice bling adjustable FOX RC1 units are looking mighty tasty.



Sean also came up with a neat front end solution to what I had requested. I wanted a number plate, but with lights integrated in. I found a set of PIAA LED driving lights and requested he offset mount them. He did a pretty nice job I'd say.









With the front lights and plate, I also wanted to replace the gauges and simplify the front end. Sean recommended I go with KOSO's all-in-one multifunction gauge. Using a magnetic rotor-mounted speed sensor, the gauge also has odometer, trip meter, RPM, fuel gauge, clock, voltage, shift light, and indicator light functionality. Mounted to the upper triple, Sean also cut a notch into the number plate so everything sits tight and low.

[BasketCase]

Cooler oil, from the UK, and butt cushion

So, to complete the muscle bike look, I had to get an external oil cooler. The only problem is that there's not a lot of kits out there. I manage to find one that has a custom machined adapter from the UK, which included an Earl's core, with lines, and anodized fittings. I really debated this mod mostly due to how expensive it was, eventually, I broke (and thanks to Brexit, the British pound took a blow so my wallet didn't suffer too much). Again, fitting was an exercise in creative thinking for Sean. He fabricated an elegant and fairly simple mount.









With that done, it was time to tackle the saddle. The stock pan and seat were in a pretty cruddy state. The cover had a gash in it, and the pan had been half-repaired with fiberglass. That made it uneven on the sides and an overall eye sore.











Sean ordered some seat foam, and shaped it to my preference.

[steve murdoch]

Those bills should be written on a chalkboard and immediately erased as soon as they are paid.
Cool build so far.
Too bad that top triple has to be covered up. It is beautiful.

[BasketCase]

As she sits currently

So now, this is pretty much how she sits. The next stage would be powder and paint, but once again, the bike's age and former owner's "fixes" threw a wrench into the cogs and progress came to ze halt.

While dismantling the body work for paint, Sean found that the tank has a leak in it with goo forming, and the owner had sealed the tank so it can't be fixed. Also, the petcock isn't the proper part and it was rigged into the tank with a new hole drilled in to mount it, which is also why it hits the carbs.

So now, I'm on the hunt for a new tanks. FML.

So yeah, that's where I'm at now. More Ebay scouring. Let me restate my original point...I'm an idiot.















Well, at least my chain line is solid!

[BasketCase]

Those bills should be written on a chalkboard and immediately erased as soon as they are paid.
Cool build so far.
Too bad that top triple has to be covered up. It is beautiful.

Thanks, yeah I once decided to add up everything so far and immediately regretted it. I'm paying things as it comes up and in increments for the labor so it's not too bad. That triple is pretty awesome, but it'll get powdercoated since the finish on it is pretty delicate.

[ShadowFocus603]

What length were the shocks that were too long? I got a set of 320mm for my 850g that turned out a bit too short.

[BasketCase]

What length were the shocks that were too long? I got a set of 320mm for my 850g that turned out a bit too short.

390mm = too long, 340mm (13.5) = just right. Stock is 330mm (13.0) I believe.

[posplayr]

390mm = too long, 340mm (13.5) = just right. Stock is 330mm (13.0) I believe.

Adding about 25 mm is the typical recommendation to improve handling. That would make 330+25.=355 mm is closer to optimal.

But to your point 390 is too long.

you should also do dome reading snd start a thread about fixing your tank. Those liners can be removed and the CAsewell coatings are much thicker but the tank needs to be structurally sound. There is s thread right now of another gs1000 tribute bike where the owner just discovered a leaking tank following repair.

[BasketCase]

Duly noted, I'm not sure 355mm shocks are common though, unless I've been looking at the wrong kind of shocks? Maybe higher end brands like Öhlins or Nitron?

[sealpup]

Basketcase, your tank is most likely not beyond repair. I thought mine was too - I treated it with POR-15, then spent a small fortune on a brilliant paint job, only to find pinhole leaks when I first filled it. I took it back to the guy who did the paint , he cut out the bottom of the tank with a pencil grinder (without trashing the new paint job), and found a previous owner had put half an inch of fibreglass resin in the bottom to try to seal the holes. Without cutting the tank open I was clueless to the horrors inside. The tank was then lightly sandblasted, welded back together and sealed properly. An expensive nightmare with a good outcome.

As for the petcock, the one pictured is the correct one for a 1980 GS1000. It's possible you have a 1979 tank, which requires a different (and better) petcock. Maybe a PO adapted an '80 petcock to a '79 tank.

[BasketCase]

Good to know Seal pup. I'll talk to MotoRelic to see if the problem can be addressed without tank replacement.

[rudeman]

Duly noted, I'm not sure 355mm shocks are common though, unless I've been looking at the wrong kind of shocks? Maybe higher end brands like Öhlins or Nitron?

Ikon will custom build a set for you for about what they cost to buy their off the shelf units. I called and asked.

Curious about the carb/petcock interference...1000 and 1100 carbs are identical in dimension so there shouldn't be any interference because of the 1100 carbs. I would check the tank mounting hardware; make sure you have all the rubber stops and grommets. I would refer to the service manual exploded diagram...