Bringing a 78 GS 550 back to life. . .

[Steve]

At some point I'm going to need some coils. I know 3 ohm will eat up your battery, and 5 ohm are a safe bet.

There is nothing wrong with 3-ohm coils. 5-ohm coils are, indeed, "safe", but won't give you as good a spark as the 3s. Suzuki specs call for 3-5 ohms.

You may have seen one of my earlier posts about low-resistance coils, they were 0.7 ohms. I will be replacing them with 3-ohm Dyna coils later this winter.

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[canuckxxx]

Does anyone on the forum have experience with these, reasonably priced, coil sets.

[Wangofree]

I noticed in my box of parts that I'm missing the gear indicator switch unit. A close look at its' location tells me there should be a small ball bearing in front
of the spring below.



I've searched and can't seem to find in my service manual or Clymer manual or an exploded view on Bike Bandit a look at what makes up this device.
A regular BB seems to fit in this hole, but another issue comes up.



When I push a BB in this hole, it push the spring inside this small tunnel and the BB disappears completely. The spring is about 3/4" long. I would assume that the spring should apply just enough pressure to keep the steel ball (or BB) just proud of the hole so that it would make contact with the switch connectors.

So, either I'm missing a spring to go along with this short one, or I need to find a longer spring that will put the right amount of pressure on the BB. That sound about right?

Hold the phone, I guess I'm more tired than I thought:



It looks like I'm missing some sort of "pin" that makes contact with the switch. So, the Ball goes in 1st, then the Spring, and finally the "Contact Pin".

________________

Ok, now I have to quit posting when I've been up for 24 hours. The above diagram is for a GS 750. The GS 550 shows only a "spring" and a "contact" pin-like piece.
It looks like the contact piece should be long enough to take up the slack from the short spring.

[WMurphy]

If the repairs on that bucket aren't going to hold or just aren't working well, shoot me a message. I have a bunch of '78 parts that are still in good shape, including that bucket.

[Wangofree]

If the repairs on that bucket aren't going to hold or just aren't working well, shoot me a message. I have a bunch of '78 parts that are still in good shape, including that bucket.

It seems to have worked Murphy. Thanks for the offer, really appreciate it!

[Nessism]

The parts fishe on both Alpha Sport and Partzilla don't show item 23. Where did you get that diagram? I don't think there is supposed to be any bb on that spring, just the contact.

[cowboyup3371]

Ok, now I have to quit posting when I've been up for 24 hours. The above diagram is for a GS 750. The GS 550 shows only a "spring" and a "contact" pin-like piece.
It looks like the contact piece should be long enough to take up the slack from the short spring.

Ed, he later edited his post saying his put the wrong diagram up

[Wangofree]

Thanks for keeping me honest fellas!

[Wangofree]

Received my neutral gear indicator sensor, and as expected the plastic tubing (shroud?) was cracked leaving exposed wire.
A quick trip through Amazon brought some wire harness fiber tape to my front door. A double wrap should give it plenty
of protection.



Also got my rear tube changed by my local motorcycle guru. Now I'm ready to reinstall the motor.



Really not looking forward to lifting this dead weight, but how hard could it be?



The closer you get, the heavier it looks.



But, having it on my small bench puts it at just the right height to slide it over into the frame.



Looking forward now to sealing things up and move on to the wiring. (FUN!!)

[steveb922]

Looking good. You might want to get the airbox back in while you still have some room.

[Steve]

Also got my rear tube changed by my local motorcycle guru. Now I'm ready to reinstall the motor.

Can't quite tell from this shot, is that rear tire a Shinko 712 or a Kenda Challenger?

Hopefully it's a Shinko, or else I would recommend another visit to your tire guru.

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[Wangofree]

Both tires are Kenda Challenger Steve. If I had bought this project with worn out tires I would do my research and pick accordingly.
But, since these are basically new I'll see how it goes.

Being retired this bike will more than likely only be ridden around town. No long cross country trips, so if anything happens (short of a blowout and my death) I'll take it in stride.

After reading your post I checked a few reviews for Kenda brand. Like anything people love em or hate em. I guess it's a crap shoot.

[Wangofree]

Good idea! Trying to reassemble in a logical manner.

[Steve]

Being retired this bike will more than likely only be ridden around town. No long cross country trips, so if anything happens (short of a blowout and my death) I'll take it in stride.

After reading your post I checked a few reviews for Kenda brand. Like anything people love em or hate em. I guess it's a crap shoot.

Retired or not, "trips around town" are still plagued with dangers like wet roads. I have done some of the research, too, and found that, for the most part, those who like them, like them because of the cheap price. Those who don't like them, don't like them because of their performance (or lack thereof). They tend to have an incredibly short life and what little performance they do have degrades steadily with each accumulated mile. By the time they have a couple thousand miles, they can be downright hazardous.

Surprisingly, the Shinko 712 tires that look identical to the Challengers, cost within a couple dollars of the same amount and perform a LOT better, for mileage and grip. For a couple dollars more, the Shinko 230 Tour Master tires are even better. I have not shopped for tires for a while, but the last set of Shinko 230s came to my door for about $135 for the pair.

Good luck with your Challengers, but BE CAREFUL with them.

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[Wangofree]

Thanks Steve for your insight into the Kenda brand. It's a shame that Shinko aren't the more popular choice considering safety, price and longer life.