JohnnyL's 1980 GS550L Cafe Build

[nvr2old]

Those parts look real nice. Be warned, though..matte finishes look really nice..for awhile. I'm assuming it's been sprayed with a matte clear..? It's really difficult to care for..you can't wax it.

[JohnnyL]

Those parts look real nice. Be warned, though..matte finishes look really nice..for awhile. I'm assuming it's been sprayed with a matte clear..? It's really difficult to care for..you can't wax it.

Yes it was matte clear coated. Yes I know. My wife’s Vulcan is matte green. I use Harley Davidson matte finish stuff on her bike to clean it. I asked my painter if I could bring it back to him if I decide I hate the matte after a year and have him gloss clear and he said no problem. So we’ll see.

[roeme]

Yes it was matte clear coated. Yes I know. My wife’s Vulcan is matte green. I use Harley Davidson matte finish stuff on her bike to clean it. I asked my painter if I could bring it back to him if I decide I hate the matte after a year and have him gloss clear and he said no problem. So we’ll see.

Through a motorcycle mechanic, I've learned about some local universal cleaner/finisher/whatever-spray which helped me tremendously caring for matte finished (but not exclusively) parts on my Guzzi. The manufacturer simply calls it 'multispray'...having quite the no-frills approach (their target audience are farmers).

It leaves an ever-so-slightly residue (I'm guessing silicone?), which makes matte parts look very good, and helps a ton with subsequent cleaning.

I'm almost sure it's some rebranded product of an international manufacturer. I'll post the ingredients and more info when I get to the shop...

[JohnnyL]

I'd be curious to know what that is Roeme.

[JohnnyL]

The new Dyna ignition will be here tomorrow but so will 1-3 inches of snow. That's ok though. I still have some tidying up to do on the bike before it takes its first ride.

[Steve]

The blue wig-wag signals are a very nice touch.

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[JohnnyL]

The blue wig-wag signals are a very nice touch.

.

Those are on there so I can trail it over to your house and drop it off for you to figure out the jetting Steve.

[alke46]

Looks very good with that paint scheme. Now to get it running equally as well.

[Grimly]

The new Dyna ignition will be here tomorrow but so will 1-3 inches of snow. That's ok though. I still have some tidying up to do on the bike before it takes its first ride.

Before andybody moans about repeating the whole lot just to add one line, well - meh.
I think it deserves it. Sex on a stick, mate. Cracking job.
Excellent, fast build, too.
And.... it's not a hack-job, it looks just right.
There you go, damned with faint praise

ps. if it were mine, I'd deffo have some sort of curving extension to catch more of the crap from the rear, but your reg plate will do that.
Also, I'm not a fan of severely truncated front guards, but if you can live with it, fine.

[Cipher]

Is it a wide angle lens distortion or is the brake led not level with the bike frame?

[JohnnyL]

Is it a wide angle lens distortion or is the brake led not level with the bike frame?

LOL...good eye. I removed it last night and reapplied it because it wasn't level at all.

[JohnnyL]

I received the new Dyna ignition today. I installed it and all burping and farting is gone! Bike idles nicely and throttle is fairly responsive. All carbs are synced and I went back to the stock pilot jets. Right now I have 107.5 mains in. I think my mixture screws need to be adjusted. Engine is a little slow to return to idle but not bad. It also drops below 1200 after releasing the throttle. I'm currently 3 turns out. I'll mess with the mixture screw first and then look at raising the needle.

All in all...I'm relieved that the bike is now close to running well and that I can now start tuning the carbs. Phew!

[bwringer]

I received the new Dyna ignition today. I installed it and all burping and farting is gone! Bike idles nicely and throttle is fairly responsive. All carbs are synced and I went back to the stock pilot jets. Right now I have 107.5 mains in. I think my mixture screws need to be adjusted. Engine is a little slow to return to idle but not bad. It also drops below 1200 after releasing the throttle. I'm currently 3 turns out. I'll mess with the mixture screw first and then look at raising the needle.

All in all...I'm relieved that the bike is now close to running well and that I can now start tuning the carbs. Phew!

Excellent!

I was honestly getting near the point where we'd start Googling for witch doctors. Maybe see what a quart of goat's blood runs these days. All the usual rituals damn sure weren't working, so maybe it was time to call on some darker spirits.


This is the second bad out of the box Dyna I've seen.

The first may have been even more elusive -- the owner had a 1979 GS850G, installed a Dyna, but the bike would lose power after riding for a bit.

Yet whenever we stopped and tested, we had spark nice and bright and on time. This went on for weeks. I think the owner actually started going bald. Carbs were surgically clean and scrutinized down to the molecular level. Electrics were perfect. Yet summer was passing and he couldn't ride for more than about five minutes.

One day it was getting late in the year and it was very chilly. We tested everything in his barn, all seemed well, then we went for a ride. Sure enough the bike started losing power again... but I noticed that he had gotten a little further than usual.

Hmmmmm.... a tickle started at the back of my brain. And as usual, by the time we pulled over, pulled helmets and gloves off and restarted the bike for testing, all was well.

Finally the penny dropped. The light dawned. Little angels sang. However you want to put it, I finally had a rational theory to test. I removed the ignition cover, leaving the ignition out in the brisk 49 degree breeze. We rode to the next town and back with no trouble.

Yep, one side of his Dyna was failing when it got hot. When we kept it cool, it worked fine.

He contacted Dyna directly, explained the story, and to their credit they replaced the ignition with no trouble. "Yeah that happens sometimes."

[93Bandit]

JonnyL pulled one over on us, guys. That's not the same bike he bought ~3 months ago. It must be stolen or something because it got done way to fast and looks way too good...

[JohnnyL]

JonnyL pulled one over on us, guys. That's not the same bike he bought ~3 months ago. It must be stolen or something because it got done way to fast and looks way too good...

Too bad it doesn't run worth a shyte. I pulled the carbs off and meticulously rebuilt them in the course of about four hours. Found a small tear in one of the diaphragms. Replaced it with one of the eBay carbs that had a good one. Checked all float heights meticulously. Thoroughly looked at all the jets. New o-rings everywhere....Put carbs back on bike and #1 burps through the carb. #2 isn't running. I left the pods off just to be able to watch the needles. It won't start unless choke is on and I put my hand over 3 & 4 carbs to suck fuel. Then it runs with the choke on but at about 4000 rpm. Fudge! I am about to throw this motherfudger in the trash. I don't know what else to do. I give up. I'm at a total loss.