JohnnyL's 1980 GS550L Cafe Build

[JohnnyL]

I installed Sonic Springs on my front forks over the weekend. The front end is so much stiffer/better! I can't believe how spongy and weak the stock spring setup was. I haven't had a chance to take the bike for a spin yet with the new springs but I'm anxious to try it out.

[Spyder]

Yeah, everything is shutting down. This is going to get much worse before it get's better. So sorry to hear about your father Johnny, that just a horrible situation for him. Bury yourself into a project. It will help take your mind off of things for a little bit at a time. Doesn't make it go away, but makes coping with it a little easier. When they (not if) put us under "no travel" quarantine, I will be spending that time out in my garage getting my bike back together. Good luck...

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Yeah, I only joke about my son going back to school. I really do like when he’s home. He fills the house with wonderful jazz from his saxophone. He’s a music performance major. Going to be tough if his school goes to online only for the rest of the semester. My other son is looking forward to his first year of HS Lacrosse. I’ve coached him since age 7. Sadly, I think that spring high school sports will not even happen. Ivy League and Patriot League cancelled the remainder of spring sports. I think High schools will follow suit.

[JohnnyL]

Johnny, sorry for your troubles. And here I was bitching about having my son home from college for an extra week of Spring Break (so far). Feel free to start a build thread about your boy’s Honda in the “other” projects forum. From the work you did on your GS, you’ve definitely built a fan base. I’d probably follow a thread about you building a sandwich.

Haha! Building a sandwich sounds pretty boring. If you're really interested in reading about one of my biggest projects ever, go on Facebook and search for JERICO Properties. There I blogged about a 21,000 SF mansion built in 1904 that I restored. I'm no longer on Facebook and my wife is the administrator of the JERICO page so I won't see if you comment. I don't know if she even pays attention to that page anymore. I sold the home in 2017 for 2.5 million. Ask me if I made money. I didn't but I sure learned a hell of a lot.

Cherish those moments with your son. Life is too short and our time with our kids is even shorter.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Johnny, sorry for your troubles. And here I was bitching about having my son home from college for an extra week of Spring Break (so far). Feel free to start a build thread about your boy’s Honda in the “other” projects forum. From the work you did on your GS, you’ve definitely built a fan base. I’d probably follow a thread about you building a sandwich.

[JohnnyL]

I see how it is, now. Finish up the bike, and disappear. I feel so used... LOL

LOL...To be honest, I rode the bike a lot a few weekends ago and then put a cover on it. It hasn't been ridden since because I have been dealing with my father. My father is in TN with my mom. My father has Parkinsons and severe dementia. He ended up in the hospital last week for eight days. I went down there last weekend to be with him and my mom. They moved my father to a rehab facility(nursing home) on Tuesday this week where he will be for at least the next 70 days. I was going to go back down this weekend to see him but the rehab facility, as of 2:00 today, has closed their doors to all visitors including family. This is about the worst scenario for my little world. My father is already confused as to where he is and now my mom can't even see him or any other familiar face for that matter. This stupid coronavirus is wreaking havoc in ways that people haven't even thought about yet.

Meanwhile, I have taken apart my son's 1969 CL350 so that I could paint the motor and re-wire it with an M-Unit. The wiring was jenky to begin with so it is overdue. I'm also having my painter paint his tins. I will post a pic of the bike once it's completed.

[Spyder]

I see how it is, now. Finish up the bike, and disappear. I feel so used... LOL

[chris]

Hi, I will be putting stiffer springs and probably emulators in my bike this spring in a effort to eliminate the weave I get exiting high speed sweepers. I am going to test the bike with springs only then install the emulators. I will post my findings in the suspension section when I am done. This is a interesting subject. I also installed a fork brace this winter I have yet to test it, will post those results in suspension section when I do.
As far as lazer detectors are concerned, I have used the uniden r7 in golf for the past four months with great results. Lazer detectors are legal in British Columbia, I just need to wire a speaker to my helmet.

[GSXR7ED]

Lastly, keep in mind, "it's not how fast you drive, it's how you drive fast".

.

Wise words, Mr Steve...

Ed

****

[Steve]

If I go with Sonic front springs .90kg/mm, what weight fork oil should I use? I'm 5'-9" and 165 lbs.

10w would be fine for you.

I agree with the 10w oil.

Are you putting Cartridge emulators in as well?

Cartridge emulators? I don’t even know what that is. Please tell me more about them. It sounds like something else I need to spend money on. Lol.

I don't know if it's because I'm an insensitive lout or what, but when I installed emulators on my bike, I could not really tell much of a difference.
I keep hearing how much better the suspension is with them, and I can appreciate the fact that they are adjustable, but I did not notice much.

To keep things fair, I believe that most who install them are going from a clapped-out system that is not working well to one that does, and that is impressive, indeed. However, I rebuilt my forks with Sonic springs and fresh 10w oil, then did a 1000-mile weekend at the Brown County rally. One of the roads made me think that it was a test track for a suspension company. Potholes, patches and repaired potholes aplenty. You could not go 100 yards in a straight line without hitting something. The ride quality was worthy of a Cadillac.

A month or three later, I installed the emulators. I made no adjustments to them before installation, heeding the advice on some other forums. There was no "night and day" difference. In fact, I thought it was not quite as good, so I took them out, verified that they were adjusted properly (they weren't) and put them back in. After the adjustment they seemed to improve back to what they were before installation.

Another factor is cost. The emulators themselves are not exactly pocket change, but are not that expensive, either. In my case, they also required some adapters for larger-diameter forks. I don't know how readily available they are, but a member here offered some prototypes for testing (thanks, Dan ). I am sure that if something like that was commercially available, they could cost almost as much as the emulators.

Bottom line (for me): if you are really sensitive to your suspension's operation, possibly you are one who can tell the difference between 10w and 8w oil, they might make a difference. On a race track, they might make a difference. But, for me and the way I ride, .

I just need to wire up my lazer detector. The road is infested with police.

I have used radar and laser detectors in virtually all of my vehicles since about 1975. I have not always had the top of the line, but have stuck with the better ones. Radar detectors have changed over the years, and so has radar itself. Radar does not necessarily give a reading on the closest or the fastest vehicle, it gives a reading on the best reflector in its beam. Early radar units (x-band) had a six-lane spread at 100 yards. It was up to the operator to determine which vehicle was the offender. Later k-band units were tighter, only covering two or three lanes at 100 yards, but there is still uncertainty. Depending on the terrain, a radar beam can easily go for over a mile, meaning that the spread actually covers both sides of the highway. If there is a motorcycle 1/2 mile away and a semi a full mile away, which is the better reflector? If the truck is the one speeding, who gets the ticket? Most likely, it will be the one that the officer sees first.

Laser units have aiming sights on them. They are accurate enough that the officer can aim at a motorcycle between two semi-trucks and get an accurate reading. If you get an alert on your radar detector, you only know that you were in the beam, but because the beam is so wide, there is no guarantee that YOU were the target. The police laser unit is so focused, it can be aimed at a vehicle in the lane next to you and your detector will not alert you. If your laser detector alerts you, you should know that is merely an alert that you have been caught, so go ahead and pull over, if you have been speeding.

A couple other things to consider:
1. At one time (many years ago), radar detectors were not allowed in Canadia. Not sure if laser detectors were included and I don't know if that might have changed. If they are not allowed, be aware that there are not many places to hide one on a motorcycle.

2. How are you going to receive the alert? Even on my Goldwing, the alert was not enough to attract my attention. You will need to route the audio into your helmet or have a very bright light.

I have since adopted the philosophy that my bikes are not race bikes. Yes, there are times I hustle along a bit above the posted limit, but not at speeds that would likely attract attention. I have removed the detectors from my bikes, but still keep one in my car.

Lastly, keep in mind, "it's not how fast you drive, it's how you drive fast".

.

[steve murdoch]

Cartridge emulators? I don’t even know what that is. Please tell me more about them. It sounds like something else I need to spend money on. Lol.

Hearing 8 grand in parts for your bike just made me feel a LOT better. I’m just under $10k right now. There...I said it. Truth be told...I love this bike and I would spend $10k again because I love this bike and had a blast building it.

And that is the ONLY thing that matters.

I know i have had a blast following along.

[JohnnyL]

10w would be fine for you.

Are you putting Cartridge emulators in as well?

Cartridge emulators? I don’t even know what that is. Please tell me more about them. It sounds like something else I need to spend money on. Lol.

Hearing 8 grand in parts for your bike just made me feel a LOT better. I’m just under $10k right now. There...I said it. Truth be told...I love this bike and I would spend $10k again because I love this bike and had a blast building it.

[salty_monk]

If I go with Sonic front springs .90kg/mm, what weight fork oil should I use? I'm 5'-9" and 165 lbs.

10w would be fine for you.

Are you putting Cartridge emulators in as well?

[chris]

I would like to congratulate you on a successful build. It seems like all you have to do now is ride the bike and set up the suspension. As far as the talk about cost, I think you have done a good job. I never did a accurate tally on my build but I would say it's at least 8 grand in parts alone but the end result is a bike that performs much better than the day it left the factory. I can't wait till spring when I get to ride my beast to work on the 70k long mountain pass. I just need to wire up my lazer detector. The road is infested with police. It makes me very happy that guys like us are restoring this old bikes, it's a tribute to the engineers that designed them. When done properly, they can be just as reliable if not more than a new bike. Enjoy

[JohnnyL]

If I go with Sonic front springs .90kg/mm, what weight fork oil should I use? I'm 5'-9" and 165 lbs.