wheelie bar help

[Darthjames21]

i got my 78 gs550e im drag racing, ya ya get a 1000 they said. i want to do experement with a wheelie bar but im having trouble trying to figure out how to mount it. im new to wheeie bars so any help would be awesome. i got 1 off ebay that ill have to modify to fit my bike but i want to know the best ways about going with it. bike is also my daily so i want to have a street set up and a drag set up. so im assumming i need to take rear shocks off and have a pice of metal in place so the rear cant travel, and thats where im not sure where i should be mounting a wheelie bar. ive seen a lot of different styles and im not sure where to go with it. also running a street tire till i deside to run a different rear swing arm with a wider tire and drag slick.

[trevor]

No offense...but why would you need a wheelie bar on a 78 gs550???

[TxGSrider]

No offense...but why would you need a wheelie bar on a 78 gs550???

That's what I was thinking. I'm hoping theres allot more to this story.

[steve murdoch]

No offense...but why would you need a wheelie bar on a 78 gs550???

Properly set-up they will help with getting maximum potential and/or consistency which is key in bracket racing.
Fifteen minutes swapping the struts back for shocks and ride to work.

[storm 64]

I would recommend that you hang out at the Dragstrip. Start asking questions, most folks would be glad to chat with you. Also, I wouldn't put a lot of money in your 550. You are naturally going to want to go faster and the 550 won't scratch that itch. I'd start looking for a old GS-1100E Tons of parts out there, for the 1100 maybe cheap too. All them electronic gizmos out there are cool, but not necessary. Heck, I never had a tachometer or shift light. I'd run my dial-in all day long. A air shifter would be something I'd look into before the wheelie bar. Good luck and keep us posted. 👍

[roeme]

Is it wise to assign double duty to a daily driver? Not sure how taxing bracket racing is on the bike.

[zed1015]

You are correct in substituting the rear shocks for solid struts.
Once done mount the wheelie bar to the struts or shock mounts or a combination of both.
Some fabrication may be needed and make the top bar mounts with adjustable tie rods so you can fine tune the wheelie bar to track clearance.

[Darthjames21]

That's what I was thinking. I'm hoping theres allot more to this story.

78 gs550e ported head stiffer springs, 12.500 rev limit dyna computer, dyna green coils, jetted carbs, kz650 needles, lowered bike 2 inches front 3 inches rear did mag wheels rather than spoked wheels, rear disc, different handle bars, basicly stock lol. its my daily and im most comfterable on it and i have done 1 drag event in june and i won my bike class!!!!!!! againved a pro mod suzuki and a 9 second sled. bracket racing of course. i had a blast and now i wanna get used to a wheelie bar before i find a 1000 or 1150 gs. already have a lot of money into my bike as it is my daily for the last 12 years. i know people will hate but how many people really race these old bikes reguardess of engine size? im just trying to have fun till i am able to find a start building a bigger bike. but like i said i wanna get comffy with this bike 1st.

[TxGSrider]

78 gs550e ported head stiffer springs, 12.500 rev limit dyna computer, dyna green coils, jetted carbs, kz650 needles, lowered bike 2 inches front 3 inches rear did mag wheels rather than spoked wheels, rear disc, different handle bars, basicly stock lol. its my daily and im most comfterable on it and i have done 1 drag event in june and i won my bike class!!!!!!! againved a pro mod suzuki and a 9 second sled. bracket racing of course. i had a blast and now i wanna get used to a wheelie bar before i find a 1000 or 1150 gs. already have a lot of money into my bike as it is my daily for the last 12 years. i know people will hate but how many people really race these old bikes reguardess of engine size? im just trying to have fun till i am able to find a start building a bigger bike. but like i said i wanna get comffy with this bike 1st.

Now the wheelie bars make more sense.

I bracket raced a stick shift car for a few years... it was fun and fast but terribly consistent. And in bracket racing it's all about consistency. Good luck and have fun.

[storm 64]

Well, first let me retract my advice about talking to the other drag bike folks and asking for advice. After you whipping their azzez on your 550 they might not be willing to give you good advice. Lol.
Do you have a welder friend? I might be able to machine the nessasary parts for your struts and wheelie bar. You would have to fit it and weld... private message me if you're interested.

[Darthjames21]

i can weld. lol i actually talk about some of the racing stuff with the pro mod guy but i like all different opionions and hep and input. storm 64 what parts do you mean machine? i also got a wheelie bar off ebay and it almost fits but i have to widen it 3 inches and cut bacl the upper mount a little. so far from what i go it mocked up i can mount it to the lower shock mount and the exhaust mount hole uner the passanger pegs. if that would work id want to make a cross bar from frame side to side on exhaust mounts for some structure and maybe make solid struts to replace shocls or just use a chunk of metal to replace the struts. also got to get new bar wheels are bearings are *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$ed lol.

[Darthjames21]

ill also try to get some pics of my *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$box bike and wheelie bar mocked up this weekend. new phone should be here friday night since i dropped mine at work and shaddered the screen. what a rookie.

[trevor]

Properly set-up they will help with getting maximum potential and/or consistency which is key in bracket racing.
Fifteen minutes swapping the struts back for shocks and ride to work.

Youi being from Ontario may have heard of a friend of mine Kevin Blackmore....raced at Grand Bend...he died at his own hand some years ago (depression)...there is a Blackmore memorial weekend now at Grand Bend Motorplex

He used to say "trevor, anyone can go fast with wheelie bars, it takes talent to go fast without".
And trust me, he was fast. Sorry...but a 550 under no circumstances needs a wheelie bar.

Oh and by the I lived with him when this pic was taken...and then he rode it to Western University on Monday.

[Baatfam]

He used to say "trevor, anyone can go fast with wheelie bars, it takes talent to go fast without".
And trust me, he was fast. Sorry...but a 550 under no circumstances needs a wheelie bar.

Trevor, maybe you missed the part about this being bracket racing?
It would help his consistency, and consistency is the whole game.

[dorkburger]

ill also try to get some pics of my *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$box bike and wheelie bar mocked up this weekend. new phone should be here friday night since i dropped mine at work and shaddered the screen. what a rookie.

We love pics of all bikes even if its a claimed sh1tbox. From your description it sound cool to me.
Great that you're having fun with it.