1978 GS750 - Brat Tracker, First Bike

mmaurin

Been Around the Block
Here's my starting point. It'll do the ton but it takes a while to get there...

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Here's my first goal for it. Originally I was thinking cafe because I love the look, but I turned the bars down for a week or so, and I would much rather ride more upright. I also rode my brother's cb750 and was not a big fan of the clubmans and rear sets. My inspiration is mostly <a href="http://www.bikeexif.com/honda-cb750-custom-2">Mike Salek's cb750</a>, but also <a href="http://www.bikeexif.com/honda-cafe-racer-2">Eric Meglasson's cb450</a> and the <a href="http://www.pipeburn.com/home/2012/7/9/honda-cb750-k6-scratch-monkee.html">Scratch Monkee cb750</a>.

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So far I've got a set of progressive springs in the fork, new wheel bearings up front, oil, brake fluids, brake pads.
Aesthetically, I've put on smaller turn signals, removed the highway bars, front fender, side mirrors and replaced the mirrors with bar end ones.
I've got a few things on order from amazon and dime city to streamline it a little more (gauges, grips, tail light) and the slugs. I've got the 1" tubing, but have to wait for my buddy with a new kid to have some time to heat it up and bend the rear loop. I was thinking about laminating 3-4 layers of hardboard for the seat pan and doing the upholstery myself...
I ran it without mufflers for a couple weeks and loved the look, but it was too loud and would wake my kid from his nap. It also seemed to leak more oil out of the exhaust ports and gas out of the carbs. What causes that? Is it the lack of back pressure? (with my luck, its much more serious...)

Here is what it looks like today:

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Things I need to figure out:
oil leaks
stainless brake lines up front (one piece)
fork brace?
simplified, hidden electronics
battery holder
move, adjust, shrink (?) both master cylinders - i saw an article on using a rubber tube for the master...
exhaust, pods?
oil leaks
seat pan, upholstery
headlight (bottom or side mount)
remove remote oil cooler?
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

Cool bike. Love the GSs with the spoke wheels. You don't see many of them. Looks like a clean bike.
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

definitely started with a clean, running bike... as a first time builder, that was one of my criteria... i picked the gs because cb's seem to go for so much more in similar condition
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

Need some inspiration? Coastiepete's build on PNWRiders:

http://pnwriders.com/projects/122160-my-gs750-cafe-build.html

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Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

nice... i do like that tank a lot...
ive not seen those lines on a bike before, the swapped tank must sit a lot higher on the frame to create that gap?
your gs is nice... im thankful for the pic of the electrics stuffed in... i was trying to imagine it in my head...
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

Sweet bike man, I was gonna picture cut cafe mine, but decided against it cause I like the stock bodywork on the gs. Cut down the seat to match the bodywork better and clip ons or clubmans and a header, they look killer... IMHO

Good luck on the build, make sure you salvage what you dont need cause that bike looks to be in good shape!
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

i know what you mean... Mike Salek's cb750 is kind of like that.
it would make things simple to keep the panels, so i may do that for the time being and ride it with a chopped seat... doing a cafe style would make it easier because I could just move the tail section forward and make a seat to fit the new dimensions... but im not a tracker kind of person, which would be what i think it would turn in to if i kept mid controls and the moto bars with the stock tail section moved

i think my problem in trying to save as much as i can is the wiring... getting rid of the stock gauge cluster... i havent looked at the wiring too much. i was thinking about welding a slug into the rear loop and then tapping it and drilling through the stock cut frame and bolting the loop to the back from the inside rails so it.. then the guys at gsresources can put it all back together when i move on... hahaha
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

Mine started out in a very similar look although a 550, very similar, I had the cast wheels originally but managed to score some early spoke ones, looks way better, good luck, this is mine at the mo, not quite finished, just a few small details.

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Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

Subscribed to this for inspiration! My GS850 has a long way to go, but one day I'll get to it.
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

Hope you enjoy your GS as much as I do her younger sister.
Here is my '80 Zook 750. Started life as an "L" model. Been gradually collecting parts to turn her into an entry level drag bike. "Grab a handful and hold on!"

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Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

My 850 isnt running at the moment. It was a brat build gone south. Previous owner chopped the back and tried to hardtail it, then caught it on fire for a brief minute. Now, $150 later it sits in my garage waiting its turn behind a '73 BMW build :)

*Post 100, hellllo DCC :)
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

madd ratter - i saw your and skimmed the thread... ill have to go back and read it all... what did you use for your rear fender? what are you doing about a battery? can the 550 use just a capacitor? wht is your light? is it bright enough for noraml riding?

hoosier daddy - nice paint, are those the original panels for the rear triangle area (not sure what that is actually called)?

mohabie - do you get something from dcc for 100 posts?
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

wership said:
hoosier daddy - nice paint, are those the original panels for the rear triangle area (not sure what that is actually called)?

Yep, those are the stock side covers for an "L" model. Suzuki calls them "Frame Covers"


wership said:
mohabie - do you get something from dcc for 100 posts?

10% discount for being a DoTheTon member after 100 posts. Dime City has a dedicated thread on the home page
that explains.
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

Start posting! :)

mohabie - do you get something from dcc for 100 posts?
[/quote]
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

wership said:
madd ratter - i saw your and skimmed the thread... ill have to go back and read it all... what did you use for your rear fender? what are you doing about a battery? can the 550 use just a capacitor? wht is your light? is it bright enough for noraml riding?

The rear fender and the front is the result of being given a plastic late model Bonneville front fender, cut down and shaped, was just the right width. The battery I am going to have to reconsider, I have a small scooter battery under the seat pan, its tiny and as this is only kickstart it starts it ok, but its not really up to the job and am going for a Lithium Iron battery, just for reliability sake. The light was off the local "Trade Me" site, NZ version of Fleebay. But this is the light I used
http://www.bustersclassic.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=THLBMBK its really good actually, halogen.

hoosier daddy - nice paint, are those the original panels for the rear triangle area (not sure what that is actually called)?

mohabie - do you get something from dcc for 100 posts?
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

Just had my second kid so I'm out for a bit...
Got most of the parts i need but have been working on getting the house ready...
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Waiting on one more hubcap to complete it... The one I've had for years is from my 58 dbl door panel (one of those that got away)
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

Mine started out very simular and this is how she looks today. Got a few more things still left to do with her but she is almost there. Yours looks great. Congrats on the baby.

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Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

man, beside the rear brake, thats almost spot on...
i like the battery on the swingarm, have you had any problems riding in weather without a gaurd between the rear wheel and battery?

does your tank have knee indents? or is that the car reflection?

i wish that was a gs750 so i could ask about the jetting... thats the only thing that is keeping me from going pods... is your exhaust a 4 to 1? where is the reverse cone muffler from?
 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

thanks goodness for the super bowl
my son is three days old and eats and sleeps but with my in laws in town for him and the super bowl, i got to spend the afternoon in the garage...

first, the gauge cluster is gone... had a bit of a problem with the turn signals after i unplugged the cluster from the wiring. i thought i had disrupted a circuit and was poring over the wiring diagram, but the guys over at gsresources reminded me to check the grounds... so i gathered all the turn signal grounds, threw a wire nut on them and wrapped them with electrical tape... work fine now

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then i started to adjust the valves... none of the gaps were more than .038 mm so i have to swap shims around and then buy 4 more, hopefully my local suzuki dealer has some laying around

here are my next pieces of the puzzle...

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i was trying to bend the tab for the 1.9" speedo but i ended up snapping it so i need to make a new one... hopefully tomorrow i can do that...

then i need to make a buck to bend the tubing around for the rear loop so that i can match the arc of the tail light... thats probably further away...

i really like the look of open pipes, but its too loud... i saw an article on jalopy journal about baffles
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=168222
so i may go that way
my other option is to find a spare set of stock pipes so that i can hack off the 2 to 1 merge and attach a shorty muffler... well see where it goes...
 
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