'81 Suzuki GS450 Cafe Build. An Odyssey
- Thread starter barnabasantioch
- Start date
barnabasantioch
Active Member
Once I got her running, I decided to make a couple of cheap mods so that I would not be embarrassed to ride in public.
These included drag bars, new signals and tail light, pod filters, and a chopped rear fender, along with a few bottles of spray paint.
And here we have the "Rat" bike
These included drag bars, new signals and tail light, pod filters, and a chopped rear fender, along with a few bottles of spray paint.
And here we have the "Rat" bike
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barnabasantioch
Active Member
And so begins the journey of stripping down and building a bike that might actually turn a head or two.
I decided to start with the tedious job of trying to add some dimension to my gas tank. A hammer, some bondo, and plenty of patience...
I decided to start with the tedious job of trying to add some dimension to my gas tank. A hammer, some bondo, and plenty of patience...
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barnabasantioch
Active Member
Very true, Big Rich. The stock power on these things is great, even compared to Honda's CB450. And the customization options are just as endless.
As for the wheels, I will most likely try to find a set of GS450T spoked wheels. The forks and swing arm on the T model are the same, so I believe they will convert easily, and they look a lot nicer than these odd stars I'm rolling on. In the meantime, though, I will most likely black out the current wheels, with the possibility of some sort of contrasting edge color. I am really open to suggestions!
As for the wheels, I will most likely try to find a set of GS450T spoked wheels. The forks and swing arm on the T model are the same, so I believe they will convert easily, and they look a lot nicer than these odd stars I'm rolling on. In the meantime, though, I will most likely black out the current wheels, with the possibility of some sort of contrasting edge color. I am really open to suggestions!
Big R
Heaven is so far away.
I'll admit......I asked because I have a rear 18" I'm trying to sell. But the T wheels should work no problem. If you can find the rear hub, spokes and hoops are EASY to find. If you cross reference the part #, I bet most Suzuki front hubs will bolt right in.
Have you pulled the motor from the frame yet? If not, it weighs a TON.
Have you pulled the motor from the frame yet? If not, it weighs a TON.
barnabasantioch
Active Member
No engine pull at this point. Honestly, I'm trying to avoid it at all cost. But after pulling the air box out of this thing, I feel up to any task.
Next project will be the seat. I want to maintain the true cafe look with a seat cowl, but also want the option of riding 2-up so that my wife can ride. I've drawn up plans for a "brat" cafe seat with a removable fiberglass cowl. It's going to be a bit of work, but I think it will be unique and functional.
Next project will be the seat. I want to maintain the true cafe look with a seat cowl, but also want the option of riding 2-up so that my wife can ride. I've drawn up plans for a "brat" cafe seat with a removable fiberglass cowl. It's going to be a bit of work, but I think it will be unique and functional.
barnabasantioch
Active Member
barnabasantioch
Active Member
Thanks, Hillman. The progress is moving slowly until I can get it back into a garage in Feb. to start stripping it down. I'm hoping to start on the new seat this weekend. Most of my time has been spent trying to figure out exactly which parts I'm going to clean and keep and what I'm going to upgrade.
Be sure to post the progress on that 550!
Be sure to post the progress on that 550!
BriMed1983
Been Around the Block
looking great, loving how that tank turned out with the knee dents!
peteGSX
Zuk's Rock!
Yet another Zuk, awesome! And a twin to boot 
Tuning in to this one, love how that tank came out, that's a great start!
Don't forget to subscribe over on www.thegsresources.com as there's a heap of help over there and like Big Rich said, noone will be offended with what you're doing to an L model
Tuning in to this one, love how that tank came out, that's a great start!
Don't forget to subscribe over on www.thegsresources.com as there's a heap of help over there and like Big Rich said, noone will be offended with what you're doing to an L model
barnabasantioch
Active Member
Thanks pete, I just signed up over at thegsresource. It's good to know that there's a community out there specifically dedicated to this model.
UPDATE:
I'm pushing the seat build back a few days, and working on finding wheels to fit. Absolutely hate what I'm rolling on, and going to try to do a CB360 wheel conversion today. I have a friend with a few sets, and we're reluctantly determined to give it the old college try. (statement which I still don't understand the meaning) If not. I'm going to go ahead and drop some money on a set of GS450T wheels.
UPDATE:
I'm pushing the seat build back a few days, and working on finding wheels to fit. Absolutely hate what I'm rolling on, and going to try to do a CB360 wheel conversion today. I have a friend with a few sets, and we're reluctantly determined to give it the old college try. (statement which I still don't understand the meaning) If not. I'm going to go ahead and drop some money on a set of GS450T wheels.
peteGSX
Zuk's Rock!
barnabasantioch said:
No worries mate, you should get plenty of help over there if you need it...
As for the wheels, yeah the alloys are certainly the subject of many love/hate relationships... the T wire wheels are definitely nice in comparison for a cafe. If T's were more common over here (extremely rare in Aus) then I would've contemplated a T front end for my E but as it is I'm pretty happy with the mostly blacked out alloys, it's just the 18" rims that cause difficulty with tyre selection.
Oh, and if you do go the T wheels, many guys over on the GSR report difficulties finding rear tyres, but persevere because if you go bigger than the stock 110/90-17 you will probably have swingarm clearance issues.
barnabasantioch
Active Member
UPDATE TIME:
So I finally just chopped those gaudy mufflers off and threw on a pair of 12" shorty mufflers from Dime City Cycles. Looks much better and these things sound mean. Still need to wrap the pipes to the mufflers. New wheels should be in any day. I ordered a set of GS450T wire wheels, and I'll be cleaning/painting them next. Then, maybe just then, I'll get around to starting this seat build.
So I finally just chopped those gaudy mufflers off and threw on a pair of 12" shorty mufflers from Dime City Cycles. Looks much better and these things sound mean. Still need to wrap the pipes to the mufflers. New wheels should be in any day. I ordered a set of GS450T wire wheels, and I'll be cleaning/painting them next. Then, maybe just then, I'll get around to starting this seat build.
barnabasantioch
Active Member
Well, she's starting to come apart now, and pieces are getting stripped, cleaned, and painted (will start posting pics soon) but I have a bit of a conundrum. I've decided to implement a stainless steel paint in some areas (brakes, forks, lighting, etc.) When I started stripping my engine, I realized that it is beyond polishing, and I'm going to have to paint it. I was thinking of leaving the fins black and painting the rest stainless steel. Issue is... I don't believe that anybody actually manufactures a high-temp stainless steel paint. I found one, but it appears to be "not available" Anybody have an idea what I should do with the engine? I've already got a multi-color scheme, so I don't want to add too many new colors. (Frame-charcoal gray, Tank - Burgandy/black, others/accessories =chrome, stainless steel, gloss black.) I'm really up for any suggestion.
peteGSX
Zuk's Rock!
I painted the crank cases, valve cover, breather cover, and oil filter cover with POR 15 Black Velvet which is a matte black high temp paint.
I got the head and cylinders wet blasted which is a non-abrasive blasting process (not using pieces of glass or whatever the other one is) so no bearing journal or other clearances were affected... it makes it so easy to keep clean! Where my dodgy Athena valve cover gasket kept weeping and kept oil seeping onto the head, it just wiped off with a bit of degreaser sprayed on a rag...
I got the head and cylinders wet blasted which is a non-abrasive blasting process (not using pieces of glass or whatever the other one is) so no bearing journal or other clearances were affected... it makes it so easy to keep clean! Where my dodgy Athena valve cover gasket kept weeping and kept oil seeping onto the head, it just wiped off with a bit of degreaser sprayed on a rag...
barnabasantioch
Active Member
Made some new purchases, (the new wheels which I am particularly excited) and threw the tank on to get an idea of how I want to proceed. Now the question is, do I do clubmans or clip-ons? I'm afraid that the clip-ons won't give me enough clearance with my clunky starter/horn/brake fluid reservoir setup, but they are going to look much cleaner since I'm doing a single, center gauge setup. Granted, I would then have to get a new headlight bracket, and from there I'll find 10 more things I need, and not my "budget cafe" has become anything but budget.
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barnabasantioch
Active Member
Finally got her into a garage so I could start stripping down. Mocked up the front end with the new clubmans to check for clearance. Love the feel of them opposed to the drags. Chopped the back end of the frame and ground all of my excess tabs down. Went ahead and built the seat pan out of a lightweight MDF board. Hope to start molding my removable cowl tomorrow.
