gs450 project from Aus

Thanks for the tips guys, I've been busy with it all day and still no front brake or clutch. Also I ran the bike on reserve but it cuts out. Runs okay but not perfect on 'run', Might be that the carbs are a bit clogged as it jumps and splatters a little. I did take out the fuel filter but would that make any difference?

When I pump the front brake without the MC lid, every pump blows bubbles in the reservoir, is that normal?
Pete, my bike is an 81 model so it might have the once piece clutch rod. I swear i've pumped the lever a million times already!

Seat is frustrating me and getting to the point where I'm over it all... lol
 
Think I worked out the brake issue...
The piston seal in the calliper is not working properly as it makes bubble noises and leaks somewhat. Should be an easy fix
 
Not sure if the 1 piece pushrods spin or not as I've never seen one myself, but I'd focus on getting the cable adjusted properly and see how it goes from there. When I first started mine the clutch didn't really disengage properly for a fewe minutes.


As for the brake, if you still have the original MC on there, I'd get a piston and cup set from Suzuki and replace them so you know it's all good.
 
So ordered the new brake piston seal and still no better. Front brake grabs but releases itself almost immediately even with the lever depressed. It's losing pressure from somewhere. Anyway, I'm getting the seat upholstered this week. Ended up laying a fibreglass mould over the seat pan, buying and shaping some foam and handing it to the pros to cover.

Still no luck with the clutch but I'll sort that out later; it's really the brake that's annoying me. Could it be the lever MC seal?
 
Hey man, I replaced my levers with shorty ones and an updated master cylinder. Bleeding was a right pain. I tried quick pumps and long ones that I held in for a few seconds. The latter worked better. I also found that having the bike upright/on centrestand made it easier for air to escape to the m/c.
 
Hi all,

Got the seat back today from upholsterers and very happy with their quality of work and cheap $150 price.
I still need to make the seat secure to the frame and somehow rethink the rear brake light as it's a tight fit now.

Still no luck with the front brake so I will probably take it apart and start from scratch, cleaning all the bits as I go.





 
Loving what you've done so far! Keep up the great work! And I don't know if you've checked the petcock for the wonky running problem. But mine was feeding gas into the left carb through the vacuum line!

Edit: jussst kidding seems I missed something inbetween you saying it was running better and your problems! :D
 
Seat looks killer Collo. I need to find someone local to me to cover mine before I get to round two of my seat.

Gary
 
BigKev said:
Wow that's a cool looking bike. I don't know much about Suzuki but those wheels look awesome. Are they stock?


-Kev

Hey, I've got a set of those awesome wheels to sell you!
So do most of the GS guys on here ;)
Seriously, though, I kind of share your fondness for these much-maligned wheels.

Collo, just discovered yr thread, and love it!
 
Thanks for the comments. Had another productive day and have reconnected all the wiring. Ground down the side covers as I didn't like the lines in them. Pulled the brake apart and it looks to be the MC, so might just buy a new one as I don't know how to pull the damn thing apart. Got the Tommaselli throttle in too which looks a lot better and feels pretty good.

Also got the clutch plates pulled apart they were almost seized together. Still wont release to neutral when clutch is pulled in so not sure what's going on there. Anyone have an idea why this is the case? Pulling the lever pushes the last plate out as it's supposed to but still sticking and wont roll if in gear... weird.
 
CLUTCH fixed!!! finally. Rolling it around and having it idle for a while helped.

Started it and seems to throttle fine but only the right cylinder running hot and cold air out the left. Pulled the carbs apart which helped but Im pretty sure its the pilot or something inside the carbs that is blocked. Spark plug fires.

Is there such a thing as an adapter at the speedo drive on the wheel that sends an electronic signal via a wire so you can use a digital speedo and do away with the ugly analog speedo cable?
 
probably the only hope for the speedo is a bicycle one (which will have a sensor attached to the forks-can be hidden around the caliper somewhere, a wire will then run up the forks to the head unit), the readout unit will be tiny but probably not backlit, not ideal for night riding, also can be had off ebay very cheap

another option is a GPS unit, backlit and has a speed function, just make sure you get a waterproof one and remember to take it with you whenever you park.

option 3.....iphone with GPS function, again waterproof may be a problem, though iu have seen guys in england who pop their phones in a condom when its raining, not the most pleasing look considering how good the rest of the bike is looking
 
Thanks for the advice Spotty, option one is sounding good. I'd like to keep the classic instrument look too, but I might have to settle for something in between. A speedo drive on the rear wheel would look better as I could hide the cable better...prob no such thing.
 
Acewell speedos come in the round style which is kind of retro - the sensor wire is a simple twin wire and can be lengthened and run off the rear wheel to keep the look clean. They are far superior to bicycle speedos in all respects (but they cost more.....duh).


Also there's the DanMoto copies which are cheaper than the Acewells.
 
Bear with me Collo, I just woke up.

I bought a used Acewell that included the magnet sensor, but somehow I lost it. I looked around online somewhere and found another type of sensor that hooked up to my speedo gear at the wheel. At the moment, I couldn't tell you any other details though.....
 
Hi Rich,

Have you got the GS500 carbs running on the GS450 yet? What 500 parts do you know that interchange? Sorry if that's a massive open-ended question.. I've been trawling through forums everywhere looking for a dedicated compatibility chart, maybe I should create one if there isn't one already.

I'm looking at changing all the electrics to a GS500, can that be done? Stator, R/R, ignitor etc etc...

Getting a Ducati Monster LED tail light to go in the back seat can't wait to see if it fits. Would like to remove the exhausts and put on a MAC, but not happy about the price.

 
Cheers Collo!

I do have GS500 carbs mounted up. There are 3 generations of 500 carbs: from 89-99, 00-03, and 04-12. The first generation are the simplest of the bunch, the third generation are the most advanced, and I would avoid the second generation if possible (lack of available parts). I believe you'll need the intake boots for the proper year carbs, and you'll definitely need a GS500 throttle cable. Oh yeah......you'll need different air filters as well. The GS500 carbs have larger mouths on them.

As far as electronics go - the GS500 stator bolts right in, along with the GS500 R/R (when used together). Those details are somewhere in my build thread..... Mekanix and / or Pete can tell you about the ignition pickups more than myself. As for the ignitor, it does the same thing for each bike (basically). It would just need wired into the gs450's harness.
 
Thanks Rich. I saw on ebay some high output stators for the 450, not sure what they are like though. But I would like to slowly change to 500 parts when I need them and maybe do away with much of the 450 electrics. Good to know the 500 carbs fit and work as I have a few threaded parts on mine and will prob have to change at some point soon. Plenty more 500 parts here than 450.
 
Edited my previous post.

If you look around on the GSTwins site, there are some people that have fog lights, heated grips, phone chargers, dual headlights, etc all wired in at once. While I think it might be too much sometimes, it isn't my bike to question. But it speaks volumes of the GS500's electrical system.

And I agree about using as many 500 parts as possible. That's one of the main reasons I wanted a GS450 - for the "modern" availability of parts! :)
 
The Electrosport stator has about 20% more output than the OEM one. Mate it with their voltage regulator.

Fugedaboud the 500 stator. It is no better. Suzuki used the same shitty stator in a bunch of models over a bunch of years, including current models. I put the Electrosport stator and regulator in my GS450, and it solved all my problems with low battery and inadequate power for my upgraded lighting.
 
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