1979 GS750e: Project "Metric Mutt"

D

Das

Guest
Starting tomorrow this bike will begin a serious weight loss regimen followed by some lipo and paint. My only regret is that I will not be the one performing surgery. The mechanic, Chris, has been recommended by Power Wheels in Scarborough, ME for a few years now. Great guy. I'll document his work as best I can.

Plans:

Swingarm replacement: preferably aluminum. Anyone know if I can get this for my year?
Spoked wheels
Performance tires
A different tank with Cafe seat/tail, of course. Style/approach undecided, possible a cut tank for the tail.
Smaller battery: To be hidden away. I'm removing the original battery tray/side panels & rerouting wires for a clean look.
Spitfire headlight bucket : http://www.roccitycafe.com/item.php?path=store/bucket,
Speedometer: mounted in headlight bucket
New calipers/controls
New paint: engine, headers/muffler (black), frame (black), tank (white)
Tank graphic: overview of large crow with body topside and outspread wings embracing tank sides. Unorthodox for cafe, I know.

That's all I got for now. I'm sure many other things will come up. Thoughts, suggestions and/or criticism welcome.



Before:

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After: coming soon ...
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

You should be able to put just about any of the suzuki aluminum swingarms on that bike. Do a little checking around but I think for the most part they all have a pretty close to the same size pivot. Good luck.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

Thanks, thompsonmx100. Good to know I have options. I've been searching online, and posted up a wtb at thegsresources.com.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

Neat GS there. I remember one a buddy of mine had when I was a kid, quite a runner!

About the arm, I've heard of people putting GS1100E arms in the 750s (also really popular for the Kawi Kzs) It's aluminum, 15mm pivot & 20mm wheel axle. Hope that helps. Bad thing is I just got rid of one for cheap.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

Hmmm - heaps of potential there ;)

GS1100E swingarms should be a bolt in fit (aluminium with twin shock mounts).

Earlier GS750 spoke wheels, relaced with 17 in rims (4.5 in back and 3.5 front would be nice). Or some early Katanas had spoked wheels as well.

GSXR USD front end (91 - 95) is a direct bolt in fit, and you can adapt the GS spoked hubs to fit fairly easily too (same axle size ;)). You will lose a bit of ride height with the GSXR front - try and find the 1100 ones as the forks are a bit taller than the 750.

Check out Old Skool Suzuki:

http://oldskoolsuzuki.info/

There is EVERYTHING on that board for hotting up the GS / GSXR's ;D
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

I discovered a huge warehouse full of old bikes run by Maine Cycles in Auburn. This Friday I hope to find an aluminum swing arm and spoked wheels there. Thanks for the tip, guys. My search has been narrowed down considerably :)

This afternoon she lost considerable weight. I need a name ...

Phase I: Glad to see it go

Photo0911.jpg

Photo0909.jpg


Phase II: She's looking better already!

Photo0919.jpg

Photo0918.jpg

Photo0917.jpg


I decided to go with a severed tank for the tail. Chris had several scraps to choose from, and this one seems a perfect match. I would like to have a removable back (seat) to access a handy compartment. Seems like a good place to stash the papers. A small LED system will be mounted underneath.

Photo0904.jpg


The tail needs to move back 4-5 inches, but a great shot all the same.

1.jpg


More accurate placement

Photo0923.jpg


That is one big ass tank! At first I didn't like it, but with the tail to counter-balance she looks fine.

More plans:
13" or 13.5" shocks
Dog leg levers
UNI fliters - current filters are cheapies
Rated break lines
Remove center stand
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

Not a bad start. You might want to save the front fender and do like I did with mine I cut slits down both sides of it so I could arch it to hug my 17 incher then welded it back up I will have to paint it. Just a thought. Your'e also gonna want to brace the rear of the subframe if you didn't already plan on it. The seat access can be done several different ways. you can make the whole seat come off. Make an access panel or make the seat pan itself lift open exposing the undertail storage. Keep it up.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

looks good man. I forgot to mention on the PM that I also have a gs450 that is going to get a face lift soon. Is that Chris the guy with the shop out on Warren ave.? I've heard about him.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

thompsonmx100 said:
Not a bad start. You might want to save the front fender and do like I did with mine I cut slits down both sides of it so I could arch it to hug my 17 incher then welded it back up I will have to paint it. Just a thought. Your'e also gonna want to brace the rear of the subframe if you didn't already plan on it. The seat access can be done several different ways. you can make the whole seat come off. Make an access panel or make the seat pan itself lift open exposing the undertail storage. Keep it up.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comments. While I like your suggestion I am trying to minimize everything, and keeping the front fender is in question. Just got my antique plate the other day ;D. Guess I'll have to be extra careful not to get caught in the rain. My mechanic should already be aware of bracing the rear subframe, but I'll run it by him anyway. The empty tail should be suitable for storage while eliminating the need for a seat lock.

[quote author=diesel450]looks good man. I forgot to mention on the PM that I also have a gs450 that is going to get a face lift soon. Is that Chris the guy with the shop out on Warren ave.? I've heard about him.[/quote]

So that makes four, right? Which one are you planning to ride on bike night? I look forward to seeing what you do with the XS650.
Yes, that's the Chris on Warren ave. He's a pleasure to work with.

Although he's taking care of the engine work and mods, I do plan to paint the engine at least. I know I would regret not having a hand in this project. Maybe I can do most of the work on my next build.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

Before I commit any funds to graphics, what do you guys think of the aforementioned idea?

Tank & tail: white
Tank graphic: overview of large crow with body topside and outspread wings embracing tank sides. This would be done in photoshop or illustrator to make any changes a snap pre-vinyl.
Image ref.:

Style, line, shading etc.
takashi-okada_crow2.jpg


Wingspan style - less attack, more uniform & speed
crow_black.jpg


I'll eventually get around to doing a complete mock-up with mods and all.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

Nice stuff man, and yeah this will haul with a bit of tuning - if you want an article from back in the day that dealt with quite in detail performance tuning then I can forward it to you via PM or email. Very interesting stuff.

With the rear bracing, you could either chop the stock tail-loop shorter and reattach with smaller diameter tubing inside to strengthed, or weld flat bar over the rear and brace diagonally. Either option would be fine as far as stability is concerned as the stock tail loop isn't very structural at all.

Another thought for the scheme may be to have the body of the crow as the tank, and the head on a seperate decal that envelopes the headlight bucket.

Cheers - boingk
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

boingk said:
Nice stuff man, and yeah this will haul with a bit of tuning - if you want an article from back in the day that dealt with quite in detail performance tuning then I can forward it to you via PM or email. Very interesting stuff.
Click to expand...

This does sound interesting. PM inbound.

We covered many possibilities with entire build the other day. If I recall correctly the plan is a diagonal flat bar weld for the rear bracing. I believe you're spot on. Thanks.

After some image research my plan for a crow graphic has been altered. Originally I was thinking a 45 degree bend in the wings from the top to run along the side of the tank, but this is not a very accurate depiction. Instead the wings should run down and nearly perpendicular to the sides. This just might work. I'll get the tank dimensions and make a sketch over the weekend.

Regarding your idea: The more I think about it the more I like the concept. The challenge would be to emphasize the wingspan, which is the key aspect. Are you thinking of the wings tucked in?
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

Progress has been a little on the slow end, but I anticipate noteworthy changes soon. After much thought and deliberation I opted to forego the crow graphic for the traditional racing scheme.
I've narrowed down the colors to:
Frame: silver
Tank, seat tray and tail: British racing green
Single or double top-center racing stripe: silver
Wheels: black
Engine: black
Bars: black

Paint is slated for sometime within the next week once we get the rearset placement figured out.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

So if youre ready for paint does that mean you have finished the seat. If so post a pic I'd like to see how it came out.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

Das said:
....After much thought and deliberation I opted to forego the crow graphic for the traditional racing scheme.....
Click to expand...

Good move - murals aren't for cafe bikes ;)
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

thompsonmx100 said:
So if youre ready for paint does that mean you have finished the seat. If so post a pic I'd like to see how it came out.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, not yet. I hope to have pictures up within the next day or two.


[quote author=hillsy]Good move - murals aren't for cafe bikes ;)[/quote]

I finally figured that out after looking at several online. ::)
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

good call on the paint. thing will look bad ass not ass bad. ;D

D, who's doing the paint? And what's it going to set you back? Curious about local shops for future projects.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

diesel450 said:
good call on the paint. thing will look bad ass not ass bad. ;D

D, who's doing the paint? And what's it going to set you back? Curious about local shops for future projects.
Click to expand...

A gentleman by the name of Ed will be doing the painting. I'll get his last name from Chris. From what I understand he has done some world class finishes that took local builds to the top three in several national bike shows. I'm anxious to see the results on mine. ;D
I stopped by the shop earlier and caught some progress on the cell. I see prep for the tank and tail has begun. Hopefully the seat tray will be welded today.

Photo0953.jpg

Photo0954.jpg


I need to get the headers and muffler from Chris to paint this weekend, maybe the wheels too if all goes well. Keeping my fingers crossed.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

Das, let me know when your heading over there next. I'd like to check it out and meet Chris as well.
 
Re: 1979 GS750e Project

You should have caught me earlier, as I just got back from the shop. I'll be heading over again sometime next week.
 
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