GS450 "Sport" - Time for paint!

[Big Rich]

Ok, another project. I've wanted a 450 for a while now for a couple reasons - plenty of parts around, everything's fairly cheap, good compatibility, etc., and I happened to see this one on Craigslist. There was no picture in the ad, and the guy was asking only $250 so I figured it was going to be a nasty, seized up, rusty turd of a bike. But it was an "S" model, so I felt obligated to check it out. After meeting the guy, this is what was waiting for me.......



Great looking bike for $250! I talked to him for a good while about the history of the bike, and come to find out the guy had a 2nd GS450 S that he had recently sold. It was a black 81 model that he had raced back in the day. He said anytime something broke on the black model he would strip the part of this red one and use it for the race. Then when the new part came in he put it on the black GS, and put the original part in the red GS. But something happened to the black one and he ended up using this one for a single race (which is why the "breakable" parts were removed).

After waiting a week (couple reasons), I took the truck up with the cash and loaded the little scoot up.

[Big Rich]

Got her unloaded and started going through all the parts in boxes. This is what all was included:



Side covers, passenger pegs, factory bar end mirrors, barely used factory turn signals, stock grips (still soft!), poorly painted stock fairing w/screen, and a GN400 front mag wheel (that rear mag is one I have laying around). For those that don't know, the stock "S" front mag is 1.60"*18 so the tire options are very limited. The GN400 wheel on the other hand is 1.85"*18 and the hub appears to be identical so far. Closer pic:



And here's the mirrors and signals (notice the great condition of the seat too):

[Big Rich]

Less than 6k on the odometer:



And jumping the battery leads showed that the electrical system has a chance..........:

[Big Rich]

Now the bad news.........

There appears to be a "situation" with the title. The PO said that it was an older title that needed to be updated before it could be transferred (I don't get it either). He does appear to be an extremely honest character so I'll take his word that he is going to get it. In the meantime though, I won't be spending any more cash on the bike. There are some known parts that are missing / broken: front caliper isn't working, petcock leaks antique gasoline, no speedo or tach cable (6k miles, huh?), the left side cover is cracked at the mount, all the wear items need replaced, the coils are gone, bad headlight, the stator is known to be bad, the CCT has a bad gasket / oring so is leaking oil, there is a couple surface rust spots on the frame, some misc nuts and bolts are missing, and I'm not 100% sure on the condition of the motor yet.

The good news:
The motor does spin by hand. I have plenty of parts from my other GR650 that should swap over with minimal headaches. What wasn't neglected on this bike was obviously taken care of. There are enough good parts on here that if all goes to hell, I can part out the bike and make more than what I paid for it.

I think that's it for now.........This will be a pretty slow going project, but i think they all are anyway.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Great looking bike for $250!

YA THINK?!!!
Awesome score! Hope the title situation works out, she's a beauty from here!

[JustinLonghorn]

I am on board, sir!

[joeyputt]

Congratulations on the new bike Brother, she looks very nice!

[Big Rich]

Thanks gentlemen!

Right now I'm still in the planning phase, but here's what I'm looking at:

A brand new stator is around $130 from Rick's, but a GS500 unit will fit right in and are available much cheaper. Same goes with the R/R - even though it may not bolt in the same. Anybody that has dealt with a GS450 airbox knows they are a royal pain to mess with, so that's also on my list to upgrade.

Currently I'm planning on swapping the front end with a GR unit (35mm forks instead of 33mm, good fork oil and seals, front brake is good to go), and running the GN400 18" front wheel. Budget will dictate the quality of the rear shocks.

As far as engine performance goes, not much is going to change unless needed. I "might" cut off the mufflers if they are too rusty - and I have some reverse megaphones waiting if they are. Carbs will be cleaned and jets replaced, and the maintenance will be brought up to date.

For aesthetics, any rust will be removed and parts will be repainted. While the red paint may look pretty nice in the pictures, it is a little scratched up in spots. So the tins will get a new color and the wheels will also get freshened up as well.

[JustinLonghorn]

You are a man with good vision, Rich.

[Big Rich]

Thanks man. I know I had visions of making a dual sport / brat before I got the bike, but this thing is just too pretty to modify that much.

[peteGS]

Awesome score Rich! Love your taste in bikes


I can't believe how complete she is... and to have the stock 'bar end mirrors too! That's just fantastic!


I hear ya' on the airbox... that's why I have K&N's as you well know


Do you know if the ignitor's good yet? That can get tricky, but I suspect you could retrofit the later 450 or even GS500 signal generator and ignitor to it and go with the electronic advance. That's if you didn't want to go the Dynatek route. Of course if the coils are shagged as well as the ignitor the Dynatek might be the better option...


I do have my stock coils sitting here doing nothing, although I think I messed with the harness plugs while stuffing around with the ignition.


I have the sidecovers in good nick too, mounts still intact from memory.


And of course I have a complete and unmolested airbox here... hahaha


Very keen to see how she progresses and my fingers are crossed big time that you get the title sorted out. It would be a real shame to have to part such a complete bike...

[Big Rich]

Cheers Pete!

It is really surprising how complete it is. Aside from the coils, mostly whats missing is just nuts and bolts.

I will be using as many 500 parts as possible for 2 reasons. First because there are SO many similarities between them, and second because I'm a good-standing member on the Twins site. I could probably work out a deal to "borrow" any given part to check for fitment, with a commitment to buy it if it will work for me.

I'm going to try to repair the cracked sidecover per the GSR tutorial first. If that doesn't work out, I would greatly appreciate a good one from you.

And I'm confident that the seller will give his best effort to work out the title situation. My confidence in my local DOT however...........

[peteGS]

Good stuff Rich, it'll be interesting to see just how much from a 500 will bolt on... and I should really join the GS twins at some point...
 
Plastic welding should fix the sidecover too I reckon depending how far gone it is...

[TricDick]

This was my first road bike, Black 81 S, i was 15 and my dad told me he didnt want to drive me to school every day so I needed to find a bike, awesome dad. loved that bike and wish to hell I could find one. nice score.

[Big Rich]

That is pretty cool of your dad TricDick. I got carted around in a 91 Plymouth Acclaim til I bought my own car..........

Couldn't sleep last night so I messed around with the front end. For now, everything is still in "mock up" phase, so nothing is permanent. But the GR front end appears to be a straight swap! Steering stem bearings, stem length, steering stops, steering lock, ignition switch, and the instrument cluster are no problems. I made no attempt to fit the 18" mag yet (or speedo drive obviously) but I know the stock GS fender won't bolt right up. I also haven't checked the fairing / headlight mounts yet either, and do expect some work to fit them properly. And one other thing that was very obvious: the GR forks are about 1.5" longer than the GS. No big deal though, as there is plenty of room to slide them up.