GS450 "Sport" - Done!

Re: GS450 "Sport" - Yep.......progress. Resto-mod just went out the door.

Ok, probably the last upgrade to this one for a little while:



Doesn't look like much, huh? Well, those are the stock 450 camshafts. I swapped in some cams from a GS500E (.015" more lift on the intake side, and .004" more on the exhaust side) since I was checking valve clearances and I had the cams laying around.

Ok, back to work ......
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Yep.......progress. Resto-mod just went out the door.

Neener neener :p My 569cc GS engine has Mega Cycle street strip cams.LOL

So which cams are you running now,GS5?What is the red line on the 450?I know my 89 GS5 has the red line marked at 11,500rpm,but all my other GS5 have the red line at 11,000rpm,IIRC. Dgyver on GST ran some aftermarket valve springs.They can rev to 13,000 before valve float sets in,but I think the engine has to be converted to run shim under bucket. BobB over there has done it on race bikes before,I believe.
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Yep.......progress. Resto-mod just went out the door.

Haha! Megacycle would be nice, but the GS500 cams were FREE!

I'm running the GS5 cams now. The 450's redline is 9500 rpm, but this bike has only seen that once or twice. It's my daily driver!

I was reading up on camshafts recently, and Bob's name came up a few times. His, Mekanix, and Burning1. Tons of great info around......
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Yep.......progress. Resto-mod just went out the door.

Big Rich said:
Haha! Megacycle would be nice, but the GS500 cams were FREE!

I'm running the GS5 cams now. The 450's redline is 9500 rpm, but this bike has only seen that once or twice. It's my daily driver!

I was reading up on camshafts recently, and Bob's name came up a few times. His, Mekanix, and Burning1. Tons of great info around......
Click to expand...

Honestly,on the streets,I rarely get my GS5 up to 9,000rpm.I do get close to red line running in the mountains.That's not very often on the GS anymore.
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Yep.......progress. Resto-mod just went out the door.

Wow, you guys must have shitty commutes to mot get to redline on 450-500cc bikes. I must e spoiled cause I hit the red on the cx a lot to and from work and sometimes I get too on the gl. Bike looks great Rich.

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Yep.......progress. Resto-mod just went out the door.

Thanks Mike. My commute to work is about 7 minutes one way through a town where everybody knows everybody else. Last year I smoked past my boss going 20 over the limit, and that weeks safety topic was driving (and riding) dangerously. Ha!
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Yep.......progress. Resto-mod just went out the door.

Maritime said:
Wow, you guys must have shitty commutes to mot get to redline on 450-500cc bikes. I must e spoiled cause I hit the red on the cx a lot to and from work and sometimes I get too on the gl. Bike looks great Rich.

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

I don't have a commute.I live in a rural area, in the foot hills of the mountains.My commuter is a Wee Star 650 and the GS5 is my curve killer.I built my GS from the ground up for running the mountains around here.Still tweaking and building on it.A project is never done. ;D
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Yep.......progress. Resto-mod just went out the door.

Big Rich said:
Thanks Mike. My commute to work is about 7 minutes one way through a town where everybody knows everybody else. Last year I smoked past my boss going 20 over the limit, and that weeks safety topic was driving (and riding) dangerously. Ha!
Click to expand...

Ouch. That sucks. I have 15 mins of back roads between home and town. Last 2 mins is when I have to slow to 25 and crawl main st to office. Its 55 before that the whole way and I can hit a lot higher on the few straights.

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Yep.......progress. Resto-mod just went out the door.

Big Rich said:
(Snip....)

One concern that might come back to haunt me though: the wheel bearings I bought were from an eBay seller called "Boss Bearings" or something. Once the axles were installed, the balls in the bearings felt unusually tight - as in the wheel was slow to spin freely. So I "might" be replacing them with some AllBalls bearings later.

(Snip......)
Click to expand...

Yep, I was right about those bearings. I put about 500 miles on them hoping they would "loosen up" and the never did. Last year I was regularly getting 45-50 MPG and this year I was getting anywhere from 33-44 MPG tops! With the bike on the centerstand (with the caliper and chain attached) I would spin the back wheel and it would not go past one full rotation, and the valve stem ALWAYS stopped in the same spot - so not only were the bearings tight, but there must have been a defect (notch?) causing the wheel to stop consistently in the same spot. Last week I swapped them out for some Allsballs bearings and the lowest MPG I got has been around 48 with a high of 54. I'm not saying it was the manufacturer, it could have been something I did during the install.....but just wanted to post my findings here.
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Yep.......progress. Resto-mod just went out the door.



So....... I put the MAC 2-1 exhaust from the GR on this (with a little cutting / grinding/ welding). More updates later. Time for bed.
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Restoration? What is that?

That's what I thought too...... but now I'm reconsidering. First, the Supertrapp is LOUD compared to the old mufflers. Wouldn't be that big of a deal but I ride this bike in the wee hours and for longer distances on the highway. So I may look around for a stock muffler from a GS500 or SV650 and save the Supertrapp for later.

And with the 2-1 system flowing much more air, my jetting is out of whack again. I'll be in and out of the carbs a few more times to say the least. I didn't get a chance to paint the header wrap like I wanted, and the wrap on the header down pipes has to go......when they get wet the steam comes straight up at red lights and fogs up my helmet.
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Restoration? What is that?

Jetting ..... Um I'm trying to think of something funny to say but I got nothing :'( was wondering about that trap out back with what you use that bike for . Know FMF makes a nice Q Pipe that has a nice note to it . Not sure if that would work on a street bike but might be a option ?
 
Re: GS450 "Sport" - Restoration? What is that?

Thanks Scotty. I don't want to invest too much in a muffler since the MAC pipes might not be permanent either. Compared to the stock pipes, they have a large inside diameter (great for WOT but not a lot of velocity at lower rpm). We will just have to wait and see.....
 
I'm happy to say this project is basically finished. Some bolts will get swapped out for stainless ones, gas tank will probably get a fresh coat of paint over winter, etc., but I'm calling it done. Got back from a 150 mile ride today and here's how it looks:



I shortened down the exhaust a good bit since the last picture, and finally got the jetting down 99%. I was having a huge flat spot around 4k rpm because the floats were WAY off (my fault - I bent the tab while messing with the main jets). Here are my notes about jetting in case anybody finds this on a Google search or something:

First generation GS500 carbs on a GS450:
K&N lunchbox filter (part # RU-2970)
Pilot jets: stock 37.5
Mixture screws: 4 turns out
Jet needle: raised by .040" with washers (2 washers per needle)
Main jets: 132.5
MAC 2-1 exhaust with a 3" Supertrapp universal muffler (with 9 discs installed)

That being said, I need to get some #40 pilot jets and I might try 135 mains. And I'd like to get rid of the Supertrapp for a modern stock muffler, but I'm in no rush at the moment.
 
Thanks gents. It's nice to have a bike that you're not afraid to get wet / dirty. Or if I have to run to the hardware store for 10 pounds of decking screws, and stop at the distributor for a case of beer, I don't need to drive my truck. Matter of fact..... since this bike has had a luggage rack and side cases, I've driven my truck maybe two or three times a month? Can't beat that.

Now onto other projects!
 
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