Thanks punkrocker. I'm finding quite a bit of visual inspiration in all the picture threads. I'm torn as to which direction I should go right now. I'm finding that this site in particular has tons of great ideas, for either fighter or cafe. With the hulking mass that is the GS850, keeping proportion correct with the 6 gallon tank will be a challenge. I think that's why I'm trying to mod this beast, for the challenge. Some sort of bizarre blend of ratbike, cafe and fighter. I've already spent tons of hours just getting this thing cleaned to where it is now. PO had a catastrophic oil leak on his 1 hour ride home from work. Just let it leak, fixed the leak, but NEVER CLEANED IT UP!! I've been wiping, scrubbing, etc since I got it, and I'm STILL working on it.
Funny thing is, sometimes when you clean up an old bike, you find that there is another leak underneath where you just cleaned! ;D Found a couple of those, replaced numerous o-rings and gaskets and so far, everthing is holding together. Weeping at the base of the head, but I will be tackling that rebuild after some other things get done. Black exhaust wrap on the tired but functional headers, mufflers are still in great shape, so I'll be leaving them as is for now. Matte black paint on the tins, maybe a different front fender if I can find a cafe style or tracker style front fender. It's my daily driver above 40 degrees, so I'll need that fender. Pod filters and a rejet are coming soon.... I found carb work to be pretty fun. I'm weird like that. Balanced them myself, with a borrowed carb sync. Replaced the old worn out valve shims, that was a PITA. Accel coils, had to fab the brackets to make 'em fit, and new red Dyna wires with NGK caps. I'm really lucky that I've got two or 3 really awesome local sources for me to hit up if I've got parts needs or questions. Rice Paddy, a motorcycle junkyard, is full of wonderous parts and TONS of knowledge. It's best if you go there, you can spend lots of time wandering the lot looking at rolling wrecks, basket cases and cool odd parts. They are all riders of vintage bikes, including cafes. They have yet to NOT have something I've needed, and really helped me troubleshoot a faulty rectifier. Iron Pony Motorsports is on the other side of town from me. They are a motorcycle megastore, that sells mostly gear, but has a group of knowledgeable guys at the parts counter who don't try to upsell you. They now are a Yamaha dealer. Super prices on just about everything gear related. If you can't find a helmet here, you're just not looking. Well, that was a long reply, I think I'll stop here for now.
loudest143
