Suzuki GS650GL cafe project

[Zookrocker]

Hello everyone,
Not much of a project yet here...just getting started. A buddy at work got me going on fighters and cafe racers, and the bug bit me hard. I'm a Harley guy of 20 years, but a bike is a bike, and it's cool shit no matter the name on the tank.

After scouring CL and want ads I found this little gem a couple hours drive from my house. An 83 GS650GL. Yep, a shaftie. I'd have preferred a 750 or open-classer, but 650 is a good, traditional displacement for a cafe bike in my opinion.

I'm not too far into it yet...just started stripping parts and fabbing some new ones. Made a new battery carrier, and started on a tail section. The seat pan is made from an old steel shelving unit and the tail itself is the back 1/3 of a 78 Suzuki DR370 gas tank. I'm focusing on saving a little weight, improving performance slightly, but mostly I just want it to look the part. I've got some carb parts on order (it kicks over good with a shot of ether...carbs aint pulling their weight yet, but spark is good), a 78 GS750 tank to replace this camel hump, some longer (14 3/8") shocks, and a b-line on an 81 GS 1100 dual-disc front end.

 

[Zookrocker]

more pics.....

 

[Zookrocker]

And a few more.....

 

[taggat]

looking alot better already! and I dig that cherry ride.

 

[Zookrocker]

Thanks taggat! I'm just playin around with stuff right now. This is kinda new territory for me...my experience is in modifying stock Harleys, and a bit of chopper and hot rod building, so this cafe thing is a change, but having fun though!
As for the "cherry" bit, well I'm pretty sure it'll change color. Thinking of something along the lines of the following scheme. Black and silver:

 

[Zookrocker]

I want to do all sorts of trickery...neato aluminum brackets, speed holes everywhere, and just alot of the "typical" cool shit you see. I think it's fun to take what was arguably a pretty boring machine and make it exciting with some handiwork. Right now I just want to get the basic pieces together and get it running solidly.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

a Zook and a Shaftie no less, man you are thinking out side the box!
Man after my own heart

I spy a 68 Camaro!

 

[Zookrocker]

Sharp eye there Hoosier! Yes its a 68 camaro...one of my few projects that runs! Its rather in my way right now...going to be moving soon so I can have my shop for a winter of bike-building.
As for the Suzuki I'm trying to kill a couple birds with one stone. I wanted another GS, I've always wanted a shaft-driven bike, and I really wanted a cafe-styled bike. I'm not taking this thing too seriously. Just having some fun.

 

[Seaking]

I just picked up an 83 GS650G (complete but semi-dissasembled, 2 exhaust systems, windshield, all panels and no dents gas tank and recently re-done carbs.) Your project, amongst others here, inspired me to go ahead and purchase this bike as a winter project on those long dark days in the heated garage I particularily liked what you did for the bum stopper and seat pan, hadn't thought of that.. looking forward to more of your posts.

Cheers

 

[Zookrocker]

Cool Seaking! It's always nice to know if you've inspired someone. I cant claim credit for the seat pan idea though. While I'll admit the thought crossed my mind on a less-than-conscious level, I really got the idea from here: http://www.thechopperunderground.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=24256

It so happened that I had an old tank from a DR370 laying around and the shape just worked. Beyond that it was simply a matter of coming up with a large, flat piece of sheetmetal. I had considered roughing the form in sheetmetal and then trying my hand at laying it up in fiberglass, but I think I'll just stick to the sheetmetal for now.
As for the rest of it, I should be getting my tank in the mail tomorrow, which I'm hoping will "sleek" the bike out, and longer rear shocks are also on their way. Not sure if or when I'll get the GS1100 front end, but it is on my list of wants.
Someday I'd love to blow the whole bike apart and really do a bang-up cleaning, painting, and customizing job, but for now if I can make it a good-running, functional motorcycle I'll be happy.
Good luck with your project. This is kind of new territory for me; perhaps we can motivate each other on our 650s!

 

[Zookrocker]

BTW Seaking...what did you get for exhaust systems with your GS? I'm really wanting to do a 4-1, but also really trying to keep this bike on a serious budget. The $400 or so a new 4-1 costs would totally blow said budget. If you have a used one you're willing to part with, please let me know.
For anyone else watching this thread who might know a bit about exhaust, lemme run this by you. As I've stated I'm on a strict budget. I've considered modifying the stock exhaust into a 4-1 in the method shown here. Anyone see any serious flow issues with this? I think I'd toss the stock megaphone can in favor of either a straight megaphone with a baffle, or a reverse meg with a baffle, probably about 2-inch diameter. I know my Paint drawing is pretty simplified, and I know I'll have to rejet after this, but off the cuff does anyone see a problem with this?

 

[Zookrocker]

And a couple pics of the new battery carrier I made the other day. It's designed to lay down right over the top of the tranny/swingarm pivot. Above it I'm gonna build a tray for the rest of the electrical BS to go. Thinking of doing a trap-door in the top of the seat pan that will unscrew to reveal the electrical BS underneath. I am gonna build side-covers, so all this crap will be hidden. I dont care for the "see-through" look. Nothing wrong with it, it's just not right to my eye. I am thinking of doing a little cutout in the side panels for the rectifiyer to stick out in the air and get some cooling.
This battery cage is a tad heavy, being made of 1/8 inch steel, but some speed holes should help that out.

 

[taggat]

dont see any problem with the exhaust just make sure it clears the oil plug for maintenance.

shafty's are fun to romp! haha Id love a kz1000 raced out romper, that'd be fun.

 

[Zookrocker]

Thanks for the heads-up taggat. I hadnt thought of that, though I'm sure I'd have caught it during the construction, maybe not. Now you've put me in that frame of mind.
BTW...you've already inspired me on this build...see I changed the name of it? It's now called Black Cherry....

 

[Seaking]

BTW Seaking...what did you get for exhaust systems with your GS? I'm really wanting to do a 4-1, but also really trying to keep this bike on a serious budget. The $400 or so a new 4-1 costs would totally blow said budget. If you have a used one you're willing to part with, please let me know.
For anyone else watching this thread who might know a bit about exhaust, lemme run this by you. As I've stated I'm on a strict budget. I've considered modifying the stock exhaust into a 4-1 in the method shown here. Anyone see any serious flow issues with this? I think I'd toss the stock megaphone can in favor of either a straight megaphone with a baffle, or a reverse meg with a baffle, probably about 2-inch diameter. I know my Paint drawing is pretty simplified, and I know I'll have to rejet after this, but off the cuff does anyone see a problem with this?

The bike comes with a pair of 2 in 1 pipes in nice chrome shape but no mufflers (a buddy in Manitoba has a pair he can send me free and a 4 into 1 pipes which has an exhaust on it but the PO showed me that it drags on the ground some.. prolly needs to be worked out sideways to make clearance. The 4 into one pipes have some issues with it, not sure what the whole condition is until I get the bike here next week and can go over it properly.. 300 bucks for this complete bike (though partially dissasembled) I wasn't too worried about it. Gas tank might be an issue for rust at the neck, the inside looks nice though.

As far as the drawings you shown about the 4 into 1 mod, not much I can say about it as I've never gotten into fabricating till recently.. The project bike is more for education and learning as I go.. Luckily I found this site and a few others with tons of info.. more info than I could find for my mid-2000 bikes.. hmm

 

[Zookrocker]

My tank showed up today! It's off a 1978 GS750. It's a bit longer and larger than I had thought it might be, and it's fouling on the coils so it won't sit down on the frame yet, but I think it's going to look great.

 

[Zookrocker]

Messed with the tank a little when i got off work last night and got it to sit done a little better. I still need to do some clearancing work on the underside of the tank, and I think I'll end up relocating the coils to the rear, above the carbs, but I'm really starting to dig this thing!

 

[Zookrocker]

got a bit more work done today. I'm really just starting this project. I got the carbs off and took a look around there. The butterflies and throats of the carbs look good, like they have have seen a rebuild recently, so I dont think the PO was bullshitting me. The intake tracts look good too, clean. There is some crud on top of the valves, but he didnt say anything about redoing the head...just that it has a new head gasket.
I also started stripping out the old wiring harness. I dont really want to get into the harness right now, but it was in the way of trying to get the GS750 tank fitted, so I pulled it out of the way.
As for fitting the tank, it's a snugger fit than I thought it would be, but I love the look of it. I wish it was about an inch shorter, but I can make it work. It is a TIGHT fit tough. I have to have it as far back as possible to keep the forks from fouling on it. I considered notching the front corners of the tank, but it's such a sleek looking tank I dont want to disrupt the lines of it, and my sheetmetal skills arent that good anyway. I can make it work this way, and I think it looks good.
I also got my new shocks yesterday and put them on today. They are cheapos, but this is a budget build and I think they are more than adequate for what I'm doing.
Thats about it for today. May post later as I'm planning on getting some work done on my seat pan and tank mounting. Happy Halloween!

 

[Zookrocker]

Well I got my tailpiece DONE! Well, Ok, not done done, but the hard work is done. Pretty happy with most of it. I just shot it with some random black paint to see how it looked. I've learned I have to have everything kinda the same color during mockup, or else the look is misleading.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

You going to weld in a hoop on those cut off frame tubes under the seat?