Girl's first build Suzuki GS450L

What year is this? I have an '80 GS450 that I have barely started to work on so I'll be watching to see what you do with this. The frame lines are great for a cafe or a brat style bike, either way. I think the rake on it lends itself more towards brat cruiser than cafe racer myself but that too can be changed!!

You may already know but it looks like you are going to have to pull that dent out somehow before you fill it. It looks too deep to just take bondo.
 
diesel450 said:
What year is this? I have an '80 GS450 that I have barely started to work on so I'll be watching to see what you do with this. The frame lines are great for a cafe or a brat style bike, either way. I think the rake on it lends itself more towards brat cruiser than cafe racer myself but that too can be changed!!

You may already know but it looks like you are going to have to pull that dent out somehow before you fill it. It looks too deep to just take bondo.
Click to expand...
Hey it's nice to see some other GS450's...It's an '86 and it was free and I want to keep it somewhat on the cheap :) I have a pretty good idea for direction but it is my first so i'll see how that works out. I love those cool kinda, low profile brat seats..not too sure how to get that done but looking at lots-o-pictures to help with the process. Yep...there are also a couple small dents on the other side. How should I go about pulling those out? thanks for any help...and coments ~Cheers!
 
I did a brat seat for my R5 and I had never used a sewing machine before. I did a pretty basic design and it came out pretty well. If you have any sewing skills you'll be ahead of the game. As far as the rest of it goes there are a lot of different ways to do it. I used 5/8" plywood for my pan, just cut that to shape. Then I used cheap camping mats from Walmart for the base of the seat pad. I glued two layers of the mat to the pan with 3M spray adhesive. After that I used and inch of medium density 1" foam Then wrapped the cover I made from Vinyl upholstery material to pan and stapled it. I did two different covers and reworked them alot trying to learn the best way to get it looking good and I will probably keep working on it over the winter but you can do this pretty easily and for about $25 in materials.
 
crzyjane said:
Yep...there are also a couple small dents on the other side. How should I go about pulling those out? thanks for any help...and coments ~Cheers!
Click to expand...

There are a bunch of different ways to get out dents depending on the size. If it's a real small dent the easiest thing to do is just throw some bondo over (dyna gold is the best). Larger dents take a little more work though. I've heard filling the tank with water and throwing it in the freezer overnight (never tried it myself) or using heat and dry ice to pop out a bigger dent. Whatever you do, remember that it is a gas tank, and gas can explode violently.
 
It looks like there are some sharp creases in that big dent. Pulling/popping it out may crack the metal. Which would be BAD... You may want to find another tank.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1980-SUZUKI-GS-550-GAS-TANK_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem23040f7b47QQitemZ150391978823QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1980-Suzuki-GS250-GAS-TANK-GS-250-GS25X-Vintage_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem1c0ddb291dQQitemZ120491551005QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
 
+1 on Von Yinzer's comment. If you have a local salvage yard you can probably find a tank for like $40 and save yourself a lot of work. Take the old tank with you so you have the mounting brackets and size for easy reference. And you don't have to necessarily use a GS tank, look for others you like that will fit or you can make fit.
 
It would probobly be too wide, but the late 70s gs1000 tanks are cool lookin. Doesnt have to be a zuki tank though. Ive always liked the mid 70s yamaha xs500 tanks. Real boxy, but cool.
 
Unless you want to go with a polished / brushed metal look your tank will be OK. The dent is not too bad. You may have some luck with getting a bar or large screwdriver in the fuel tap hole to pop it out a bit, but you won't get it perfect, so just bondo the rest.

Here's the GS650 tank that I'm using on my 450 project:

IMG_2053.jpg


And next to the original:

GSTwoTanks.jpg


The up side is that the front mounts are the same and the frame "pad" is in the same spot, so it will sit securely on the frame.

The down side is the rear mounts are totally different and the fuel tap fouls on the frame (it's too far back). I will move the tap and make new rear mounts, but just be aware of the fuel tap position if you are looking for a new tank ;)
 
hillsy said:
Unless you want to go with a polished / brushed metal look your tank will be OK. The dent is not too bad. You may have some luck with getting a bar or large screwdriver in the fuel tap hole to pop it out a bit, but you won't get it perfect, so just bondo the rest.
Click to expand...
Unless that dent creases down into the bottom seam weld (which it seems like it does....) Just dont want to see ya get screwed after finishing the tank.
 
hillsy said:
And next to the original:

GSTwoTanks.jpg
Click to expand...

I think I like the original white tank, trim botttom flat, slice along edge where side panel mounts and weld in a plate.

PJ
 
VonYinzer said:
Thanks~I put an offer on the 250 tank :) I will probably use the other tank to experiment with body work and such.
It looks like there are some sharp creases in that big dent. Pulling/popping it out may crack the metal. Which would be BAD... You may want to find another tank.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1980-SUZUKI-GS-550-GAS-TANK_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem23040f7b47QQitemZ150391978823QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1980-Suzuki-GS250-GAS-TANK-GS-250-GS25X-Vintage_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem1c0ddb291dQQitemZ120491551005QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
Click to expand...
 
one thing to think about is old tanks are not double walled... most paintless dent repairs can pop them right out of old school tanks! we have used them alot here in the shop
 
JRK5892 said:
How do I get the dent out? I want to atleast try. I placed an offer on ebay tank but wouldn't mind giving the fix a try. I'm not too sure what to do..I'm new at this :)
one thing to think about is old tanks are not double walled... most paintless dent repairs can pop them right out of old school tanks! we have used them alot here in the shop
Click to expand...
 
Does anyone know a good garb guy? I'm not going to mess with mine. I want it to be done right so my bike will run so I think it would be best if someone with experiance cleaned and rebuilt the carb. Money well spent in my opinion :)
 
you are a good carb "guy"
all he is gonna do is clean them thoroughly then look up all the stock settings and then work from there.
order a new gasket set and carefully clean all the parts to remove varnished gas and rust, replace fuel filter and lines if suspect, new plugs just to be safe. set the floats, idle mix, needle height, all to the stock manual specs, and you may be suprised at how close you can get on your first try.

plug the internet has this site which is like a bachelors degree in motorcyleology and thee are specific forums for any number of bikes like sohc4 of mikes xs or ectera for your bike,

someone was gonna say it so i got in while the getting was good.
plus it is SUPER rewarding to know that you did it. so when people ask you can say I rebuilt the carbs I tuned the ignition.... ect paint is super sensitive and i understand paying someone else for a top quality spray but carbs are more user friendly if you take your time a top quality job can be done by a novice.
 
I would have to agree with rjz there. Carbs are not super complicated. Just take them apart keep track of all the parts clean them real good and reassemble. I would suggest a good carb dip if they are really nasty just dont put rubber parts in a carb dip or carb cleaner for that matter. I hope you have a good manual by now that explains the process of disassembly and reassembly of your carbs. The tank stripping you did looks great but i would suggest a different tank too. something a little more cafe style. Keep up the good work.
 
Thanks for the good tips! I'll give it a go. All the little rubber parts are falling apart so i'll need new ones and I also removed the air box and bought pod filters. How will that change the factory settings? They are also attached by a rail...one of my friends said not to detach them, should I just do one at a time? Cheers and Happy Christmas ;D
 
How Bad are they? The bike hasn't been running in a while right? It depends if they just need a little attention then no you can probably just spray them clean the orfices and be done with it. If it were me i would seperate them give the a real good cleaning. It does make for more work but the outcmoe is better. The pods will lean your jetting out. It will allow for more air to enter your engine therefore you will have to match that added air and richen your jetting (bigger jets). Hope that helps.
 
Well I have made a little progress. I have a bunch of pics but can't find my camera :( I got some new wheels and am having a little problem. The front disc is fatter and I can't get the axle off. It is from a cb360. anyway I try to post some pic tonight I have an idea where I left my camera. I also got some new to me gauges also from a cb360. I have a new undented tank on it's way. all this stuff was pretty good price and should keep me busy for a while.
 
crzyjane said:
Well I have made a little progress. I have a bunch of pics but can't find my camera :( I got some new wheels and am having a little problem. The front disc is fatter and I can't get the axle off. It is from a cb360
You'll have to post some pics when you find your camera as i don't know what you mean. Have you done your carbs yet? Keep us posted.
Travis
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