new guy with a gs550

akaerik21

akaerik21

New Member
HI, I just picked up a 78 Suzuki GS550 for a hundred bucks off of my uncle, and now I'm working on it almost every day trying to get it ready for the road.
 
So far I have chopped 6" off of the rear of the frame and made a frame loop out of the old handlebars. Then I made a new seat, and reused the orig plastic tail piece to fit the new brake lamp, mounted new eBay turn signals, front and rear. I also took all the plastic off around the gauges to give it a little cleaner look. Now I am currently trying to re-run all of the wiring, and mount the resister and other do-dads under the plastic tail piece. I also mounted the battery where the old air box used to sit, and pulled the carbs off to try and fix a stuck float situation. I'm just waiting on the gaskets to come in so I can mount the carbs back on hopefully get this bike on the road.
Future projects include a new front end and hopefully new wheels and exhaust.
 
Here is a pic of what the bike currently looks like.

IMG_20130719_192114.jpg
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I am really learning a lot about bikes and having a great time doing so. So I now know that I will not be buying my air filters on eBay for 20$, and I can't just slap on after market parts and expect the bike to run like a Honda Civic. My goal was to get the bike running before the season was over but I'm not sure that, that is going to happen. So I will instead be doing a lot more research and start compiling all the stuff I want to build this bike the right way.

My major goal is to put on a front end off of a newer sport bike like a gsx-r, upgrade the brakes, and also install a 4-1 exhaust. But in the meantime I will try to keep this build on the ground and stick with function over fancy. Any help will be greatly appreciated, so if anyone has any input as to what I might want to look at doing with this bike, I will more than grateful for the suggestions.
 
I suggest you put the front fender back on - it acts as a fork brace.
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's the kind of stuff I need to know about. I'm kinda on my own here, trying to read every build page I can for knowledge and inspiration.
 
Welcome!

If you haven't already, sign up at the GSResources. The folks over there know every nut and bolt on your bike. While they can be kind of harsh on any custom work, it's a good group.
 

I got stainless brake lines & fittings ordered today. I just hope they come in by Friday so that I can work on it this Saturday
 
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