Rivet flaring - picture for link to GSR

Center Stand

Well the bike came with a center stand, but the side peg was busted off so it was totally useless. I bought one from a 80'something 650, but it was about an inch too short. I got a proper one at Allen's Cycle Salvage in Moncton, NB [http://www.cyclesalvage.nb.ca/] -website has not been updated in a while. He's got a good supply of stuff, but is kind of pricey. I also bought a set of soft saddle bags from him, that have worked great.

A sidenote: the saddle bags and windshield take away from the wicked old-school look. I might just sell them...

I took that rusty center stand, brushed, scraped, sanded it and then painted 2 coats of primer on it. I then put 3 coats of black rust paint, with light sanding in between all coats. Result:

Windshield

Bought a windshield from a Harley lady for 60$, a spitfire smoked one. The clamps are too big though, so I will have to stuff something in there to tighten it up. Right now it works, but is loose.

Chain Lubing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joneman How often should I be lubing my chain though? Totalmotorcycle says to do it after every ride, and my friend says that stupid cause' I will just get oil everywhere and more dirt will get into my chain... Thanks!

oh my
well start with doing it every ride
then every second ride till you see how long the lube stays and and stays clean for the conditions you ride in

not sure what you buddy means by more oil causing more dirt

if you apply it then use a rag to wipe off excess there should not be a problem

__________________

Thanks to Calvin Blackmore, gsresources.com

Broken Speedo Cable, Front tire changed

So my speedo cable broke this past weekend on the way to buy a windshield, after I just got my front tire changed last Thursday at Fredericton's' Honda Sutherland Dealer for 45$ tax-in. The tire I bought at G Bourque in Moncton for 99$ tax-in shipped here, and its working good so far. I was just about to lube the cables, so it kind of suck that the speedo cable had to snap. From looking at other 78 550's, I can see that the routing of my cable is wrong. It seems to have quite a bit of stress on it.

I am thinking of buying the cable from bikebandits.com, an OEM one, but I would much rather get one in town and save the shipping and duty. Honda had one but it was a Motion Pro one, which from what I have gathered on gsresources.com, is crap compared to the OEM cable. I am going to call Macleans soon to see if they have the part, as they are a suzuki dealer. I also want to get a Clymer Manual, and so far bikebandit.com seems to have the best/same price compared to other sources.

Headlight adjusting screw

Another point I forgot to mention was that I had to change my headlight (the original's low beam did not work). It did not have an adjusting screw, which changes the direction of the beam horizontally, but the old light was there so long it didnt move at all. The new light vibrated really badly, making my bike annoying. I purchased a screw at a salvage yard, as it came with a nut and spring, but it was too long and I cut it too short. I picked up a screw and bolt at Kent friday and installed it - it worked great :)

If you need the length that I used for your own bike let me know by leaving a comment.

Pictures from Saturday Fun

Just wondering what the wire going into the plastic head/slide piece is...

















Plug #1 threads? I should figure out how to clean the threads, cause i just put my clean plugs right back into the mess

Also, I need to invest in a plug gauge as I dont have one right now...








Another clean carb (after having carb cleaner seat in my carbs for about 10 mins)













Gas I drained out of my tank... now donated to my dads' lawn mower











Bottom of tank - not really rusty at all :)














Petcock
Lower horizontal 'nipple' for fuel line, upper (45 degree) nipple for vacuum line
















Vacuum hose off petcock, with a small nick/crack on it and fuel line (the one with a white twist-tie on it)












Naked Bike =O


























Float bowl of carb
Drain Screw
Hose coming out of bottom - what is it?











Supervisor :P














Tinkerin' in the garage












Four plugs drying up, all clean












level of oil on the side kick-stand