So what's everyone's plans for the winter? Anyone have anything interesting planned?
Matt (sprinter666) and I are tearing down our GS450's and making them as awesome as possible. The plan is to take them down to the frame and then replacing what's needed, getting everything cleaned up and painted and then putting them back together hopefully in time for when it gets warm again.
Major plans are finding a new motor for Matt's bike or rebuilding the one he has. It's blowing smoke and leaking oil and just not running the way it should. I think it's got something like 78k miles on it, so it's due for some refreshening.
Another big one is we both need new rear shocks and our forks rebuilt. I'm a suspension engineer so this is something that I'm looking forward to, but we're also trying to keep it on a budget. And our bikes has 33mm forks so our options are limited unless we decide to run different forks, which I'm currently considering. But I'm more used to stuff with 4 wheel, so I'm still trying to figure out the best way to valve these, what springs to run in them, etc. If anyone has any input on this I would really appreciate it. Whether it's parts that we should consider or advice on different forks.
The bikes are also going to get completely rewired with new lights and gauges. I just want to clean some things up, and replace all those annoying bullet connectors. And then figure out a nice way to do the turn signals and tail lights, I would like to use LEDs but it depends on time and the budget.
And the last big thing is going to be rear sets. I think we're going to have to design these and have a buddy that works at a machine shop knock them out for us. There isn't much available for these to begin with and they're expensive. I think our only direct fit option is the Raask setup. But those australian ones that are selling on ebay for not too much also look tempting. It might be worth just trying them first on at least one of the bikes and if they suck too badly just redesigning something ourselves. The problem is, based on looking at it the other night, the spot we would want the right foot to be is about the same spot as the rear brake lever for the drum. So I'm thinking a linkage or a weird pedal setup would work, but again, looking for any opinions or advice from the more experienced guys here.
And then just the little stuff, cleaning up the bikes, getting stuff painted, making them look cool, be reliable and keep them fun and not too expensive. So hopefully we can get a lot of what's planned done and won't have to make too many compromises along the way.
We'll be taking pictures throughout the builds and we'll make sure to post them up here.
So what does everyone else have planned?
Tim
www.tipengr.com
Just put the TIP in
Matt (sprinter666) and I are tearing down our GS450's and making them as awesome as possible. The plan is to take them down to the frame and then replacing what's needed, getting everything cleaned up and painted and then putting them back together hopefully in time for when it gets warm again.
Major plans are finding a new motor for Matt's bike or rebuilding the one he has. It's blowing smoke and leaking oil and just not running the way it should. I think it's got something like 78k miles on it, so it's due for some refreshening.
Another big one is we both need new rear shocks and our forks rebuilt. I'm a suspension engineer so this is something that I'm looking forward to, but we're also trying to keep it on a budget. And our bikes has 33mm forks so our options are limited unless we decide to run different forks, which I'm currently considering. But I'm more used to stuff with 4 wheel, so I'm still trying to figure out the best way to valve these, what springs to run in them, etc. If anyone has any input on this I would really appreciate it. Whether it's parts that we should consider or advice on different forks.
The bikes are also going to get completely rewired with new lights and gauges. I just want to clean some things up, and replace all those annoying bullet connectors. And then figure out a nice way to do the turn signals and tail lights, I would like to use LEDs but it depends on time and the budget.
And the last big thing is going to be rear sets. I think we're going to have to design these and have a buddy that works at a machine shop knock them out for us. There isn't much available for these to begin with and they're expensive. I think our only direct fit option is the Raask setup. But those australian ones that are selling on ebay for not too much also look tempting. It might be worth just trying them first on at least one of the bikes and if they suck too badly just redesigning something ourselves. The problem is, based on looking at it the other night, the spot we would want the right foot to be is about the same spot as the rear brake lever for the drum. So I'm thinking a linkage or a weird pedal setup would work, but again, looking for any opinions or advice from the more experienced guys here.
And then just the little stuff, cleaning up the bikes, getting stuff painted, making them look cool, be reliable and keep them fun and not too expensive. So hopefully we can get a lot of what's planned done and won't have to make too many compromises along the way.
We'll be taking pictures throughout the builds and we'll make sure to post them up here.
So what does everyone else have planned?
Tim
www.tipengr.com
Just put the TIP in
