[Sarge2481]

Just picked up a 1989 Suzuki GS500E, got the bike and almost all parts needed to get it up and running again for $350. Bought it as a flip but well see how it goes. Will update with more.

 

[Apriliarider]

Cool!! Looking forward to seeing your project develop.

 

[Sarge2481]

After going through all the parts that came with the bike, I basically have everything needed to get it up and running again. The new parts included 2 carb overhaul kits, clutch cable, clutch and brake levers, gasket kits galore, hell basically everything but a battery and oil change kit.

What really irritates me though is he drained all of the fluids when he stored it, including the brake fluid. What kind of psychopath drains all of the brake fluid??? I can't get the rear master cylinder to pump up so that might be coming out for a rebuild and manual bench bleed.

Aside from that I just ordered some turn signals, mirrors, battery, oil change kit, and a footpeg. Assuming I don't have to get anything else for it I'm under $500 for everything including what I paid for the bike.

Luckily tires are only 3 years old, all of the fairings are there, I hooked my truck battery up to it and cranked it over so the motor turns, and it only has 19k miles.

 

[K-woppa]

That's a score for a guy like you who has the skills.

 

[Sarge2481]

Yea, hoping to make a quick buck while keeping another bike from the scrapyard at the same time.

 

[Sarge2481]

This is how I got the bike, all the fairings and gas tank are in the garage. I also have the carbs 99% rebuilt, just had to order 2 seals for the choke as they're just destroyed, so they're on the back burner for now, will focus on the rear brake and checking valve clearance next.

 

[knowninknownin]

never heard of anyone draining the brakes either. maybe he was checking the dry weight .....
was the coolant gone too?
sucks that the rear piston/cylinder froze though, especially when theres a bunch of other stuff happenin at the same time.

 

[Sarge2481]

It's actually air cooled, so he just drained the oil and brake fluid. The rear caliper is fine, the problem is I can't get the air out of the master cylinder so that may be coming off the bike this weekend for some bench work.

The fun part was getting the bike down the ramps off the bed of my truck... with no brakes... backwards... yeaaaa...

Another funny thing is in the last 30 years, no has drilled out the brass plugs for the air/fuel mixture screw. I went ahead and split the carbs apart and dunked them in the parts cleaner bucket. Once I get the seals I ordered I will have replaced every seal, jet, and adjuster, essentially a remanufactured set of carbs for a whopping $33.

 

[97af]

That 500 is going to be nice. It looks like it was half way cared for.

 

[Sarge2481]

It is in good shape, especially for being over 30 years old. I can tell it was dropped on both sides since the tank has small dents on either side from the handlebars, and the exhaust is dented a bit. I got the new battery today, and it came without acid. I have never bought a battery that required acid and it didn't come with any so needless to say I was irritated. Luckily the advance auto parts down the road had a big bottle of it for $5, so I have that on the charger. Checked the valve shim clearance, spec for all 4 is .04mm-.09mm, all 4 are at .07mm so luckily no need to buy shims.

Starting tomorrow I go on call for a week so I will be messing with the rear master cylinder some more in between calls and over the weekend. Still waiting on some parts, and the carburetor parts I need probably won't be here until late next week. I'm almost at the point of being at a standstill so if everything shows up on time I'll probably have it running next weekend.

Also, is there a way to change the post title? I noticed I fat fingered it and the S became a 0. It was supposed to be "GS500E"

 

[97af]

I fat fingered it and the S became a 0. It was supposed to be "GS500E"

Well what else could it have been????

 

[ducatiman]

Also, is there a way to change the post title? I noticed I fat fingered it and the S became a 0. It was supposed to be "GS500E"

fixed

 

[Sarge2481]

That is the newer style of GS500, this one is more of a naked bike. Basically like this except the fairings and tank are black with red stripes.

And thanks Ducatiman

 

[Sarge2481]

Ok, so good news, I got it started for a second today, basically shot some carb cleaner into the cylinders without carbs on and fired it off, sounded pretty good.

Also just got the rear master cylinder disassembled and let me tell you, that was a major pain in the ass. Piston was seized, 120psi from the compressor did nothing, soaked it in PB Blaster for about an hour, compressor still did nothing. Took a large philips head screwdriver and basically went caveman with that and the piston on the workbench, it finally moved, shot it from the other end with air and finally came apart. Soaking all the parts in some parts cleaner, and will have that back together this afternoon.

On a side note, I got a call from the sheriffs office this morning (I'm on call this week as I work for the water/sewer dept), some guy ran over a fire hydrant, and I mean he nailed that thing, launched it a good 50 yards, took out a fence, bent a light pole, and drove a few miles down the road where he nailed another truck. Still have no idea where the operating shaft for the hydrant went, Im assuming its wedged somewhere in his truck. That shaft is basically a 2ft long 1 inch thick solid steel bar. It's been an interesting morning so far.

 

[Davenay67]

Bought a brand new GS500e back in '97. Great little bike for zapping around the SoCal canyons. Enjoy your little treasure band keep us updated on progress.

Eventually thought I needed more power and moved onto a '93 GSXR-750 (which was a major PITA the entire time I owned it).

 

[po18guy]

The GS500 has a long and interesting history. A chip off the ground-breaking 1977 GS750, it began as a 400, then 425, then 450 and finally settled in at 500cc. Nice frame and OK suspension and brakes. If Zook has only liquid-cooled and 4-valved it, the EX would have been in for the run of its life. Always wondered how much better the GS would be with an EX motor in it.

 

[Sarge2481]

Honestly after poking around with this GS and my EX, I think the EX definitely has the better overall design and ease of maintenance. Even just the fuel delivery on this GS is way over-complicated. The GS has 2 petcocks, and about 6 or 7 hoses needed just to get fuel to the carbs. The valves use shims instead of adjustable rockers, which makes an adjustment to most do it yourselfers a multiday affair in many cases. Aside from that the tires are the same size as the gen 2 EX500, the brakes are very similar, I can definitely tell it was Suzukis version of the EX500. I'm sure it will perform similarly to the EX, but I definitely will keep the EX over the GS.

 

[po18guy]

It is Suzuki's first 4-stroke design, going back to the late 1976 intro of the 400. As to shims, once set right, thery stay in adjustmet far better and longer than screw-type adjustments. Just lay up a few spare shims from eBay engines and you'll be golden. Over-revving can spit a shim out if the valves float, but we are talking racing abuse here.

 

[Sarge2481]

So long as the shims stay put until I sell the bike I couldn't care less. I'm just glad no adjustments were needed because those shims are like $8 each and a weeks wait. If I start to come across alot of these and flip them, I might keep some spares around, but I pretty much just take it 1 bike at a time.

 

[po18guy]

Decades ago, I bought a neat little tool that wedges into place and has a small plunger that compresses the valve spring just enough to pull the shim out with a magnet. It was almost $50 in the early 80s. Lasts a lifetime, though.