Black Betty

CaminoRacer · June 22, 2016, 05:27:13 AM

Looks like I'm in luck because I have roundslide VM carbs instead of CV carbs. Apparently the problem with pods and CV carbs involves air pressure differences between the pods, amongst other things. But my VM carbs are controlled directly by the throttle cable, so any choppiness is my fault.

I want a 4-1 exhaust to shed a bit of weight and get a racier sound. I want the pods so that when I have to re-jet the carbs for the exhaust, it'll be much easier to remove/install the carbs. Not really looking for any performance advantage, since the best case is <=3 hp and will move the power up in the rev range. Probably won't notice any real-world difference.

68_427 · June 23, 2016, 11:41:39 PM

Or you could add two more cylinders for a racier sound.

CaminoRacer · June 29, 2016, 08:53:47 PM

Shed a whole 2 ounces by removing the chain guard.

CaminoRacer · July 02, 2016, 01:12:20 PM

I ordered a spoke wrench last night around 6 pm and it got delivered today. Didn't realize Rocky Mountain ATV had a warehouse about an hour from my house in Kentucky. I've been to their warehouse/storefront in Utah many times which is why I ordered from them. Good thing I didn't pay for faster shipping!

I've got a slight front end wobble but everything seems to be in good shape. Except when I tap the spokes with a wrench, they don't ping as much as I think they should. I'll try tightening them a quarter turn or two and see if the wobble disappears.

CaminoRacer · July 12, 2016, 08:24:58 PM

Front end wobble is still present. Put the center stand back on so I could test the wheel bearings and they seem fine. I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and take the front wheel to a shop to have it trued.

Also, I realized that the clutch cable was getting smashed by the bottom triple clamp at full lock.

I ziptied it out of the way for now but I'll replace it soon. Should hopefully lighten the lever effort.

CaminoRacer · July 20, 2016, 08:19:04 PM

Looking at keeping the stock forks, but improving them with Progressive springs, a 2" drop, and upgraded caliper & rotor.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?222546-Twinpot-Brake-Upgrade-on-GS550E-GS750C-GS1000C&highlight=

I could also swap to dual discs, but those have smaller diameter rotors and would obviously weigh more. The Blackbird rotor weighs less and should be just as good with grabby pads and SS lines.

CaminoRacer · July 22, 2016, 04:51:59 PM

Ghetto wheel truing setup. It's pretty much perfect - I tightened two spokes and that was it.

My steering head bearings have a dent in them, at the straight-ahead position. That might be the issue. I'll replace them when I lower the forks.

CaminoRacer · July 24, 2016, 05:57:53 PM

Pods and new exhaust are on!

Ugly and hard to take the carbs out:

Prettier and easy maintenance:

Mac 4-1 header, decent paint job on it - closer to powdercoat than paint. Might wrap it in the future, but for now I'll leave it as-is.

It came with a muffler but it rubs against the frame. That section of frame is technically just for the stock muffler mount, but I don't want to do anything irreversible right now. I think I'll get a baffle to slide into the end of the header to cork it up a tad and reduce the noise a few dB. It sounds amazing right now (true 4 cyl scream) but I think I'm losing a bit of HP with the open header.

The header weighs about 9 lbs, the stock dual exhaust probably weighed 35 lbs. 25 lb weight loss! It's noticeable too.

Carbs were easy to tune - swapped from 80 main jets to 100 mains, moved the needles up 2 notches (highest position). Didn't touch the idle air screw yet. It's idling perfectly right now but I'll pull a sparkplug later tonight and see if it needs to be richened up any.

CaminoRacer · July 30, 2016, 05:00:08 PM

Goals.

CaminoRacer · August 04, 2016, 07:23:28 PM

Trimmed the side covers to clear the pods. They look better and less bulky without the notch anyway.

(Stock on left, trimmed on right)

Also made some new seat brackets.

CaminoRacer · August 07, 2016, 09:46:59 PM

Added a baffle and fiberglass packing to the exhaust header. Dropped the sound level by about 10 db. (From 90db to 80db) I also think it makes the header look more finished.

CaminoRacer · August 08, 2016, 08:38:15 AM

Skateboard seat!

Unfortunately a quick test ride proved that the tail light was too close to the tire. Quickly moved it up to the edge of the seat and I'll take the bracket off.

Still have no clue how I want to mount the license plate.

shp4man · August 08, 2016, 08:56:27 AM

Have you changed the fork oil? It gets amazingly bad after a few years.

CaminoRacer · August 09, 2016, 04:22:26 PM

Quote from: shp4man on August 08, 2016, 08:56:27 AM
Have you changed the fork oil? It gets amazingly bad after a few years.

Not yet. I'm probably going to get progressive fork springs, so that'd be a good time to change the oil.

CaminoRacer · August 09, 2016, 04:24:55 PM

Foam seat pad in progress, using 8 lb carpet padding.

giant_mtb · August 09, 2016, 05:40:23 PM

Nice. I love that stuff.

CaminoRacer · August 11, 2016, 05:35:43 PM

Skateboard seat was a fun experiment but I suck at upholstery stuff so I put the old seat back on. I don't want to go to an upholstery shop right now, but maybe on the future I'll get a nice cover for the foam and swap it back on.

giant_mtb · August 11, 2016, 09:35:18 PM

Any pics of the attempt? How far did you get before you realized you didn't wanna?

CaminoRacer · August 12, 2016, 04:40:10 AM

I was experimenting with using shoe laces to hold it tight on the back side. It actually worked quite well, but I couldn't figure out how to wrap and hold the ends. Normally you would just staple it to the seat pan, but I was trying to just wrap the foam by itself.

If I had a good sewing machine, I could sew a basic two-piece cushion cover with the seam running along the edge of the foam.

CaminoRacer · August 14, 2016, 09:39:31 PM

Looks like the solution is to use a yoga mat or camping pad or some other closed cell foam, cut and glued to the board.

Similar to this

68_427 · August 14, 2016, 11:06:51 PM

buy a gel life jacket, cut out sections, and wrap the gel. Like a bicycle seat.

CaminoRacer · August 16, 2016, 07:13:04 PM

It's usually advised to never let your wife and girlfriend meet, but sometimes it just has to happen

Test run for when I move back to school later this week. Gonna end up using a total of 5 ratchet straps. Two on the triple clamps, two holding the rear frame section, and one holding the front of the frame. Seems like 1 more than needed, but the main 4 are all pulling the bike backwards and I need the 5th one to counteract that.

shp4man · August 16, 2016, 07:27:54 PM

Quote from: CaminoRacer on August 16, 2016, 07:13:04 PM
It's usually advised to never let your wife and girlfriend meet, but sometimes it just has to happen

Test run for when I move back to school later this week. Gonna end up using a total of 5 ratchet straps. Two on the triple clamps, two holding the rear frame section, and one holding the front of the frame. Seems like 1 more than needed, but the main 4 are all pulling the bike backwards and I need the 5th one to counteract that.

Nice vehicles!

giant_mtb · August 16, 2016, 07:34:29 PM

Quote from: CaminoRacer on August 16, 2016, 07:13:04 PM
It's usually advised to never let your wife and girlfriend meet, but sometimes it just has to happen

[pic]

Test run for when I move back to school later this week. Gonna end up using a total of 5 ratchet straps. Two on the triple clamps, two holding the rear frame section, and one holding the front of the frame. Seems like 1 more than needed, but the main 4 are all pulling the bike backwards and I need the 5th one to counteract that.

That's how I position dirtbike in my bed. Can't close the gate if I run it straight-on, and I like to have it closed for safety/peace of mind and so other stuff in the bed doesn't have a chance to fall out (gas can, ramp, etc.). I only use two straps, though. One on each bar end hooked to the hand guards. Pulls it forward thanks to movable tie-down anchors running all around the bed and with the wheel wedged into the corner, it stays put pretty well. If I was driving long distances, I'd probably add straps to the rear as well, though. Fo sho.

MrH · August 16, 2016, 07:49:46 PM

Toyota's tie anchors on your Tacoma are the tits. I loved that system.

giant_mtb · August 16, 2016, 07:52:34 PM

Quote from: MrH on August 16, 2016, 07:49:46 PM
Toyota's tie anchors on your Tacoma are the tits. I loved that system.

They are super convenient. They could stand to be a bit stronger, though, IMO. They're flexing a decent amount with the bike tightened down nice and snug, and they're only rated for 250lbs. But yes, they're wonderful. The similar system on my dad's Frontier feels a lot more solid/strong.

CaminoRacer · August 16, 2016, 07:59:57 PM

Quote from: giant_mtb on August 16, 2016, 07:34:29 PM
That's how I position dirtbike in my bed. Can't close the gate if I run it straight-on, and I like to have it closed for safety/peace of mind and so other stuff in the bed doesn't have a chance to fall out (gas can, ramp, etc.). I only use two straps, though. One on each bar end hooked to the hand guards. Pulls it forward thanks to movable tie-down anchors running all around the bed and with the wheel wedged into the corner, it stays put pretty well. If I was driving long distances, I'd probably add straps to the rear as well, though. Fo sho.

I'm sure it'd be fine with the front straps for around town. Since I have extra straps and have to drive 1600 miles on the freeway, I figure better safe than sorry.

What are these fancy moveable anchors?

giant_mtb · August 16, 2016, 08:01:52 PM

Quote from: CaminoRacer on August 16, 2016, 07:59:57 PM
I'm sure it'd be fine with the front straps for around town. Since I have extra straps and have to drive 1600 miles on the freeway, I figure better safe than sorry.

What are these fancy moveable anchors?

Center cap screws/unscrews, then you can slide the anchor along the rail. There's a rail on each side as well as the front wall of the bed.

CaminoRacer · August 16, 2016, 08:17:38 PM

I'm jealous. Do you put them on the front wall or just scoot them all the way on the side?

giant_mtb · August 16, 2016, 08:31:42 PM

Quote from: CaminoRacer on August 16, 2016, 08:17:38 PM
I'm jealous. Do you put them on the front wall or just scoot them all the way on the side?

One of each. Say, the way your bike is sitting in that picture, the strap coming down from the right end of the bars would be on an anchor on the front wall, while the left strap would be on an anchor on the left wall pulling the front wheel snug into the corner.