busa1300

Thanks guys My subscription comes a few weeks late living where I do, but I'm dying now to have a look...

I have been collecting NOS parts for the VJ23, and have it up on the operating table. Just trying to find the motivation to get moving on it after all the time I have burned up on the GS1000, which is about 98% done....and the CBX, and SR projects I finished during the year. Hate starting another project when I have more than one still needing attention.....like the vj22 that is on the other operating table, basically in suspended animation (untouched for years...) But I'll slowly get to it after I get back from vacation, as it needs to be done before mid May....I did get the engine soda blasted clean, need to get into engine a bit deeper also.

Thanks guys Up for some fame and fortune.... well, maybe a moment of fame See here http://www.customfighters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127881

Thanks guys Bike is hibernating for the winter, but will be waiting to hit the road as soon as snow is gone

I've owned bikes since 1981....so I have had some time to collect a few things Kids are long gone and no more ex wives to deal with...I can finally burn up some $$$ on me... There are are many days I walk into the garage though and think....fuck....what do I have fix this week instead of ride..???..........But the good does outweigh the bad for sure If I need to clear my mind, I just go out for a smoke

Here it is on a trailer going to the DMV to get it's VIN checked....and the first phase of trying to get a legal title...engine not needed at this point.

A couple glamour shots before it gets completely pulled apart for a sympathetic restoration....Suzuki's first dry clutch SP beside Suzuki's very last dry clutch SP version.

Why was it shipped in pieces you ask...? Because this is the US, and our laws are screwed up. A bike that does not comply with DOT/EPA must be 25 years old before it can be allowed into the country. If it's not 25 years old, then it must be considered a race only bike, and it can never be titled under it's serial number. So.....I took the hard road....and got the bike in as parts, since the engine was not in the same box as the frame, I got it home with no EPA/DOT issues with my serial number.

After pulling all the parts out of the box, I had to see if everything was there.....what better way to do that than bolt it together... Engine was all there too..........but I didn't bolt that in, It's getting a thorough rebuild before It gets reunited.

I also picked up some parts for my basket case VJ21 that I have hiding in the corner I have VJ21 SP forks for it, a RF600 3.5 front wheel, and now have a GSXR400SP braced rear swing arm for it, and a VJ22 17x4.5 rear wheel...and some tuned cylinders....

Time to open it up..... .........and see where my $$$ all went........

When I opened the smaller box, I was happy to find exactly what I expected....a dry clutch 70 degree v-twin stroker motor waiting for it's carbs, exhaust, and frame. A bit crusty, but looked unabused, at least from the outside

I have been a Suzuki lover since my first one back in 1982. It was a 78 GS1000E, and after my first ride home on it I was hooked on Suzuki power. I also loved two strokes since my first one back in 1984 (RZ350)....But Suzuki stopped selling two strokes in the States back in 1976 At the end of the year in 2007, I bought myself a modern stroker (RS250 Cup) for track days. And since that had a Suzuki VJ22 based engine, I thought that was as close as I could get here with sporting Suzuki power. But as I got wiser I found a few RGV's here in the States, as I looked for RS engine spares. I now had a VJ21L, a VJ22FL, and a VJ22N.....but I really wanted the last of them all....the infamous VJ23 And one day I had a call to pick up a crate.....drove to Chicago to pick it up and brought it home.....wondering the condition of it's contents inside. after the long trip from Japan. Two weeks before, I had a smaller box on my door step....

It ran perfectly, although after checking plugs, I could see it was running a little rich (put the bigger of the two main jet options from the Dynojet kit in). The seat didn't turn out exactly like I hoped, but the guy would have needed the whole bike to make it right (maybe before spring?) Brakes are still an issue, and I need more time on the road to get a feel for the carb settings. Tank needs cleaned out better yet, and my piggyback shocks need to get sent off to rechrome a rust/leaking shaft... But considering all I did to it, I'm happy nothing fell off or has blown up yet. Snow is here now, and the project has stopped.....I'm seriously burned out from working on bikes (finished 3 of them this year...but not the VJ23 yet) But I will do a story on the VJ23 here soon in watercooled/two stroke/V-twin.....which it fits all three categories... Time for a break until early spring I think.... Happy Holidays to those who read this soon, and to those others......I'll be back in spring to give a full ride report

I took the seat to get recovered, and bought a brand new fuel tap (GS850 which I needed to modify to make work) The one I rebuilt had a hole ate into it from the acid/vinegar, that I had in the tank... Put on another seat that I originally bought for the black bike, (since I stole the one that was on it earlier) that has an excellent base and good foam to work with....but ugly cover. Tank was reasonably clean inside, and I got an extra fuel filter to keep out as much crap as I could from getting into the carbs.......And..... I decided it was time to run it up the road....!!!!!! No plates, no insurance, no riding gear, no worries..... I didn't give a fuck, I was going for a ride...!!!!

Copy any of it you want, that's why I'm showing all I did... Since I had it running now, and almost had brakes (still having bleeding/internal leaking/flexing caliper...? issues of some kind) It needed to get off the operating table, and work up its strength a bit. Plus, I was worried that at some point it might ride itself off the table while running And I had that bike out of the box (remember the box I had to open...?), which was waiting for the table in need of some surgery as well. I still needed to get the inside of the tank cleaned up (scale, and crusted on old gas) before I could use it, And I had to rebuild my fuel tap too. But it did finally make it out in the sun, even if it wasn't quite ready to ride on the road yet.

When I do pull it open the first thing you see will be some pink

It was time to see if all my work was any good.... It was........ And another day of riding missed....

I started dragging my feet a bit, as it seemed I was almost afraid to finish it.... The carbs still need to be soda blasted, sonic cleaned, and rebuilt with a Dynojet stage 3 kit. I had imported a RGV250 VJ23 from Japan around this same time period, so I was having a hard time concentrating on one thing for very long. (as the VJ23 came in pieces in a box, engine shipped in a separate box)) I'd show you what was in the box.....but not sure if that's against the rules...??? http://oldskoolsuzuki.info/forums/index.php?/topic/4502-vj23-in-a-box/

I stole the seat off my other GS1000, and put the near mint stock one back on, that originally was with that bike. This seat has a very good base, but the foam was a bit chewed up, which was why I cut it down. After I got the foam shaped how I wanted it, I made a half assed cover for it, and actually looked almost usable. It will get a better cover before it's all done, don't worry

With most of the wiring taken care of, it was time to get to the brakes. I had rebuilt the rear 600 bandit caliper, and figured out how to mount the 600 Katana master in the original position. But I had to make an actuating rod from the stock pedal to the master. I also had to make my own brackets to adapt the 600 Katana front calipers to the GS1100 forks and GS1150 rotors. And was hoping that a B-King radial master would be enough to get it working without too much lever travel, with the antidive.

Cleaned up and partially restored my gauges....numbers are still a bit sunbaked....

Did someone mention a 18 rear wheel...GS1000....I can relate..... I'll throw it out for the hell of it....doesn't get out much for anyone to see otherwise...

Then one day I came home from work and found a box at my door....a big box.....