109Countries

Go to any big box building supply store (Lowes, Home Depot, etc) and all of the name brand tools that are "made in America" all of them include "from globally sourced materials". Hell, even the big 3 automakers are more made outside of America than Nissan and Kia. To me, it has became a rather moot point. And a meme.

Everyone starts somewhere, dude.

Do you have a link to the article?

I agree with Wraith. You would have such a large frame, with such a small engine. It would look like one of those 250CC choppers. Perhaps FB market place or craigslist has a parts bike with a larger engine? I picked up a GS650GL pulled for $100.

Glad you got it figured out!

I just found it on an image search! Good luck on the sale though! I totally understand... I feel the exact same way about choppers. Woof. I just zoomed in on the picture I uploaded and I just noticed that he has no rear brake pedal... or foot rest. Odd.

I think I found the look that I am going for. At first I thought the color was awful... but I must admit, it is growing on me. Like Henry Ford said, you can get any color you want, as long as it is black

I like the paint scheme. Definitely has the iron man vibe. Great job

You and that brown seat! I feel like there's a story there... Taco night?

Okay, we are 100% on the same page. Yes, aggressive solo riding is what I want the suzuki for. The wife demands the softest of air ride suspension when she is with me! That was a spot on analogy. Thanks again bud! So to re-ask, while I am in there, what are the known trouble spots on these? Should I just go ahead and replace the R/R and stator while I've got the engine split? I was going to take the internals to the brass wheel and clean up any carbon, but if re-timing is necessary then I will just leave it be. Again, if the points and advancing the timing doesn't do anything, then I will just go with the stock set of points and time it off of the 650e setting. Also, put the 650e stock jets in. Should I go 1 size larger if I plan on putting exhaust and pods on? What about shimming the carb?

Hahahaha arse about face... that is hilarious. I have never heard that before. I take it that that is the equivalent to ass-backwards. I really do not care how high the engine revs. It would also be nice to not have to take it to the peak RPMS to get the power, so I understand the 650 cams being across the board due to the nature of being shaft driven. So besides the cams of the GL not working due to the teeth, since that is a shaft driven opposed to the e, would that be more torque based? I could not find any 650m cam shafts. I also read that the e and the m had the same engine set up. Is that true?

So I am curious as to why you say that the 650e cams and sprockets would be the best route to go, when the 550 is across the board and the 650e is high end? Just wondering from your perspective. I think that would be a good experiment to try, once both are built. A 1200 versus the 673. My money is on the Suzuki hahahaha. One last thing, while I still have some money for the small parts (waiting to bite the bullet on the exhausts, filters, and tires) is there ANYTHING else that I should look at when I have both engines on the bench? Any known weak points? Any questions with the VN750, feel free to PM me. I got rather versed in the fine intricacies of it. It is a blast to ride.

Thank you for the clarification. I read that the GS650GL cams were the 34T sprockets, so I went on Eblag and found a set of the GS650E cams and sprockets for $25. I counted the teeth in the picture and it was a 30T, which is the same as the 550 cams and sprockets. As I had said, I was hoping to go with the most performance based application. I had read that the 650 powerband is pretty high, where as the 550 is more even across the powerband. As you had said, I want a fun and affordable street bike that I built. I have built a VN750 and a VN700 (sold), but that was mostly modifying the timing and air intake. I was wanting to do a full build. I believe that the 650 has the same power as the 750, but in a smaller frame. I would like to stay away from getting anything professionally done, as I promised the wife that I wouldn't have 4 bikes, so I will have to get rid of 2 of them at SOME point (didn't promise when!!) To that end, I want to put on some slip ons, some pods, electronic points (to advance timing), and the 650 top end swap. From there, I will get rid of the fenders, and hopefully swap the lower control arm out with an aluminum one (if found cheap enough) to cut weight. I have put progressive springs in the Road King Classic and the VN750; they are WONDERFUL. So probably those as well. Of course new tires, brake pads, seat with a cowl and I want to try and dent the tank myself. Worse case scenario, I will just buy one for $100. I can't think of any other weight savings. I cannot figure out how to delete the last post. Sorry fellas

I wanted a cleaner look on the instrument cluster, while keeping the warning lights and hopefully the gear indicator. A tach would be an awesome thing to have. I just don’t think I can do this with an analog.

Do you know about how much you'd have to file out of the sprockets? Does anyone have a picture of what the finished product looks like?

Maybe if I can squeeze enough power out of the Suzuki, it'd naturally turn brown from ride

Thank you for the reply. I am from the Mid-West, where we enjoy 6 months of winter, 4 months of 2nd winter, and 2 months of spring/summer/fall. I got the 650E cams and sprockets, because I heard that they were the 30t and a more performance based engine. From everything I have read however, keeping the 550 cams is the way to go in terms of overall performance. Can you please confirm? I am confused because I had heard that the 550 has 30t as well for its sprockets? If so, did I waste getting the 650E cams and sprockets? I haven't seen too much on the 700 or the 740. Do you know what the power advantage would be over the 673?

Thanks again guys! I am rebuilding a sportster as we speak, but the cafe racer will be the next one up. I will post the questions as they arise.

I will have to check out your bandit swing arm. I was going for as much weight reduction as possible. Regarding the ATU; do you advance the timing or just follow the stock 650 timing procedure? I purchased the 650e cams because that is what Suzuki_Don had said he did. I now regret that purchase, if it wasn't necessary. Thank you for clarifying that. Any other tidbits I should know before hand? I got an AGM battery that I was planning on mounting on it's side under the seat. Will that be an issue?

So do I just take a rat tail file to slot the sprockets? If I saw a picture of them I would understand better. I will post lots of photos along the for this build

Thank you for the response. I have the cams from the 650E. If the 550 cams are better, I will stick with those. I had read that the sprocket had to be swapped too. Good to know it doesn’t need to be. For the degreeing of the cams for intake and exhaust, I think a lot of the trouble comes from the difference in terminology between the English in the US and the other parts of the world. Do I want the ports to be nice and polished? Could I take the valves to the brass wire wheel and then smooth out any rough spots? Would fixing the timing be worth the pain? From what I had read, you cut off an inch from the cam end to get your gauge in there. I’ve never used the point gauge or the dial indicator.

I have decided which way I want to take the 1980 550L cafe racer project. I purchased a used 650GL motor for $100. Apparently this is a 34 tooth instead of a 30 tooth sprocket, so I purchased the cam shafts from the E series. I purchased a new head gasket and base gasket. I have been reading all that I can on this build, however I do not understand some of the terminology that you are using. Such as the baskets, bucket, and barrels. It would be nice to switch to a digital gauge, which ones have you guys found to work well? I was thinking one with the tach, fuel gauge, warning lights and maybe find one that has the 6 gears? I am sure someone makes it. I was looking at degreeing the camshafts to squeeze the most HP out of the build. Is there a more comprehensive build guide than this? https://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?155072-Degreeing-Camshafts-Information-Required/page9 Is it a necessary modification? I have never been this in-depth inside of an engine before, but I am rather excited. I was planning on using the 550 carbs and camshaft, unless the 650 is better? What size jets would you recommend to start? I want to put on pods and an aftermarket muffler. Everywhere that has the dynojet stage 3 kit has been sold out. If I could find the jet size of that kit, it should be cheaper to go that route. Is there anything else that I will be needing for the swap? Will the coils from the 550 work? What about points? Would switching to a better set of points increase any power output? I would like to put the aluminum swing arm from the 1100 on the bike to get rid of the center stand and the steel swing arm for weight reduction. Would any swing arm from the 1100 work? Here's what I found: https://www.Eblag.com/itm/82-Suzuki-GS-1100-GS1100-Swing-Arm-53D/133541708007?hash=item1f17b4c0e7:g:ZR8AAOSwO6xeYGlB or does it have to be off of the e model? They appear to be different. https://www.Eblag.com/itm/1982-1983-SUZUKI-GS1100E-Swing-Arm-Fork-Aluminum-Allot-Used-GS-1100-E-OEM-ES-82/293776629702?hash=item4466739fc6:g:PvUAAOSwfNRfgnPi

Brilliant. Why didn’t I think of that?

Perhaps I was unclear. The wire under the heat shrink is orange. The heat shrink is orange. It’s all orange

I think that the bright orange leads look gay. Like Henry Ford said, I want black.