My streetfighter project

[isaac]

My 82 Suzuki GS850 has had an interesting life. It came to the USA 24 years ago bound for Texas, where it would change hands at least three times. Its final owner, a Harley guy, brought it to Florida, where he promptly disassembled it, and not so promptly left it sitting in a pile.

I bought it like that for $350.


note the missing majority of the engine/intake/exhaust

I put it together in a hurry, despite it being my first motorcycle project, and had this:

The leader of the pack, it was a very comfortable, very heavy touring bike, ready to strap saddlebags to. I loved it, but it was far too dorky for me.

I came up with an idea, to turn it into a bike that's nearly uncategorizable, and photoshopped this idea:


A month or so later, I had this:

[isaac]

since this forum only allows 4 pictures per post, I'll continue:



I'd lowered it front and rear, painted it flat black, ditched the seat and heavily modified the subframe and made my own seat. I thought it was pretty cool, but something wasn't right. I mostly didn't like the seat, which was nothing like my concept, and had the taillights built into it, making it a pain in the ass to move around.

Then I changed it up a bit:


I blacked out both wheels with shiny paint, made a new, smaller seat, and added a fender with twin bullet taillights. I also thought that was pretty cool, but the fender developed a habit of breaking its mount welds. I was planning on keeping the bike that way for a while because I loved it so much, but then I saw this:


I've always had a boner for hooligan bikes, and that was sort of what I was going for with mine, but it had gravitated toward looking too much like a cruiser. It was cool, but not so much my style.

[isaac]

So I went about modifying it again. I raised it up in the back by modifying the springs. I'm going to raise it another 1.5" back there with the help of spacers I'm making that I'll insert under the springs.

I pulled the fender, moved the tails, and we have this:



That's where it sits now. It's still a little bit power cruiser, but it's on its way back to streetfighter country. Once I've raised the rear, I'm going to weld in a steep subframe in the back, modify the seat, and add in a tail cowl, and then I'm putting a set of flatter bars on the front. Then I plan on taking two 5.5" headlights off an old BMW and giving my bike the bugeyes. I'll have my hooligan bike yet.

[hawkLer]

what exactly do you do as a "living", sir?
maybe i am missing something or i've not noticed a timeline if there is one, but DAMN, you seem to have a lot of time on your hands.

more power to you!

[isaac]

what exactly do you do as a "living", sir?
maybe i am missing something or i've not noticed a timeline if there is one, but DAMN, you seem to have a lot of time on your hands.

more power to you!

I work for a company that pays me to post on web forums. It's frickin nuts. In reality, I'm a journalist for a local newspaper and make my own schedule a lot of the time.

As far as the timeline on the bike goes, that started a year and a half ago. The mods were intermittent throughout that time, and the most recent happened in the last few days.

[Doc]

I think it is cool how you fabbed alot of your own stuff. I just recently got the balls to do that with my racebike.

I say put a straight bar on that thing instead of those "buckhorns" that are on it. Or a motocross bar.

[isaac]

I think it is cool how you fabbed alot of your own stuff. I just recently got the balls to do that with my racebike.

Thanks! The important part is to have no fear.

I swa but a straight bar on that thing instead of those "buckhorns" that are on it. Or a motocross bar.

Don't know what that means, but if you're talking about me putting a flatter bar on the bike, I mentioned plans for that mod in post #3.

[Doc]

Yep. Flatter bar, drag bar, motocross bar...

What ya got on there are called buckhorns boy, buckhorns I say!

[motorcycleman]

Good job! Reminds me a bit of the kawi eliminator (if you bobbed the rear, as you did. :P

[LeftRightLeftThrottle]

what'd you do to fab up the seat. I've got a 76 yamaha xs that i'm beating into a rat bike, i was thinking of getting some marine plywood, foam, vinyl and a staple gun to get it done on the cheap

[Hawk Jr]

nice... love the old XS650's... I have a tank off one that I am useing right now as a test mule for my bondo and painting skills before I tear into the F2 for my hawk... Those are another cult like bike... I have seen some killer chop jobs done on the XS650. The one I bought for $200 was a beater and a half. I had it stored at a buddies house and before I could do anything to it some of his friends came over and one offered me $400 for the frame for a chopper, $100 for the front end for a BSA chopper and another guy gave me $300 for the engine... so I made out and kept a ton of parts like the tank and the seat (which was mint and solde for $180 on ebay) 2 sets of carbs...

Great bikes and they have a ton of guy out there putting them back stock or chopping them. Hmm maybe I need to find another my self... Honey... can i get...

[isaac]

Yep. Flatter bar, drag bar, motocross bar...

What ya got on there are called buckhorns boy, buckhorns I say!

By "don't know what that means" I was talking about the nearly incomprehensible string of typos that began your comment.

[Doc]

Edited for your approval. :P

[isaac]

what'd you do to fab up the seat. I've got a 76 yamaha xs that i'm beating into a rat bike, i was thinking of getting some marine plywood, foam, vinyl and a staple gun to get it done on the cheap

Seat was made from a piece of plywood for a base, vinyl and extra dense foam padding from a fabric store, and sheet metal from home depot to give it the side contours. I screwed it together with self-tapping screws.

[dagus]

I like it. But with those twin shocks it has more cafe-racer potential than Triumph S3 lookalike. Get yourself some clubman bars, or at least a straight, flat bar like you're planning. Take that rear fender off and get a cafe-racer tail on there.

LOTS of potential there. And no shortage of balls.