Suzuki GSX thing.

[Dixiethedog]

This started about 3 years ago.

My good mate John, decided he needed a bike, but did not have a load of cash so he bought a GSX750 which was dog rough and overpriced. It was road legal so put to use. Now, John is a good friend, but he chops and changes hobbies like some clean people change their underpants. One day he likes the idea of having a pushbike, the next some fishing rods... and so it goes on.The brakes on the GSX needed a service so the bike was stuck under a cover in his back garden. A lot of the houses in my village were lease hold (as was mine), and a new company had taken over the leases. And they went from very very cheap to not cheap! Everybody was offered the chance to buy their leasholds (which we did) but this left John in a tricky position. So, I became a "pawn star" ( ). He gave me the bike as collaterall (which I did not really want!) and I loaned him some cash. Not a forune, but more than I would have paid for the bike!. "I don't want it back..." so the bike became mine.
Sh*t.

[Dixiethedog]

About the time he bought the bike I had spotted that somebody had fitted a full set of Katana bodywork to one, and then I spotted one kitted out in GSX EFE bodywork. Seeing as I had more than one set of EFE bodywork we planned a build. Which was good for me as I made a small amount of cash from EFE bodywork and it cleared space in the loft. And like mentioned above, things went pear shaped.

[Dixiethedog]

Ages ago, I saw a GSX14 Turbo with a cool reg (G5X**) and accidentally went onto the DVLA private reg site. The next thing I knew I had bought a cool-ish private plate for not a lot of money. A plate ideal for my plans.

[Dixiethedog]

You can see in the above pic that the rear mudguard was held together with pop rivets, glue and bits of steel. And that was the good part.

So, my plan was to stick a turbo'd Bandit 12 motor into it.
But I took it out for a ride. I touched about 70-ish and with being used to my FJR13 with its fairing the wind blast was horrible. I slowed down to about 60 mph and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Slow and steady seemed to fit this naked bike for me. No need for a 190-200hp engine in this.

But a change of style was needed.

[Dixiethedog]

The EFE panels went on easily (but not yet fastened on properly).
But then I parked the thing up alongside one of my real EFE drag bike projects and thought that the low drag bike stance was cooler than the fake EFE's height. Hmm...

[Dixiethedog]

This has sat unloved for over 2 years but as and when I have had spare cash I have managed to buy some s/h cool parts for it (or not?). I got a great deal on a GSXR Vance and Hines Sidewinder drag exhaust system, a Brembo braked GSXR thou USD front end and a drag extended swingarm.

[Dixiethedog]

The swingarm throw up some interesting thoughts(to me ).

[Dixiethedog]

I thought that the GSX Inazuma was just a modded Blandit frame. But, the swingarm pivot area is a lot wider.
I machined some new (really tight fit, press in) bearing carriers to widen the (long)arm to fit the frame. And then by chance, I narrowed a newish GSXR swingarm to fit a Blandit. The GSXR arm (un-narrowed) is the exact size (width) to go into the GSX frame.

[Count Steer]

So many projects, so little time.

[Dixiethedog]

This has thrown a spanner into the works. I have a spare GSXR swingarm, shock etc and I think the GSX will handle better with it rather than a long drag arm.

Pics to follow.

[Count Steer]

Did you machine the knurling on that bearing carrier?!

[Dixiethedog]

So many projects, so little time.

I am going to make time.

For one reason or another I have lost focus on my "stuff", but given another few days, things that I am busy with and on in my other more focused life outside of bikes will be completed and I can breath a sigh of relief and sit back and enjoy bikes again. But, I do have too many projects. And so little time. I will be old at 61 yrs old very soon. And that is another year over. I need to make things move along now!

[Dixiethedog]

Did you machine the knurling on that bearing carrier?!

Yes, it is not great as my mate borrowed my proper knurler tool and seems to have forgotten to return it!

The knurling adds "grip" to parts being pressed in for a better tighter fit.

Another (sh*t) knurl was on this Blandit steering stem.





Even though the knurling is pants, the blandit stem pressed tightly into the GSXR bottom yoke very firmly.
I need to either buy a decent knurling tool or ask my mate to return mine!

[Dixiethedog]

If I was to go lower with the GSXR forks and ground clearance was a problem, this exhaust set up would work nicely (but it isnt going to happen!). But you do need to check out how things would look.

[Count Steer]

Did you machine the knurling on that bearing carrier?!

Yes, it is not great as my mate borrowed my proper knurler tool and seems to have forgotten to return it!

The knurling adds "grip" to parts being pressed in for a better tighter fit.

Another (sh*t) knurl was on this Blandit steering stem.





Even though the knurling is pants, the blandit stem pressed tightly into the GSXR bottom yoke very firmly.
I need to either buy a decent knurling tool or ask my mate to return mine!

Well, I thought the knurling on that bearing carrier looked pretty smart.

All the same I think I'd be giving the mate an 'Oi!'.

[Rockburner]

Nice stuff, looking forward to seeing the end result.

[KungFooBob]

Have you considered pink decals?

[Dixiethedog]

Have you considered pink decals?

I love pink! I was thinking of replicating my old drag/street EFE colour scheme. The pic does not show the real brightness of everything. But to say it stood out like a turd in a swimming pool would be about right!

[Dixiethedog]

Well, I thought the knurling on that bearing carrier looked pretty smart.

Well thank you for that. The swingarm bearing carriers things I made were aluminium, so the knurling tool worked better into that than it did into the steel steering stem.
Hopefully, I might catch up with my mate as it usually about this time he appears here to ask if I am going on the local easter egg run. And I so "No".

[Dixiethedog]

Going back to the swingarm, it came with Harley style tapered bearings. If I am 10000% honest, I could not work out how I could adjust them in the Suzuki frame? Plus, the pivot width was 216mm and the GSX Inazuma frame pivot width was 240mm. Hence the bearing carrier swingarm widening idea. Other people might have done it differently with spacers or whatever, but I had a few fun hours in the shed on my lathe.



I mentioned in an early post that I had narrowed a GSXR modern day swingarm (240mm wide) to fit a Blandit frame. Well, I sold a Blandit to a lad living across the road who asked if I could do a GSXR swingarm for him as well. He has a very good job and could afford second hand parts, so I took him at his word, and to help move things along I bought another GSXR swingarm in readiness to modify for him. The next thing I find out as I walk my dog and bump into him and he tells me that he has sold the Blandit due to lack of garage space.So, this leaves me with a spare GSXR arm.

The GSX, even though it looks (almost) the same as a Blandit does not have mounting points for a monoshock so I would need to make and weld some in. I have bought some 6mm steel plate just in case.

The pros and the cons.
For me, the drag extended arm would look cool and having owned and ridden more than one bike with a longer swingarm they handle OK. Unless you are doing a track day, most people would not even notice the length if they are honest.
The cons.
I would need to buy some new decent rear shocks. With a spring rate suitable for the extra leverage from the arms shock mounting points.
The pro's for the GSXR arm conversion.
I have the swingarm, the shock and the linkage.
The cons.
Braced arms sometimes look shit to me in old fashioned style frames.

My other (easy) option is to just clean the original swingarm, repaint it, stick some new bearings in and bolt it back in.