GSX1400 Owners .org

Purchased the 1400 a few weeks ago.  Been trying to clean it up.

I think I should start a new TV series called "Bike Rescued from previous owner"..

The amount of neglect was hidden..  the more I've taken it apart the more I find that needs to be fixed.

I did the standard things like oil and spark plug change.  Then through talking to Teufel and some research, found that I could replace the sight glass in the master cylinders - both of which you could barely see anything (I'll post more pics).

The fluid in the top of both reservoirs looked reasonable - but I planned on changing it anyway..  but...  the bottom of the reservoir, the fluid was like a thick sludge.. 

After doing the clutch side, I then removed all the sprocket covers and found a massive (inch thick easily) amount of crud build up and it was a wonder the clutch actuator rod even moved..  Lots of cleaning later it was better, but then noticed all the other crud built up everywhere around the frame as well..    I removed the Scottoiler - not doubt the culprit of the crud.. funny thing is that the previous owner didn't know if it was working - I found that one of the zip ties was so tight it was blocking the hose..  won't be putting it  back on...  I've never been a fan of Scott Oilers and prefer to take the time and spray chain lube on the chain myself and regularly maintain my bikes..  being an ex-mechanic assistant (after school) back in the 80's when my brother owned a motorcycle shop.  If anyone is interested in buying the ScottOiler, I'll post it up in the for sale section once I clean it up.

I then put my attention to the fuel tank as along the welded seams at the base of the tank, there were a few paint chips and a little rust build up. So thought I would clean it up and put some touch up paint on..  what happened next?  a comedy... as 3 spots sprung leaks as fuel started to weep out - seems that the paint was the only thing holding the fuel in..

Not to mention the rear sprocket carrier bearing..  I purchased a full bearing kit for the rear..  but the sprocket carrier when I inspected the bike had a small amount of movement - a few mm left and right..  but when I took it all apart the bearing was shot to pieces...  at least I was prepared for it.

Sprocket Bearing

Sight Glass Replacement

My 1400..  rescue :smile2: :smile2:

Nice rescue, bike looks great.
I agree about Scottoilers too, I had one with the extra resevoir that after a 500 mile trip when I took the panniers off it had dumped the entire contents over the rear wheel  :thumbs_down:

Looks to be coming along nicely BD  :onya:

 :clapping: Looks Great Fella  :clapping:

Looking good - so much neglect by the previous owner - didn't realise you got rust in Oz !  :)

That's a nice lot of work you have done there mate  well done and welcome to our family 1402  :cheers:  :onya:

And the work continues.

Just some of the rubbish that was in the tank.  The rest is still in there some sticking to the sides and the other bits are half peeling off.

Looks like some previous owner tried to line the tank and did a bad job of it.  Looking at the huge chunks of rubbish.

The tea bag fuel filter was so clogged, I'm amazed that the bike even ran when I test rode it..

Think I'll junk this tank and hunt down another one.

Can't believe that the bike ran even like that wow 😳

Yeah, its got me wondering how the bike will go now that I've cleaned out the fuel filter when I can get my hands on a new tank..  Something to look forward to.

You've got to wonder what the hell goes through people's minds when you see shoddy work/maintenance like that  :whatever:
Good luck BlueDragon... god knows what else you're going to find!

Well, I've taken most of the bike apart now.

I've had to cut part of the base of the fuel tank out - and no surprise, things got "worse" in that I then removed even more tank sealer rubbish..

I've ended up ordering a new fuel tank.  Whilst I thought about the second hand ones on ebay - the end cost was going to be nearly the same price as a new tank - once the ebay tank was dent repaired and then stripped back and re-sprayed the right colour, then Suzuki decals are not cheap.  So it was better economics to buy a new tank and not worry about rust or anything else for that matter. 

That said - I'll be having the original tank base re-welded back in and then I'll let it sit with vinegar filled up to the top for a few days, to remove any remaining rust.  Then flush it out with fuel and use it as a spare tank.  I certainly won't be putting tank liner back in it.

At least I haven't found any more surprises.

Plus the information on this forum has proven to be extremely helpful.  Rebuilding the rear shock preload adjusters and other things. 

Your bike will love you for your efforts..
Its very lucky to have "escaped" the previous owners "Care" !!
Well done you for rescuing her..
They are a fabulous engine unit.

S.

Your bike is coming along nicely. Can't believe the amount of rubbish in your tank

great thread! Thanks for sharing this ongoing work.  I'd like to see more threads like this. :)

Quote from: VladTepes on Monday, 29 April  2019, 10:22 AM
great thread! Thanks for sharing this ongoing work.  I'd like to see more threads like this. :)

Thanks..  I'll post up more pics later.  no bodywork left on the bike now except for the front fender that I bought of Teufel..

Looking at taking the front end apart this weekend to check out the steering head bearings.

No TLC had been given to the bike for so long that the drain holes in the battery carrier and where the  ECU sit were blocked up with dirt and other rubbish and spider webs.  I should have taken a photo of the underside of the chain guard.. which had about a 1 inch thick layer of crud sticking to it..  needless to say I've been using a lot of degreaser but even then that hasn't been enough and I have had to scrape the crud off parts of the engine and frame.

I'm hoping to find a local welding place who can re-weld the base back into the tank this week.  The new one is going to be around a month or 2 ex-Japan. Along with some decals for the ducktail which I will be re-painting..

The OEM front guard had 2 cracks in it that I didn't see in direct sunlight.  Until I got home and under the neon lights of the the garage I saw them..  Plus I found that the side covers were also cracked where the screws are. Thankfully I have a plastic welder and can plastic weld it all back up again.

Well,

Got the swing arm out this morning.  Great info on this forum on what to expect before tackling the job.

Even more grease/oil/dirt crud removed from everywhere.

The bearings were OK, with reasonably good grease, but cleaned it all out and re-greased it all, nice and clean.

A jar of vinegar is also getting a work out as I drop all the nuts and bolts into it to remove any surface rust. 

All nice and clean after a few hours of soaking - ready to be put back in tomorrow morning.

Being that my wife and I took the VFR800 out for a spin this afternoon to Walcha and back home to Tamworth, to test the new stator and rectifier I had to install in it.

Will be attacking the front end on the GSX tomorrow morning.

Plus prepping the rear duck-tail for a re-spray and also spray painting the side covers at the same time.  Then plastic welding the original front fender and a re-spray for it as well, to keep it as a spare as I like the white one I bought from Teufel better.

A pic of the VFR.. 

Yep, I am a fan of the Rothmans Race Team that Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan rode for back in the day..

Great work on 14 mate. Nice Honda also, wash my mouth out, did i say that. Really i did, dont often praise Hondas except cb750. I was at Surfers raceway the first time they had onboard camera, Gardner. He fell off. Worth a search for that clip.

That's a very nice vfr!   I was looking for one when I got the offer of the 14.... no looking back after that!   :onya: :cheers:

Welcome, seems like you got your work cut out for you for a while. Always sucks to think you bought a good bike and then find hidden problems. Good luck with the fix!

Pics of the drilled out original exhaust stud that acted as a guide so that I could drill out the centre of the other broken exhaust studs

Finally after a lot of patience and 2 full weekends in the workshop, buying longer drill bits and and a new M8 Tap as well as new exhaust studs and nuts, I got all the broken exhaust studs drilled out, threads tapped and the replacement Delkevic headers and collector installed.

I went with Delkevic as I had a big discount voucher on ebay that I used and saved quite a lot of dollars.  Plus the dual rear mufflers that were already on the bike when I bought it, were also Delkevic.  So thought I would just keep it all the same.

Next job is to get the rest of the tank done.  I had the bottom section soldered back in again by a radiator place..  But that opened up a can of worms as due to the heat, a lot of pin hole leaks opened up when I did a leak test.  So - even though I said I would never do it, I went out and bought a tank sealer kit and will reseal the tank over the next weekend.  Then lightly sand the clear coat on the tank and re-clear coat it as well.

I did end up buying another tank - second hand as you can no longer buy new tanks from Suzuki.  But have a plan for it - I have to respray it, as it is silver.

Cracker mate. You & Snapey are ripping into it flat out.

I'm not understanding your drill jig from those photo's. From what I see your drilled out socket screw is the drill jig but how does it screw in to a thread that is taken up by a broken bolt?

Quote from: Snapey on Tuesday, 11 June  2019, 10:59 PM
I'm not understanding your drill jig from those photo's. From what I see your drilled out socket screw is the drill jig but how does it screw in to a thread that is taken up by a broken bolt?

Broken stud - yes, is the drill guide as I put it in a drill press and drilled out the centre with a 4mm drill. 

Which then the same 4mm drill is used to drill the pilot hole into the broken stud still in the head.

The black nut screws onto part of the broken stud as it was still protruding outside the head.  The drilled out stud (guide) is the screwed into the black nut and tightened up so that it won't move around.

Now just start drilling. 

He's using the 4mm hole as a pilot hole to drill into the centre of the broken stud, once stud has the pilot hole, nut & bolt assembly off & the 6mm drill goes in easy & straight.  Works if there's a few threads sticking out to thread the nut onto.

I've never seen a stud break with enough thread sticking out to start a nut. I'm thinking it's broken off flush & how the hell have you got your jig attached?

What I am intrigued with is how the hell did you get the m4 hole concentric on a bloody drill press when I'd be happy to get it right with all my special toolmaking equipment.

Quote from: Snapey on Wednesday, 12 June  2019, 06:34 PM
I've never seen a stud break with enough thread sticking out to start a nut. I'm thinking it's broken off flush & how the hell have you got your jig attached?

What I am intrigued with is how the hell did you get the m4 hole concentric on a bloody drill press when I'd be happy to get it right with all my special toolmaking equipment.

Took me 2 goes.  I just lined it up with the first attempt, but while it was centre at the top of the stud, it was very slightly off at the bottom.  So on my second attempt I did a heap of measuring and worked out the angles and was able to get the second one almost perfect.  Took a bit of time, but it made the job of drilling out the other studs a lot easier.  Unlucky in that 6 studs broke.  But lucky in that they all  broke outside of the head so that I could use my home made guide to drill straight and not have to take the engine out of the frame. 

I did have to buy some very long drill bits though. 

When I fitted up the new headers, I didn't need to do anything but put the nuts on the ends of the new studs, after using anti-sieze on the stud threads.  The header brackets just went straight on, everything was lined up nicely.

I figured that after having 6 exhaust studs snap off after 2 weeks of soaking with WD40, I had to get something to go right... :lol:

Six broken studs ... unbelievable although if one breaks then there's the chance of them all breaking. I've been lucky with every 14 that I've had that I've never broken a screw although I certainly expected it on the current project.

well, I did something I said I would never do and bought a KBS Tank liner kit to re-seal the tank.

Too many pin holes in the tank that I had to get welded.  Plus the surface rust came back before I could get fuel into the tank after picking it up from the radiator shop that re-welded the base back into the tank for me.

All went well with the re-seal. In fact, if in their videos they said how powerful the first step cleaner was - I would have bought the kit in the first place.  Following the instructions, that first step cleaner stuff - (glad I always wear gloves) it actually stripped out every bit of the old liner - even the stuff that was still fully stuck to the inside of the tank and I had been using a wire brush to get it off.  Then after the second step rust prep - inside an hour (as per instructions) there wasn't a spec of rust left in the tank.  That liquid went in blue and came out the most disgusting colour I had seen.

By the way - for the above first and second steps - if anyone needs to reseal a tank.  I removed the fuel pump and just put the housing back in.  With the sender unit, you can remove it from the base by unscrewing 2 small phillips head screws and then get the soldering iron out and melt the solder off the one wire connection.  Job done. You can then just re-install the housing.  This way the pump and the sender unit don't get damaged at all by the first and second steps.

The next trick though was to get the sealer all through the tank without it blocking up the inlet from the rear of the tank.  Easy - go to the local pet store and buy  a short length of clear air pump hose.  Then use a heat gun to soften it a little and you can then shove it inside the inlet at the back of the tank and this will stop any sealer from getting into the metal pipe and blocking up the inlet.


The kit I bought was for a 20 litre tank - which there is more than enough sealer to do the GSX tank.

Just poured it in and spent my time slowly turning the tank around to get it to coat the inside of the tank. For this part I took the fuel pump and fuel sender housings off the tank so I could see inside and where the sealer was getting to.

Once I was happy that it was coated, I sat the tank upside down and let the excess gather around the area behind the fuel filler.   You can watch it slowly pour down to the area.  Now, to get it out of the tank - I previously bought a cheap long handle paint brush for a couple of dollars as a sacrificial brush.  Simply stick the brush into the tank and scoop up the excess sealer and put it back into the tin it came from.  Take your time with this as it takes a long time for the excess sealer to make its way to the lowest point of the tank. 

All done and I now have a nicely sealed tank again ..

Pics of all the rubbish I got out of the tank - thanks to the previous owner not following the instructions on tank sealer..  Obviously he didn't drain the excess out as most of these are solid chunks of sealer

Also got around to fitting up a windscreen I bought on ebay.  Had to hit it with heat gun as it the edges where the brackets were meant to bolt onto the headlight bolt - well, there was no way they were going to fit. Bought a clear screen as I don't like dark tinted screens - which is what was on the bike when I bought it..   Something else to sell off when I'm finished, along with the Scottoiler, both being removed from the bike and never to be put back on.  (if anyone is interested in these bits, let me know)

Also test fitted up a volt gauge - but need to rewire it to the battery so that it reads actual voltage, currently reading 1 volt lower than actual voltage on the battery.

Then fitted up a GiPro ATRE that I bought by mistake a year ago..  story being that I bought it on ebay from a wrecker in Brisbane.  Said it was for a VFR800, so I jumped on it as I wanted one for my VFR. But found that when it arrived, the plugs were totally wrong..  Not knowing what model bike it was really for, I just packed it away in the cupboard as the seller didn't offer returns.  But as luck would have it - with some research, I found out it was for the 1400..   So fitted it up as well and it works a treat.

Funny thing is now, when I turn the headlight on - the bike seems to want to do a "Tron" light cycle thing   :lol: :lol: 

See here with the headlight off

Now with the headlight on

Looks ok, but a bit distracting, especially in the dark I'd say.  If you want to remedy it, just mark out & cut it up higher with a dremmel, I see it's a bit low in front of the lens.

Yeah, I noticed that it is very slightly below the top lip of the headlight.

I don't do a lot of night riding, so will worry about it later if I find it annoying.  Initially it isn't.

If you fit a strip of electrical tape along the bottom edge of the screen or paint with model paint/nail varnish .
Then that will stop the light entering the screen so shouldn't then show as the rim of light your getting
:cheers:

Starting to put the 1400 back together now.  After respraying the ductail and the rear grab handle. 

Also decided to see what vinyl wrapping was like and vinyl wrapped part of the side covers.  I think it turned out OK for a first attempt. 

Then thought I would maybe go for a quick test ride up the street and back again..  Nope...

The bike had been sitting for so long and even though I would start if up and let it idle every few days - the clutch plates had stuck together..  so off came the clutch cover and took the clutch apart and put it back in again.

So thought, well, I won't let the time go to waste and promptly installed the Venhill braided clutch line at the same time.  I have the same lines for the brakes, but as I'm picking up a set of front brake calipers off a SV1000 in October (along with some other parts that are being kept for me) I thought I would wait until I get those calipers and do a full service on them and install the Venhill lines at the same time.

Got that all working so went for a nice 1.5 hour ride.

Looking good there BG great you got a decent ride on her  :onya:

Thanks.

Still a lot more work to go yet.

Just ordered a complete seal kit for the clutch master/slave and all the brake master/slave units as well as the rear brake caliper.

Still have to paint the side covers. Undecided on that one. I like mirror black, but also like the white covers with the blue graphic on the Yoshimura GSX1400. 

I painted the passenger foot pegs and brackets black and like it better than silver - so the side covers might head that way as well.

Also need to do a touch-up re-spray of the lower part of the tank where the radiator guys damaged the paintwork when they re-welded the base of the tank back in.  But at least when I put a new KBS tank liner through the tank - it is now all sealed, no leaks etc.  Still need to install the rear hugger as well. 

Then I want the seat re-upholstered in velour, which I find gives just the right amount of non-slip but still lets you move side to side in the seat for cornering.  I have that on my VFR and it works beautifully.

Then I need to cut up some graphics on my vinyl cutter as well.  Cheaper than buying OEM Suzuki, as I just buy the off-cuts from the local sign-writers.  Too small for them to use - but the right size for my smaller Roland cutter.  Which has been a handy little thing as I also used to use it when I did custom air-brushing on bikes - great for making my templates up.

Brilliant restoration..
I can vouch for your choice of SV1000 callipers.. I did the same mod and have never regretted it!

Well, been busy over the last few months..

Bought a seat cover out of the UK through ebay and fitted it up, much nicer that the ripped cover that was on the bike when I bought it.

Then fitted up a replacement set of throttle bodies I picked up from a wrecker in Sydney.

Now no more FI error C28 error codes.

Took a bit of adjustment with the fast idle on cold start as well as balancing.

Need to re-balance them at some stage or at least check them as I also bought a new toy in the form of an electronic carby/throttle balancer, rather than the manual gauges I was using.

Then serviced and painted up the SV1000 calipers I also bought.

Hopefully to be fitted this weekend with new pads, new discs and Venhill lines. 

Then had a fairing turn up in the mail from the UK.

complete with screen.

So now working on some custom brackets to fit it.

endgame result will hopefully look something like this once I buy some paint and get the spray gun cleaned up..

Though, I will keep my current full Delkevic exhaust system on and I am undecided on if I will paint the wheels black like in the photo, or leave them white.  I'm also condsidering painting some of the engine covers gold like the old Honda CB1100R, just to break up all the black.  Rocker cover is being painted red with VHT red engine wrinkle paint.  The Mrs wants me to paint the wheels gold - but I'm not too sure about that one either. I'm not usually fond of black wheels but in this case, I think they look really good.

Not so different from the Wes Cooley replica 14's from a few years back

Quote from: BlueDragon on Tuesday, 05 November  2019, 08:37 PM
Then fitted up a replacement set of throttle bodies I picked up from a wrecker in Sydney.

Now no more FI error C28 error codes.

What was causing the C28?

Quote from: Snapey on Tuesday, 05 November  2019, 10:06 PM

Quote from: BlueDragon on Tuesday, 05 November  2019, 08:37 PM
Then fitted up a replacement set of throttle bodies I picked up from a wrecker in Sydney.

Now no more FI error C28 error codes.

What was causing the C28?

Checked the STPS and found that it was reading incorrectly.  Previous owner told me that the TPS had been replaced.  Part looked new - so no reason to not believe him there. Then he said he still had error codes so the STPS was also replaced - but had my doubts about that one when I looked at it.  When I took the bike for a test ride before buying there were no codes.

But getting the bike home and taking it for a few rides before the tear down, the FI light was coming up with C28 codes.  But not all the time, very sporadic. 

Anyway, I tried removing the little metal spacers on the screw holes of the STPS to get more adjustment out of it and got close to the readings that it was meant to be - but still, the bike was throwing intermittent C28 codes on some rides.  Found it was cheaper to buy an entirely complete second hand throttle body that had all the sensors, fuel injectors etc, rather than buy another STPS and then take the chance/gamble that it was the problem - as if it wasn't I would have then been up for more money.  So bought the complete throttle body and swapped it over, made the adjustments and in several rides since then - no FI codes.

Going to strip down the original throttle body and clean it up and put it back together to keep as spare parts for the time being.

So there was nothing wrong with the STVA?

Quote from: Snapey on Wednesday, 06 November  2019, 07:51 AM
So there was nothing wrong with the STVA?

I think the actual issue was the STVA in fact.  As I noticed at times, turning the key on - it would work fine.

But then when riding along and the FI light came up, checking the code with a switch I wired in, it was C28.  I then noted that the STVA actuator was not working and I could move it manually with no pressure against me pushing the secondaries at all.  Turning the bike off and then ignition back on - it would start working again.  Then if I attempted to manually push the secondaries - the STVA would push against me trying to manually move the secondaries.  Whenever the C28 code came up, it was easy to move the secondaries manually - no push back from the STVA.

I checked all the wiring and connectors on the STVA and found that the wiring was OK, nothing bad or suspect, tested the continuity etc etc.  But I didn't take it apart.  I intend to when I get some time.

The usual problem with the STVA is a loose magnet but once they come off it doesn't fix itself. I'll be interested to see what you find.

well, got the SV1000 brake calipers installed on the weekend, along with the Venhill brake lines.

Brakes are now insanely good.  Definitely as others have said - don't want them any more powerful than what they are and only need 2 fingers on the brake lever.

Awesome stuff...  but there was a big reason why... 

check out the photos of the original brakes.

I had previously bled the brakes and the new fluid - which was a different colour to the old  (new fluid was blue in colour) was coming out the bleed hose, so, assumed that all was good and there was new fluid all through the caliper.  But it seems not...

Seems that there was so much gunge and crud from the old fluid in the caliper, that it was not actually flowing through the caliper and was just going straight down the original brake line and through to the bleed nipple.  As the caliper was still filled with old crap..  and old fluid.

With all I have gone through with restoring this bike, makes me wonder if the original owner knew anything about bikes at all.

I intend to service the original calipers up so they have new seals and new pistons and keep them as spares. 

I should have filmed all this as a documentary and called it "Bike Rescue"   :lol: :lol: :lol:

So, no wonder the new brakes are so much better, being that I took them apart and put all new seals etc in them, totally clean etc.

Makes me wonder how good the original brakes would be if I serviced them instead.  Whilst the pistons were moving in and out, it seems that they only had minuscule movement as several pistons are not moving at all and have proven difficult to remove for servicing. 

That said - I've no complaints about the new brakes, but just wondering what well serviced original brakes are like..

Looking at those internals I wouldn't be surprised if the brake fluid had never been changed till you got it.

Looking at those internals also, I'm just trying to imagine how you managed to stop at all, that looked horrific.

Quote from: Tally on Wednesday, 20 November  2019, 02:21 AM
Looking at those internals also, I'm just trying to imagine how you managed to stop at all, that looked horrific.

Yeah. I was shocked as well.

When I bled the brakes, I did notice that a lot of the pistons weren't moving. but after a heap of external cleaning of old brake dust on the outside of the pistons, they all started moving again.  I then put a old single brake pad in the caliper and pumped the lever until the pistons came out more and cleaned them up.  Pushed the pistons back in.  did another bleed to the point where I used most of the bottle of brake fluid and saw no bubbles in the bleeder line and clean fluid coming out. 

But after seeing this, I think that there was so much crap inside the caliper that it was blocking the new fluid from flowing through.

Still trying to get used to the new brakes..  they've certainly made a difference. 

Now my VFR is crying out for braided lines...   :lol:  whilst the fluid in it is fine and has always been serviced, I thinking braided lines will also be a nice addition to it.  Problem is the expense, with so many lines I think I'll be up for around $500-$600 Aussie.

Quote from: BlueDragon on Thursday, 21 November  2019, 07:15 AM
with so many lines I think I'll be up for around $500-$600 Aussie.

Check out WES Moto : https://wezmoto.com/ I got a complete set of std configuration front and rear brake lines plus clutch line, carbolook outer and black stainless banjos for A$285 delivered to Perth WA.  Great quality lines and fast delivery.

Glad you got those brakes sorted out, looked like they had a lot of water in them to emulsify that brake fluid that badly.

Been a little while since I posted anything, but been busy on a project with my son, fixing a GSF250 Bandit for him to learn on.

Anyway, I bought a seat cover off ebay (UK made) and then bought a air powered stapler from the local Bunnings and recovered the spare seat I bought.

So that allowed me to get to work on the original seat that came with the bike.  Which was modified, but was very much on the "hard as a rock" side of things.

After taking the seat cover off, I found out why - the previous owner had an upholsterer add a solid hard foam pad to the seat. Which I then removed and decided to reshape the seat.

bought some seat foam from the local upholstery place. Helps that the owner also rides as well and knows the best types of foams to use and gave me some tips on how to do a proper job, the right tools etc and said that once I was finished, to bring the seat in and he will recover it for me the same as what he did with my VFR, which was a custom leather/velour/textured cover.

Pics of the re-shaping.

Little bit more shaping to do.

But so far the wife said that the passenger part of the seat is supremely comfortable - better than the standard seat we have and the extra height take a little bit of knee bend out as well.

I shape the rider area to be similar to the Sargent seat shape, which I find more comfortable and the added another piece at the front and will add another piece behind it to level out the seat more to stop sliding forward into the tank all the time.

So should be off to the upholsterer in a week or so.

Next up was the GS1000S fairing fitting.

This had become a bit of a nightmare and I almost wished I didn't buy the fairing and just bought a smaller fairing - a lot of which I had seen on ebay - for the CB Honda's.  Which would bolt up to the headlight mounts.  The only reason I didn't buy them was that they looks so small and thought that they were just for looks and would not really do much more than stop the instruments from getting hit with bug splat.

I wanted something with more wind protection for the open road.  With the plan that my wife and I would be doing some touring next year when she is able to take some long service leave.

In fact I was able to buy a brand new set of Givi Pannier racks from the local importer through one of the local bike shops here.  The importer had them in stock.. They are meant to arrive tomorrow.  They fit the V35 panniers - which I will save up for next.

Anyway ...  back to the fairing..

The GS1000S can't fit the 1400 using the standard headlight mounts or the current position - not unless I cut the crap out of the fairing as it extends so far back from the headlight.  It hit the handlebars and it would have also hit the 2 horns above the radiator at full lock as well. Also the front fork slider covers would have also hit it under heavy braking.

So I had to make some new headlight mounts which would raise the headlight about 1.5 inches and also extend it forwards by about another 1.5 inches or so.  Ended up making some template mounts out of 8mm thick aluminum plate which I bought from a local metal fabrication place as an off-cut piece.  Going to a metal place - they expected me to spend $500 on a full sheet about 1m x 3m...  Yeah right..  the piece I bought was much cheaper and should be able to make about 3 pairs of mounts - so the first pair are a "throw away" template to work out the mounting hole locations for everything.  Then I'll make a second pair that will be used on the bike.

The template mounts allowing the mounting of the fairing so that it won't hit the handlebars or the horns at full lock.  Also had to make the headlight adjustment mount as well.

Then bought some 10mm aluminum tubing from Bunnings and my neighbour loaned me his pipe bender so got to work on the template mounts to do a test mounting of the fairing.

Pics of the fairing temporary mounted.

Also fitted up some machined aluminum mirrors I bought from Aliexpress.  Seriously awesome quality and they work really well. Vibration free.

Not sure how much more I will do now or even if this will be finished.

Been thinking about selling the bike and all the spare parts I have for it (spare fuel tank, spare seat - the one I have just reshaped, throttle bodies, spare headlight, blue front fender, oil cooler, original handlebars, Bellypan, Givi racks when they arrive, the list goes on)

Been looking at a Honda CB1100XX Blackbird as the wife really likes it and finds it more comfortable than the 1400 when we test rode one. 

Which got even more tempting the other day when I was talking to a friend on a forum and he found out I had a 1400 and he said he was after one....

A blackbird belonging to mate of mine lay in my shed for about a year with a problem in the ABS, it's still there he took my FJR for a ride and never brought it back. They are a quick bike but it's too sporty in riding position for me on long rides.

Quote from: Irish in Oz on Sunday, 23 February  2020, 07:01 PM
A blackbird belonging to mate of mine lay in my shed for about a year with a problem in the ABS, it's still there he took my FJR for a ride and never brought it back. They are a quick bike but it's too sporty in riding position for me on long rides.

I'm used to the VFR800 Vtec I also have and in fact prefer that riding position.  I find I get a better feel for what the front end is doing.  Whilst I don't mind the seating position of the 1400, I find that I can get the same "feel" for the bike like I can with the VFR.  I'm 6 foot tall and long legs and slightly longer arms than average, but also only weigh 85kg. So to make the VFR comfortable, all I had to buy was a rider footpeg lowering kit which lowered the pegs about an inch and it was perfect for me, along with the double bubble screen. 

That said - we are also looking at a GSX1250FA, but haven't had a chance to ride one yet. 

You can't be serious. That fairing certainly copped a hiding with the ugly stick.

The Wes Cooley replica GS1000S, cut away was for indicators and mirrors mounted on fairing.

@BlueDragon
I like it and look forward to seeing your bike finished.
It's great to see someone doing something different .
It might not be to everyone's taste but as long it's what you want then all power to you .
:cheers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVmeSD2NlKw&list=PLRnL3qK17Kdco96TEt3I0MqIJZ8708zsp&index=22&t=0s

Was after something like this.

I know a lot of people hate the look of that fairing, but I grew up with the GS1000S.  In fact my older brother had one.

Whilst it's not the "prettiest" bikini fairing, I prefer the rounded look to the very expensive (not affordable) rather sharp edged fairings for sale on Webbike, or the cheaper copy versions on ebay and Aliexpress.  Though I was tempted to buy one of them to try - simply because of the easier installation as they look to just bolt up to the headlight bolts.  But I was skeptical about how much wind protection they would provide compared to the GS1000S fairing.

But I think a mute point now as its very likely I'll be selling off a ton of gear and the bike and buying something else.

(http://dscf0536.jpg)  170kms today plus a cigar and a coffee in Pahiatua NZ

Quote from: Roo on Monday, 24 February  2020, 03:20 PM
  170kms today plus a cigar and a coffee in Pahiatua NZ

Not quite sure what point you are trying to make here?

If you talking about distance. Then my wife and I ride from Tamworth through the Oxley and to Port Macquarie for Fish and Chips lunch and then back home again in the same day. Total 580 kms in a day.  Do this almost every saturday.  If not all the way to Port Macquarie, we ride through to Wauchope for lunch then back to Tamworth - about 520kms in a day.  Hence why I wanted a little more wind protection comfort than the small "fly screen" I have currently installed.

Pity youve done all that and selling. Gotta do what you gotta do. Youre thinking of Blackbird, try a FJR Yam.

Quote from: grog on Monday, 24 February  2020, 06:37 PM
Pity youve done all that and selling. Gotta do what you gotta do. Youre thinking of Blackbird, try a FJR Yam.

A blackbird belonging to mate of mine lay in my shed for about a year with a problem in the ABS, it's still there he took my FJR for a ride and never brought it back. They are a quick bike but it's too sporty in riding position for me on long rides.

Quote from: BlueDragon on Monday, 24 February  2020, 04:36 PM

Quote from: Roo on Monday, 24 February  2020, 03:20 PM
  170kms today plus a cigar and a coffee in Pahiatua NZ

Not quite sure what point you are trying to make here?

If you talking about distance. Then my wife and I ride from Tamworth through the Oxley and to Port Macquarie for Fish and Chips lunch and then back home again in the same day. Total 580 kms in a day.  Do this almost every saturday.  If not all the way to Port Macquarie, we ride through to Wauchope for lunch then back to Tamworth - about 520kms in a day.  Hence why I wanted a little more wind protection comfort than the small "fly screen" I have currently installed.

Nah mate just postin !   170 kms a run is plenty for me ,the cigar and coffee are just as important. I'm nearly 71  but this bike has probably given me another 5 years at least ? 

Quote from: Snapey on Monday, 24 February  2020, 02:51 AM
You can't be serious. That fairing certainly copped a hiding with the ugly stick.

I tried a Givi std size fairing on mine for a week, hated the thing, offered no wind protection, in fact forced the air onto  the top half of the helmet, vibrated to buggery even with the givi mounts.  Took it off and resold it.

Naked 1402 for me always

I`ve never understood why anyone buys a `naked musclebike` then complains about a headwind and spoils it completely by fitting a headlamp fairing, or similar!
For seriously fast long distance work, just buy a Kawa ZZR1400. For touring maybe the Ninja H2 Performance Tourer.....? No, i`m not a Kawasaki Rep, but for goodness sake, enjoy the `14 for what it is, a ballistic roadster, and put up with a bit of a draught.....just saying..... :whistling:!

Each bike to its own.  :smoke:

I saw a Ducati Srambler last week, huge great Harley touring type fairing but knobby tyres. Now that is something i dont understand.

Quote from: DP1400 on Wednesday, 26 February  2020, 07:25 AM
I`ve never understood why anyone buys a `naked musclebike` then complains about a headwind and spoils it completely by fitting a headlamp fairing, or similar!
For seriously fast long distance work, just buy a Kawa ZZR1400. For touring maybe the Ninja H2 Performance Tourer.....? No, i`m not a Kawasaki Rep, but for goodness sake, enjoy the `14 for what it is, a ballistic roadster, and put up with a bit of a draught.....just saying..... :whistling:!

I can't understand why people buy a quiet bike and then make it noisy.

Quote from: Irish in Oz on Wednesday, 26 February  2020, 07:12 PM
I can't understand why people buy a quiet bike and then make it noisy.

Because you can't buy them noisy. Bikes are getting more quiet to conform to the law.

So if you make them noisy you must be breaking the law  :whistling:

All depends on how noisy! My `12 had an `ART` can; my Blade a `Power Devil` can, and my `14 has `Carbon Can Co.` cans. I`ve not run any with the removable baffles in place, and all have sailed through MOT`s at different MOT stations.

They all sound fantastic without being obtrusive and give the bikes a little more character without being OTT. :onya:

Is a dB sound check done at the MOT station! It may be stamped on your exhaust silencer.
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2018/july/legal-advice-motorbike/

Cops here give a 5 decibel tolerance. Above that you pay. Do they find that the exhaust has been manipulated you pay more and they may deny you riding it until fixed. May even confiscate it for an expert investigation. Gets expensive quickly.

Original noise is more than enough for me. PO had destroyed the baffling of the cans. I got like new originals from a cop who liked a little more noise for his 14. I know another cop who had his 14 oem cans manipulated :lol:

I`ve never known a dB sound check being done at an MOT station, and my old `ART` can was even stamped `not for road use` (though it wasn`t that loud!). The tester told me that unless they have a standard bike in at the time in to compare it with, then no problem. I was happy with that, though i didn`t believe entirely what he said!! Anyhow, it would never had been a problem as i always have the standard cans in my garage.

I note that, according to the MCN article link, max permitted dB levels are 82-86, and the cops use 90 as their max. allowance? How daft is that - every piece of landscaping machinery i have in my shed is rated at over 95dB!!! :confused1:

Dont listen to what anyone says just do your own thing

TT2011

Looks like you are still using the original headlight mounts

How did you managed to mount the fairing.  Can you post some pics of the brackets and how you mounted it?

Well, I ended up buying the fairing brackets that Big Geordi had to see how the GS1000S fairing would fit up to the 1400.  Something I'll do when summer gets here and at the same time I'll do a respray on the 1400.

In between time (before I bought the brackets) I ended up buying a cheap headlight fairing on Aliexpress and found that it fitted up with a minimum of fuss.

Pretty much doesn't do a lot except protect the gauges from bugs splattering all over them. It offers no wind protection but I think it looks OK. 

The clear fly screen I had fitted on before fitting the fairing, actually provided more wind protection than this little fairing.  But then the fairing barely makes it over the top of the gauges, which is why it is more looks - for those who like bikini fairings.  Having started riding in the early 80s on the road, it was the "old school" thing back then to fit the small bikini fairings, so I like them.  Each to there own though.

Looks good Blue Dragon.  If the screen were higher you'd be getting heaps of turbulence aimed straight at your helmet.   I have a higher screen & ended up cutting it down, less noise on head but more pressure on chest.

Mine had a big arse plastic screen on it when I bought the bike.  Horrendous wind noise,first thing I junked.... (first day !) 
Hate wind noise and always wear bungs in the ears.....

You'd  have to wear ear plugs just hanging the washing out in Windy Wellington aye Roo  :stir:

A few weeks ago I had a nice delivery in the mail from Suspensions R Us.

As mentioned in another post on the forum, the customer service was awesome and they new all about the bike.

Had to let them know about my riding style, how I wanted to set the bike up (two-up touring). My weight with gear on and also my wife, the panniers and amount of luggage etc that I thought we would carry.

They mentioned that if I was riding alone, then the bike suspension would be on the firm side. Certainly not bone jarring when hitting bumps, but still firmer than what I might like.  But would be still ride-able.  I was OK with that.

Fitted the shocks up and then put the springs in the front forks.  Didn't need to put new oil or seals in as I had only had that done a few months prior when one of the seals started leaking.

First ride out last weekend to Walcha for lunch was by myself and then spent the rest of the day riding around on various roads before making my way home. about 4 hours of riding.

Verdict?

Its like a totally different bike. To the point where I would have to say that it handles as good as my VFR (which has already had a suspension upgrade - but is going to get another one).

The 1400 is now nimble, but my criticism of the Angel GT's making it nervous (no matter what suspension setting I tried) is now no longer valid. 

I'm able to throw it into corner and change my line at will in the middle of a corner. No twitching or slides - just totally stable and rock solid.  Really balanced now and stable under braking.

I found myself wondering why I was leaning the bike over so much in corners.  Then realised that I was entering corners around 15-25 kph faster than I was before, then getting back on the throttle at the apex and gassing it to the next corner. 

With the original shocks and springs - again no matter the settings the bike would still wallow a little in corners and move around just that little bit to make me uncomfortable - so I would back off.  Not now with the YSS suspension. 

Whilst it is firm, I like it the way it is and have no complaints.

I've since been for a ride two-up and made the appropriate adjustments..

Rear shocks have adjustable preload, compression and rebound damping.  Front forks - as everyone would know have the same adjustments.  The YSS front springs are perfectly balanced with the rear. - btw using 15w fork oil as that is what the bike shop put in a few months ago when they serviced the forks for me.  Front and rear springs are progressive rate.

Two-up, again, the bike is just as good,  totally balanced, comfortable and excellent handling.

Whilst I realise that other brands such as Wilbers, Ohlins etc have the name and the price tag to go with it as well as a longer warranty.  Great if you can afford it.  In my younger and when I was single as well - yep, I had Ohlins suspension on my previous bikes, but now?  well, I have a wife, kids and a mortgage etc.. so spending several thousand on suspension is out of the question.

But for those on a budget who think they can't get anything decent..  I will say that you won't be disappointed if you have this setup.  Not trying to promote the business or YSS, but just saying this is seriously good suspension and whilst I haven't tried any other suspension on a 1400, I wonder if paying over double the price for Wilbers/Nitron or Ohlins...  you would actually get "double" the performance..

For what this cost me - I'm extremely happy.  Cost?  well, I think depending on the options you want, price will vary.  I paid a bit extra for the upgraded rear springs and having them red.  If you are looking at an upgrade, give Suspensions R Us a phone call, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

A great result Mate.Mine is Wilbers progressive springs front, rears just worked on by shop. Similar feelings to you. Angels work and handling superb. Original 2/10, modded 9/10. Both solo and pillioned, i never change settings, no need to. Light wife helps i guess.

Thats a great result Bluedragon, can you list or post the part numbers you ordered? Thinking of doing the same,  have heard similar good reports on YSS gear.

Thanks for the post.

A great result and they sure Look the bizzo.  :onya:

YSS are the company that used to be White Power aren't they?

I thought YSS were koni or marazochi these days but I've been wrong before lol.
White power are W.P. now days owned by ktm.

Quote from: Eric GSX1400K3 on Sunday, 27 September  2020, 08:35 AM
Thats a great result Bluedragon, can you list or post the part numbers you ordered? Thinking of doing the same,  have heard similar good reports on YSS gear.

Thanks for the post.

Best thing to do is give Suspensions R Us a phone call.  Those guys are extremely helpful.  Just tell them what sort of riding you do, what you want from the bike, your weight with all your riding gear etc.  pillion weight if you have a pillion most of the time, or not.. 

They will customise a setup for you.

The rear shock is the YSS RG362 with a custom rear spring (made to order and paint in my choice of Red) according to rider/passenger weight etc. Front fork springs will depend on rider/passenger weight etc. so part number will vary.

I couldn't be happier - especially with the money  I spent.  Which - well as I said, will depend on what you want, but I spent less than $1400 for my setup..  including express postage.

Quick update on the suspension in case anyone is looking at upgrading to something similar.

All is still great.

but funny thing is that I went to clean and lube the chain the other day after a wash and polish.

Noticed that when I put the bike on the centre stand that the back wheel was barely off the ground.  At first I thought something had broken or gone wrong.

But Nope.  All good.

Ends up that the rear YSS shocks are a touch longer than the original items.

The guys at Suspensions R Us gave me the option of longer shocks, but I said standard length would be find - so that is what they made for me.

Doing some measuring the rear shocks are 7mm longer than the OEM from Suzuki.  Doesn't sounds like much, but I'm not complaining, the difference in handling is like chalk and cheese compared to the best I could tune the original setup to be.  Now, I can push really hard through corners and the bike just fills me with confidence to go even harder again the next time. Just totally stable and balanced. 

On tyre wear, this has also changed for the better.  The trailing and leading edges of the tyre grooves are now all even.  No raised or lowered edges.  So increased tyre life with proper suspension can only be a good thing - saving money on tyres. 

The Pirelli Angels now feel and perform like the Metzeler Roadtec-01 tyres did when I had them on my VFR. 

Will be an interesting "experiment" to go back to the Metzelers once the Angel GT's wear out and see what they feel like on the road.

Now, I need to look at upgrading the VFR's suspension some more and with summer here, a respray on the 1400 will be happening. 

But I have to admit, that I'm now getting tempted to buy some Yoshi cams and a power commander, just for some added fun :lol:

Then not tell my mate who has a Ninja 1000, when he comes up to visit for a ride through the Oxley..   :lol:

Thanks Bluey, great result and write up. If its that much better, might have to look into it. My forks have all been set, Wilbers springs. Work nicely. Rears are stock but just serviced. YSS sound like a better option.

Been busy over the past few weeks...

Had some time off work as I resigned last year before christmas, having accepted a job offer at another place.  So what better use of time than to finish off as much as I could of the 1400.

pics of my respray, which I have done myself.

All lettering etc is done by myself...  using my vinyl cutter to make my own templates and decals

Fuel Tank...

Good stuff mate.

Other parts..

Front fender, headlight fairing, side covers, ductail, lower belly pan, rear hugger.

More Parts

Putting it all back together

Nearly Finished..

Just need to add some finishing touches to it and waiting on my PAIR block off plates to arrive. 

I found some clear indicator lenses which I like better than the standard "orange blobs" and they are really bright as well.

Whilst it won't be to everyone's taste.  It has turned out pretty much the way I wanted it.  I still have a GS1000S headlight fairing to paint and fit up as well. 

I still have the original body parts as these were all spares that I bought.  not sure if I will just restore the other parts back to factory original, or if I will come up with another paint scheme I like and do another respray...  LOL  if I get sick of this this one, I can change to another paint scheme and back again..

Bloody awesome job Bluey!   Well done indeed.

Bluey, 👍 Superb job. Having option to change again, brilliant.

Looks bloody lovely..That paint suits it down to the ground. A job well done :onya:

That is one of the best redone 1400's I've seen so far. I really like the pics showing your handy work BD, @BlueDragon . Congratulations on a work of art  :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:

Astounding work Mate you should be very proud👏👏👏👏👏👏

 :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:

Thanks everyone.

Once it is fully finished, I'll take some decent photos with my real camera and not the phone camera and upload them.

Then I'll get to work on designing a paint scheme for the spare bodywork I have....

Looks like a classic superbike of old.......classy  :onya:

Just had another look. Dont like belly pans, gs1000 fairings or red rocker covers. BUT, youve nailed it. Looks so good. A lesson to me, never judge until final result.

So true Grog, one of my favorite lines "only women and fools criticise unfinished work"

You`ve nailed it! Absolutely superb - great paint choice and design. I`d buy it - though i`d have to remove the headlamp fairing. Its a lovely job, but personally, I don`t like `em! Don`t feel offended, just personal choice!! Well done mate. :onya:

Quote from: DP1400 on Wednesday, 03 February  2021, 06:15 AM
You`ve nailed it! Absolutely superb - great paint choice and design. I`d buy it - though i`d have to remove the headlamp fairing. Its a lovely job, but personally, I don`t like `em! Don`t feel offended, just personal choice!! Well done mate. :onya:

Thanks.

I knew what I did would be to everyone's taste, especially the headlight fairing and belly pan. 

This weekend I plan on finishing the final polish and waxing.

I'll remove the headlight fairing and belly pan and take some photos for those who like their bikes without them. 

Lovely job, but naked is the only way.  :onya:

Might seem strange, all my years riding, never ridden a full faired bike. Bikini fairings, headlight fairings etc i have.

Apologies..

My post should have said..

"wouldn't be to everyone's taste"

not "would be"..

Quote from: grog on Wednesday, 03 February  2021, 08:16 PM
Might seem strange, all my years riding, never ridden a full faired bike. Bikini fairings, headlight fairings etc i have.

LOL...  Almost the complete opposite for me.

Whilst growing up, my older brothers had the legendary Honda 750 Four when they were first released.. they would take me for a ride on their bike when they came back from university during semester breaks.

My first road bike was a CB250RS which was a naked bike.  But after a few long highway trips on it, I put a bikini/headlight fairing on it to reduce the wind buffeting.  Since then I owned nothing but full fairing bikes until buying the 1400.  Which the main reason I bought it was that there is nothing out there that is new, that has real passenger comfort (for my wife) for all day rides.  I still have the VFR, but my wife says the 1400 is like armchair comfort compared to the VFR..  but I plan on reshaping the VFR seat like I did the 1400...  the projects never end..   :lol:

Blue Dragon, great point you make about the passenger comfort of the 14.
Our greatest holiday was a month around our South lsland for a month loaded to the hilt on our 1400. Not a lot of bikes you could do that on.

Quote from: grog on Wednesday, 03 February  2021, 08:16 PM
Might seem strange, all my years riding, never ridden a full faired bike. Bikini fairings, headlight fairings etc i have.

I've actually seen one @grog, in France, a company (can't remember their name) did do a 3/4 fairing, similar to a Rickman one. Looked quite nice I have to say. but I'm none too sure whether originally it was intended for a Bandit 1250 and "adapted" for a 1400.

That aside, nearest I've seen to a proper fairing on a GSX1400 is the one that a German company called Gimbel did.

The Gimbel belly pan is the one that is on my 1400.

Got a cheap deal for it from a aussie seller.

Some Nakedness for those that prefer not to have a headlight fairing.

Was late in the evening, so left the bellypan on as it is more of a pain to remove with more bolts and brackets.

Looks brilliant.

Much better.  :onya: :clapping:

Looks great - one thing I would consider though is covering the front of the bellypan with some clear Helicopter (or similar) tape - when I had a belly pan on mine, even with a fenda xtenda fitted, the front of it looked like it had been shot blasted after only a few weeks of riding from odd bits of gravel etc that in the course of riding get thrown up off the road.

Looks fabulous minus the headlamp fairing :onya: :onya: :onya:

I like it either way BD  :hat: :hat: :hat:

Wasn't sure where else to post this.  So thought I would just throw it in here on my thread for my bike.

Might come in useful for those riders that have bought a 1400 that had some gouges in the engine side covers like the ones in my pics here.

here is how I fixed the gouges.

As you can see by the pics, there are a few gouges in the case from when I purchased the bike.

Not too deep, but deep enough that I decided not to go with the polished look and thought I would paint the covers instead and have an all black engine.  (actually, I nearly painted them gold - to go for a little bit of the CB1100R look for those that remember that bike) 

Anyway,  went to the local super cheap auto and purchased some permatex liquid metal filler.

I used some 600 wet and dry paper and got the bucket of water out and started sanding down the gouges in the engine cover.

Sorry, no pics of the sanding as my hands were too dirty.

After sanding I then washed the engine cover clean, just using some car wash and hot water.  After drying, I then cleaned it again with some wax and grease remover.

I then filled in the indentations that were left with the liquid metal. Doesn't matter if it is over filled - in fact I recommend it.  Then let the liquid metal completely dry

Quick tip though, squeeze the tube a bit from end to end.  This will help make sure the liquid metal is all mixed up properly. Otherwise liquid just comes out when you first squeeze the tube.

After the liquid metal is dry. I then used some 800 wet and dry (with water) and started sanding again.  Sand until all the excess liquid metal is removed.

I sanded everywhere - over the whole part as I planned on spray painting the cover.  So need to make sure it is sanded well to make sure the primer sticks.

Wash the part again with car wash and warm water.

using gloves this time to make sure any skin oils do not get on the part. I then cleaned again with wax and grease remover to ready the part for spray painting the primer.

couple of coats of primer (following the paint directions).

Then sprayed it black.  The only disappointing part is that the VHT paint I used this time around was meant to be gloss black.  "colour is same as cap" it says on the can.

Nope..  it turned out to be a satin black as you can by the photo.  Still ok. 

But will be removing the cover at some stage and giving it a light sand and a clear coat to make it into a gloss black instead.

that said - can't see the gouges that were there before.. 

Finished..

Clear coat will be sprayed on at some stage..

Permatex  Liquid Metal Filler,  fancy name for bog, but it looks ok.  Might even try that on my scuffed case.

Looks great blue dragon, i wonder what the engine would  look like all blacked out  and done with wrinkle paint

With lots of previous discussions about the 1400 headlight not really being all that adequate, like most here on the forum I did a lot of experimenting and spending of cash on better quality halogen bulbs and also the h4 LED alternatives as well.

I don't do much night riding, but, I'm one of these people who want the best possible lighting I can, for the times where I do need to ride/drive at night..  too many kangaroos and other critters that run across the roads at night out here in country NSW.

Whilst the H4 bulbs were quite expensive, to me the small increase in lighting that they offered, was really not worth the expense.  Trying some good quality LED alternatives, while looking fine initially, in the end, even with proper headlight aim, again, I didn't find them acceptable.  With one test ride, I was left wondering if the headlight was even on. 

All the while I was looking at finding alternatives to the Stedi LED headlight.  Too much for my wallet - especially when I would have had to work out a way to fit it into the standard headlight bucket.

Anyway, at the same time, my son bought a CB400SF Super Four, where its headlight reflector had a crack in it.  I bought a cheap alternative headlight - $30 job off ebay to see what it was like.  That headlight came with a 35w bulb - so threw that in the bin and put in a good quality 60/55w..  after 4 rides of no more than about an hour each, I saw that the reflector housing was not only starting to melt, but also crack.  That said the bucket housing, was totally fine and much better quality and very strong, as good as the OEM one.

See pics..

So I then thought I would try and find an alternative headlight for it and took a chance after a lot of searching on a headlight I found on Aliexpress.  Said to only fit the Honda motorcycle headlight bucket and trims.  At the price of around $87 AUD inc postage, I thought it was worth the chance of buying it. 

For me, it turns out it was a very good quality unit.

It fitted up easily as the mounts on the LED headlight, matched the mounts on the OEM honda headlight housing. So it fitted up in a few minutes, just putting the original trims onto the LED headlight and then putting it back into the original housing.

You can see in the second pic in the above post the top and bottom mounts on the back of the new LED headlight. These match the Honda OEM mounts.  So you NEED a HONDA Headlight bucket and trims.  This WON'T fit the Suzuki 1400 Headlight trims or bucket..

You will also notice 2 screw holes on the lower left part of the back of the headlight.  This is for the internal headlight aim adjustment brackets.  These brackets come with the headlight. NOTE - the Honda bracket is on the opposite side to the Suzuki bracket..  which is why you need to use the Honda Bucket and headlight trims for this conversion to work.

But don't worry, I'll put all the links at the end of this saga that will have all the parts and tools you will need to do this conversion..

I was pretty impressed with the headlight, so thought I would work out if I could fit the headlight to my 1400 with minimal mods to the honda headlight bucket..  as I had a spare bucket to use..

I ended up purchasing another headlight from Aliexpress, from the same seller - but this time went for the one with the Halo ring, as I wanted to see what it was like. 

The halo headlight has the same output etc and same beam pattern, the difference being the halo ring - I like it, others may not. But I will post links to both headlights at the end so that you can choose what you like, if you want to do this same conversion.

The only difference is that the headlight with the halo ring will require you to do some wiring and soldering to connect up the halo ring to switched power in the headlight wiring.  I'll cover that as well and it is really easy to do.

Black bucket is the spare Honda bucket I had while the chrome one if the OEM one from the 1400.

4 big differences here.

1. the location of the wiring loom holes. Self explanatory when you look at the pics.

2. the up down adjustment bracket at the bottom of the headlight.  The Honda one is further towards the back of the headlight bucket. The bracket is also narrower so the plastic bolt from the Suzuki headlight, won't fit straight up and also because the bracket is further back, you need to put the tension spring in differently (easy to do) to keep the up-down adjustment.

3. the mounting holes on the sides are big difference in size. Means the Suzuki rubber mounts won't fit in straight up.  But can be made to fit - but there is an alternative option which I will talk about, but chose not to do it, even though I had the parts, as I like having the up-down adjustment screw at the base as I feel that it helps keep the headlight in place..

4. Inside the bucket where the mounting holes are. There are 2 raised areas in the Honda Bucket that are there as Honda use a OEM bracket with a nut on the inside of the headlight. The OEM part has bendable pieces on it to hold the headlight wiring in place. Whilst the raised areas inside the bucket hold the OEM bracket in place when tightening the headlight bolts.  Honda just use the 2 side mount bolts for up-down headlight aim - so the bolts need to be tight so that the headlight doesn't move around.  I don't like that setup, so chose to modify the bucket to keep the Suzuki screw adjustment for up-down headlight aim.

OK.

So, first mod is to make another hole in the back of the Honda headlight bucket.

As you can see in the pic, comparing both buckets.

Easy to do.

I first used a large hole saw.  ( I have a hole saw kit I bought from Bunnings with lots of different sizes) to cut the second hole. I then just used a dremel to shape it some more with a metal grinding bit attached.  I decided to do this as, rather than use the rectangular hole as I felt that the wiring would then be not under any extra stress, also, the rectangular hole would then allow air flow out of the bucket for the LED headlight to stay cool. You would notice all the cooling fins on the back of the headlight in the above pictures..

next up is to modify the side mounting holes to make them bigger to accept the Suzuki OEM rubber mounts.

I chose to do this as it mounts up the headlight the same as the OEM Suzuki headlight bucket and will give you the same headlight aim adjustment and secureness of mounting as well.  It will also help to isolate the headlight from vibration - being that we are still using the rubber mounts.  Which can only be a good thing with the extra LED wiring etc inside the headlight - to make the circuits etc last longer.

You need to take a 22mm hole saw and drill out the current side mount holes so that they are big enough to fit the Suzuki rubber mounts.  Put your drill on a medium to slow speed. You want to take it easy and cut the plastic, not so much melt it.  Yes, some of it will melt due to the heat,  but just take it slow for a clean cut on both sides.  I then used a dremel with a grinding bit to clean up the edges.

Next step is to grind down the internal raised plastic areas so that the Suzuki rubber mounts will fit flush and neat.  See the pics below as a comparison of the Honda and Suzuki buckets

You can see in these pics, that in the Honda bucket, the suzuki rubber mounts won't sit flush unless we grind the raised area flat.

In the Suzuki bucket they sit nice and flat.

So, again, using my dremel with a metal grinding bit, I slowly ground down the raised areas so that they were flat and the rubber mounts would fit flush.

Next step is now to grind away about 1/2mm on both sides of the lower adjustment bracket on the Honda Headlight bucket so that the plastic screw that is used on the Suzuki adjustment bracket can fit.

In the pic you will see the arrow pointing to the left side of the bracket.  But you need to shave about 1/2 mm on both sides.  Again - using the dremel with the grinding bit made things very easy.

Doing this will enable you to use all the parts from the Suzuki headlight.

Now once this is all done.

If you purchased or have a Honda Headlight bucket and trims, you simply need to unscrew the mounting trims from the halogen headlight and install them onto the new LED headlight.

Use the included adjustment brackets that came with the new headlight. This allows for side to side adjustment of the headlight aim.

Sorry, no pics of this, but will take some today and upload them later on to this part of the instructions.

Next step is to now remove the the Suzuki Headlight.  Just take note of which side each part of the wiring harness came from in regards to the left and right side holes in the headlight bucket.  So you can put them back through in the same spot for the Honda bucket.

Also be careful when you remove the lower up down adjustment screw, nut and spring.  That spring will go flying off and the nut will drop down on the ground and roll off somewhere where you can't find it, if you are not careful.

I tend to put an old blanket on the floor under my bikes for that reason - if I miss something the nut/screw will land on the blanket and stay there and not ricochet off somewhere and leave me swearing when I can't find it.

Awesome posts Blue Dragon, and a great mod. I see the Aliexpress headlight is very similar to the Stedi unit, with the differences being the mounting tabs on the Ali units. Looks great and your detailed information and step by step guide is also great.

Mounting up the Honda bracket..

DON'T install the rubber mounts of side bolts yet..

First thing you need to do is mount up the lower up/down adjustment screw, spring and nut. Easiest to do this first.

Put the wiring harness through the holes, so that it is not in the way.

The difficult part of this is that the spring needs to go in a different position compared to the suzuki one.  When I first did this, I wasn't sure if the spring was long enough to provide enough tension for the adjustment.  But when you see the picture, you will see that I was kinda right and kinda wrong.  I put in a spacer I had to put more tension on the spring.  But looking at the picture, you can see that I still could have used a spacer, but not one that was as big, or maybe no spacer at all. 

You can be the judge on that one if you think you need a spacer or not.  You will need some small washers however.  One to go between the spring and the honda headlight bucket area so that the spring stays where it is as the hole that the screw goes through is quite large, so the washer will stop the spring from being caught in the hole.

The picture is after I adjusted the up/down headlight aim to proper specifications.  More on how I did that one later in this saga..

Anyway, look at the pic and you will see that the spring needs to go in-between the 2 brackets.  This is the most fiddly part of this installation.  But once done, you are pretty much on the home stretch.

OK, once this is all done, you can now install the Suzuki OEM rubber mounts into the Honda Headlight bucket and then use the OEM bolts/nuts to mount up the sides of the headlight.

The Aliexpress LED headlight is a plug and play harness in regards to the headlight part as the plug just goes into the H4 headlight plug.  If you bought the headlight that does not have the halo ring, you are pretty much done.

Mounting the headlight into the bucket is a  bit different to the Suzuki headlight.

With the Honda mount, you need to put the top of the headlight on the top of the bucket.
now tilt the bottom upwards but keeping the top parts touching.  Give it a small push at the top so that the alignment tabs slip in. Once that happens, tilt the bottom of the headlight back down and it will just fit straight into the bucket.

Use the 2 screws that came with the Honda headlight to screw in the headlight into the bucket (like the Suzuki headlight - on the sides) and you are done.  You just need to now aim the headlight, which I will cover below.

If you bought the halo ring headlight you have another step.

Again - sorry no pics on this - but I will take some and upload later today.

You will have a  yellow wire included with your headlight if you have the halo ring headlight like I do.

With the 1400 - well with my K3, there was a small black plug that connected to nothing in the headlight. I believe this would have been for a 5w park light if the OEM headlight had one.  One of the wires on this plug is earth - from memory the black with white striped one.  The other is switched power - which is what you want for the halo ring as the yellow wire is for the halo ring.

Simply strip back the switched wire plastic and cut the yellow wire to length and solder it up.  I recommend solder as I hate scotch locks - those things are a nightmare. They might work for a while, but then they stop working due to movement/vibration and could leave you in a world of hurt. So I have always soldered my wiring. 

TIP - leave the bullet connectors in use on the yellow wiring.  As that way if you need to remove the headlight, you simply unplug the headlight plug and then the bullet connector on the yellow wire for the halo ring.

Don't forget to insulate the soldered wire - just use some electrical tape or heat shrink.

Once that is done, mount the headlight into the bucket as per the directions above.

OK.  Now for the headlight aim.

When I was mounting the trim rings from the honda headlight onto the LED headlight, I did a rough eye-ball aim with the left right - just got the whole thing looking even.  But you can adjust this more once we get the up-down height adjustment done.

For my headlight aim - I was able to do this in my workshop as it is the size of a 6 car garage...and doubles as my man cave/gym/workshop etc.

Measuring 7.5 metres from the front of the headlight to a wall.
Then measure the height of the headlight from the ground with you sitting on the bike.  Measure from the ground to the middle of the headlight.
On the wall make a mark at the same measurement as the height of the headlight.
Then make another mark 5 cm below.
This second mark is the one where you want to align the beam cut off line to.

With this headlight. There is a cut off where it is quite bright, but the cut-off isn't a hard line.  It is kind of, but not as hard a line as I have seen with other headlights. Just above the cut off line, there is a dimmer area and then the light stops.  I aligned the headlight so that the dimmer area was between the 2 lines mentioned above.  Do this with the adjustment screw on the bottom of the headlight.

Once this is done, you can then use the screw adjustment in the headlight trim if you need to adjust the left and right slightly.  I didn't need to do this.

Make the adjustments according to you sitting on the bike. 

It doesn't take too many turns for a big adjustment on  the adjusting screw.  Just had to hop on and off the bike a couple times.

OK. job now done..

Enjoy the headlight.


Saying that, I just want to say I am not in any way involved with the seller on Aliexpress or anything else.

I know that some people think that many products from China are cheap crap...  heck, I'm Chinese, and think that yeah - some stuff is rubbish, but I also know from touring the factories there, that a lot of stuff is very high quality as well. Just that labour costs are low due to poor wages, so the parts are cheaper.

Many years ago, I was a professional coach and have represented Australia on numerous occasions in overseas tournaments.  Some of which were in China/Taiwan and Korea.  At times my team was privileged enough to  meet many dignitaries and heads of business and as such have seen factories, where many high quality OEM parts have gone down one side of a conveyor belt to be stamped with a OEM stamp, whilst the same product which went down another conveyor belt was then stamped with an aftermarket brand name and hence sold for a cheaper price..    I'll leave it at that and won't comment any further, so please don't ask me to.  Suffice to say, some stuff is rubbish, whilst other stuff is in fact OEM quality but at a cheaper non-name brand price.

You make your own decision on that one.

Parts list

Halo Headlight on Aliexpress.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32825866188.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.7b472e0ef1VfQO

Non-Halo Headlight on Aliexpress
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32996646414.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.7b472e0ef1VfQO

Honda Headlight on Aliexpress
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000983002643.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.311a2e0eNDtXZW

This headlight can also be bought on Ebay as well..
With this headlight, you are only keeping the bucket and the mounting trims.  The reflector part of the headlight and the bulb are rubbish and are just thrown in the bin. But keep all the parts, as you will use them.  For $30, its cheap and you get a quality headlight bucket and the trims are also good quality as well.


Other things you will need.

Dremel with a metal grinding bit

22mm hole saw - this is used to cut the holes on the side of the bucket bigger to let the Suzuki OEM rubber mounts fit

Large hole saw to cut the second hole in the back of the Honda Bucket for the Suzuki Wiring harness

Some small washers - for the height adjustment screw/spring on the Suzuki headlight, to fit the Honda Headlight

Soldering iron and solder - if you decide to have the halo ring headlight

Various tools - screwdriver, spanners etc, which I will assume people have these.

End Result..

Pics show low beam and then high beam..

Quote from: Eric GSX1400K3 on Saturday, 29 May  2021, 10:20 AM
Awesome posts Blue Dragon, and a great mod. I see the Aliexpress headlight is very similar to the Stedi unit, with the differences being the mounting tabs on the Ali units. Looks great and your detailed information and step by step guide is also great.

Thanks.

I'm very happy with how it all turned out and the quality of the headlight output. 

I was getting tempted to go the Stedi headlight route. But didn't want the hassle of trying to make up a way to mount it.  Plus not being able to find any photos of the headlight output at night..  even when others have said it is good.. just put me off buying it - not to mention the price as well.  I couldn't justify the price when I don't ride at night much.  But this all comes in at an affordable price for a lot of people.  So I hope that what I've done has helped some members here.

More pics to come today of other steps that I didn't get pics of.

Pics of the headlight, showing the mounting of the Honda Trim rings/mounts and the left right adjustment screws/mount brackets that came with the LED headlight.

You can see the plug and play headlight plug that will just plug into the Suzuki OEM plug for the H4 bulb.  The Yellow wire with the bullet plug next to it is for the Halo ring, if you buy that particular headlight.  If you buy the standard headlight then there is no yellow wire.

Pic, showing the wiring.

Note I have tapped into the switched power wire on the black plug, for the yellow wire to power the halo ring.  I solder all my wiring joins like this.  But keeping the bullet connector means you won't have any hassles when you need to take the headlight off the bike for what ever reason.

OK.

For those that don't want to do through drilling the mounting holes on the side of the honda headlight bucket to 22mm with a hole saw to fit the OEM Suzuki rubber mounts.

Here is the second option I was going to mention.

involves buying honda OEM parts.

Buying the parts in the picture - you will need 2 of them.  Means you don't need to drill out the side holes to be bigger, so you don't use the Suzuki rubber mounts. 

You also don't shave/grind down the raised ridges inside the headlight bucket either.

These parts as you can see are a flat piece of metal with a nut welded on.

These fit inside the honda bucket inbetween the raised parts that I shaved down in my instructions .

The long part of the metal plate is plastic coated and us used to keep the wiring in place as it is bendable.

Your choice.  But I preferred to keep the rubber mounting as it helps isolate the headlight from vibration, which  can only be a good thing.

You can see the part number in the picture if you decide to go down this path instead.  Just remember to order 2 of them.

Some mini led indicators  and you're done.
Great write-up.

Quote from: Eric GSX1400K3 on Saturday, 29 May  2021, 07:23 PM
Some mini led indicators  and you're done.
Great write-up.

I do actually have some mini Led indicators.

Went through 2 or 3 sets before I found a set that were really really bright.

But in the end, I didn't really like them.  I also couldn't get used to the delay when turning on the indicator.  There is about a 1/2 to 1 second delay from when I hit the indicator to when the LED lights up.  Not Much, I know, but it makes a difference to me when I indicate to get off the small country town roundabouts here.  By the time the light comes off, I'm already off the roundabout or about to get off.  I know I could just consciously make an adjustment to turn them on earlier, but after nearly 40 years of riding, old habits die hard as they say.

I saw a 1400 with clear indicator lenses and liked the look better.  No big orange blobs.  Which is what I hated about the OEM indicators.  I didn't care about the size, just hated the orange blob.  So clear indicators with orange bulbs suit me just fine.

So I like it the way it is.  The only thing I will end up doing is taking out the front indicators with such a long stalk and put some rear OEM indicators on the front so they don't poke out as far.  I do have a set, I just haven't got around to installing them.  Will probably do it tomorrow.

Quote from: BlueDragon on Thursday, 16 July  2020, 08:56 PM
Well, I ended up buying the fairing brackets that Big Geordi had to see how the GS1000S fairing would fit up to the 1400.  Something I'll do when summer gets here and at the same time I'll do a respray on the 1400.

In between time (before I bought the brackets) I ended up buying a cheap headlight fairing on Aliexpress and found that it fitted up with a minimum of fuss.

Pretty much doesn't do a lot except protect the gauges from bugs splattering all over them. It offers no wind protection but I think it looks OK. 

The clear fly screen I had fitted on before fitting the fairing, actually provided more wind protection than this little fairing.  But then the fairing barely makes it over the top of the gauges, which is why it is more looks - for those who like bikini fairings.  Having started riding in the early 80s on the road, it was the "old school" thing back then to fit the small bikini fairings, so I like them.  Each to there own though.

I have read your whole thread now and ypu have done a great job with the bike. Do you have a link for the windshield from aliexpress btw?

Nice one mate, it looks great, although apparently a great deal of work to make it as good underneath?

I was lucky, mine was immaculate when I bought it, but I think it was a bit too much for the seller as the set up when I got it was a disaster.

Quote from: Olstorparn on Tuesday, 08 March  2022, 01:55 PM

Quote from: BlueDragon on Thursday, 16 July  2020, 08:56 PM
Well, I ended up buying the fairing brackets that Big Geordi had to see how the GS1000S fairing would fit up to the 1400.  Something I'll do when summer gets here and at the same time I'll do a respray on the 1400.

In between time (before I bought the brackets) I ended up buying a cheap headlight fairing on Aliexpress and found that it fitted up with a minimum of fuss.

Pretty much doesn't do a lot except protect the gauges from bugs splattering all over them. It offers no wind protection but I think it looks OK. 

The clear fly screen I had fitted on before fitting the fairing, actually provided more wind protection than this little fairing.  But then the fairing barely makes it over the top of the gauges, which is why it is more looks - for those who like bikini fairings.  Having started riding in the early 80s on the road, it was the "old school" thing back then to fit the small bikini fairings, so I like them.  Each to there own though.

I have read your whole thread now and ypu have done a great job with the bike. Do you have a link for the windshield from aliexpress btw?

Sorry,  Only just noticed this reply.

Here is the link to the fairing that I bought from Aliexpress.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001793382201.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.3d6c2e0e7u9oQ2

Quote from: Fast1400 on Thursday, 19 May  2022, 09:08 PM
Nice one mate, it looks great, although apparently a great deal of work to make it as good underneath?

I was lucky, mine was immaculate when I bought it, but I think it was a bit too much for the seller as the set up when I got it was a disaster.

Yep. more work than I expected.  Recently have changed all bearings in the steering and wheels, swing arm etc. 

The bike is definitely a keeper... 

Just need to paint up the complete set of spare bodywork/tank I have for it.. 

Thank you for all the work you have done explaining, taking photos etc. It has been a great help for someone like me.

I bought and installed the halo headlight and it looks good and works great.
I did have massive problems when trying to mount the fairing (same as yours, but black) took me 2 days to figure out how to do it and I hade to make some parts for everything to fit and stay in place. It works and looks good, but its not a 100% fit, I have trouble adjusting the headlight, but it is manageble, so it will have to do for now!


oh, and your bike looks amazing!