Suzuki GT380 Top End Rebuild Project
- Thread starter alexwlwsn
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New post!
I got a Harbor Freight Titanium Flux 125 welder the other day (was a welder like 6-7 years ago and wanted to get back in the game) and figured it was time to fix my passenger pegs. I ordered a set off a newer GT380 not knowing they didn't fit. So I bought some bolts/nuts/washers which were the right size and got cutting/blasting!
Here's the passenger peg pre-surgery:
It doesn't fit at all (odd they'd change something like this between model years but whatever):
Little cut:
Little weld:
It fits:
I got a Harbor Freight Titanium Flux 125 welder the other day (was a welder like 6-7 years ago and wanted to get back in the game) and figured it was time to fix my passenger pegs. I ordered a set off a newer GT380 not knowing they didn't fit. So I bought some bolts/nuts/washers which were the right size and got cutting/blasting!
Here's the passenger peg pre-surgery:
It doesn't fit at all (odd they'd change something like this between model years but whatever):
Little cut:
Little weld:
It fits:
As a welder I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the welder. I'm looking to get something inexpensive to fool around with and learn
So back at the shop I worked at, we only had Miller welders. All our machines were $$$ and obviously they were very nice. For a long long time, I judged flux welders hard as they joked at the shop "the only reason to weld with flux is so you know why not to use it"...
Anyway, I was pricing out MIG welders and happened to see a video of this TItanium 125 on YouTube and just felt it was perfect for a casual garage/shed user such as myself. A lot of MIG gas tank setups are on a rental basis or can be really pricey, and as I didn't know how much use I'd get out of a welder of my own, I didn't want to dive into such a large expense.
The welder itself though is frankly awesome. It only weighs 15lbs which was probably one of the biggest selling points to me. I am somewhat space limited so having a tiny welder that packs a similar punch to a 45lb+ welder was valuable to me. The wire feed mechanism is plastic, but it's very beefy and I wouldn't worry about it breaking or affecting my work. Also, flux tends to weld hot for it's amperage so with a flux 125 you can actually weld thicker metal and penetrate better than if you were using 125A on a gas MIG.
I'd say to watch a few videos on YouTube about them and go out and buy one! Then find all the scrap steel you can find and just practice laying down beads. I actually got myself back up to speed just welding on old brake disks I had laying around. You'll also want an angle grinder with a good few cutoff wheels, flap discs, and hard grinding disks as well as random measuring tools and some steel brushes to get started.
Here's a really nice review on it -
He's also got a nice beginner how-to using the same welder -
I have the cheaper flux welder (IE the cheapest welder HF has). I got it for free, and I will say its worth about that much. Curious how this one compares, because honestly the 90 amp one I have is hot garbage. The temp settings of "high" and "low" are not helpful, and at 90 amps its just not very useful. Can I stick stuff together with it? Yeah. Would I ever buy one? No. (A quick search shows they may not even sell this cheap bastard anymore) The titanium ones seem a bit nicer
Oddly, I see a lot of cheaper welders (Lincoln, Eastwood, etc.) who's cheaper models just have that high/low setting which kinda turned me off to them, it's nice to be able to dial up/down the amperage as you see fit.
Checking the HF website -
- Chicago Electric just has a high and a low setting for amperage which are 60 & 125A (probably just a newer model of your 90A which I suppose would've been 45/90A)
- Titanium Easy Flux is totally variable between 30-125A which makes a whole lot of difference when you're melting thinner metals.
The Titanium model also has some "inverter technology" they mention on their website and a lot of YouTube reviews mention as well which is apparently lighter and produces a much more stable arc. With my Titanium and being about 6 years out of practice, I was able to attach two pieces of tubing that I measure at ~1.2mm and it wasn't too bad in my opinion.
Shifting gears back to motorcycles for a minute. After 1 month waiting, my right side cover has finally been delivered from Sweden!
So that brings up a question -
Option 1) Paint both side covers in black
Option 2) Figure out what yellow my bike is painted in and color the new panel with a "close" yellow
I'm semi-leaning to painting both in black to make the tank/rear fender more of an accent color. Let me know your thoughts though.
Cast your votes people!
So that brings up a question -
Option 1) Paint both side covers in black
Option 2) Figure out what yellow my bike is painted in and color the new panel with a "close" yellow
I'm semi-leaning to painting both in black to make the tank/rear fender more of an accent color. Let me know your thoughts though.
Cast your votes people!
Yellow
yellow and paint the frame black
This would look good
I'm sorry @SharksInSpace and @Maisonvi but painting the whole frame will have to wait. I'd definitely like to have it all black but stripping my entire bike down in the middle of riding season isn't really something I'd like to do. Maybe this winter I'll start a new thread and title it "disassembling a perfectly operational bike" and keep my updates there.
Anyway, yellows take it...
Found a Rust-Oleum that was pretty close!
Step 1 - sand the part
Step 2 - prime the part
Step 3 - paint the part yellowwwww
Step 4 - wait overnight
Step 5 - install and admire
The color is quite close to the bike so I'm quite pleased. From what I can see it might be a hair paler than the yellow that is already on the bike. I have yet to bring it out in the sunlight so that'll be the final test. I also found that the GT380 side cover badges are still available brand new from Suzuki so I have one of them coming in the mail as we speak.
Finally, I have a bike that looks good from both sides!
Anyway, yellows take it...
Found a Rust-Oleum that was pretty close!
Step 1 - sand the part
Step 2 - prime the part
Step 3 - paint the part yellowwwww
Step 4 - wait overnight
Step 5 - install and admire
The color is quite close to the bike so I'm quite pleased. From what I can see it might be a hair paler than the yellow that is already on the bike. I have yet to bring it out in the sunlight so that'll be the final test. I also found that the GT380 side cover badges are still available brand new from Suzuki so I have one of them coming in the mail as we speak.
Finally, I have a bike that looks good from both sides!
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I vote yellow but it's already done
What is the likely hood that the last paint job wasn't just standard yellow spray paint? A couple of years on the paint to fade it and it should match right up
What is the likely hood that the last paint job wasn't just standard yellow spray paint? A couple of years on the paint to fade it and it should match right up
I believe the last paint job was a later-year Suzuki dirtbike yellow. The previous owner had told me that but I figure I can always repaint if the slight difference in color really bothers me.
You can tell though, especially in photos, it's VERY close.
Haven't updated this thread in a long while! Just got married last weekend (woo!) so I've been busy, to say the least.
Added on a new Suzuki GT380 logo on that new side cover and I think that really completed the look of the whole bike.
And added a slick "Heck on Wheels" sticker from a motorcycling company I like, Go Fast Don't Die. They're big on really living your life like it can end/change tomorrow and I like their message!
The sunlight was in just the riiight direction to capture a bit of 2-stroke smoke also! Thought this looked pretty freaking badass!
And on my way home after this ride/photos...
Broke down in my parents' neighborhood. I was cruising downhill getting on it a bit, and when I would depress the clutch, the revs shot up to ~9000 before I cut the ignition off.
Turns out, the right side carb has a small pin that keeps the throttle slide oriented correctly. That pin had backed out ever so slightly allowing the throttle slide to rotate freely and get caught near WOT. Luckily the pin didn't fall fully out and the fix was $0.00.
Looks fine, right?
Much better -
Added on a new Suzuki GT380 logo on that new side cover and I think that really completed the look of the whole bike.
And added a slick "Heck on Wheels" sticker from a motorcycling company I like, Go Fast Don't Die. They're big on really living your life like it can end/change tomorrow and I like their message!
The sunlight was in just the riiight direction to capture a bit of 2-stroke smoke also! Thought this looked pretty freaking badass!
And on my way home after this ride/photos...
Broke down in my parents' neighborhood. I was cruising downhill getting on it a bit, and when I would depress the clutch, the revs shot up to ~9000 before I cut the ignition off.
Turns out, the right side carb has a small pin that keeps the throttle slide oriented correctly. That pin had backed out ever so slightly allowing the throttle slide to rotate freely and get caught near WOT. Luckily the pin didn't fall fully out and the fix was $0.00.
Looks fine, right?
Much better -
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Thank you! I always felt weird saying "my fiance" (it just sounds pretentious for some reason) so I guess all my problems are fixed now.