2003 Gsxr1000

Hayabusa4life said:
Seems like you guys will have fun, good luck with the project. Btw, I'm not sure you ended up on the bad side of the trade... after all you did trade a Kawi for a Suzuki, just saying... plus the gsxr will be way more fun to wheelie than the Kawi :poke:
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I agree Fez
I really don't care care how much I do or don't have tied up in this Gsxr1k...as it's a Gsxr1k, lol
I'm just trying not to go too crazy money wise this go round of mods...lmao, we all know how that can be...
The Concours, it was ok, not me, but a good riding and wrenching experience.
And, yall have heard me yammer about getting another 1k, and putting dirtbike bars on it for years now(like I did on my gen2) well, finally here it is.
I always do what I say that I'm going to...sometimes it just takes me a little longer, lol
 
sixpack577 said:
I agree Fez
I really don't care care how much I do or don't have tied up in this Gsxr1k...as it's a Gsxr1k, lol
I'm just trying not to go too crazy money wise this go round of mods...lmao, we all know how that can be...
The Concours, it was ok, not me, but a good riding and wrenching experience.
And, yall have heard me yammer about getting another 1k, and putting dirtbike bars on it for years now(like I did on my gen2) well, finally here it is.
I always do what I say that I'm going to...sometimes it just takes me a little longer, lol
Click to expand...
That dirt bike bar will make it a wheelie monster.
If you always do what you say, so one day there will be a busa gen 3. We will hold you to that.:p
 
Berteric. said:
That dirt bike bar will make it a wheelie monster.
If you always do what you say, so one day there will be a busa gen 3. We will hold you to that.:p
Click to expand...

Yes sir, you are correct, I will buy a gen3 eventually.
I wanted a new one, but am still mad that Suzuki has not addressed most of the gen3's faults, so I refuse to pay $21k+ for one.
But, after I get this 1k back on the road, and a couple other projects finished, I will look at used gen3's.
At this point I want to ride one first too.
As for the wheelies, lol, the early gens of 1k where all wheelie monsters anyway...these bars will just let me do them more comfortably, lol
 
Swingarm and shock on.
Forks at correct height in triple clamps, now I can measure for correct length front brake lines.
Oil drained, replacing stator cover.
Waiting on oil-cooler o-rings and exhaust gaskets.
Valve check/adjust next, then throttle bodies(now clean) with new o-rings back on, and synced once it runs again.
Stock rearsets are only on temporarily, still deciding between aftermarket rearsets or drop pegs, as an inch or inch and a half would really help the knees...but man are these bars comfortable!

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sixpack577 said:
On to the steering neck bearings.
Once you have a fabulous setup like this, lol, most of this job is pretty easy...most of it.
Yes, it looks sketchy, and there are multiple ways to support the bike to do this job(as I don't have a Bursig mount for this bike yet) however,
this is much more stable than it appears...

View attachment 1671069
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Who's butt did you need kiss at Abba to get them to lend you that prototype stand? :p
 
With the fork tubes out, and the top nut unbolted(the funky looking star shaped nut that takes a Suzuki Specialty Socket, yeah, a regular 36mm socket fits that perfectly, it's the same size as the axle nut, and this is all the same as the Gen1 and Gen2 Busa).
With that nut unbolted, tap the upper triple-clamp from underneath, and off of the center shaft, it should come off easily.
You'll need the correct size spanner, or an adjustable spanner to loosen the locknut and nut on the center shaft, then lift off the dust seal.
The stock upper and lower bearings are 3 piece ball bearings each.
An inner and outer race, with a roller cage in the middle, and these just sit together, with the outer races pressed into the bike's frame.

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I am replacing the stock ball bearings with tapered bearings.
These allow less 'flex'(for lack of a better term)of the steering stem.
The stock outer bearing races also show a wear pattern of the roller cage balls running high on one side and low on the other(glare makes it difficult to show in a picture).
Tapered bearings are on the left, stock is on the right.

20230924_215056.jpg
 
sixpack577 said:
I am replacing the stock ball bearings with tapered bearings.
These allow less 'flex'(for lack of a better term)of the steering stem.
The stock outer bearing races also show a wear pattern of the roller cage balls running high on one side and low on the other(glare makes it difficult to show in a picture).
Tapered bearings are on the left, stock is on the right.

View attachment 1671078
Click to expand...
Tapered are a far better product (IMO).

I remember changing out steering head bearings in a bike by suspending the front end with a rope hanging out of the rafters in the garage and using a brass drift to take out the outer races then reseating the new ones using a big ass socket that was the exact size....don't know where I even got that socket or where it went....but it worked perfectly.
 
The old bearing's outer races come out of the frame easily.
Each race sits against a shoulder so their depths are correct, and each shoulder has 2 relifes in it where a punch end can contact them.
A couple whacks from a BFH...and they come right out.
To put the new bearing races into the frame, you'll need a big nylon punch(unless you have the Exact diameter in brass or steel).
You can buy a nylon dowell from
www.mcmastercarr.com
The new races hammer in easily too.

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You can see in the last picture where the new lower outer race still has to go in further, there is a visible gap between the outer race and the shoulder in the frame(it went in the rest of the way without issue).
 
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Now, the only part that took any real effort was getting the old lower race off of the shaft, and getting the new bearing on.
There are a few ways to do each, but I ended up just grinding the old one off.
With a little patience you can cut through the old race and not damage the shaft.
That is a dust seal you see below the old race.

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sixpack577 said:
Now, the only part that took any real effort was getting the old lower race off of the shaft, and getting the new bearing on.
There are a few ways to do each, but I ended up just grinding the old one off.
With a little patience you can cut through the old race and not damage the shaft.
That is a dust seal you see below the old race.

View attachment 1671091

View attachment 1671092
Click to expand...
My older brother did his one time and put the lower assembly in the freezer, after after a few hours he took it out and used a focused propane torch on the lower race and a small pry bar and it popped right off no fuss or muss....

He did the same thing with the large bearing in his BMWs final drive.....the service guys at the dealer told him he'd need a press to do it when he went to pick up the bearing....he used pretty much the same method only in reverse, the final drive was in the oven and the bearing was in the freezer....it just fell in and once they got to the same temp locked in place...
 
For the new bearing, I put the bearing in my pocket(can't get it too hot or it will melt the new seal under it), and the shaft in the freezer.
The bearing started to go, then stuck...so, I brought it to work.
There is a -40°f freezer, and several ovens in the lab.
I got the bearing hot to the touch, and the clamp and shaft frostbite to the touch, lol.
I dropped the bearing on, then gave it a tap with a derlin tube and a hammer...done.
This really can be done at home too, with a regular freezer, and a little more heat in the bearing, and I also didn't try tapping it down at home last night either, but it would have went, as I've done them before.
It was just the last thing of the night...and easier to finish at work, lol.
But, if you need to replace these bearings, it's really not difficult or expensive.
This is the exact same procedure as you would do on the Gen1 and Gen2, and the Gen3 is still the same.
The tapered bearings are an upgrade as well, not just a replacement.
I have to check the exact torque rating, as I think that the tapered bearings take around 10% less torque.
You'll also need a spanner adapter for a torque wrench, to make sure the load on the bearings is correct.
Tonight I'll put the front back together so I have a roller again.
As said, I'm going to do fork seals too, but I don't have them right now.
And, as it is quick and easy to pull them out, they'll get done on a future weekend.
Next is to check valve lash, put throttle bodies on, and close up the engine, and rebuild all 3 brake calipers...then on to the other 40 things it still needs, lol

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