GZ250 "Street Fighter" - Work in Progress

[MadCityRider]

Here's what I've got so far.

This was a Red, '00 GZ250, stock with saddle bags, sissy bar and bag, highway bar, windshield, etc. I've stripped it down to this:




Since I purchased it a few weeks ago I've:

- Switched to the 16T sprocket
- Moved to a 130 Main Jet
- Installed the K&N air filter
- Went to a higher quality headlight bulb
- Replaced the bars with stock Buell ones (shorter, but similar style to stock)
- Replaced the grips with foam "Motocross" grips (very comfortable)
- Removed all unnecessary components; Front and rear turn signals, brake light assembly, one of the mirrors, the passenger pillion
- Added a "chopper" tail light, and bar end turn signals. I'm replacing the mirror with a bar end "under-handlebar-style" one as soon as they come in.
- Chopped the front and rear fenders down, and painted all parts with enamel spraypaint
- Relocated horn (need to upgrade, or remove... the stock one is way to weak)
- Chopped the stock exhaust off and bolted on a Jardine Rumbler [urlhttp://amzn.com/B000GS3LJS]Amazon Link[/url] which went on with no welding, just the supplied band clamps.
- Wrapped the headers with Titanium exhaust wrap
- Replaced the stock seat with a Harley Cop Seat (this is such a good mod, I'll do a separate post about this.)

I did all this myself, and have absolutely zero experience working on bikes. Everything came out of this and a few other forums. I'm hooked though now, and really enjoy doing the work. :rawk:



I plan to:
- Replace the pegs
- Remove the rear suspension and replace with struts (will require welding), lowering the bike 2". I'll then put springs on the frame under the cop seat, and use the rubber pads there now as "bottom-out" protectors.
- Weld some forward control extensions on, and do all the necessary cable, shifter modifications to push everything out 2.5 - 3"
- Trim the sides of the seat down (soit doesn't look like I have a huge @ss)



What I like:
- I went from top speed of 55, with average speed about 50 to a top speed of 70 with average at 65 (all in MPH of course)
- The sound went from angry lawnmower to a throaty growl, when I open the throttle it really barks, but I can also pull into my neighborhood at night without pissing people off. ( If there's any interest I can record the sound for anyone thinking of trying out some different pipes)
- The seat is insanely comfortable
- Everyone seems to like the styling, and I get a lot of questions about the bike. It was fun to go into a Suzuki dealership and have a salesperson trying to figure out what it was.

What I don't like:
- Really my complaints are minor here. The performance mods have all been great, and it rides nice with little to no backfire / sputtering
- It needs a much louder horn. Right now it sounds like I'm just cranking the motor when it's running... just a faint noise. I was embarrassed the one time I had to use it, because a car wasn't departing from a light that had turned green. I've seen the post on these, I just need to do it.
- I constantly forget to turn the turn signals off, so I need to try the turn signal alarm some of you have done
- I sometimes have trouble switching into 1st or 2nd from neutral. I want to try the synthetic oil to see if this helps.

I purchased the bike with 8,000 miles for $1600, it was an impulse buy and I wish I had researched it more because I think I spent too much (Not that I would have gotten a different one, I just should have haggled more). But after getting many of the parts I needed from scrap bins, buying everything else cheap, and selling all the stock parts and accessories I could, I've gotten the total cost of everything you see here to about $1400.

If anyone needs some parts, please check out my listing here. Any money I can raise goes right into the bike!

Questions, Comments?

:rawk:

- MCR

[jonathan180iq]

That's pretty. I just hope your brake lights and blinkers are enough.

[MadCityRider]

The brake light is good. The handlebar blinkers are OK, but I use hand signals for every turn or lane change anyway. I do have one more plan for these though. See the holes at the end of the frame tubes in the picture of the rear... I've got two more handlebar lights (right now they're zip-tied above the holes) which I'm going to use as frame hole plugs. This will give me a full set of four turn signals, all of which are only really visible when I turn them on...

Well it's not the brightest (or probably safest) option. I like the look and styling, and keep my riding to just bumming around town. I definitely wouldn't recommend this mod to a new rider who is not fully aware of how little car drivers notice motorcycle riders.

:rawk:

- MCR

[alantf]

Originally Posted by MadCityRider

Relocated horn (need to upgrade, or remove... the stock one is way to weak)
- It needs a much louder horn. Right now it sounds like I'm just cranking the motor when it's running... just a faint noise.

Quite a few people have complained that the stock horn is not very loud, yet on my European GZ it's fine. I wonder if this could be yet another of the differences, to comply with some American nanny law or other. :??:

[MadCityRider]

Maybe. It does sound like we drew the short stick. You have many components that just seem to perform better than the US equivalents.

[geezer]

my horn is fine. and i live in the great u,s and a

[Strelok]

Hmmmm...maybe I should get a Horn that plays Dixie.

:tongue:

[blaine]

Originally Posted by Strelok

Hmmmm...maybe I should get a Horn that plays Dixie.

:tongue:

Here ya go. :tongue:
Dukes of Hazzard Horn (Dixieland) Super Loud Air Horns.

[cayuse]

I've got the Wolo Bad Boy and IT IS LOUD!!!

[alantf]

Originally Posted by MadCityRider

I use hand signals for every turn or lane change

What happens when you do a right turn? Many years ago (before bikes were fitted with indicators (turn signals)) the throttle was fitted with a screw so that we could adjust the friction, & stop the throttle from slamming shut when we took our right hand off, to signal a turn. On modern bikes, if you take your hand off, the throttle slams off. :??: