I've been doing a bit of riding, fettling and pondering over the last few months.
I spent a couple of rides tweaking the rear shock adjusters and have it pretty well dialled in, which is good but it does show up the limitations in the front. On road it is good enough that I have ran out of rubber on both tyres so it can't be too bad. Off road however, the front end is a bit harsh, but currently the biggest limitation is the tyres.
I have also been thinking about how I want to use the bike: The g/s is never going to perform like a modern bike or be a full on dirt bike. If that is what I want I would be better go out and buy one. The aim was for a bike that I can potter around on, some road, some dirt track, maybe a bit of an adventure touring. More importantly, after my accident I decided that I had to slow down a bit, but I have never been much of one for self control when it comes to the throttle. Spending a load of cash replacing the forks, probably the wheels, then maybe bracing the frame etc would no doubt make the bike nicer to ride, but I would most likely end up riding it faster which is not what I want.
So I have decided to leave some things alone.
The GS forks suit the bike well enough and, except for those with a sharp eye, look original. Rather than change them I will be fitting a gold valve emulator. It might be a faff to adjust, and not on par with a modern set of forks, but it should still be a significant improvement over the current set-up.
I had got used to the front brakes but have improved them anyway with a new braided line and fresh fluid.
The GS wheels also gave me a dilemma - the rear tyre choice is currently very limited due to the lack of clearance, not helped by the change from an 18" to 17" rear wheel. The widest I can fit on there is a 110 and there are very few tyres of this width. Tubed rims would definitely be lighter but, while Haan can rebuild the rear with an 18" Excel rim, this is not an ideal solution due to the angle of the spokes in the hub to match the tubeless rim and only a limited increase of offset is possible. I am also keen to keep both wheels the same - either both tubed or both tubeless to avoid having to carry 2 different puncture repair kits. After a bit of reading on ADVrider I found that it is possible to offset the rear rim on the GS wheel, with the results proven over a significant number of miles and years. This will need a new set of spokes with different lengths on either side - not free but a lot cheaper than sending a wheel to NL for a new rim. To back this up I also found that Mitas offer their range of tyres in a 120/90-17 which is almost the same diameter as their 18" tyres, and they can be fitted tubeless.
So what else have I done and what is on the cards?
A set of fastway pegs are slightly lower and further back - the angle originally didn't feel quite right as they were tilted slightly to the rear but changing the grub screws that serve as boot cleats, with shorter ones fitted at the front, worked well.
The tank was resprayed alpine white. It looks like new but won't stay that way unless I get some decals on there to protect the paint from being rubbed by my knees while I ride standing up off road. Still debating which decals to fit.
I managed to contact
motorworks when they had a rare as unicorn poo g/s tool tray in stock so I will soon be able to go out without my tool roll strapped on the pillion seat.
The silencer has now partly melted 2 pairs of boots. This can't go on and, since I tend to travel light with soft luggage over the seat and no frame, it might be worth fitting a lower silencer (probably a used slip on can) and heat wrapping the link pipe that will be required.