R1150r (rockster) parts on a GS frame

[Morpheus]

Hello Hive mind.

For reasons that will be come clearer at a later date, in future post, I've been wondering if its possible to do a rockster tank and headlight conversion on an early GS (not GSA) frame?

The tanks are different, as are the suspension front arms and ride height etc... but does anyone one know of something like this having been done to create a 'special' GS(r) vibe?

 

[theoneandonly]

DrAlf ? i bumped into him at Abergavenny Bus Station , i think he had done this , either that or it was a rockster .
( can't see him on the members list , so i may be wrong )

 

[Steptoe]

Two Oil coolers, one on each side compared to the GS single front mounted cooler. Electrical plug on the tank is different. There are a few GS,s with the front telelever arms fitted, it was a popular mod a few years ago, purely for cosmetic purposes, also if you’re doing a straight instrument section swop bare in mind the speedo on a rockster is electronic

 

[Riceburner]

Two Oil coolers, one on each side compared to the GS single front mounted cooler. Electrical plug on the tank is different. There are a few GS,s with the front telelever arms fitted, it was a popular mod a few years ago, purely for cosmetic purposes, also if you’re doing a straight instrument section swop bare in mind the speedo on a rockster is electronic

As said, the Rockster had the R1100S dash and clocks.

The Rockster lights are the same beam units as the GS, but hanging off a unique top yoke and brackets assembly and iirc the shrouds are also different to the GS.

I'm afraid i don't know enough about the GS to be able to say if the Rockster/R tank world go straight on.

Dr. Alf did have a GS/Rockster hybrid, but i can't remember which way around it was.

 

[DrAlf]

Only a year late to this thread. My bike is a rockster dressed as GS - not the other way round. I've also owned a standard(ish) rockster and a couple of a GSs. I'm not sure why you'd want to convert a GS to rockster spec as the GS is a better bike (sorry RB). I think most points covered above - the wiring loom is different and the speedo drive is different as Steptoe pointed out. The forks are different too - Rockster runs R1100S forks rather than GS spec forks. Rockster forks don't work well with longer GS spec shocks. I ended up using GS spec stanchions in Rockster lowers IIRC - it was certainly a faff.

Hope it works out well for you although from my experience I'd advise selling the rockster and buying a GS. Trying to build what you can buy always seems to costs loads in both time and money. Good luck.

 

[Psyko]

Only a year late to this thread. My bike is a rockster dressed as GS - not the other way round. I've also owned a standard(ish) rockster and a couple of a GSs. I'm not sure why you'd want to convert a GS to rockster spec as the GS is a better bike (sorry RB). I think most points covered above - the wiring loom is different and the speedo drive is different as Steptoe pointed out. The forks are different too - Rockster runs R1100S forks rather than GS spec forks. Rockster forks don't work well with longer GS spec shocks. I ended up using GS spec stanchions in Rockster lowers IIRC - it was certainly a faff.

Hope it works out well for you although from my experience I'd advise selling the rockster and buying a GS. Trying to build what you can buy always seems to costs loads in both time and money. Good luck.

Ha! Only just seen this now. I went down this route with the Touratech ReVamp without the front part - managed to squeeze the two oil coolers in either side of the tank and fitted 1150R clocks and wheels. Subsquently, I needed to drill out one of the bolts in the T/tech tank side panels and managed to rupture the tank - doh. During lockdown, I tidied up the bike but couldn't find a replacement T/tech tank. I bought and prepped an 1150R tank but it wouldn't fit GS internal pump etc. So I bought an 1150R pump. Had to cut down the T/tech seat and managed to get it all working. However the seat looked awful against the 1150R tank and the overall aesthetic was mixed. So I bought a new-to-me GS tank, the Unit Garage oil cooler lowering kit (under the telelever) and a seat and rear end from Unit Garage. I made new instrument lights (leds) and a bracket for a Daytona Velona simple speedo and fitted an LED headlight. To quote Willie Nelson: "I'm on the road again ..." I've had this bike for 20 years and have had a lot of fun with it, although with my advancing years and dodgy back its a bit heavy. I've been eyeing up an R9T as an alternative ... ? Oh, and I recently fitted a Motogadget keyless igntion as I had to move the original from the top yoke to where the Servo used to be. Small Dart Screen also added to tidy up the clock area.

 

[Riceburner]

Ha! Only just seen this now. I went down this route with the Touratech ReVamp without the front part - managed to squeeze the two oil coolers in either side of the tank and fitted 1150R clocks and wheels. Subsquently, I needed to drill out one of the bolts in the T/tech tank side panels and managed to rupture the tank - doh. During lockdown, I tidied up the bike but couldn't find a replacement T/tech tank. I bought and prepped an 1150R tank but it wouldn't fit GS internal pump etc. So I bought an 1150R pump. Had to cut down the T/tech seat and managed to get it all working. However the seat looked awful against the 1150R tank and the overall aesthetic was mixed. So I bought a new-to-me GS tank, the Unit Garage oil cooler lowering kit (under the telelever) and a seat and rear end from Unit Garage. I made new instrument lights (leds) and a bracket for a Daytona Velona simple speedo and fitted an LED headlight. To quote Willie Nelson: "I'm on the road again ..." I've had this bike for 20 years and have had a lot of fun with it, although with my advancing years and dodgy back its a bit heavy. I've been eyeing up an R9T as an alternative ... ? Oh, and I recently fitted a Motogadget keyless igntion as I had to move the original from the top yoke to where the Servo used to be. Small Dart Screen also added to tidy up the clock area.

How close does the fork leg get to those headlamp brackets?

Looks nice!

 

[Psyko]

How close does the fork leg get to those headlamp brackets?

Looks nice!

They are Highsider adjustable brackets, so there is a bit of room to play with. The GS has a bit that sticks out on the main frame in front of the headstock that is used to attach the original beak etc and this limits how far back the light can go. I've pretty much maxed it out. I did think about cutting the offending bit off with an angle grinder but chickened out! Can't remember where I bought the brackets. They're available from a few places online.