Project GSX-R600, Part Two

Okay so the bike looked nasty, time to start hunting down parts for Project Gxxer.  There was no way we were going to try and salvage any of the bodywork on this bike as it looked like a pack of hyenas had chewed on it. We heard about inexpensive bodywork from China available on Ebay so we looked into the listings and found a bodywork kit that fit the bill.

This kit matched the paintwork on the fuel tank and we know the stock street look appeals to a wide audience so we went for a stock look. The kit included windscreen, front fender, side panels, radiator cover, front cowling and inner fender plastic. Very complete kit for $480 shipped. You could not get a full set of bodywork professionally painted for that low of a price! This had to get ordered first because it takes about a month or so for delivery.

 We have heard all the horror stories about ordering bodywork from China such as poor fitment and paint quality. Well, this was absolutely not the case. The paintwork was very good and fitment was top notch. We only had to drill out one small hole that wasn't done at the factory but this took about 2 minutes. The biggest risk, we learned, from ordering a full kit of bodywork from China is the shipping. The box, when it arrived was completely tattered and torn being held together with shipping tape...the contents were practically spilling out. The postman warned me we may not want to accept the parcel but I signed and took the chance with some hesitation. Fortunately, as we unpacked what was left of the box. I breathed a sigh of relief when we noticed each part was wrapped with very thick foam so there was zero damage. It is not unusual for International shipments to sit in the rain or get wet somehow or other and this seemed to be the case with this shipment. The seller did guarantee that broken parts would be replaced but that would require more waiting time on top of what was already a reasonably long wait. This is a risk you either take or you pay a couple hundred dollars more for OEM bodywork. 

Next thing was to fix the under tray/inner fender/ battery box. We found a used replacment in much better condition than the one we had. Tip: When you find used parts on Ebay always make an offer for a lower price than what is listed, more often than not you can get the parts cheaper than what is listed.

LED's are the way to go these days. We decided to go with an integrated turn signal/brake light and license plate lamp. This option looks slick when combined with a fender eliminator but you have to be careful the one you order comes with the license plate light integrated as well. Otherwise, you'll have to pay more for another light or risk getting pulled over by the cops. We ordered ours from Lockhart Philips.

Next we needed to replace the badly bent foot controls. EMGO is a company that specializes in inexpensive replacement components for popular Asian bikes. Tip: When you have an Asian bike there is no shame installing Asian parts on the bike. 

It's ugly as hell but if you drop the bike it's very likely this will not bend in on itself and become unusable. Imagine if you drop the bike in the parking lot and can't get home 'cause your shift lever is bent beyond use. That would really suck.

Okay, the headlamp was completely buggered. We did not look close enough at it when we bought the bike....we were fortunate enough to find someone who was ready to deal and offer us one, cheap, on Ebay. Again, we asked the guy to discount the price as it was listed and he went for it. This part costs $280 retail. It looked like it was brand new and we had it in 3 days!

Finally, a few bits to round out the bike.....the old GXXer did not have a chain guard. This is a safety issue, especially for a passenger, and we would never put a bike on the road that did not meet basic safety requirements. We found a really nice raw, unfinished chain guard laser cut with GSX-R600 motif on it for like 29 bucks....

Lastly,  we ordered a white seat cowl for the bodywork. We'd rather have an actual pillion seat but for half the price..... we'll let the next owner's girlfriend buy the seat.

We also needed to fetch a couple odds n' ends here and there...we needed to buy some rubber grommets from Suzuki, a headlight bulb holder and wiring assy, some bolts and washer.  Just a few bits that cost a few dollars more....always a few dollars more.....


We sold some of the crashed parts on Ebay and recouped some of the costs. I think we probably spent an extra $850 for everything including the bodywork. Total outlay cost of the project was $2550 at this point. Cost vs value is still good.


Stay tuned for Part 3 and we'll show you the results of our endeavor!