My 2005 GZ 250 Pictures

[burkbuilds]

Wow, lots of questions, I wasn't really expecting that, but I'll try to answer them at least briefly.
The Seat: I bought some Super cell foam from Sargent Cycle Products in Jacksonville, FL. I got a 1' x 2' x 1 1/2" piece and a 1' x 1'x 1/2" piece of foam so I'd have enough to "experiment" with. It cost me $60 delivered. I took the covers off both seats, re-shaped the main seat and added about 2" of height to it. (Which Sargents really tried to discourage me from doing when I told them what I wanted to do). I shaped the new foam using my wife's electric kitchen carving knife and smoothed out the shape with some surform files I purchased at Lowe's for less than $10. ( I used a contact cement to glue the new pieces to the old foam and it has held up well.) I covered it with some clear plastic and tried it out a few times before I came up with a shape that I liked, then I had a local shop cover it for $100. I've ridden to Atlanta and back a few times, about 250 mile round trip for me, and it's a lot better than stock, but it's not as comfy as my pickup truck. Overall, I ride about 30 minutes each way every day, and I'm happy with the comfort level.

Heated Grips: I bought these from CAXMAN motorcycles in Edwardsville, PA www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com and they cost me $67 delivered. They were simple to install, the toughest part being removal of the old grips, and wiring it up, which I routed through the headlight housing because there is an extra wire there for accessories. As to what they draw, I don't know, I've not had any problems with them overloading anything, they do have an in-line fuse and I talked with a friend who was the service manager for a local Suzuki dealer before I did it and he said it wouldn't be a problem, and it hasn't been. They really make the most difference when you are riding with thin leather gloves and it's between say 40 and 70 degrees. They actually get uncomfortably hot if they are on the high setting and it's in the 60's. If it's colder than that, I'm wearing really heavy insulated gloves or mitts and I don't know if it's really helping that much, but my palms never get cold just my fingertips.
The Exhaust Pipe: I bought this on e-bay, you can find it by searching for GZ 250 on e-bay and look for the add. It cost me $80 delivered, and it's a "Screamin Eagle Style Tapered Muffler for the Suzuki Marauder GZ250". It's loud, but Harleys are louder, so I don't know if it's "legal" or not. It did require the use of a sawzall to cut off the old muffler, and a grinder to get rid of a mounting spot for the old heat shield that was in the way. Otherwise it was a pretty easy and quick install. I had to find the idle mixture screw and back it off 2 1/2 turns to prevent backfire at idle, but that was easy once I found the screw. I like the sound, and the motor is much more responsive now! I don't have to gear down as often when I want to accelerate, and it just feels a lot more "peppy" than before, but maybe some of that is just in my head because I actually hear the engine now. Top speed is still about 77 mph for my 210 lbs, so that hasn't changed, and I haven't checked the mileage yet, but I was getting 70 mpg around town, so I will be interested to see if it goes up or down or stays the same.

[burkbuilds]

Windshield: Sorry, I forgot to answer this one in my other post. The bike had this windshield when I got it, but it was mounted way up on the handlebars and I felt like it made it shake, so initially I took it off and rode without it in the warmer months. I prefer the look without the windshield, but when it got cold, I was really feeling all that air on my chest. A friend suggested that I move the mounting brackets down and as close to the middle as I could get them, and that's what I did. I don't notice the wind on my helmet, but maybe that's because I ride with a modular full helmet in cold weather. The shake went away, and I'm happy with the results. If I was buying a shield I'd consider one that was larger, mounted on the forks and gave some relief to the hand grips for winter riding, but I don't know if that would be a good choice for a bike this light, it might really adversely affect the handling, but I'd definitely think about it for cold weather riding. I'll probably remove mine again this summer.

[Water Warrior 2]

Wow, I do like those heated grips. The manufacturer has all the bases covered in their design. The best part is the weather proof switch and the option of mounting it wherever you are happiest. No more making switch brackets or drilling holes in a body part. And the price, well, I would buy them if my present grip heaters went south. Thanks a bunch for the info. Oh, before I forget, you can find handguards that will help with the cold wind deflection. I put some on Lynda's GZ and they seemed to help. For the life of me I can't remember the manufacturer but do a search here and you will eventually see pics and names to lead you in the right direction.

[adrianinflorida]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Wow, I do like those heated grips. The manufacturer has all the bases covered in their design. The best part is the weather proof switch and the option of mounting it wherever you are happiest. No more making switch brackets or drilling holes in a body part. And the price, well, I would buy them if my present grip heaters went south. Thanks a bunch for the info. Oh, before I forget, you can find handguards that will help with the cold wind deflection. I put some on Lynda's GZ and they seemed to help. For the life of me I can't remember the manufacturer but do a search here and you will eventually see pics and names to lead you in the right direction.

Acerbis makes some quality items.
http://www.acerbis.it/

[burkbuilds]

Update on my fuel mileage after the muffler change: I can't really believe it, but I've filled it up twice since I changed the muffler from stock to the "screamin eagle" and I've gone from 70 mpg up to 84 mpg! I wasn't even looking for an increase in fuel economy, I just wanted to get the muffler away from my saddle bags mostly.

(Edit on 4/9/2009) Latest fuel mileage numbers. Kinda looks like whoever said it was probably due to some other factor than this change that made my numbers go up was right. I'm now back to getting 71-72 mpg, which is a little up, but not significantly. Don't know what's up with that. I'm still able to top that hill on hwy 27 without losing any speed, so there has been an increase in power at least in the top end, but I haven't gotten those 84mpg numbers again. If I knew what made the difference, I'd like to duplicate it, but I have no ideas. . . . well, maybe one thought, I made that muffler change over the weekend after I finished the Winter quarter at school, and then the next two tanks were during the week off from school, (that's when I got 84 mpg) and now I've started the Spring quarter again and my mileage has gone pretty much back to what it was before, so maybe I was just riding different routes that week and they weren't as "hilly" as my normal route to school and back is.

[KingstonSpeeders]

That's fantastic!! I love what you did to the muffler. When you sawed off the old one, did you have to weld it or bolted it? The collision expert at the shop where I am getting my bike redone says that the top of the pistons would burn and get a lean on the fuel. How have you managed to avoid that? Cause I am dying to change my muffler and very willing to make the modification.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by KingstonSpeeders

The collision expert at the shop where I am getting my bike redone says that the top of the pistons would burn and get a lean on the fuel.

Cause I am dying to change my muffler ......

Sounds like he has been around engines for a few years. What he says is correct. The carb. mods should minimize that though.

And I just have to ask: WHY are you "just dying to change" your muffler. It's NOT gonna sound like a Harley, after all.