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81 GS550T in Co Sprgs

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    81 GS550T in Co Sprgs

    So I guess getting my bike running is going to take a little more work than I originally thought so I figured I'd start this thread to talk about it. The 81 GS550T in my signature was given to me by the "wonderful" PO for a few reasons. First, his apartment complex was threatening to tow it away as they didn't want it around anymore; I don't know the whole story to that but whatever. Secondly, when I looked at the bike the first time, he didn't have a battery handy and didn't have the carbs in place as they were getting cleaned by his friend. So I agreed to come back a few days later. When I did, he found the battery and the carbs were in place but we couldn't get it to start. At that time, I noticed the choke cable was connected to the area the throttle cable should have been and the throttle cable was hanging free. After blaming it on the guy who supposedly "cleaned his carbs", he assured me it had only been sitting for four or five months and it would start up with no issues. I was already aware that I would need to replace the right handle switch and throttle handle as well as the rectifier. Due to the problems with the apartment complex, he let me take the bike with the understanding I would pay him $300 by the end of the following week. The next day, I contacted an individual highly recommended in town with the idea that I would have him fix the throttle cable and then I would proceed on to the rest. He proceeded to check out the bike and suddenly decided to check one bowl on the carbs - rust in it. So much for being cleaned. Then, this mechanic did the cold compression which I discussed in my intro. So I decided to try giving the bike back to the PO but was told to keep it and the kid signed the title over to me free and clear.

    So after some hemming and hawing about how I would do this, I started on my adventure of fixing things. I replaced the right handle switch with your all's help (THANK YOU) when I had problems fitting it onto the handle bars. Fortunately, Cdnoel was kind enough to come over to my place and help show me how to clean the carbs this past Monday. The first one went well but we ran into an issue today with the second one. It seems that somehow the posts holding the float assembly are busted. Whenever and however it happened, the PO must have tried to fix it by wiring one side together but didn't do anything to the other. Cdnoel is willing to try and fix that for me so we'll see how that goes. Secondly, the two and three carbs are so corroded we highly doubt anyone actually tried to clean them. Hopefully, I'll be able to clean them up okay without damaging anything but with Cd's help I think I'll do fine.

    Today, before starting on the carbs though, Cd tested my spark plug wires for me. Unfortunately, I now have to find two new boots as the old ones are toast. Hopefully, they won't be too expensive and I'll get them next week. But it's starting to make me wonder just how much the PO really knew about taking care of a bike he supposedly had since he was a kid (he was probably 20 or 21 when I met him in March). Especially since we found the chain to be fairly loose tonight and managed to loosen up the petcock the other day with some carb cleaner and WD40 (it had to be turned by a wrench).

    I'll post other pictures later once we get to running but I will definitely say this will be an adventure and one that I am already learning alot. I wonder what else I will find from here on and am looking forward to the challenge. However, hopefully I won't ever make the same mistakes this kid did.
    Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

    1981 GS550T - My First
    1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
    2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

    Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
    Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
    and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

    #2
    Oh yea, forgot to say that I replaced all the spark plugs on it and the oil filter too. Unfortunately, I didn't check my ratchet that day and stripped the oil plug bolt. Luckily, Nessism suggested I get a helicoil and that worked just great. I just need to flush out any shavings that might still be in the pan and then it will have new clean lovely oil. Picking up a new air filter on Saturday too.
    Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

    1981 GS550T - My First
    1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
    2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

    Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
    Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
    and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

    Comment


      #3
      Howdy Cowboy, Well, I think we can all relate. Many of these old bikes have been neglected and abused. Good luck with getting her sorted out and back on the road. Ray
      "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded" -Yogi Berra
      GS Valve Shim Club http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=122394
      1978 GS1000EC Back home with DJ
      1979 GS1000SN The new hope
      1986 VFR700F2 Recycled

      Comment


        #4
        Cdnoel and I fixed the posts on another of my carburetors last night (actually he fixed them I just shot the pictures); you can see the pics of them in the tips and tricks section. I then put the petcock back in the tank with a new o-ring and the air filter back on the casing. I'm taking off work tomorrow to pick up some parts and hopefully we'll get the carbs back on tomorrow afternoon. Cross your fingers that it actually starts up.
        Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

        1981 GS550T - My First
        1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
        2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

        Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
        Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
        and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

        Comment


          #5
          Well, as I'm sure all of you are aware, I was able to get this bike up and running pretty well in August/September with the help of many of you. After about a dozen rides to and from work as well as a couple of rides around the area for fun, the cold weather hit and I felt it was time to start shutting it down. So, I'm working on fixing things up with the bike.

          There are quite a few things I want to do. First off, the chain and sprockets are off and i'll get new ones as soon as some money frees up. Secondly, I'll be changing out my fuse block with a new one and have already worked out some details with Steve so I think I'll be okay with that. Then it's shocks and springs to order and some painting to do. I replaced the seat a couple of months ago.

          Today, I decided to start on the road to repainting the bike.
          So I finally started by stripping a couple of parts today. Although I read the can before starting and was told by some folks, I thought I could still open the stripper inside the house, pour it into my working can, and then go outside to do the job. Yea, right! I'll never do that again. Even with a mask on that smell was enough to knock me over . Trust me, if you ever use aircraft stripper get your butt outside ASAP!
          So, I started the work around 2 or 230 when it finally reached this:



          The sad part is that thermometer isn't particularly accurate and weather.com said it was running about 4 or 5 degrees cooler. But I was able to get started using a work table I have. I first did the sprocket cover:



          but not much came off of it.



          Sorry I don't have a plastic scraper but I was told this one would do just as well. I am thinking though I'll get one next payday.
          After that I started on the swingarm that I cleaned it up earlier last week.





          After the first time through on the top side I got it looking like this:



          I got some more on the second time around but still not enough so I'll do a third shot later this week or next weekend.



          Once that is done i'll start on the bottom side. I just hope I can do a good enough job so the painting turns out nice. Course if i mess it up I can always restrip it, right?

          This is what the bike looks like right now:



          I'm thinking this is the way I might want to go with this thing but it's still a thought in process.



          Well, that's it for now. I finally have a reason to keep this thread going so I'll try to post as I can. With no garage and the weather we can get out here (winds and cold) it's a case by case basis whether I can get outside to work.

          Thank you for looking.
          Last edited by cowboyup3371; 12-13-2010, 01:44 AM.
          Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

          1981 GS550T - My First
          1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
          2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

          Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
          Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
          and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

          Comment


            #6
            Today the weather managed to get to 50 degrees so I took the swingarm outside to do some more stripping. Turned out pretty good.







            I think I can just take what's left off by wet sanding with 400 paper. Does that sound about right with you all? Would you have any suggestions on how to clean up the welding marks? I don't know if those are factory welds or not but they kind of look nasty (pictures don't show it as well as I see them).
            Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

            1981 GS550T - My First
            1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
            2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

            Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
            Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
            and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

            Comment


              #7
              Cleaning up the welds is a slippery slope IMO.The frame on my 85 750 is a mess,spatter and bad looking welds all over.The fuss pot in me would have liked to grind and clean them all up.The realist said I'd be doing it till spring so I just painted it as it was.You are not me ,if you can do it without the need to try and make it look perfect then give it try.If you are like me it's probably better to leave well enough alone.

              Comment


                #8
                Thanks SVSooke. I'll have to see what I can do about a grinding wheel and grinder since I really don't have anything. Unless you count my Dremel tool.
                Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

                1981 GS550T - My First
                1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
                2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

                Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
                Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
                and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

                Comment


                  #9
                  Doing that an angle grinder would be your best bet.They are a great tool.Don't over grind though,you don't want to weaken the welds.A wire wheel on one works good to.Use mine allot.Bench grinder are good for small stuff but are limited with bigger things like swing-arms.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    okay. I'll see what I can do then. It might have to wait awhile longer until I can pick one up as the air one I have might not work with my compressor. I'll have to give it a shot first though.
                    Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

                    1981 GS550T - My First
                    1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
                    2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

                    Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
                    Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
                    and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

                    Comment


                      #11
                      So I bought myself a grinder and a wire wheel for Christmas and went to do some work today. This is what the swingarm looks like now:



                      Bottom:



                      and one side:



                      I couldn't get all of the paint off the rear of the swingarm; will that cause me issues when I repaint it? Any other suggestions since I couldn't get the cup wheel into that area?

                      Thanks for looking.
                      Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

                      1981 GS550T - My First
                      1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
                      2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

                      Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
                      Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
                      and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Shouldn't,there was lots of paint left on my frame.Tuned out just fine.30 + year old paint is pretty dead,I've only run into problems when I redid some stuff to quickly.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          When I paint this thing here soon, I'd like to mark the lines on the back of the swingarm so I can see them. Can I just use whiteout or would model paint work? Nothing else would be white on the bike so I don't want to buy a large can of anything.

                          THanks.
                          Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

                          1981 GS550T - My First
                          1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
                          2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

                          Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
                          Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
                          and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Definately an ambitious job! Did you take the whole bike apart? Color scheme looks like it will be good too!

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Thank you Jeff. Right now only the back end is missing off the bike. Once I can get most of it done, than I'll take the front off to do the springs.
                              Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

                              1981 GS550T - My First
                              1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's - Now Sold
                              2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

                              Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
                              Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
                              and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

                              Comment

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