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    Hello from San Diego


    Hello everyone,

    First off, let me apologize for only just getting around to posting a hello message. Ive been subscribed for well over 10 years. In addition, two 83 11E's have also been sitting in a corner of my garage for 10 years as well. Thanks to Covid, I finally transitioned one of them from a project to a daily rider. Many thanks for the expert advice that has been dispensed from this group over the years. I could not have finished this project without you.

    A bit about myself.. I live in Carlsbad, which is near San Diego. Im a cyber security consultant by day and soccer dad on weekends. Ive been working on bikes since my early teens back in Texas. I enjoy wrenching on them more than riding them. Wiring diagrams have always fascinated me, thus electrical systems are my speciality.

    Project Mods/Learnings/Ramblings...

    1) The first major problem that i faced was burnt wires and melted connectors in the headlight. I replaced the R/R with an aftermarket serial R/R with a heat sync the size of a planet. It was too big to mount back on the side, so i have it tie wrapped to the frame just above the battery. Im using Pods, so there is quite a bit of space now under the seat. Also, eliminated the stator circuit through the headlight and went directly in to the R/R. Replaced the melted connector with bullet connectors. In addition, i mounted a small volt/ammeter just under the instrument panel. Now i can monitor battery voltage and charing amps.

    2) Sent the carbs off to have them rebuilt. They came back with 47.5 pilot jets. The idle was just not where i wanted it. I sync'ed, twisted mixture screw, changed jets, learned a lot about carbs. In the end, i went back with factory 45 pilots and followed a "lean best" process for setting mixture screw. The biggest thing i learned was make one change, write it down, test and record results.. Then rinse/repeat to infinity. Carb tuning is a fool's errand for those who are impatient. For those going down this path, i simply cannot emphasize enough to get a notebook and keep notes about what you have changed and also to only make small changes. The result of 4 months of tinkering with this is a bike that purrs like a kitten.

    3) Replaced the a burnt out back light on the gear indicator LCD with an LED. This gear indicator is, by far, the most technologically advanced component on these bikes.

    4) Repaired cracked speedo housing. I used a soldering iron and plastic welded the cracks back together. The results were stunning. Im still shocked as to how strong a plastic weld is.

    5) replaced the headlight and tail light with LED's. I added some inline 10w resistors to add load such that i didnt burn out the stator. This worked really well. Turn signals and running lights are next on the list.

    6) Rebuilt the front forks (seals and o-rings). Replaced the stock rear shocks (with IKONs). Replaced the stock break lines with braided steal. Replaced the tires. Bypassed the anti-dive.

    7) Added a iphone holder complete with wireless charging pad.

    8) Added sponge grips.

    She is still far, far from perfect, but she is ridable, safe and loads of fun. Here are some pix. Comments and feedback are much appreciated.

    And again, "Thank You" for all of the great help over the years.



    C58EBDF4-C1E0-488F-83DB-0157B5DC4475.jpg







    Darrell
    1983 GS1100ED (red) / 1983 GS1100ED (blue)

    #2
    Top end oiler?
    ...
    1982 GS1100E V&H "SS" exhaust, APE pods, 1150 oil cooler, 140 speedo, 99.3 rear wheel HP, black engine, '83 red

    2016 XL883L sigpic Two-tone blue and white. Almost 42 hp! Status: destroyed, now owned by the insurance company. The hole in my memory starts an hour before the accident and ends 24 hours after.

    Comment


      #3
      What a beautiful bike and an excellent write-up on its repairs.
      Seems VERY belated but welcome to the site, Darrell.
      2@ \'78 GS1000

      Comment


        #4
        Forgot to mention the oil cooler. Did you actually see a need for it? Bike came to you with it? Just curious. Nice work.

        Rich
        1982 GS 750TZ
        2015 Triumph Tiger 1200

        BikeCliff's / Charging System Sorted / Posting Pics
        Destroy-Rebuild 750T/ Destroy-Rebuild part deux

        Comment


          #5
          Rich and Rob.. re: Oil cooler. The bike came with that already installed. TBH, im considering removing it, but that would involve stealing the factory oil filter plate off the doner bike. Im planning on starting on the top/bottom rebuild of the doner bike in the new year. Lets just say it will be back up for debate on the next oil change. I have not really seen a need for it, however, with that said, we really dont get any hot weather here in SD. Thus most of my rides are on 70 degree days so engine stays pretty cool. If i were in Vegas or Phoenix, then my opinion on the oil cooler might be a different story.

          Thanks for the comments!

          Best Regards
          Darrell
          1983 GS1100ED (red) / 1983 GS1100ED (blue)

          Comment


            #6
            Oh, BTW.. I was just looking at the pix i posted. Eagle-eyes spotted the oil cooler i forgot to mention (not my work tho). Also, i noticed that this pix still has the absolutely WORTHLESS Amazon shocks i had on there. To say these were "worthless" did not do justice to the word "worthless." If you are looking for after market shocks, do yourself a favor and dont buy them on Amazon. They basically have 20 vendors selling the same cheap shocks. They say "for bikes up to 1000lbs." I will call BS on that. The spring on these shocks would not even be suitable for a fountain pen. Bite the bullet, spend the money and get some shocks from a reportable manufacturer. Your back and your passenger will thank you.

            Also, ive since swapped out the mirrors as well. The ones from the pix are compound mirrors in that they have a combination concave blind-spot mirror. I quite liked the design, but they are just not wide enough. I had great views of my arm and shoulder, but could not see anything behind me.

            Also, notice that the seat strap is missing. Hey!!! quick question.. Is the seat strap strong enough to support the entire weight of the bike when you are taking it off the center stand and forget to put your side stand down beforehand?? Answer.. "No" and i will just leave that one right there.
            Darrell
            1983 GS1100ED (red) / 1983 GS1100ED (blue)

            Comment


              #7
              No top end oiler, just an oil pressure gauge?
              1982 GS1100E V&H "SS" exhaust, APE pods, 1150 oil cooler, 140 speedo, 99.3 rear wheel HP, black engine, '83 red

              2016 XL883L sigpic Two-tone blue and white. Almost 42 hp! Status: destroyed, now owned by the insurance company. The hole in my memory starts an hour before the accident and ends 24 hours after.

              Comment


                #8
                Hey Darrell. Great looking bike and welcome. Im going on 10 years here myself. Crazy how time flies.
                sigpic
                When consulting the magic 8 ball for advice, one must first ask it "will your answers be accurate?"

                Glen
                -85 1150 es - Plus size supermodel.
                -Rusty old scooter.
                Other things I like to photograph.....instagram.com/gs_junkie
                https://www.instagram.com/glen_brenner/
                https://www.flickr.com/photos/152267...7713345317771/

                Comment


                  #9
                  Me too Rob, first sight I also thought top end oiler but yeah just a gauge. I've not seen that before on a stock bike. Wonder if a reason not trusting the light?
                  1983 GS1100E, 1983 CB1100F, 1991 GSX1100G, 1996 Kaw. ZL600 Eliminator, 1999 Bandit 1200S, 2005 Bandit 1200S, 2000 Kaw. ZRX 1100

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Ah.. Yes.. sorry for my misunderstanding. Yes, that thing on the side is an oil pressure gauge. It was on the bike when i bought it, so i cant take credit for that work. rphillips personally, its probably not something i would have gone out of my way to install, but i do like it. Im somewhat old school, thus i prefer analog gauges vs idiot lights. That is why i went to the trouble of installing a volt/ammeter such that i could monitor things vs waiting until a light comes on. Now, in reality, there is not much you can really do about an oil pressure loss other than pull over to the side of the road, so i kind of view the gauge and idiot light kind of like wearing a belt with suspenders. Thanks for the kind notes.

                    Best Regards,
                    Darrell
                    1983 GS1100ED (red) / 1983 GS1100ED (blue)

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Here is a top view of the oil pressure gauge.

                      IMG_0036.jpg
                      Darrell
                      1983 GS1100ED (red) / 1983 GS1100ED (blue)

                      Comment


                        #12
                        And here is top view of the dash with the volt/ammeter attached at lower left.

                        IMG_0037.jpg
                        Darrell
                        1983 GS1100ED (red) / 1983 GS1100ED (blue)

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Volt meter great idea with any GS. Wondering appx. oil pressure by your gauge, at idle and while just riding down the rd. at normal operating temp., looks like appx. 2 1/2 lb. @ 3100 in picture.
                          1983 GS1100E, 1983 CB1100F, 1991 GSX1100G, 1996 Kaw. ZL600 Eliminator, 1999 Bandit 1200S, 2005 Bandit 1200S, 2000 Kaw. ZRX 1100

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Darrell,
                            Thanks for introduction and pics..

                            Your list of projects you have done is good and impressive.

                            My daughter and SIL lived in San Diego (Nimitz/PtLoma) and then Oceanside for total of 5 years, so I had to go riding there abouts, and did. Was great (after get out of urban area).

                            Had 850G for 14 years. Now have GK since 2005.
                            GK at IndyMotoGP Suzuki Display... ... GK on GSResources Page ... ... Euro Trash Ego Machine .. ..3 mo'cykls.... update 2 mocykl


                            Comment


                              #15
                              Idiot lights: Honda (?) got it right all those years ago. Oil, neutral, turn and high beam. I love my 11EZ's dash layout, but it's clearly a case of a roomful of dorks thinking, "What more lights can we add?"
                              1982 GS1100E V&H "SS" exhaust, APE pods, 1150 oil cooler, 140 speedo, 99.3 rear wheel HP, black engine, '83 red

                              2016 XL883L sigpic Two-tone blue and white. Almost 42 hp! Status: destroyed, now owned by the insurance company. The hole in my memory starts an hour before the accident and ends 24 hours after.

                              Comment

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