Signed up to say thanks for the forum tips

[OutbackPhil]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to say thanks for the amazing amount of great info on the forum; I've referred to it to solve a few issues I've been having while I've been building my project GS450. So thanks!

I've seen some beautifully restored GS bikes on here so I'm a little hesitant to share photos of mine, but I bought it for a couple of hundred bucks unloved, not running, cast aside and in a fairly ordinary state. So it was never going to be restored to showroom condition. I ended up going the other way, in fact.



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Well a year and a bit later, it's for the better part completed. Its an 81 GS450. Well, for now it's finished anyway. Rewired the whole bike, it now runs a motogadget m-unit to keep things much tidier. Some minor niggles to deal with (some idling issues, and minor electrical gremlins) but it's fun to ride and I'm happy with the project. A couple of times it had me totally stumped! Still unsure of paint schemes, but for now I'm loving the tank patina and the post-apocalyptic look.

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Cheers all

Phil

[GSXR7ED]

Gmorning...it's 4am here on the east of the U.S. I got up for potty break...I'm getting old with these bathroom breaks.

That's a rough lookin' little GS you have there. Glad you are finding the info you need to get the Gremlins outta there!

Some of your pics did not show...that's a Photobucket issue. But I did see the attached photo. Continue to update your thread.


Ed

[Brendan W]

Hi Phil and Welcome.
Great to pull one back from the edge.
Many happy miles and safe arrivals.

[Guest]

Welcome Phil! Pity Photophucket got you and I can only see the before, but the 450's are great little bikes, still enjoy mine every day and will be hitting the road on it to join the local Kat folk shortly this morning for our regular ride.

How outback is outback?

[OutbackPhil]

Thanks for the replies guys. Stupid photobucket, I still had an account from years ago and I figured the process of linking photos in was still the same, and it wanted me to pay to be able to do so! Outrageous. Strangely enough tho it came thru ok on the preview post before I posted up so I figured it worked ok. How wrong I was.... Anyway, here's project finished so far. I used the jet settings in particular talked about on the forum and they're fantastic. No flat spots, and starts very easy. The revs take a bit to drop back down to idle tho, which I'm not sure about. Could it be a butterfly sticking?

4C4A6154.jpg

[OutbackPhil]

Oh and I'm out in Mt Isa Pete. Hoping to return to the south east at some point next year but we'll see how things go

[Guest]

That looks pretty cool Phil! Mt Isa hey? Bit far for the moment to invite you to the regular Katana Australia Saturday morning rides

As for your idle issues, are your intake boots for the carbs nice and fresh and rubbery? That's a symptom of the common air leaks that happen when they don't seal all that well. Also, if they're the stock carbs, I'd highly recommend adding some sort of support for them attached to the frame rail above as they're quite heavy. I ran mine with pods for a few years and the weight ended up distorting the boots quite badly and they ended up drooping about 20mm lower! That will also potentially result in air leaks as the boots go out of shape.

[OutbackPhil]

Thanks Pete! Yeah a bit far for now... Good tips on the carbs, makes sense to me. After I've been riding, and pull the clutch in and come to a stop the revs stay up for a bit before dropping back down to the base idle which is fairly low. I sprayed a little carby clean around the boots while it was running and it shifted the idle a bit (not accurately enough to say for sure) but I'll look at some sort of support for the carbs and find some stronger screw clamps. The original ones seem to have maxxed out on their closing diameter.
Cheers

[cowboyup3371]

It might be a good idea to replace at least the orings behind the boots and maybe even the boots themselves

[thebrandonbeezy]

It might be a good idea to replace at least the orings behind the boots and maybe even the boots themselves

Speaking of replacing the boots, where is a good source for them?

[sam000lee]

More pictures! You did a nice job tucking all the electronics away...what battery fits in that little tray?

[Guest]

If the clamps for the boots are seeming too big for them, definitely time to replace them. That indicates the rubber has shrunk. My original boots were like that, it was a PITA to get the carbs in and they were definitely causing air leaks as a result. It seems a bit counter intuitive that shrunken intake boots will lead to leaks, but it seems not only are they harder due to age but they also distort enough by squeezing the carbs in that they don't sit well and leak.

As for getting replacements, just go genuine, I don't find them particularly expensive. If you want a good dealer who has good prices and excellent service and don't have a local preference, try Mick Hone down in Victoria. http://www.mickhone.com.au/

[GSXR7ED]

Thanks for the replies guys. Stupid photobucket, I still had an account from years ago and I figured the process of linking photos in was still the same, and it wanted me to pay to be able to do so! Outrageous. Strangely enough tho it came thru ok on the preview post before I posted up so I figured it worked ok. How wrong I was.... Anyway, here's project finished so far. I used the jet settings in particular talked about on the forum and they're fantastic. No flat spots, and starts very easy. The revs take a bit to drop back down to idle tho, which I'm not sure about. Could it be a butterfly sticking?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]53334[/ATTACH]

That is nice!


Ed

[cowboyup3371]

Speaking of replacing the boots, where is a good source for them?

Your favorite Suzuki dealer will be able to get them - Parts Outlaw is the forum favorite even though they got rid of the free shipping we used to enjoy

[OutbackPhil]

Thanks yeah I'll do both the boots and o'rings I think. Start with the easy stuff!