New GS1000 owner in Denver

[Guest]

Hi there everybody in GS land, new guy in Denver CO here. I just bought a, errr, unique 1978 GS1000. Its working name for now is Purple Mountain Majesty, in homage to the backyard-special purple ghost flame paint job it came blessed with. Got some bits to work out but seems to be solid overall. I have experience with old Japanese bikes and was looking for something powerful and comfortable that could handle city work and long rides in the mountains, and this seem to check the boxes. I paid $1300 for it. Its got pod filters and a no name 4 into 1 exhaust. I was a bit concerned about the bluing on the headers as I know this can mean the bike has been run lean, but could also just be a by product of riding in traffic/ the low quality chrome on the off-brand pipe. It was hard to start and ran rough when it was first started but it was 20 degrees out and hadn't been started in a few months. Also the battery was flat so we had to jump it off the truck. The cam chain made alot of noise but once it warmed up and the idle settled into a reasonable tick over it quieted down. The top end sounds ok and I rode it a quick few miles, which by the end of felt as if the cob webs were clearing out. The bike is actually pretty clean and came with a decent set of Avon roadriders. My plan is to go through the carbs, fit new pod filters, get rid of the mini carbon-fiber blinkers and other ugly ebay-special bits, repaint the tank, fenders, and side panels, make sure the electrics check out, and all the general maintenence stuff. This will be my primary vehicle and daily rider so I need to make sure its reliable and safe of course. I'm stoked to have found this resource and be a part of the community that keeps these bikes alive.

[Big T]

Welcome aboard the nut house!

That certainly is someone's idea of a custom bike. Are the cam caps actually purple, or is that a reflection?

IDK how many members we have around Denver anymore?

[steve murdoch]

Hi ya, CV.
Another reason to consider for the heat causing the headers to blue is tight valve clearances.
A good thing to check along with the electrics and carbs.
If you are getting new pod filters have a look at the ones from APE. Close to half the cost of K&N.
Tons of repair tutorials here: http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

[Constant Velocity]

Indeed, the purple majesty extends to the cam caps. Thanks for pointing out the potential for tight valves as well Steve. And funny you mention those APE pods, because I have a set of those sitting around from a Kawasaki KZ650 project that has been stalled for the last few years. I had gotten a 710 Wiseco kit for that bike, and a bank of bigger mikunis along with the pods. So those will be going onto the GS now. I forgot to mention the bike has 21,000 miles on it which I believe to be accurate. Also I think that tank is from a GS850, I don't think any 1978's came with a tank that shape.

[850 Combat]

I think it is a 1980/1981 GS1100E tank. I don't hate the color really. Its a Throwback Thursday bike.

[Steve]

Also I think that tank is from a GS850, I don't think any 1978's came with a tank that shape.

I think it is a 1980/1981 GS1100E tank.

I agree that no '78s came with a tank like that. It would have had a groove down the length, instead of indents for the knees.

If that tank is from an 850, it would have to be an '82/'83, or from an '82-'84 1100G, which had the same tank.

Not sure what the seat is from. Definitely not from a '78 1000, though. A little hokey at the rear, but mates up with the tank just fine.

Overall, not too bad.

.

[dorkburger]

Welcome to the fun house.
Quick other tip. If using a vehicle for a jump start, never have the vehicle running. There are many stories of our already fragile GS charging systems being damaged by using a running vehicle for a jump. A full electric check should be added to your to do list.
Enjoy!

[Constant Velocity]

Hmmm, well hopefully nothing was harmed from the jump. The car was running but I had the ignition system turned off until I disconnected the cables and then started the bike. What are those most likely candidates for potential damage that I should check in regard to that? And yeah I think "hokey" is exactly the word for describing the seat haha. I'd like to get something a bit flatter or maybe shave down this one and recover it. You guys have any ideas/ recommendations on the seat situation with GS1000's?

[steve murdoch]

'78-'80 GS1000 seats are difficult to find and expensive when you do find one.
The base are prone to rust and become unusable.
You might want to look into reshaping the one you have. Pit Replica makes stock looking seat covers if you go that route.

[wymple]

Looks OK to me. Nice find.

[Constant Velocity]

Thanks wymple, it definetly shows in the picture a little better than real life. Ive been reading through the detailed Stator Pages, along with the information about switching to a Series R/R. This GS does also have LED turn signals installed by the PO which bodes poorly for the already stressed charging system. I just got the battery charged up and will start looking into things today. Glad to already be finding some great info on here

[Big T]

The LEDs use less watts and will help your system

[Constant Velocity]

I thought when there was less of a load, like with leds that the regulator has to deal with the extra watts since they have no where to go but to get dissipated as heat. I wouldn't be surprised if I was getting all this confused though

[dorkburger]

That is my understanding as well if the original R/R is still in use.