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So decided to start this thread to document as I go through a restoration of a 1980 Suzuki GS1000G that I traded my restored GS550E for. I guess this is a story about how 2 Suzuki's that were saved and restored to something of their intended functional states so they could be continued to be enjoyed, as Suzuki intended. I know the guy I traded the 550 for was stoked to have something near original and I was stoked to restore a GS1000G that was destined to either destined deterioration or get parted out. I made a video of my GS550E, it was probably one of my best works for restoration: GS550E review.
So here is the bike a 1980 GS1000G. Currently running but in need of some loving! (yes it's the same pic on other threads).
I rode the bike 85 miles after the swap, the powertrain is in exceptional shape minus the patina. Got it home stripped it, power washed it and have made a list of the good and the bad.
Good:
I ordered a bunch of parts to get the project under way. I'll post my progress... In fact me and my daughter are going out now to start some work!
Cheers,
So here is the bike a 1980 GS1000G. Currently running but in need of some loving! (yes it's the same pic on other threads).
I rode the bike 85 miles after the swap, the powertrain is in exceptional shape minus the patina. Got it home stripped it, power washed it and have made a list of the good and the bad.Good:
- Engine / Powertrain - No leaks, good compression, tight solid shifting and no mechanical noises or defects, no hard starting.
- Intake system - New carb boots, new airbox boots, new clamps, new fuel and vacuum lines
- Carbs - Little or no choke needed on cold start, solid idle, signs of recent cleaning, no flat spots, fueling is sot on.
- Tank - although some minor surface rust, inside is solid, Minor touch up paint all is required
- Charging system - Looks to have been replaced as of recent but with OEM stuff. May upgrade R&R just in case. 13 -14V depending on RPM at the poles.
- Battery - Holds charge and is old flooded type battery, will use until it's time to upgrade to an AGM.
- Tires - A surprise to find that they were only 3 years old and in good shape. The Kenda Challengers do well on the twisty stuff and hold air great with no dry rot, rear tire is at 50% life where the front is closer to 75%. I do have a brand new IRC rear tire in stock that fits this bike so no new tires needed!!!
- Brakes- Bothe front and rear are in need of serious overhaul or replacement. I have pads for this bike in stock which will go on. The hoses are beyond their service life and will visibly move, bulge and distort on half lever pull. Only when you put the lever to the bar do you get a poor response to the front brake and start to shed some speed. The rear is the same.
- Suspension - Clapped out is the nicest way to put it. Rear shocks have little rebound and the tired springs will pogo after going over jarring holes or cracks in the road after allowing a bottom out. The front will completely fully compress on moderate braking or going over rough roads. The left front fork seal is also leaking but I think I can bring it life with a sweep of my fork saver. The boots look new so I believe they were done recently. Either way suspension needs some serious love before I attempt spirited riding again.
- Exhaust- These stupid 4-2 side pipe exhausts are junk, rotted through in sections and severely rusted over. They are going in to the metal pile, first thing I did was order a Delkevic 4-1 megaphone system...
- Patina and rust- Bike needs some serious paint and polish. Nothing that is structurally compromised on the bike but the bike does need some significant work on the cosmetic department.
- Missing badge - One side cover is missing the GS1000G badge.
- Gauge cluster - It's sun faded where everything is now white, clocks are not working properly, speedometer will snare up around 40mph and will POP up to 60mph when it feels like it. Tachometer also shakes and snags as well. Fuel gauge is also wonky in that I will watch it go down and than come back up and than go down... Also unsure if it's reading correctly (Might be a float issue) because it says 1/4 on the gauge and there is definitely over 1/2 a tanks left. Gear indicator bar is missing the numbers. I will be replacing the cluster.
- Turn signals - the whole system is not working. I found a H4 pin connecter spliced into the harness at the turn signal relay location with a relay (I've never seen on a GS) wrapped up in duct tape. Indicator lights are missing... I will have to run the whole circuit to correct.
- Missing caps - missing 1 cam cap cover and a few screws on others.
- Handle bars - bike came with stupid drag bars and nothing is routed correctly, clutch is not working correctly because of some kinks in the cable. Plan to run some different bars.
I ordered a bunch of parts to get the project under way. I'll post my progress... In fact me and my daughter are going out now to start some work!
Cheers,
Pulled the wheel off and found lubed but semi surface rusted splines, decided to just clean and regrease the splines. Everything is regreased and now looking good. I also took out the rear caliper and soaked the whole unit in PB blaster Took out the tires and dry rotted brake line and flushed the brake master. Than turned my attention to the tire. 
So off with the old and on with the new. We will see how the new IRC rolls, shorter sidewall should act as a re gear for acceleration, which is fine by me as I feel the bike is a bit too tall. The IRC took 60PSI to bead but it was also nice to find tubeless rims! 
So back to the back half to the bike. I decided to go with 320MM Emgo Heavy Duty shocks. They were relatively inexpensive (not the cheapest). The stock shocks were shot. The spring was easy to push down and popped right back (no dampening) and decided to go with something that was inexpensive and works as well as the stock unit. I went with black and they have already made a huge difference in firming up the rear end.
So after installing the new shocks I scrubbed off the rust and patina and repainted the swing arm and frame. I then flushed the rear caliper and installed with a new stainless steel line. I also installed brand new pads. After bleeding the system I now have a smooth rolling real wheel and the brake bites at the lightest of touch. Before it took over half the movement of the master to expand the old lines to get some action from the rear caliper. Happy with that.
Finished the day touching up the rest of the frame and cleaning / touch up painting the engine. I also replaced the plug caps and plugs. The bike is cleaning up nice! Waiting on new cam covers and bolts to land. I also ran out of parts to install. The front end is my next big tackle. Once parts land I'll continue the restore. 
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