650 rebuild

[robbiem1961]

i have recently purchased a gs 650, in a little bit of error; with a years M.O.T (Ministry Of Transport;UK yearly road worthiness inspection)a spare engine; wheels and tyres; she starts; runs; doesn't smoke and it all works; for ?400 it could not be refused; i have since discovered that the 650 runs on crankshaft shell bearing and not ball races as per the larger motors;
Reviews i have read say that these motors are bomb proof up to 30'000 miles after which various maladies appear; including cam/camchain/tensioner failures; and crankshaft bearing failures; with 58'000 miles on the clock i'm a tad concerned (ONLY A TAD?)my questions are these;
should i just change the oil/filter/plugs etc and continue to use her?
if we have to strip her down and overhaul the engine is there a ball park figure of how long a job it is; and are there any other issues to redress whilst we have her apart?
I am a very much coerced mechanic and would need to get assistance from a couple of my friends; Andy is an HGV qualified and experienced mechanic, but drives an hgv lorry all over europe; therefore we'd have to plan it for when he's about;
many thanks in anticipation Robbie;
Salisbury; England where it'scold and wet

[Steve]

You must have a shaft-driven 650. The chain-driven ones do, indeed, have roller bearings like most of the rest of the GS line.

I am not aware of the 35,000 mile ceiling on service on these bikes. The one in our stable has not been without problems, but it has seed its share of use (and abuse) over the years. Not sure how many owners had it before my son bought it in 2002. We do know that the guy we got it from was not the original owner. My son sold it to a friend, who used that bike to learn to ride. He was on his way to Flori-duh, when the engine started making noise. He gave the bike back to us, and I later took the engine apart to see what happened. The boss on the piston that holds the wrist pin (gudgeon pin) broke off, allowing the pin to slide a bit and hit the cylinder wall. Not sure how typical that might be, but that's what happened here. Bike currently has 44,000 miles on it (with a replacement engine), so this incident might have happened at about 35-40,000 miles, right at your limit.

Personally, I would not worry about it, just continue with all the normal maintenance (don't forget valve adjustment) and enjoy the ride.

.

[tom203]

Yes, don't worry ,just enjoy. Mine has 46000 miles showing (and odometer reads low) and runs well. If you pull carbs, cam chain tensioner is easy to check/inspect upon its removal. Otherwise, you can get good idea about tensioner during valve clearance check.

[Charlie G]

Mines at 48k miles and runs fine but I need to pull the head as the gasket is spitting oil on my right leg. Keep up on the valve adjustment and oil changes and you'll be fine.

[robbiem1961]

hello again you good people. i am quite surprised at how pleased i am that you were decent enough to post me a reply and i thank you all;earlier today i went into the shed where she's been alone for a while and i think she was in a sulk, 'cause she didn't want to play, would only fire on two and all that malarky; however i got round her and after a while idling and warming up she revved freely and without hesitation. i was going to listen with my engineers stethoscope; top end; crank etc but it's cold and i made the mistake of having a coffee indoors; but she sounds nice enough; no unwarranted knocking; rattles or metal to metal screeching; tomorrows job is to warm and drop the oil; change the plugs and oil filter; and have a good listen; pay for my insurance; ?70 a year 'cause i'm old as the hills; well, 53 actually; and have owned many gs's
in answer to one gents assumption; she is a shaftie, one major reason that i love these motorcycles; i'll get a local motorcycle garage to do the valve clearances and balance the carbs; as they've got the shims, vacuum gauges and knowhow; two of their mechanics are old school and love it when i turn up on a 1980s motor; they'll also honestly advise me as to what condition the cams and chain are in; and i'll keep you good people posted; many thanks again Robbie

[tom203]

You'll be fine. Have a look here at common issues while you're sipping coffee...

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/images/GSR_Greeting.html

and 53 ain't old- wait till 65 for real fun!

[huntb]

I can't help but to read your charming posts with a british accent inside my head