Should the clutch cover and the generator cover be chrome on gs1000g 1981?

[Noreg]

The clutch cover has traces of chrome on it, so I assume its supposed to be chrome. But the generator cover has some sort of weird texture, not sure if thats what its supposed to be.

https://imgur.com/a/mhT6vC1 <- Pictures if it makes a difference.

I was thinking of rechroming whatever is chrome but I need to figure out what shouldnt be chrome.

[Steve]

To the best of my knowlege, none of the covers were ever chromed.

Some of them might have been polished a bit more than others, but none were actually chromed.

The weird texture is probably the clearcoat that is flaking off.

You can strip off the remaining bits of clearcoat and polish the covers, they they'll look like chrome.







.

[Noreg]

I guess that saves me a bunch of money on chroming. Polishing and applying clearcoat is something I can do myself.

And your pictures confirmed the hole on the engine protector is for footpegs (so now I need to look for that).

Do you know how the Suzuki logo (the round one) is attached? Mine looks pretty decent, but if Im polisihing the part I dont want to harm the paint on it.

[Nessism]

The emblems use double sided tape to hold them in place. If you use a heat gun to soften the tape it should be possible to life up one edge and slide a tool under it to separate.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

New cover emblems can be had for about $40/pair on ebay, and come with a 3M type (if not actually 3M) adhesive already on them. Do the rest of your cleaning and polishing and put those on as the last step.

[Rijko]

New cover emblems can be had for about $40/pair on ebay

Do you mean the alu/black ones Noreg has on his bike ?
For the GS1000 chain drive those are unobtainable.

The gold/black ones are easy to find.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I was referring to the OP, Noreg. If his bike is as stated, a '81 GS1000G (shaft drive), a quick look on ebay didn't find any, but partsoutlaw appears to have them.
#11 - Right side - $16.97
#15 - Left side - $12.96

https://www.partsoutlaw.com/oemparts/a/suz/50d40333f8700230d8b4ea13/crankcase-cover

If others have gone that route only to find the they're not the right emblems, then I'll stand corrected. Carry On.

on a little more searching that right side cover, the partsoutlaw one may not be the black DOHC that Noreg shows in his pic. Maybe that's why this one on ebay is $150.00

[Spyder]

[Noreg]

I think steve is correct this is some sort of paint. But it seems metal colored when I chip it off... Doesn't really matter I guess, it needs to go.

Here are some pictures:



It does appear all these parts could use a good polish. Does anyone have any recommendations on how? Another thread said sand paper (320, 600 and 1000 I believe).

Do I have to remove all the pieces? I've ordered new oil filters (HF133, hope they come with o-rings), so Id probably wait for that to arrive so I can change the oil (Im assuming taking of the covers will make the oil come out too). Should I get new gaskets or orings or something for the covers?

I am a bit limited in space now (its at the work garage and its filled with winter stored RVs and busses), and I can't really move it (snow and ice on roads and its heavy to put on a trailer).

And what do I do with the letters? Like on the oil cap? I was thinking that would be a good start to experiment with as its easy to remove, cheap to replace and of managable size.

Im sorry Im clueless, Im used to new stuff you just give to the dealer for anything. But I am so excited about this project (and so excited to try it).

[rphillips]

Dang, that is black paint!!!, not the clear that our U.S. GS's eng. had. Our black eng.'s started in "83" I think. Paint remover may get it, but I'd be afraid of what it may do to the alum.

[Noreg]

Dang, that is black paint!!!, not the clear that our U.S. GS's eng. had. Our black eng.'s started in "83" I think. Paint remover may get it, but I'd be afraid of what it may do to the alum.

Ahhh, that makes sense. I was so confused how clearcoat could be so, not-clear.

On the important part, the clutch cover, the paint is so brittle I can litterarily scratch it off with my fingernails. Since Id rather not mess up my fingernails I was thinking of using the plastic thing I use to scratch cast iron skillets (its plastic), I think that would be fairly gentle on the aluminium.

But then Im back to the issue of restoring it, black paint sounds more of a challenge than clear paint.

[Steve]

Interesting that it might be black paint. For the US market, black paint did not appear until the 1983 models. However, I like the look, and have painted all four engines here.

But then Im back to the issue of restoring it, black paint sounds more of a challenge than clear paint.

Go back to post #2. Sorry that the last photo is so blurry, but both bikes shown are '82 models and I have painted the engines myself. The covers were polished, but the engine cases were painted.

I believe that most, if not all, 'do-it-yourself' paint jobs will change color a bit as they age. Black paint might fade a bit, but will still look 'black'. Clear will eventually turn a bit yellow. If it is thick enough, it will likely flake off, too. I would rather have a faded black.

.