black plugs in between the fins?

[Guest]

What are they? Do I need them? If so, where can I get new ones? thanks

[Nessism]

You don't need them. They are supposed to damp vibration and mechanical engine noise. Suzuki still sells them, but they changed the color from black to gray. They are not cheap either. I have a set of the gray plugs if you are in need. PM me for details.

[Hayabuser]

They are supposed to quell vibrations in the cooling fins to prevent the fins from cracking.

I bought new ones on eBay from this seller:

http://www.ebay.ca/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_uhb=1&item=390906750603&pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&_osacat=0&vxp=mtr&hash=item5b03dba68b&_ssn=retro-motorcycles&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xkatana&_nkw=katana&_sacat=0&_from=R40

He doesn't have any listed right now but I'm sure he still has them. They come in long strips and you cut them to length to match your head. I siliconed mine in as one kept popping out.

[bwringer]

They're just noise dampeners to quell any high-pitched ringing -- losing them won't have any consequences other than any '80s-era EPA sound meters you pass might be slightly offended. No human has ever been able to hear any difference on a GS.

No, they are not there to prevent cracking. Your engine won't somehow vibrate its fins off without them. (Where in the world did that idea come from, anyway? )

There are millions of air-cooled motorcycles running around without these dampers, including almost every GS -- the rubber never lasted more than a few years, so they almost always have fallen out long ago.

[60ftgap]

thanks guys all of mine were still in just hard and cracked, they are gone now

[Hayabuser]

No, they are not there to prevent cracking. Your engine won't somehow vibrate its fins off without them. (Where in the world did that idea come from, anyway? )

The world of aviation. Cracked fins are a big deal on air-cooled engines.

The way I see it is, it was engineered by the Japanese and therefore every piece they put on was there for a good reason.

[Darin Jordan]

Doing my due-diligence, and figuring out on my own what search terms to use, I've found and read both these threads, as I'm in the process of doing some maintenance to my 1980 GS850G, and been wondering about the "Rubber Pads".

Decided to just go ahead and order 18 replacement pieces (11152-38A00) from The Parts Outlaw... $43.11 total shipped.

They were put there from the factory, and it makes sense as to WHY they are there. Who am I to decide the engineers didn't know what they were doing.

To each their own! Either way, let's RIDE!