Again with the rebuild advice

[Jethro]

So, I this summer I made the comittment to make sure the bike runs for many more years to come. Mostly I did the work because it was getting embaressing to ride. It was noisy, like bad noise coming from the head and such. So I spent some money (a lot of money actually) and replaced the head because as it turned out a lot of the noise was because the exhaust side cam was destroyed at one of the seats (bearings, if you can call them that). I also replaced the clutch, chain, sprockets and did a lot of electrical work. I also replaced all the cosmetics on the bike with some nice body work in the original paint my bike was. I spent about $1200 all together. The problem is that the motor is still noisy as all H-E double hockey sticks. So I'm thinking about going deeper. I have had people ask me, "does your bike need some oil, man?" It is hard to describe the noise exactly, but it isn't good. Questions are:

1. I didn't do anything to the cylinders because they had good compression. Could they be the cause of all this noise be the barrels or rings? Wouldn't the compression be bad?

2. I've never gone that deep into a motor myself, but no one works on my bike but me from now on. I know I can handle it (after all, in New Hampshire we get a manditory 6 months off pit time) but what is the process? How hard is it to do the rings and a cylinder hone?

3. Could it be the crank? Are those roller bearings impossible to replace or even find?

4. If money was no object, how could I make my motor run like brand new?

My bike has 34,000 miles on it and I do not believe it needs to be retired. It runs great, idles nice, pulls like a locomotive and always starts right up. It just is noisy, and I don't like it. Any input people?

[Anonymous]

Hi Jethro,
How was your cam chain when you put it back on the cams? I think the one in my bike is worn out and the result is that it makes a whole lot of noise at times. I haven't looked into how to check it out but I think my adjuster has gone as far as it can go...maybe you can check this on yours.

Steve

[Anonymous]

Jethro sounds to me like cam chain ........don`t know how many Gs`s have been flogged for nothing because guy`s thought the motor was shot

[Anonymous]

noisy gs 1100

Hey there,
I might be able to help if you could pinpoint the noise and where it is.
Is it a knock, rattle or thump? Is the tone tinny, solid or hollow? Does it echo throught the whole engine or just in one specific area? Is the sound steady or come and go? Try a piece of broom handle and use it as a listening stick. Cup your hand around one end of the stick, hold your hand against your ear and hold the other end against different engine cases or the cylinders while it's running.
Maybe it could be the transmission end of the unit and not the engine itself. My bikes only a 750 but the general layout is the same: (by the way mine is an EX too) I ended up tracing one noise I had into the transmission.
As for changing rings, it's really quite simple. All you need is a few tools you can get at any auto parts store. Cylinder honing is a little more complex and I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself unless you've done it before. If your cylinder wear is next to nothing deglazing is easier and can be done at home with an electric drill, a deglazing stone and either varasol or I prefer diesel fuel as a lubricant/cleaner. Oh and a good eye is a definite plus also.
The bottom end of the 1100 is very strong (in my opinion comparibly stronger than the plain bearing 750 is) and it would take a lot of hard abuse to pound the roller bearings of the 1100. But if you have a bad crank bearing it's a job for the engine shop as the crank has to be pressed apart to remove the bearings. If you have to get the crank done have them weld the crank after it's been reassembled to strengthen it for high rpm use (if you like to wind it high that is).
As for finding the bearings I'm pretty sure Suzuki still has them and most likely Vance & Hines as they were the kings of Suzuki at one time. You could try a bearing supply store but watch the quality meaning cheaper is not necessarilly better.
If I can help you out a little more leave me a post. Being a mechanic by trade I might have a little more insight on certain things for you. Hope this helps. :?

Jon Kram

_________________________

81 GS750EX and proud of it !!

[Jethro]

The cam chain looked good. The adjuster was not working properly, but that has been sorted out. Jon, the tranny is a good idea as I do seem to have an issue there. when I am moving along at very slow speeds, like idle speed, the bike seems to surge and miss a little as if the gear is worn and is catching and then letting go as I idle along. I just went through the carbs, so I am confident that the slow speed circut is working good. The tranny works flawlessly through the upper gears, this is the best shifting bike I have ever had. I believe I have two seperate noises happening. One is definately in the head, and is a whirring noise. That one does not concern me much. The other could be coming from anywhere and seems like a general grinding, somewhat tinny noise. It really sounds like a motor without lubrication but it has to be getting oil as I rode over 1000 miles like this and it didn't get worse. How noisey are your bikes? Maybe I just need to accept the fact that I own a 22 year old bike and it will not ever purr like a kitten.

[Anonymous]

Hey Jethro,
Just read your post over supper.The surge at low speeds is backlash between the drive and driven gear for;I'm assuming; 1st gear.There is supposed to be some,but if it's real noticeable it could mean more wear than it should have.If the lash is too much that means replacing one or both of the suspected gears.Don't worry, I have a factory manual for mine, and a friend has an 1100ed;pretty sure he has a manual too if you need specs and stuff.Or if you don't have one,get one.They're really handy!
How's your chain slack?Oops, you already took careof that,I forgot. One problem I had was a tight spot in the chain,and it made the bike surge at low speeds. It had been there since I bought it. No matter what I did ;changing chains,sprockets,removing the drive on the rear wheel and turning it and remounting it did nothing. The last couple of years I did a major revamp using an 1100ed chassis;switched over the rear suspension and voila, no more tight spot.Turned out I had a bum rim and the origional owner verified he had the same problem and just lived with it as I did.( It's nice being owner 2 and being somewhat friends with owner 1 when it comes to past history of the bike;I have every reciept of everything bought for it since new)Anyways,I'm getting off subject.Sorry.
The whirring is probably the cams,valves and chain running.If there's a klinking that could be excess clearance at the valves.I have 2 or 3 klinking around and just too lazy to reset the rack of them; but winters on the way and I have stuff to do to it anyway.Was the clutch basket ok when you did your clutch??Rivets have been known to come loose and make the 2 halves kinda bang around (thats one of my noises;not really noticeable but I know it's there and it bugs me and it's getting fixed this winter) Eccess wear where the plates are driven by the basket will make it rattle also.
How about the starter? work ok? Maybe the overrunning clutch is giving up the ghost; they'll make a godawful noise if they get stuck engaged.
Anyway, air cooled engines are tipically noisy as there's no liquid to muffle the internal noises as they run; it's just how they are. I had a friend with a mid 80's FZ750 and my old GS was always noisier but performed fine. We both had headers and mine got louder when I switched over to open air cleaners and he went with an inbox setup. I love induction hiss/howl.Natural engine noise doesn't mean it won't purr.If it idles good,pulls good under light or heavy acceleration and has a clean sound out the pipe or a healthy lope if you have "heavy cams" then it's purring just fine.
Do you know offhand some of the history of your 'rod'? I really can't see it being a major (read mucho dineros) bottom end problem with what you told so far and I know troubleshooting is a pain; hell I do it for a living.If the bike has seen track action at one time or had "harry hotshot" as an owner, then consider more serious possibilities. Did you try the wooden stick trick? It will help localize the noise (where it's the loudest that's the nearest point to the source). Give a yell if you have anymore tidbits; I'm usually on 1 or 2 times a night if I don't have to work late. Luck to ya!

Jon Kram
_________________________

81 GS750EX and proud of it !!