New Member 1982 Suzuki GS 850 G problem

[Fergy]

Hi to all. I was wondering if someone could tell me what I need to check when my bike starts ok and idles fine but misses badly between 3000 and 5000 revs then picks up again, that is either reving it stationary or riding it. I know the battery is good and I have checked the Regulator and it reads ok by the metre. I have also taken the carbies off and pulled them apart and cleaned the jets. There dosen't seem to be any air getting into the system. Can anybody suggest anything?
Thanks and great to be on board.

Fergy

[twr1776]

Actually it sounds like you might be getting too much air. Do you have the stock airbox? Is your air filter clean? Have you sealed the airbox? There is also a "snorkel" on the back of the airbox, is it in place? It sounds like an air leak, if you are getting too much air it will make it stumble badly. These bikes are very sensitive to the amount of air they need.

[Steve]

Fergy,
First of all,

BassCliff will be along shortly with the 'official' welcome with all its goodies.

I have also taken the carbies off and pulled them apart and cleaned the jets.

Just be aware that there is a LOT more to cleaning the carbs than just cleaning the jets. In order to clean ALL the jets, you pretty much have to take the carbs completely apart. While they are apart, they should be dipped to remove all the gunk that has grown in all the little passages between the jets. Some parts of the world do not have the pleasure of being able to obtain chemical dips, but if you can get some, please do so. Berryman's or Gunk brands work well, there are also some home-brew methods ranging from boiling in water to which various things have been added to ultrasonic cleaners.

Although it does not sound like it might be contibuting to your problem, another oft-neglected maintenance item is valve adjustment. Recommended to be done every 4,000 miles or so, but often done at much larger intervals, if at all. The consequences of running with mis-adjusted valves range from hard starting when cold to burnt valves, requiring MUCH more to repair. Best to do an adjustment now to ensure they are correct.

.

[Nessism]

Hi Fergy, Welcome to the GSR!

Sorry if this sounds like a rant but just posted the note below in another thread...but it's just as valid for this one.


If you want your bike to run reliably all the maintenance needs to be up to date. I suggest you start with a full carb tear down and replacement of the O-rings inside and on the intake pipe boots. Cycleorings.com sells kits for very reasonable prices. Short cuts are long cuts when it comes to this type of work so follow the GSR carb rebuild tutorial on the GSR homepage – and don’t skip any steps. While the carbs are off, adjust the valves, clean the air cleaner, and make sure the airbox foam seals are in good shape (replace with weatherstrip foam as needed).

Even if you manage to get the bike to run with out doing these things, it’s just a matter of time before problems set in. Honestly, we need a sticky here at GSR about this stuff. Riding around on a 30 year old motorcycle without doing all the maintenance is Russian roulette so don’t be surprised if you break down on the road some time.

[82Shafty]

Hi Fergy, Welcome to the GSR!

Sorry if this sounds like a rant but just posted the note below in another thread...but it's just as valid for this one.


If you want your bike to run reliably all the maintenance needs to be up to date. I suggest you start with a full carb tear down and replacement of the O-rings inside and on the intake pipe boots. Cycleorings.com sells kits for very reasonable prices. Short cuts are long cuts when it comes to this type of work so follow the GSR carb rebuild tutorial on the GSR homepage – and don’t skip any steps. While the carbs are off, adjust the valves, clean the air cleaner, and make sure the airbox foam seals are in good shape (replace with weatherstrip foam as needed).

Even if you manage to get the bike to run with out doing these things, it’s just a matter of time before problems set in. Honestly, we need a sticky here at GSR about this stuff. Riding around on a 30 year old motorcycle without doing all the maintenance is Russian roulette so don’t be surprised if you break down on the road some time.

I've offered quotes to people to bring their old UJM's up-to-snuff in the local area. I've been called a few names as they thought I was trying to cheat them.

I would go through a whole quote an explain to them about new springs, rebuilt fork, recommend replacing a chain with sprockets seeing that the other hasn't moved in 15 years, new tires (tube & liners) full carb rebuild kits, spark plug boots, plugs, P&C if required, all fluids, valves adj, carbs synch'd, new brake hoses and master rebuild kits, pads and so-forth as an entire parts list that they can purchase directly from the dealer and when they see a bill for close to 1000-1500 just dealer parts, then the name calling starts.

Why would I need new tires, these have lots of tread on them and still hold air. I would pull out a portfolio depicting how rubber ages in the atmosphere and a relationship graph with age and performance relationships, but they would look at me with a deer in the headlights stare.

I would simply tell them that no bike goes out the door with inferior parts or in an unsafe condition because if something happens, you will come back after me as an uneducated consumer with your lawyer. My job is to ensure that your motorcycle is as safe and reliable as it can be.

People would want to pay no more than 100 dollars to just simply get it running with a rusty azz tank, clogged carbs and no brakes... I gave up and stopped bidding out jobs.


Ed as you said, either you take the time to do it right the first time, or you chase your sloppy azz labor for the next six months until you do it correctly the second time.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!

Hi Mr. Fergy,

Yes, you should go through every system thoroughly and bring all the maintenance up to spec. Let me roll out the welcome mat for you. There's a lot of information on it.

Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Nessism]

I’ve brought five GS’s back from long term storage, and I always go though all the basic systems before the bike leaves the garage. I don’t even bother to try to start the bikes until the carbs are done, valves are adjusted, fluids changed, etc. Tires should be changed if they are older than 5 years old, and the entire brake system should be torn down and the rubber lines replaced.

If you can do your own work all this stuff shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars in parts. It’s quite a bit of work to do up front, but it’s worth it because the bike will be more reliable in the long run.

[Fergy]

Thanks for all the great feedback, and the great info from Basscliff. I apprecieate all your suggestions. This arvo I pulled the battery leads and followed the procedure for checking the charging system etc. Found the negative lead was loose and dirty. Cleaned the rust off the terminals and pulled the battery box out and noticed a wire was broken that earths to the box. Replaced that and kicked her over. It isn't breaking down near as bad as before and I have only just started the big cleanup. I will keep going by cleaning all the electrical side and hopefully it should fix my problem.
Thanks again. By the way, it is a stock standard bike.
PS. Will a 1979 850 regulator fit mine. The connections are seperate plugs wire to wire, not a plug? It is also a bit larger than mine.

Fergy

[Steve]

Will a 1979 850 regulator fit mine.

Some '79 GSs had separate rectifiers and regulators, but I just checked the parts diagram at Alpha and saw that the 850s had the combined unit, so yes, it should fit.

If you are unsure of your r/r (rectifier/regulator), contact Duaneage on this forum. He searches for Honda units of the same era that were built a bit more robustly than the Suzuki units, tests them, re-terminates the wires to match our bikes, then sells them for $40. Sounds like you are "down under", so shipping might be a tad more, but might still be worth it.

.

[Fergy]

Thanks Steve. Will do that. Great forum, very helpful.

Regards

Fergy

[duaneage]

. Sounds like you are "down under", so shipping might be a tad more, but might still be worth it.

.

I can do a RR shipped down under for 45.00 US, not a problem. I've sent three there the past year.