Jdub goes there 1981 650e rebuild

[jdub6092]

Checked the valve tappet clearances again.
All were approximately the same as before with one interesting reading on intake #1.
In position A (cam lobe pointing up) I had the minimum .03 mm gap, but in position B, the gap was 0.10 mm.
None of the other valves had this discrepancy.
Also checked out the cylinder with a boroscope. Looks clean on the exhaust side but carbon is building up on the intake side, notably where the valve indent is located.

[jdub6092]

Beginning the paint process, starting with the front fender.
Started with two coats of Spraymax 2K epoxy primer, including the underside.
The Spraymax nozzle provides an excellent adjustable fan pattern, something I've never seen on a rattle can. The only negative thing about it is the can needs to be upright and fairly close to the part to get the best coverage. So the center part of the underside doesn't look great, but don't really care as long as it prevents rust.
However, I am really pleased with how the money side turned out.

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Will let dry overnight and fill in the dings in the morning if sufficiently hardened.

[jdub6092]

Almost as inevitable as death, taxes and GS stock regulators failing, are broken side cover studs on many bike brands.

I had a broken stud on the left side cover with a few spider cracks that appeared on the outside, but not too bad and only visible at close range.

There are dozens of suggestions on how to repair these depending on severity. This is what I settled on.

First I used a plastic welder with metal "staples" along and just beyond the cracks. Then filled in with melted plastic and smoothed out. Made sure to keep the area of stud separation clear of filler. I pressed some JB Weld Plastic Bonder over the repaired area and into the cracks on the outside.
After that it took me quite a while to settle on the method of reattaching the stud. I considered using the superglue and baking soda method, but that dried instantly and would not work well at the point of contact. Maybe I could use it for reinforcement after the stud was reattached.
I did a test and it dried hard as a rock, but seemed somewhat brittle. PVC glue also seemed like an option.

Then I saw how rock hard the Plastic Bonder over the repair areas was and it sanded like hard plastic as well.
So I went with the JB Plastic Bonder. Could not get a clamp to keep it in place, so I had to hold it down with both hands for about five minutes before I could let go.
Now that it is cured, it is quite strong. Just need to remember to pull the side cover straight out when removing and it should last a long time.

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A little messy, but I won't have to look at it.

[Griffin]

The GS650E side covers are much flimsier than the side covers on most other GS models. I dunno why, but they are.

Very prone to breaking. Mke sure you have soft grommets, that helps. Old hardened rubber is much more likely to cause a breakage.

[jdub6092]

The GS650E side covers are much flimsier than the side covers on most other GS models. I dunno why, but they are.

Very prone to breaking. Mke sure you have soft grommets, that helps. Old hardened rubber is much more likely to cause a breakage.

Not sure if I've seen any side covers on ebay that don't have the long peg broken and often a chunk of ABS taken out where it was attached.

I replaced most grommets on the bike including the side cover ones. Put a little lube on them and they are snug, but come off with little effort. The key I think is to pull straight out and evenly on both sides.

[jdub6092]

More learning trying to paint silver metallic.
Thought I had absorbed enough knowledge to give it a go. Wrong!
First attempt was a fail. Metallics were somewhat moddled and I couldnt live with the results. So I stripped everything down again and watched another 50 videos on painting silver metallics until I was getting confused by all the can't miss methods.
Finally settled on two wet coats, with the second at a 5psi lower than the first, followed by a drop coat with air down another few psi and paint volume reduced a half turn and 8-10 inches away to 'orient' the metallics.
After about 15 minutes, applied a light coat of clear, then two wet coats.
There are a few minor flaws, but overall pleased with the results.

20250524_102200(1).jpgThe Photo doesn't do a great job of bringing out the glitter and gloss.

[jdub6092]

After scuffing up and installing decals and more clear.
Not great, but not bad for a hobbyist.

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[Rich82GS750TZ]

Looks good from here. Well done!

[Griffin]

That looks really good, and it's a close up shot. If all the opther pieces come out that well, (the tank is the toughest), it will be a great, professional-looking job for a fraction of the cost of a professional paint job.

The last couple quotes I got for painting old GS/KZ style bike parts with no fairings came in over $2,000.

[jdub6092]

That looks really good, and it's a close up shot. If all the opther pieces come out that well, (the tank is the toughest), it will be a great, professional-looking job for a fraction of the cost of a professional paint job.

The last couple quotes I got for painting old GS/KZ style bike parts with no fairings came in over $2,000.

Thankfully, I found an NOS tank, so I dont have that to worry about. I may yet paint my original though.
Here's the fender and it looks like glass. There are some reflections that are deceiving, but this is the best piece so far. Still need to scuff and apply decals as it fell and had to fill a little dent.
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[jdub6092]

And here's one side cover that is the worst piece so far.
Decal got a few dust bunnies underneath and bunched in one area at the top. Also I was running out of clear and has some medium orange peel. Low grit sanding and polishing should take care of that. 20250531_140521(1).jpg

[jdub6092]

Finally my problem child.
Only used adhesion promoter and 2k primer sealer. As the primer/paint shrunk, a crack was exposed. The long peg was not broken on this cover.
So sanded down to plastic and applied plastic bonder again. This time I will patch with primer filler, then try my luck at blending. Now that the decal is on, there's no going back.

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[jdub6092]

BTW, The Aeropro A610a LVLP spray gun is quite good. Maybe the best budget gun available. Under $100 on Amazon and comes with three tips. Sprays like butter.

Tried to get by with the HF $9 (sale) gun and had to start all over. Does primer OK. Have seen pros do a decent job with it, but its a pain to dial in for hobbyists. Wasted a half pint of PPG Deltron ($120). Ended up using Matrix Edge paint at 1/4 the price. Time will tell.

[steve murdoch]

After scuffing up and installing decals and more clear.
Not great, but not bad for a hobbyist.

20250531_120344.jpg

Hobbyist? Looks great!