1983 GS550E: The Scenic Route

[DR Payne]

while you have the carbs out remove the boots and replace the o rings.
at this age they'll have shrunken and lost elasticity.

I had already put the carbs back in, but you're probably right, those O-rings are likely older than me and quite dead. I'll have to get them next time.

The valves were mostly in spec, but I did adjust 5 or 6 by the slightest bit. The cover O-rings and gasket were also in great shape, so I'm guessing the valves were checked relatively recently. So after a few dozen miles, including a few WOT runs as long as I could safely get away with, I'm happy to report that nothing seems to be leaking. It's back to singing that sweet siren song that got me to fall in love in the first place. I had to adjust idle speed a bit, (oh, and tighten a float bowl drain screw...whoops), and I think it may be idling just a little rougher than it used to, slightly more loping, so I think it would be worth checking the balance of the carbs. But it runs great so it now officially has the garage while the DR is back in the basement because its carb is also overdue, mostly due to those notoriously stubborn factory screws.

I'll keep a close eye on that hose, but there are no signs of leakage so far and I honestly think it's more than enough. If the pressure was so high that this wouldn't work, I think I would have seen a lot more oil coming out of that break in the line than I did. It was only leaking just enough to keep the top of the crankcase coated, rarely ever letting a drop hit the ground. If it does start leaking, I'll probably make up my own custom hard line.

So I'm gonna enjoy this baby for now, at least until I get the DR refreshed. Then I'll probably take it back in the basement for a new rear tire and to see if I can get the trip odometer to roll over past 100. It just kinda sticks around 100.2 with the 1 not quite in place, so I'm guessing it's getting jammed somehow. Might swap in some LED's while I'm in there. I can't decide. Sometimes I like the period-correct gradual on and off of an incandescent bulb, but I also like the brightness and reliability of an LED. We'll see...

Edit: I also decided to change the name of the thread (as well as add a couple pics from the manual to the first post). The more I live with this bike, the less likely I feel I am to fully, cosmetically restore it. It's not just that I don't want to spend the time or money, I'm actually kinda growing to like the beat up, worn look to it. All the important parts are in great shape, it's just lots of small imperfections. Chips and dents in the tank, peeling paint on the engine and exhaust pipes, yellowed clear coat on the swing arms, dull handlebars, and that weird bluing of the seat that I see on all these old bikes. Speaking of which, why the heck does the seat turn blue? How does that make sense?

Anyway, none of this stuff is really important, but it all adds up to give it a look that kinda reminds me of most every cool ship in Star Wars. They all had that battle-worn look with burn marks, panels missing, they all look like they had seen some sh!t. I think this bike is kinda the same. It's clearly lived a rough life, but I think it actually looks pretty good on 'er. I don't exactly want it to get it any worse so I'm gonna keep everything coated in wax and Armorall, but I'm not really that interested in making it look much better either. Not to mention the freedom that comes with not having something looking perfect. Like my truck or my favorite pair of skis, once a thing gets a little beat up, I find it really frees me up to just enjoy the thing doing what it was made to do and not worry about how it looks or babying it to preserve its pristine condition. I still take good care of all the functional aspects, but letting something look slightly like it just reentered the atmosphere has really become a thing for me.

So I don't really see this as a long road to restoration anymore. I see it more of just enjoying the heck out of this bike, fixing things here and there when needed or motivated to, but not really in any hurry to get to any sort of destination. I don't exactly know where I'll end up with this bike, but I know I'm gonna enjoy the trip.