My 1981 GS650G Thread

[Macguyver]

I like what you did with the tail section.
It is kinda odd in a different and interesting kind of way.

Daniel

Thanks Daniel,

The tail section is the first part of a fiberglass appearance package I am making for my bike, I am also going to be making a chin scoop, and some miscellaneous covers to clean up the look of the bike as well. I am planning these to be made this upcoming winter when I have the bike stored inside.

[Guest]

"Crap" is the right word for it Mac, sorry to hear it!

I'm very glad to hear you got it off the road safely though and it didn't slide out on a trail of oil.

Good luck with the new business and hopefully it's popular enough to make you a crap load of $$$ but still give you enough spare time to get the engine sorted.

[Tim Tom]

Bummer about that gasket failure. I wish your machine a speedy recovery. You are a very talented mechanic and I have no doubt you will have it up and running as soon as you are able to.

Keep your chin up mate.

Cheers!

[Macguyver]

"Crap" is the right word for it Mac, sorry to hear it!

I'm very glad to hear you got it off the road safely though and it didn't slide out on a trail of oil.

Good luck with the new business and hopefully it's popular enough to make you a crap load of $$$ but still give you enough spare time to get the engine sorted.

Thanks Pete,

It did get a little hairy coming in to the gravel parking lot as quickly as I did.

I too hope the business goes well, I am quite confident it will be good to me.

Bummer about that gasket failure. I wish your machine a speedy recovery. You are a very talented mechanic and I have no doubt you will have it up and running as soon as you are able to.

Keep your chin up mate.

Cheers!

Thanks Tim Tom,

I don't know about the talented mechanic part, but I hope to have the bike back on the road in a couple weeks. The only good part about this is I can do new piston rings while I am at it. I would feel better if the end result evens out and gets my compression up to what it should be. It was a little uneven across the cylinders before the meltdown. +/- 10 psi across the board.

Thanks for the encouragement guys!

[BigD_83]

As long as your bike is a 650 with BS32SS carbs, I could certainly fab one up for you since I have one now to use as a template. I would likely do one or two things differently now that I have made one. I would probably have the guys across the street cut it out of one piece of sheet steel with their CNC plasma cutter instead of welding everything together. Same would go for the cable holder. I'll get a hold of the guys at the fabrication shop and see what they can do for me for pricing.

Mac,

did you ever go through with this for Rein? I'm pulling my hair out trying to source a new choke cable, and I just thought of your solution.

How're things with the bike rehab? Getting time to work on it?

Derrick

[Macguyver]

Mac,

did you ever go through with this for Rein? I'm pulling my hair out trying to source a new choke cable, and I just thought of your solution.

How're things with the bike rehab? Getting time to work on it?

Derrick

I had a price quote done up from the guys across the street. They were completely out to lunch on their price. For 5 pieces cut, they wanted $100!!! And that was with me supplying the steel!

Methinks they are nutsy cookoo.

There was no more progress on it after that.

If you want, I could do up a couple sets when I can make the time. I am a little busy right now getting my new store up and running, but after it's going I should be able to find the time.

As far as the bike rehab goes, it's not.

I pulled her all apart, checked everything over, reassembled with new gaskets, and she's clacking like a madman in the valve area. I am guessing that even though the valve springs measured within service limit, they are deficient in the force department. I don't have a scale, so I couldn't check the force required to compress them.

So I am bike-less at the moment.
I need new valve springs, and two new gaskets, then I should be good to go, but everything I have and then some is tied up in opening the store, so the bike has to wait until some money starts coming in.

Let me know if you need a choke relocator, or if you just need some close up pics so you can fab one up.

Cheers,

[AF_Bill]

Hey Mac, sorry to hear about your bike (Broken 2 maybe lol). What gaskets do ya need? I've got a full engine gasket kit and I might not be using all of them. I'd be more than happy to help ya out. Let me know.

[Macguyver]

Hey Mac, sorry to hear about your bike (Broken 2 maybe lol). What gaskets do ya need? I've got a full engine gasket kit and I might not be using all of them. I'd be more than happy to help ya out. Let me know.

Broken 2, hehe, no doubt.

It looks like I should be able to reuse the gaskets I thought I needed to replace, so as soon as I can get in a set of valve springs, I should be good to go.

Now it's a matter of time, waiting to make some coin so I can order in new springs sets.

Thanks for the offer buddy.

Cheers,

[BigD_83]

I had a price quote done up from the guys across the street. They were completely out to lunch on their price. For 5 pieces cut, they wanted $100!!! And that was with me supplying the steel!

Methinks they are nutsy cookoo.

There was no more progress on it after that.

If you want, I could do up a couple sets when I can make the time. I am a little busy right now getting my new store up and running, but after it's going I should be able to find the time.

As far as the bike rehab goes, it's not.

I pulled her all apart, checked everything over, reassembled with new gaskets, and she's clacking like a madman in the valve area. I am guessing that even though the valve springs measured within service limit, they are deficient in the force department. I don't have a scale, so I couldn't check the force required to compress them.

So I am bike-less at the moment.
I need new valve springs, and two new gaskets, then I should be good to go, but everything I have and then some is tied up in opening the store, so the bike has to wait until some money starts coming in.

Let me know if you need a choke relocator, or if you just need some close up pics so you can fab one up.

Cheers,

Hey Mac,

Sounds like you're in "good-busy" mode with the new business. I'll hit you up another time for the fab-work if you have the time, but a few closeups to see how you've done it would be helpful. No hurry on that, though, as I have plenty of other projects to keep me busy.

[Guest]

Hey Mac, long time no update! How's things with the new shop coming? Any more progress on the bike? Would be good to hear from you

[BigD_83]

Come on Mac. How are things back there in Bruce County?

Starting to think you've given up on all things motorcycle.

[Macgyver]

I'm back!

Hey Guys, Mac here.
I apparently can't get my old username back, so I grabbed this one.

Sorry for not posting lately, I have been kept pretty busy lately. Between the store, moving, and life, I am lucky to have any time left for stuff I want to do.

I haven't made any progress on getting my 650 running again after it dumped all of the oil on the highway, I think I may have some issues with the wrist pins on the pistons.
I did a top end rebuild, yet forgot to check the wrist pins while in there. So it is still running lumpy. I am planning on tearing it open again once the weather allows me to work on it while not freezing my fingers off.

I did however add another GS to the stable (can you call it a stable if there are only 2?).
It is a 1983 GS550ES, so that's a good thing. Here's a pic.


I am still riding, even in the dead of winter, some days are more interesting than most.

I will be posting more now that I have a bit of time for myself, so look forward to having more posts from this crazy canuck.

[Guest]

Welcome back Mac! Glad to see you posting again and good to see you're going well if not far too busy

[Charlie G]

I wondered where you went? I almost went to Port Elgin last summer for a vacation and thought of you. Very nice 550! I believe that it's the faster color scheme. Welcome back.

cg

[BigD_83]

Welcome back, Mac!

I seem to recall that 550 from a Kijiji posting a while back. Watched a buddy nearly highside himself off of one of those (same colour, IIRC) back in the day, 15 meters in front of me on an on-ramp near Montreal. Spirited little rides.

Would Frank be able to reinstate your username?