A complete beginner's complete rebuild.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Yep, do something every day, no matter how small.... Helps to keep the juices flowing.

[Etchasketch]

Part 4

Alright, were rounding the bend on the disassembly with part 4! I managed to get quite a bit done, but I had to stop cause I needed a new socket for my wrench right now I'm just in the process of taking the top of the engine off so i can remove it myself a little easier. Once removed the only thing i have left to do is jack it up and remove the tires. Which i plan to do tomorrow.

With that in mind I'm beginning to think about everything I want to do to the bike and its quite overwhelming. As of now I have plans for a Cafe Racer. Here's where I will need the GSR most.

Cafe Racer Mods

-Need to make a new seat with a bumpstop
-Need to replace the handlebars
-New paint job
-New Speedo/Tacho
-Oil Gauge?

That's about it for the visual mods I want to make, but I still don't know what I'm going to do with the engine as I haven't read enough on it yet.

-------Please Shoot me your suggestions or thoughts and I will edit them into these lists so i can keep track of what I need to research --------

Performance Mods

-Change Sprockets? (edit: Just looked up bike specs and realize my bike doesn't even have sprockets its a shaft drive)
-4 In 1 exhaust (Old one is very rusty anyways)
-Pod Filters ( I'd be lying if i said i didnt love the look--- but I want to do them at the same time as the exhaust because It should be easier to jet the carbs?)
-Progressive shocks
-Anything else?

Here are some pictures of my dissasmbly, because pics are never a bad idea. Also, I have about 90 pics on my photobucket of various different joints and how they go together incase anyone might need them for whatever reason. Found below.

http://s1118.photobucket.com/albums/k608/etchasketch2/

Picture time!



Here she is with the oil draining and looking pretty bare. Crazy how much smaller they look when dressed down. I can't get the front fender off because the last bolt got stripped so I'm going to have to get the front wheel off first.



Yikes, this is the joint in the exhaust, not looking so good, on the other pipe there is a hole!



Unfortunately I have stripped about 3 screws. with this guy being the second most painful. Do they make those Allen head bolt replacements for all bolts on the bike? The most painful? One of the cam bearing screws got so stripped i finally filed down the edges to get it off, broke a wrench on it too :/




Me pulling the crankshaft out, definitely one of the funnest things I have done so far! Working on bikes is addictive! I can't get enough.

I also dropped a screw down into the cam chain gap. You know you've made a rookie mistake when you screw up, then look in your manual about one line down from where you've read up to and it says *be careful not to drop anything into the camshaft gap*. Darn-it.

Well that's it for now, don't forget to post suggestions! Also if you would like me to take photos of anything specific for need or just for your viewing pleasure post it and I'll do my best!

Thanks for your support

-Taylor

[hillsy]

Why are you pulling the engine apart? You should do a compression test first to see if it needs any top-end work, otherwise you're just spending money on gaskets etc for no real reason.

You can take the motor out of the chassis without having to pull the top end off - just lay the bike on it's RHS, undo the engine mounts and pull the frame off the engine. I use an old mattress to lay the engine on for this process.

And IMO you should just restore the bike to it's original specs (well, maybe some superbike bars and leave off the fairings and panniers). Trying to turn a heavy old shaft drive into a cafe racer is kinda pointless (I know cafe racers are the flavour of the month right now, but that will pass).

Anyway - good luck with it....and keep the pics coming (we LIKE pics!!)

[tkent02]

Why are you pulling the engine apart? You should do a compression test first to see if it needs any top-end work, otherwise you're just spending money on gaskets etc for no real reason.

You can take the motor out of the chassis without having to pull the top end off - just lay the bike on it's RHS, undo the engine mounts and pull the frame off the engine. I use an old mattress to lay the engine on for this process.

And IMO you should just restore the bike to it's original specs (well, maybe some superbike bars and leave off the fairings and panniers). Trying to turn a heavy old shaft drive into a cafe racer is kinda pointless (I know cafe racers are the flavour of the month right now, but that will pass).

Anyway - good luck with it....and keep the pics coming (we LIKE pics!!)

+1 on all of this, I love a nice tight cafe but on a GS 850? They are the heaviest of the heavy and notoriously difficult to tune with anything other than the stock intake system. They are also extremely capable and useful bikes in stock form, it's a bit of a shame to waste one when they make such poor cafe bikes... Now if it was a 550 L or something, yeah go for it.
Also wondering about taking the engine apart, does it have 180,000 miles or something? Clanking and banging noises? That's up to you but try not to do any more damage in there, and please keep the pictures coming.

[SVSooke]

I will echo what's alrady been said.This is a bike to go lightly on the mods.Maybe a 4>1 but that's about it>You are just starting out best to KISS on this one.The next one you do you might want to take futher.This is where my bike was 5(?) months ago.It is my winter project in my sig thread.Have fun with it.

[Skateguy50]

I agree, clean it up and ride, you dont have to do it all at once. You already got to do the timing if the cams are removed. and if you lost a bolt you got to do some fishing and possibly removing the oil pan, take it slow and dont do anything you dont need to.

[Etchasketch]

Thank you!

Excellent advice guys I really can't say it enough, that's what I love about this forum. I have decided to just restore this bike and try to find another for a cafe. You guys are right, I should just restore this one and not get too deep on my first experience. I'm going to reassemble what I have taken apart on the engine (still gotta get that bolt out but someone suggested removing the oil pan). But I still do want to polish it up a little bit, should I do this with the engine in or out?

Also the exhaust has holes but as you guys have mentioned here and in other threads the 850 is finicky about engine mods, what do I have to do to get the exhaust back in tip top shape and remain stock? I will include pictures of the entire pipes + any damage next.

Today I plan on getting weatherstripping for the airbox and some dry-wet sandpaper for polishing. Hopefully my orings will be in soon and I will show you what she sounds like!

Thanks again for the input, you guys are life savers. now that I know that facts on the 850 and what a shaft drive is it seems silly to cafe it.

[Hoosier Daddy]

You can still make it Clean-n-Sporty without a full blown cafe' job. Do a search out on the interwebz and check into a set of "Superbike", "Daytona", or "Euro" Bars. My current bar of choice is called "Broomstick" as it is just a straight drag bar. No rise and no pull-back.

[landshark]

Definitely put the cams back in and dont go any lower into the engine than the valve cover for now!
Im glad you are listening to the guys on here, cause they know there stuff.
I have had no problems with 4 into 1 and pods SO FAR, but if you go that way you need a dynajet kit.
I started with the cafe idea too, but then realised it would be silly for my bike.

Clean the engine up with it out of the bike, maybe paint the valve cover if you want too?

[Skateguy50]

I'm really not sure the best way to get the bolt out but unless you get it out you will have to keep going and maybe even split the case to find it, I wouldn't even turn the engine with a wrench with something in there. I never pulled the oil pan off mine so not sure what that gives you for access to a lost bolt.

My best guess would be a flashlight and one of them flexible magnets... once you get it out read up on the timing procedure because now that the cams where moved you have to set them back in a certain order and spacing.

I would say clean it up with the engine in place, I did a ton of taping on mine and just masked off the engine and internals then ground off all the rust I could get to on the frame and rattle primed and painted it with everything in place.

[rustybronco]

I also dropped a screw down into the cam chain gap. You know you've made a rookie mistake when you screw up, then look in your manual about one line down from where you've read up to and it says *be careful not to drop anything into the camshaft gap*. Darn-it.

A good light and a extendable magnet should be able to get it out.