GS750 about to be reborn

[Groenie]

Hi all. Just joined the forum and have learned quite a bit already. I normally ride a KLR 650, but it's getting a bit tatty at the moment and needs a complete strip down and rebuild. So a friend offered me an old GS750 that's been passed around among friends for a number of years. This is what it looked like yesterday. Had to remove the front calipers to move the bike around. They were locked.



Started taking stuff off to clean her up first



A quick spray with engine cleaner (Prepsol is what we use over here in Sefrica) and hose off revealed a bike in rather good condition, considering it was standing outside for about 5years!



Drained the oil and found it had over 5 liters in! The sight glass is a bit cloudy, possibly indicating it had water in the oil at some stage in it's recent life. I couldn't get the clutch cover off, coz some of my tools have "disappeared" (If you see my garage, you'll know why). Here's my little Spanner Monkey trying to see what's up.



Today I have to get a new oil filter and a phillips bit for my impact driver as it seems that side of the engine has never been opened yet.

All in all, it's remarkably complete and still very standard looking. That will change soon.

[Redneck]

Nice find. Yes an impact driver will be your best friend. I just wish they made extentions for them sometimes. Where you from exactly I know we have a couple of boys from South Africa on this forum. Once again welcome and have fun. Mine has been a labor of love and frustration...lol.

Paul

[Groenie]

I'm in Centurion, Gauteng and run a part-time bike-related business from my garage. Actually it's just a hobby that pays for my expensive drinking habit

[Redneck]

I'm in Centurion, Gauteng and run a part-time bike-related business from my garage. Actually it's just a hobby that pays for my expensive drinking habit

WE all need our motivation.

[Skuld]

Welcome to the Forums! Looks like it's going to be a nice project!

[Suzuki mad]

Hi, why do you want to pull the clutch cover off for? The oil filter is fitted to the front of the bike.

Water in the oil sounds bad, and sitting outside for a few years wont have done the whole bike much good. Hope you dont find a pile of problems as you pull it part.

[Flyboy]

Welcome Groenie, looks like a nice build you have there, will be watching with interest, if that bike has lived on the highveld all its life there should be no big problem getting it to look lke new again.
Nice to see another Saffer in the nuthouse.

[Groenie]

Hi, why do you want to pull the clutch cover off for? The oil filter is fitted to the front of the bike.

Yes, I found the oil filter, but wanted to check for damage/contamination inside the engine and the easiest way was the clutch cover.

Water in the oil sounds bad, and sitting outside for a few years wont have done the whole bike much good. Hope you dont find a pile of problems as you pull it part.

Luckily there was no water! But the oil was looked like it came straight from the well..... and I found a washer (ringed in red). I believe it comes off the starter idler shaft.



Already got my in-house seat coverer on the job of getting some life back into the seat.



The initial plan is to get her running and do the RWC, before going the Cafe route....

I'm thinking - white powder coated frame, clip-on bars, single big rev counter, chrome head light, proper rear sets, spoke wheels would be nice, maybe a mono shock rear-end, early Suzi racing colours or maybe a Kevin Schwantz theme.

This one's nice



So......where to get the money for all of this?

[Groenie]

Well,she's alive! Started the bike on Saturday morning and it brought back a flood of memories.......I usedto have '84 Kawa Z750 with a loud pipe that sounded just like it!

The bike has got 18315 km on the clock and I suspect that to be the actual mileage! The motor runs smooth. No noises, no clattering, no nothing, not even smoke!

Now to overhaul the front calipers, they're stuck, and the front forks, they're both leaking.

And the bike has a name. It was called the Die Groen Slang (Afrikaans for the Green Snake) by the various previous owners/minders/crashers that looked after it. So I'll keep that name.

[Groenie]

A few updates on the progress. I am currently riding the GroenSlang to work every day and it's FUN. The handling is rather old-school, but I don't mind, it's great to be on a 32 year old bike!

I fitted new tyres, rear shocks and clubman bars







So far I had only one problem, the glass fuse disintegrated from old age... Replaced it with a water proof blade fuse holder.

[ChicagoBob]

Nice work. Those $75 shocks are awful. Too harsh. You can try using the stock springs, but I had more success with Progressives, which cost about 130USD and can be use with stock springs or aftermarket. Good luck.

[Groenie]

Hell yeah, the shocks are a bit hard. But they have to do for now, got to finish my other bike first.