1978 GS400: my first bike, my first bike project.

[Captain_Trips]

Decided last fall that I wanted to get a motorcycle. So I started scouring Craigslist, and despairing at the huge prices I was seeing for new, complete bikes.

So I started looking at old complete bikes. Those too were out of my immediate price range. I knew the market was about to become great for bikes, since winter begins in October for Ohio.

Then I found this beauty () in Columbus.



Alright, so she needs some work. But for $200 (and the promise of a non-seized engine) who could pass that up?

So begins the story of my very first rebuild/restore/rewhatever. The plan for right now is to get as close to stock as possible, but I'm really a fan of the cafe racer look. So maybe down the line, that will be the goal.

The checklist, more for my personal tracking than anything else.

• Teardown: Find out what parts are missing.
• Clean up the parts that are there
• Replace the missing parts
• Get her running
• Get her road-worthy

[Captain_Trips]

So, step one is to tear this old girl apart and see what we've got. Click the thumbnail for the full-size image.


Step zero is to get my garage organized.


Alright, let's start up front with the bars and clocks. And what clocks they are. Under 4,800 miles on them. Missing the section that goes in between, with the ignition key and such. I do have the ignition, but no key for it.


Here's a closeup of the tank. Not great. Looks like a gas spill stripped some paint, and the years took their toll on the bare metal. That's the only real issue with the exterior of the tank, though. No dents, no major dings. Missing the locking cover over the gas cap.


The interior of the tank isn't so lucky. Lots of rust, definitely going to need cleaned out. I'm thinking a bath with some aquarium gravel and acid (milkstone remover, maybe. There's a TSC in town) and then a recoat. Missing the entire petcock assembly, and I don't see a hole for a fuel gauge sender unit. Did the GS400X have one?


Airbox and battery box are out. Not sure if they'll go back in. I really like the look of pods, and since this bike is kickstart-only, I might be able to get away with relocating the battery and replacing it with a smaller one.


Rear shocks off. Probably going to replace them with Hagons. Missing just about the entire rear fender assembly. Ordered a new tail piece off of eBay.

And that's where I stopped for the night. It's in the single digits out there, and the little heated-oil space heater in my garage doesn't cut it.

I do have the carbs, but they're out to be cleaned. Also included but not pictured is a wiring harness, front and rear signals (but no head- or tail-light), footpegs, shifter lever, rear brake pedal, and various nuts and bolts thrown into a bucket. Thanks a lot, PO.

But it came with a Clymer manual, so that's a nice plus.

I'll get back to the teardown tomorrow. What I'm worried about right now is pulling the engine and the wheels. I don't have any way to suspend the frame.

[ij1889]

good luck with your build, what are you looking to turn it into?

[Captain_Trips]

good luck with your build, what are you looking to turn it into?

For right now, just back to stock looks. Nothing too fancy, though I did mock up a paint scheme in Photoshop.

[Guest]

Cool, good to see you making a start!

The 400's had no fuel sender, so don't bother looking for one

If you're keen, Acewell have a sender to go with their gauges you could install. If I hadn't already lined (POR 15) and painted my tank before I got my Acewell I would've installed one...

I don't how strong you are, but I'm quite lacking in upper body strength but I could lift the bottom end of my motor by myself about 3 feet up onto the work bench. You can take the head etc. off while it's still in the frame if you're intending to do so, otherwise there are other possibilities.

You can lie the bike on it's right side and lift the frame off the engine, or you can get something about the same height as the sump and get someone to help you lift it out as well.

As far as suspending the frame etc. goes, I just used the centre stand and a couple of axle stands under the front of the frame rails.

Good luck and keep us up to date!

[eil]

You have your work cut out for you, that's for sure. But it will be very rewarding once you have it out on the road.

There are a lot of methods for de-rusting a tank. You may have to use more than one to get it completely clean. Haven't had to do any myself, but the ones I've heard of are:

- Various chemicals all the way from vinegar to harsh caustic stuff
- Electrolysis
- Put gravel/bolts in and shake the crap out of it

When you say the carbs are out to be cleaned, do you mean you have them out to clean yourself or you took them to a shop to be cleaned? All you really need to clean these are the right tools, some carb cleaner or dip (folks around here prefer the dip), and a new set of o-rings from http://cycleorings.com. Check BassCliff's site for a carb rebuild tutorial. Even if your carbs are different, the principles are the same.

Since you have the stock airbox, it would be a good idea to get it running with that before switching to pods since rejetting will be required and can be a pain to get right. Do you have the stock exhaust?

[Captain_Trips]

The 400's had no fuel sender, so don't bother looking for one

Anything else missing on the 400X I should be looking for? It's kickstart-only, as I said, so obviously no starter motor or starter button, but what else got chopped in the name of price-cutting?

There are a lot of methods for de-rusting a tank. You may have to use more than one to get it completely clean.

When you say the carbs are out to be cleaned, do you mean you have them out to clean yourself or you took them to a shop to be cleaned?

Do you have the stock exhaust?

I'm thinking I'll start with the gravel shaking method (I can probably sneak an hour of dryer time without getting caught ) and then if need be I'll run down to TSC and get some milkstone remover. Then a good sealant.

The carbs are here, they haven't been fully installed since I got the bike. The PO took them out to clean and rebuild them, but never got around to it. So I'll be doing that myself.

No exhaust, that's another thing on the missing list. Thinking about a 2-to-1, but I haven't decided on brand yet.

[MOC]

I'm very happy with the Caswell Tank sealant. I got it for 40 bucks on Amazon and it's been good to me. It's thick like honey though, so Thin it out with some lacquer thinner before you pour it in. it also helps to wet down the inside of the tank with thinner before you pour so that it flows easier. the thinner just evaporates off so there's no worries about adhesion. Mask well.

[Guest]

I don't think there were fuel senders on any of the GS series until mid to late eighties. As for the starter, there seems to be a lot of kick only bikes around that same time too.

I think you'll find it was more what was considered standard fitment rather than a price consideration... sort of like how A/C was always an option in a car whereas now it's standard.

The other things will be more technology driven, like points instead of electronic ignition.

For the tank, I used the POR 15 kit, but many people have had just as good success with Caswell like MOC says.

[Captain_Trips]

Mask well.

I don't think it will matter much if I spill on the outside of the tank. It's getting stripped and repainted anyway.

Any thoughts on covering that big spot of rust on the outside? I was thinking a wire wheel in a drill should do the trick for removing it, as long as it's not too deep.

Anyway, this weekend's teardown will probably get put on hold. Grabbed some pallets from work, so I'm going to build myself a new workbench in the garage. If I'm gonna go whole-hog on this build, I'm going to need a place to tear down and rebuild the engine.

[badfish]

If at all possible, try to find a stock airbox before the pods method. What I mean by that is just get it to run right before you go with pods. Pods can be a tricky beast...and since this is your first bike you'll be glad you went with the stock airbox to start out with.

Good luck! I hope you can get it running!

[Captain_Trips]

I've got the stock airbox, and the boots are even decent. Just need a filter.

[MOC]

Any thoughts on covering that big spot of rust on the outside? I was thinking a wire wheel in a drill should do the trick for removing it, as long as it's not too deep.

I used electrolysis to remove the rust on my tank but you can also use phosphoric acid. A wire wheel is a good place to start though. It's a good idea to test the tank for leaks prior to prepping for paint. I brazed a patch on to the holes that I found with a pipe torch and some silver solder.

BTW I said to mask well because removing epoxy from the outside is another step that I didn't want to deal with. If it's something you're not worried about then go for it.

[Captain_Trips]

Just a quick update. Got the pallets torn down into their constituent boards today, gonna start piecing together a workbench in the morning. Got a couple of sheets of high-density fiberboard from work to use as the top surface, and I'm thinking about painting a nice big Suzuki S on the top. Red on white, or red on black?

Anyone know of a good paint for wood that will hold up to some abuse?

[bluewool]

On the tank Por 15 sells a kit for motorcycle tanks, acid, neutralizer, liner. Works very well. Aquarium rocks are not necessary, they're also a PITA to remove.