1980 GS1000S Reluctant Rebuild

[Kiwi Canuck]

Finished the Brakes

I finally got around to finishing the reassembly on the Front Master Cylinder, the first time I assembled it I somehow pinched the o-ring and it leaked.

The old one had been cranked down so tight it had warped the plastic reservoir so I replaced it along with the seal and the cap so it's all new except the metal housing.

I used the lever bump method again and it only took about 2 minutes and it was done.
Also completed the Rear Master Cylinder reassembly, that one did not respond to the lever bump method very well, probably because the M/C is almost the same height as the caliper, anyways I persevered and finally got it to start burping out bubbles and had to use an 8mm wrench and do the loosen, pump, tighten, release - loosen, pump, tighten, release - loosen, pump, tighten, release and on and on until I got some liquid to come out at the caliper end.
Only about 10-15 minutes work but felt like a lot longer.

Here?s a picture of the nice new Front Master Cylinder.



A picture of the Rear Master Cylinder and the Rear caliper all nicely painted up.

[Kiwi Canuck]

Should I steal or not?

I've been eyeing up my new Boise Beauty, looking at all the shiny parts and wondering if it's morally OK to steal a few parts for my Rebuild of my Canadian Cooley.?
I will probably switch the wheels, the tank, the tail piece, the seat and the screen for now.
Not that the parts on the existing bike are bad, it just gives me the opportunity to have a bike that is very nice and virtually stock and a bike that is OK to use as a daily ride and I'm not going to worry about riding in the rain on occasion.

I took the Boise bike apart last night and checked out a few details around the wiring that I was having trouble with and cleaned up a few pieces, (left side turn signals were not working nor was the horn) it feels nice to know my around this bike now. Also was missing the air box cover so I "borrowed" the one from my other bike and it ran better.
The bike was idling quite high when it got warm, so I adjusted the idle screw to see if it was that simple or if the carbs needed some adjustment.

Just about got it all back together and then the rain started, so I packed it in and waited till this morning to test it.
As it was dry this morning I was able to take her out for a test ride to make sure it was all good.
Seems a lot better but still idling at 1,200-1,300 RPM.

The clutch is dragging a bit as I get the big “Clunk” when I click it into first gear, my other Cooley and the Vstrom are clunk free into first, so I will need to check that out.

Very happy with the new acquisition and have enjoyed having an exact bike to look at to help with the final assembly of the Reluctant Rebuild, really helped with the wiring routing and where those mystery left over parts go.

[Kiwi Canuck]

Super nice bike David. How did it run?

Well don't you hate it when you write a nice long and creative response and "poof" it's gone, well not sure what happened but I responded to your question but it didn't show up.

So I finally got time to write a new response.

Rob, the bike ran well.

The end.

[Kiwi Canuck]

I live in Boise, ID and I never saw this bike around... Did he ever ride it? Great purchase.

Norman, This bike was part of a collection of about 125+ bikes and was never ridden, he had owned it since 2000.
His son David is selling the collection.
The guy owns Singers Pawn Shop and most of his collection is old BMW's and some Ducati's, he still has about 80 bikes left to sell.
Only a few are Suzuki's, a 1982 GS1100 and a GT550 I saw.
He also had a Suzuki 50 Chopper, forgot the model name. It looks like the old Japanese stunt bikes with the big high back banana seat and ape hanger bars and it's dead stock.
*Edit the model is an 1979 OR50*
I had meant to call on you and also "Alhntr" when I was there but by the time I got the bike ready to go it was quite late and I needed to get on the road, even though the bike had a full service I spent a good hour adjusting and fixing stuff before I was ready to leave.
I'm usually very social but I was itching to get on the road so nothing personal.

This was the first time I had ridden a GS1000S in more than 33 years.
As I pulled out of the parking lot and clicked through the first three gears and man they were smooth gear changes, time stood still and I was right back there when I used to race one of these bikes.
Yeah and I'm sure I had a big grin on my face until I realised I hadn't checked the brakes before I left and hoped they worked well as a red light was approaching fast, well they did thankfully and I was on my way.

BTW I hate those rain grooves in the US interstates, I could not find a speed that would allow the bike to be somewhat stable, after my first gas stop I checked the tire pressures and found the front to be 60PSI and rear 30PSI, made the adjustments and it was better but still a bit scary at times. Oh and the tires were in good shape but probably 10 years old. (or maybe 20)

Here's a shot from my iphone from somewhere in SE Washington.

Super nice bike David. How did it run?

[Kiwi Canuck]

Anything Yosh on the new one other than the pipe ? Now you've got a breeding pair, watch the population grow....[/QUOTE]

The pipe is a Bassani and the only Yoshimura thing I've seen on the bike so far is the sticker.

Look Basil "Twins"
Well not quite, but almost.
Finally got home with the new "S" after 11-12 hrs on the road.
Picked it up in Boise Idaho on Sunday and rode her home.

I live in Boise, ID and I never saw this bike around... Did he ever ride it? Great purchase.

[GregT]

Greg, is there a bushing for the cross pipe?
The fiche shows nothing and mine is just a clamp to hold it together. The inline composite connectors between outside headers and the muffler secured with a clamp are the only ones on mine.

http://www.boulevardsuzuki.com/fiche...1980&fveh=2150

Haven't opened the link but there were certainly composition bushes in the one i had here. The pipe diameters indicated SOMETHING went in there....
Could always be model differences or Kiwi vs US market...

Anything Yosh on the new one other than the pipe ? Now you've got a breeding pair, watch the population grow....

[eddie21]

Congratulations! The bike looks terrific! I'll be with Trevor at Vintage in the Valley so I'm eager to see it as well. Sounds like your ride was uneventful, which is a good thing! Now you can take your time with the first one and enjoy the 'reluctant rebuild' a little more!

[trevor]

That looks awesome David!! Can't wait to see it this weekend! Looking forward to shooting the sh*t with you.

[Charlie G]

Well that looks nice. Congratulations!

[Kiwi Canuck]

Yo Brother

Look Basil "Twins"
Well not quite, but almost.
Finally got home with the new "S" after 11-12 hrs on the road.
Picked it up in Boise Idaho on Sunday and rode her home.

The seller's son David was awesome, he picked me up at the airport and really treated me well. Thank you David P. very much appreciated.

The guy who served me at Canada Customs was a bike guy and we had a good chat as he followed the racing scene back when I raced and knew a lot of the same people here.

Good ride but I'm pretty shattered, my right hand still feels a bit cramped as I'm not used to riding much more than a few hours once a week these days.

Here is a couple of teasers.



Check out that chrome swing arm and the side and center stands. Bling Bling.

[Kiwi Canuck]

Bushings

Re your exhaust pipe sealing issue. Some time back i sorted an S for a guy here and he'd bought new composition bushes/packing pieces for the joints on the cross pipe underneath.
By the time they'd been on and off a couple of times they were nackered.

I finished up machining a pair of steel packing pieces and installing them with exhaust sealant. By using steel, the clamps are able to tighten up and stay tight....

Greg, is there a bushing for the cross pipe?
The fiche shows nothing and mine is just a clamp to hold it together. The inline composite connectors between outside headers and the muffler secured with a clamp are the only ones on mine.

http://www.boulevardsuzuki.com/fiche...1980&fveh=2150

[GregT]

Re your exhaust pipe sealing issue. Some time back i sorted an S for a guy here and he'd bought new composition bushes/packing pieces for the joints on the cross pipe underneath.
By the time they'd been on and off a couple of times they were nackered.

I finished up machining a pair of steel packing pieces and installing them with exhaust sealant. By using steel, the clamps are able to tighten up and stay tight....

[Kiwi Canuck]

jB Weld is not fuel resistant. That pinhole will eventually end up leaking and one morning you will go into the garage and have a major gas spill. Ask me how I know ;-)
There is a specific type of epoxy that is fuel impervoius I can't recall the name but the caswell tank liner uses it.

Thanks for the heads up, I needed a temp solution so I could fire the bike up and I don't have one of those service type 1 litre fuel bottles (yet)
I have ordered the Caswell's liner kit, so no worries.

Cheers