UGA's 450_S Mechanical Restoration

[GeorgiaBulldogs]

Gentlemen, i want to start by saying thanks for all the knowledge you have dropped on me thus far, and thanks for the future wisdom you will bestow
That being said, i bought my 450s and cosmeticly it is MINT, but it is 32 years old so it DOES need some love. After riding it for the last week, i have made a few determinations:
1. Dealing with a vacuum leak as the boot connecting the carb to the motor is old and cracked. (New one's on the way)
2. Carb needs some loving. It pops bad on decel, and when im on the highway running approx 65mph with throttle at 3/4 it sputters a bit. It doesnt do it constantly, but it will slow me down to like 58mph before it starts getting gas again. I know this has been said a million times, and im about to strip, dip, clean, reset, and sync the carbs. Ive ordered the oring set.
3. Exhaust pipe on right side has a small, half dollar sized, hole that has rusted through the pipe. Will this cause any issues? Its passed the cross through if i remember correctly.
4. Oil Leak - Im posting a picture, can someone tell me what this thing is and what it does? The oil drips from exactly where the tip of the arrow is. It has to be coming from the gasket or connection between that adjustment screw and the head. What does that screw adjust?

[Larry D]

Cam chain tensioner.....here's a nice tutorial for a rebuild with the right gaskets, orings, etc......

http://www.bwringer.com/gs/camchaintens.html

[Charlie G]

Cam chain tensioner.....here's a nice tutorial for a rebuild with the right gaskets, orings, etc......

http://www.bwringer.com/gs/camchaintens.html

The cam chain tensioner is really fairly cheap and easy to rebuild. I did the one on the 450 I used to own and it cured the leak that was plaugeing me. Take care to lock tite and lock washer the nut that holds the knurled knob on. http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...light=lost+nut There aren't that many nice examples of these little jewels (450S) around and the fairing is next to impossible to find.

cg

[GeorgiaBulldogs]

The leak is so incredibly slow that its not my top priority, although i will keep an eye on it and fix it as soon as i can. Right now the carb is about to get completely rebuilt, and then ill fix that. It leaks like one drop every couple of days, so im keeping my eye on the oil level and such. There is no oil on the ground in my garage where i keep the bike. WHat do you mean the fairing is hard to find, are you talking about the front fairing around the headlight? And yes, my goal is to get it back to tip top out of the dealership running condition. I am NOT going to change the look of it in anyway, i love how retro this bike is, i LOVE the way it rides. I never thought i would get so much pleasure from a 450, especially when my last 2 bikes where a 07 GSXR 600 and a 05 CBR600RR. This little GS has really surprised the hell out of me! Not to mention, anyone over the age of 30 thinks its the coolest thing in town! The complements i get are never ending lol. Makes me feel good

[spyug]

The hole in the exhaust pipe is the cause of your popping on deceleration and nothing to do with the carbs although they do need a sprucing up as you've noted. You need to patch the hole or you won't get the bike to run right when you get those carbs sorted.

Good luck with it. It sounds like you are well on your way to having a fun and reliable bike. Enjoy!

[GeorgiaBulldogs]

What is the best way to patch it? Also i think there is a small rust through hole in the pipe right where it attaches to the head. Should i just replace the whole system (which i cant afford lol)? Or what is the best way to go about patching the hole? Thanks!

[GeorgiaBulldogs]

Parts are here

I wanted to post an update, with pictures soon to follow. I have ordered a BUNCH of things for my bike, and it is currently in my garage in pieces waiting. A lot of the things have arrived, with one more package to come in hopefully by monday. So far this is what ive got:
1. 2 into 1 "performance" exhaust from ebay. $245 in black (chrome was $50 more, and im broke.) I have many rust holes in my current stock exhaust, and you guys let me know that needs to be fixed first. Being that i couldnt find an OEM replacement exhaust system, i went for this one. Looks good, cant wait to see it on the bike. I also bought the exhaust crush gaskets from ebay for $10.
2. Carb Oring Kit + combo that comes with the head side orings as well. I bought this from the link you guys provided on the welcome post. He was even nice enough to throw in a whole set of allen key screws!
3. Replacement spark plugs, oil and oil filter
4. Petcock rebuild kit - $14 from partsnmore.com. They have damn near anything you could want for these old bikes, with excellent prices. They have rebuild kits for carbs, petcocks, master cylinder, brakes, anything you can imagine. It seems like everything is $14 lol ( i have recieved a package from them, they are legit.)
5. K&N style pod air filters - $14 each from partsnmore.com (bought 2). I know what your thinking, you get what you pay for. I was thinking this to, until they came in. These HAD to be made in the K&N factory, as i have held the real deal, and these cheap knock-offs side by side. They are the EXACT same - same feel, weight, materials, etc.. I was extremely pleased with these.
6. Next pay day i will order new brake pads and shoes, tires, and most importantly is the carb jets n stuff. The bike is running super rich right now, i pulled the plugs and they were BLACK. I know the pods/exhaust will lean it out a whole lot, so i probably will adjust the fuel screw to see if i can balance it out w/o buying the upgraded jets, but we will see. I dont know if the P/O upgraded the jets already or not, but i dont get why it would run so freaking rich if he didnt...

I have gotten everything in except for the petcock rebuild kit, and i bought the wrong spark plugs, so i have to exchange them (thanks to advance auto parts, who told me iridium would be fine, theyre not.) I havent put any of the new stuff on yet, but i did tear her down last weekend. Anyone else know how FREAKING HARD it is to get the stock airbox out? How is it possible w/o cutting it into pieces or breaking brackets off your frame? I didnt want to cut the airbox up, so i decided to bend a few screw brackets in order to pull it out. And by pull it out, i mean he held the bike as I ripped my biceps trying to pull it out, which eventually it did. That being said, i kept it all in one piece, but i dont think it is possible to every put the stock air box back in lol, never in a million years would it work.
What do i do with the hose that attached to the top of the air box in the front? it was above the carbs in the middle?

Ill post some pics this weekend when i get to install all my new toys

[pete]

Can't believe I missed this thread!

I'm doing my cam chain tensioner in a couple of weeks with the next service, have the seals and O rings ready to go.

The airbox... well... yeah let's not go there

Looking forward to the pic's and progress!

[Big Rich]

$10 for exhaust gaskets? Should have shopped around a little more.....

I understand you're trying to save cash here & there, but you will need new jets if you put pod filters on. The engine won't be a "little" lean, it will be "ready to melt a piston" lean.

And +1 to the pics! I have a 1980 450S.

[hardline_42]

I was able to wrestle the stock airbox out AND get it back in with minimal swearing and busted knuckles. The easiest way is to remove the carbs, boots, cam chain tensioner, breather, valve covers and clutch cable along with the battery and box. Then, you can just slide the box in from the front (there's a video posted somewhere on the forum).

The less easy way that doesn't require you to disassemble half the engine is to remove the carbs, boots, side covers, battery and battery box. Then, bend all the tabs out on the battery access side, wrestle the box onto it's side (bottom facing right) and twist it out. A rubber mallet and various non-marring prybars are useful.

I would suggest keeping the airbox if at all possible for reasons already mentioned.