1981 gs650gt and a 1983 gs650 gl

[Guest]

i own a 1983 gs650 gl , and it runs good , just rebuilt carbs etc , but while scrolling through kijiji today i noticed someone in my neiberhood , selling a 1981 gs 650 gt , he wanted $800.00 bucks canadian , but i got him down to $500.00 , does anyone know are most parts between these two bikes interchangable ?
oh he doesnt have the title !!! is it worth the hassel

[tom203]

Maybe it was imported from England! I'm pretty sure it's the same stuff.
No title, no problem in Maine or N.Hampshire - good luck other places!

[lrgguy]

not sure if this will work here is a pic of the bike

[lrgguy]

for instance on my gs650 gl , i only have one disk brake on the front , i should be able to remove forks and brakes from the 81 and install on my 83 ???
buddy sais the bike starts but rear brakes are seased up .
i believe the tank on this 81 is a little bigger then the tank on my 83 too

[BigD_83]

There are some differences between the tanks (Petcock placement) and seats, and the side panels/trim. The forks are different...leading axle on the GL.

However, most of the parts can be swapped around.

EDIT- yes, the"L" tanks are generally a bit smaller. The handlebars are different between the "G" and "L" models.

[lrgguy]

Do you think $500 is a reasonable price ?

[Steve]

If it starts and runs (even though it might not run well), it could easily be worth $500.

If you choose to do the fork swap, be sure to change the entire front end, not just the forks. Be sure to do the triple clamps, too.

Yes, the G tank is bigger than the GL, but I don't know if you can swap them. I am more familar with the 850s, and the mounts at the rear of the tank changed for the '82 model year (except for the Ls, which got the 'new' mounts in '81). Since the 650 only had a three-year run here in the US, I don't know what differences they made from year to year. My only reference point is my son's '82 650L (seen by clicking link in my sig). You could browse the online parts fiche at the various sites, but they might not show quite enough detail about mouning points.

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[lrgguy]

Thx Steve .. none the less for $500 I would have plenty of spare parts !!! Its the exact same engine .. and if I cracked a head or blow an engine up could I get the same engine somewere for 500 ... probably not

[Steve]

I was not telling you to not get it.

On the other hand, when you get it and decide to do some swapping, was just giving you a heads-up on what might be possible.

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[tkent02]

I'd grab it for $300, see if it's possible to get past the title issue. In not, find a dead one for $100 or so with a title, put your good parts on that frame.