First Bike - GS650G - Rusty Crusty

[Eric4]

Whelp, I've been looking for a GS550/650 for a first bike, and was able to find one locally for $200... Which now that I think about it, might have been overpriced due to it's shape. Regardless, I still brought it home, thinking it could possibly be revived.

It's got 20k on the clock, and was last registered in 1991.

My research into Suzukis brought me to this forum, so I'm reaching out to the experts and enthusiasts for some assistance on reviving (potentially) this machine. I'm not a mechanic by trade, but do all my auto work, and also build chainsaws on the side, so I'm not unfamiliar with wrenchin'. This is my first motorcycle however...and it's a doozie

Where would one start, with a bike in this condition? My thoughts were:

• Quick/light pressure wash to knock off the worst of the gunk
• Pull spark plugs and put some Marvel Mystery Oil into the combustion chambers, to soak the rings/pistons for a while
• Put the bike in 5th gear to try and turn the engine over by rotating rear wheel
• See what happens when I throw on a battery - do I get lights?

Eager to hear what y'all think! I imagine many will say I made a mistake, which I'm fine with hearing...hah

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[Rich82GS750TZ]

Welcome. You found the right place and you figured out how to post pics. Well done.

Looks like much of it needs attention or replaced. But if you’re up to it, you can get all the help you need on the pages and on BikeCliffs Website. Link in my signature. Or
https://gsarchive.bwringer.com

If you can’t see signatures, go into your profile and turn them on, create your own. You also have to view the forum as POSTS and not as LATEST ACTIVITY.

 

[Eric4]

Welcome. You found the right place and you figured out how to post pics. Well done.

Looks like much of it needs attention or replaced. But if you’re up to it, you can get all the help you need on the pages and on BikeCliffs Website. Link in my signature. Or
https://gsarchive.bwringer.com

If you can’t see signatures, go into your profile and turn them on, create your own. You also have to view the forum as POSTS and not as LATEST ACTIVITY.

Wow that's an impressive archive of information. Lots to soak up. Much appreciated!

 

[Eric4]

Starting on the disassembly. First slice of good news, the spark plugs weren't siezed/stripped. I pumped in some MMO for a soak...

Pulled off the gas tank, and noticed one bolt is broken off in the frame that holds down the tank.

Decided I should probably check to see if there's any oil in the engine, and noticed the oil filler cap has a broken off tab, and looks fairly welded onto the case. Can this thing take a decent torchin' to pair with penetration oil, and some locking vice grip pliers? I haven't got much to bite onto, in regards to the edge lip of the cap. Any advise here?

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[Eric4]

I was able to remove the oil cap with locking pliers and heat! Looks pretty dry inside - sight glass looks dark. Are the scratches on the Primary Drive a big red flag?

 

[Nessism]

That bike is a part-out. I wouldn't waste time.

The engine is likely fine on the inside. GS engines usually are. It's the rest of the bike that isn't worth your time. Even as a rat-rod, it's not worth it.

Good news, there are lots of different parts you can sell off, to make money. Hopefully the ignitor is good. Not sure how to test, though...

 

[Don R]

I've seen two bikes that corroded, both of them were stored near chloride. One in a shed at a concrete plant and one leaned against a leaky tractor tire. That's more work than I would be willing to invest. Find another one and use this one for parts?

 

[Eric4]

That bike is a part-out. I wouldn't waste time.

The engine is likely fine on the inside. GS engines usually are. It's the rest of the bike that isn't worth your time. Even as a rat-rod, it's not worth it.

Good news, there are lots of different parts you can sell off, to make money. Hopefully the ignitor is good. Not sure how to test, though...

Thanks for the input! It's certainly ratty...nearly decomposed! What would you say are some of the high-value parts on a bike in this condition?

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I've seen two bikes that corroded, both of them were stored near chloride. One in a shed at a concrete plant and one leaned against a leaky tractor tire. That's more work than I would be willing to invest. Find another one and use this one for parts?

This was a bike on the CA Coast, so it's bathed in salty air for a few years to say the least. I'll definitely be keeping the 'parts bike' thought in the back of my head, as I tinker away on this.

Seems worth it to at least get the engine turning over, throwing on a battery, diagnosing some (likely) starting issues, and see if it fires on carb spray. If the thing fires off, I'll probably keep wrenching

 

[alke46]

Good advice from the last 2 posts.

 

[salty_monk]

Yeah that one is beyond what I'll be willing to spend my time on. There are a lot better options out there for not a lot of $$. I think you'll spend more to get this running than starting with something better

 

[Charlie G]

Eric,

Yes that bike looks like it sat in Pacifica for years and is pretty rough. If you haven't been discouraged to the point of abandonment I may be able to help a bit. I bought 650g years ago cheap in Chico and sold off the engine and tank to some fells here on GSR but I still have most of the other parts. I have a set of decent pipes, forks, and rims with discs that are in far better shape than yours and several boxes of miscellaneous nut , bolts and who knows what. Maybe a set of carbs and harness, I can't remember what all. Here's my deal: I don't want money but if your interested I'll dig them out and give you a better idea of what I have and if you decide you want them and are willing to meet me in Corning or somewhere south of there, I'd give them to you. My motivation is only to get them to someone who might be able to use them and out of my GS part filled garage. Leave a answer here or Private Message me through the forum and we will make it happen.

Charlie G

 

[Eric4]

Eric,

Yes that bike looks like it sat in Pacifica for years and is pretty rough. If you haven't been discouraged to the point of abandonment I may be able to help a bit. I bought 650g years ago cheap in Chico and sold off the engine and tank to some fells here on GSR but I still have most of the other parts. I have a set of decent pipes, forks, and rims with discs that are in far better shape than yours and several boxes of miscellaneous nut , bolts and who knows what. Maybe a set of carbs and harness, I can't remember what all. Here's my deal: I don't want money but if your interested I'll dig them out and give you a better idea of what I have and if you decide you want them and are willing to meet me in Corning or somewhere south of there, I'd give them to you. My motivation is only to get them to someone who might be able to use them and out of my GS part filled garage. Leave a answer here or Private Message me through the forum and we will make it happen.

Charlie G

That's an extremely generous offer, Charlie!

I haven't abandoned hope on the bike yet. The next few days, I'll have some time to work on it a bit more. If I make it past a few milestones, then I'll definitely be reaching out to ya! The last thing I had done before leaving town for a few days, was hooking up a battery, and was happy to see some lights on the instrument cluster. Next will be fresh oil + filter, and making sure the engine is free of seizure. The pistons have been soaking in MMO the last few days, so hopefully it'll turn over.

My pipes are beyond saving, and carbs have a pretty stout layer of corrosion on them, so swapping those out would be a huge savings of time and $.

Half my time is in Lake County, so Corning is certainly within reach.

I'll keep ya in the loop of any progress made! Once again, much appreciated.
-Eric

 

[Charlie G]

That's an extremely generous offer, Charlie!

I haven't abandoned hope on the bike yet. The next few days, I'll have some time to work on it a bit more. If I make it past a few milestones, then I'll definitely be reaching out to ya! The last thing I had done before leaving town for a few days, was hooking up a battery, and was happy to see some lights on the instrument cluster. Next will be fresh oil + filter, and making sure the engine is free of seizure. The pistons have been soaking in MMO the last few days, so hopefully it'll turn over.

My pipes are beyond saving, and carbs have a pretty stout layer of corrosion on them, so swapping those out would be a huge savings of time and $.

Half my time is in Lake County, so Corning is certainly within reach.

I'll keep ya in the loop of any progress made! Once again, much appreciated.
-Eric

Eric I don't get on here much anymore and it might be best to communicate with me through the Private Messaging available through the forum. I've sent you a message there and will give further contact info there. These other guys that have commented here on this thread KNOW what they are talkin about. They've have taught and helped me to no end. Good luck and stay in touch!

 

[Eric4]

A brief update on the bike -

• It's now got fresh oil and filter. The old oil looked to be in decent, in the drainpan.
• Engine manually turns over
• Some lights work (1 blinker, gear indicator lights, oil light)
• Neutral light in center of cluster does not illuminate. Nor does a N show up in the gear indicators
• Engine start button seems to do nothing. No solenoid click either

Currently reading thru the service manual electrical section trying to diagnose the start issues. If anyone has some tips, I'm all ears!

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

With key on and run/kill switch on run you could use a screwdriver to touch on both posts on top of your starter solenoid. If anything happens, there should be sparks and starter motor may turn. Could be the most you could expect. But before you do:

So many questions - here are a few but certainly not all:
Start button could just be (likely is) corroded/dirty.
Did you at least drain any old gas out of the carbs?
New gas in the tank? Is the tank rusty?
Make SURE bike is in neutral. Try to spin rear wheel without pulling in the clutch. If PO has disabled clutch start safety (a common "mod'), In gear the bike could roll forward if attempt to start and in gear.
Don't get your hopes up. If you haven't looked at the carbs at all, they likely look worse on the inside than the rest of the bike looks on the outside.

 

[Eric4]

Thanks for the reply! Right now I've got the spark plugs out, and figured diagnosing the starter would be the first step. I'm sure you're right about the carbs being inoperable in their state.

The bike is definitely in Neutral, as all the gear lights work (except N), so I can determine it's between 1 and 2. The fact that there's no Neutral light on the cluster sounds like it's a Neutral Safety Switch?

If I can get the starter crankin', then I'll check for spark.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

No. Neutral light has nothing to do with the clutch safety switch. Do you have a factory service manual and a wiring diagram?

 

[Eric4]

No. Neutral light has nothing to do with the neutral safety switch. Do you have a factory service manual and a wiring diagram?

I do have the .pdf of the FSM and wiring diagram. The diagram is a bit low-res, but I think I can decipher it still. Unfortunately I haven't much experience with electrical work, so this type of diagnosis might take me a bit longer than for some...

Since ya think I can skip out on the neutral safety switch, I'll disassemble the headlight and start to check continuity in the switches. As well as try to bypass the solenoid.

Thanks for the insight!

 

[oldGSfan]

As someone on a Brit show said, that's a difficult wank!

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

“challenging wank”. It was Sean Lock (RIP) on 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. One of my favorites. And yes Rachel Riley is hot no matter what she’s wearing.