• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Search results

  1. S

    Clearcoat removal question

    Do you have any info if it works on 40 year old petrified gaskets? I'd love to find something that dissolves them, but it's usually a process of chems, propane, scraping, and abrasives. The best abrasives are rotating "scotchbrite" wheels for a dremel, but they wear quickly and become expensive.
  2. S

    gs550t with likely dead starter - preferred replacement?

    Mea culpa ... Yep, the real reason the solenoid wasn't thunking was grounding. The various ground wires were still loose from when I moved the airbox to remove the carbs. Doh! Now I have a spare solenoid. BTW, the starter kit listed earlier in the thread was good, but there was a gap between...
  3. S

    Compare '81 GS550 to '83 GS650

    Thanks for the info kerrfunk. WVa is too far away and I'm looking for yet another project, so $1250 is above my budget. It def won't be my only bike (look at my signature) , just my only inline 4 UJM at the moment. Hope you enjoy the Tbird. I also have a Triumph Adventurer in the stable, same...
  4. S

    Compare '81 GS550 to '83 GS650

    Thanks for the input. Sounds like there are no hidden gotchas and the 650 is generally better than the 550. Was already planning to change seat and bars to morph the cruiser-ish L to more standard ergos.
  5. S

    Compare '81 GS550 to '83 GS650

    As you may have seen in various threads, my current project bike is an '81 GS550T. Always a fickle wrencher, I'm thinking about picking up an '83 GS650GL. Aside from the obvious diffs (seat, shaft drive and more powerful engine of the 650), are there any substantial benefits or disadvantages...
  6. S

    gs550t with likely dead starter - preferred replacement?

    Didn't check that. It had been working recently, with an audible "thunk" whenever the starter button was pushed. The bike has been on the lift in my garage for far too long now, so I don't see how the starter button could suddenly fail. I'll check that, but the solenoid has already been ordered.
  7. S

    gs550t with likely dead starter - preferred replacement?

    I ordered the repair kit from stockers, only $8 more than the brush plate alone and provides the o-rings, bearings, and oil seals to freshen up the whole starter. Plus my solenoid was shot (had to jump across the terminals with a screw driver), so I needed one of those as well.
  8. S

    gs550t with likely dead starter - preferred replacement?

    UPDATE#N - Brushes from the Triumph starter fit well within the Suzi starter. Starter works when tested off the bike using a clamp and jumper cables from the battery. But ... when I install the starter in the bike and send in the juice, you can hear freely spinning gears but not the pistons...
  9. S

    gs550t with likely dead starter - preferred replacement?

    The brushes from the Triumph fit fine in the Suzi starter, which now spins nicely. One question for those with more experience, is there any reason to avoid a light coating of grease in the shaft that sticks into the end cap, i.e. the opposite end of the spline shaft that engages the gears in...
  10. S

    gs550t with likely dead starter - preferred replacement?

    Looks like the brushes and plate from a Denso starter from a Triumph Adventurer (on left) will likely fit in the GS starter. the plate itself is slightly different, but the OD and ID are the same. And the diameter of the starter commutator is the same @ 28mm.
  11. S

    gs550t with likely dead starter - preferred replacement?

    I'm thinking those corroded brushes may also be a problem. I have a few spare and working starters from other projects, so I may see if parts are swappable.
  12. S

    gs550t with likely dead starter - preferred replacement?

    UPDATES: 1. When the bike was last apart I did not disconnect the battery ground to the engine, so that should still be as OK as a 40 year old screw connection can be. All voltages were ~11v or better when activating the starter button and checking against battery, engine, and ground screw. 2. I...
  13. S

    gs550t with likely dead starter - preferred replacement?

    Luckily I'm only holding the starter cover on with the single easily accessed bolt. I just put the carbs back on and the connection to #3 airbox boot is tenuous at best, so i'll try busting a few knuckles and see if it get lucky. Micro ratchets are my friends.
  14. S

    gs550t with likely dead starter - preferred replacement?

    The starter motor on my '81 GS550T is likely dead. After several months of delays I finally put it all back together and hit the start button. First time it slowly cranked a few revs, the maybe one, now none...just the thunk of the solenoid activating. The battery is new and charged, so I...
  15. S

    borderline exhaust valve clearances

    No, they are all the correct diameter. My total shim collection has multiple diameters because I have owned and resurrected numerous bikes over the years and different bikes/mfrs use different shim diameters.
  16. S

    borderline exhaust valve clearances

    Good point. I've done enough that it would also have to include shim diameter (25, 29, 29.5)
  17. S

    borderline exhaust valve clearances

    I only addressed the extreme ones. With my collection of shims from past projects I was able to get all intakes between .04 and .1, and all exhausts between .06 and .1. Good enough for now.
  18. S

    borderline exhaust valve clearances

    Thanks. I'll leave the .1 exhaust alone. INteresting the others are both on cyl3, .115 intake (too loose for me) and .03 exhaust (too tight)
  19. S

    borderline exhaust valve clearances

    after re-assembling my '81 GS550T, five of thevalve clearances are clearly within spec, one is way out (.115mm for intake) and two are borderline. The borderline ones are both exhaust, one on the low side (.03mm) and one on the high side (.10mm). I'll adjust the .115 and .03 (too tight for...
  20. S

    '81 GS550T - replacing cyl head gasket & re-using rubber bits

    UPDATE - Well that's frustrating. I bought the OEM head gasket from the ebay vendor as recommended in the thread, got distracted for a week or so, then opened the package today to find a bent and delaminated gasket. I trust the aftermarket gasket more than this one. plus it's not the exact...
Back
Top