New owner of a BIG project!

[catdaddyrachel]

Nope.

No way.

No how.

.

Understood. I just read a thread regarding the same topic. Head studs are in another location. No problem. I had a lead on a 16V head and was just wondering if it was possible.

[steve murdoch]

ya, that’s ok. I’ve got a 1290 super duke that makes all the power I could ever want...for the moment. Regardless, I’d still like to give this bike a bit of a kick in the seat. There’s few things more amusing than watching a 40 year old bike walk a modern bike.

"for the moment" .....Yikes!
Twice i have been lucky enough to ride a 1290 R and i can't imagine it needing any more power. It was a blast.
A buddy has a 1290 GT and even that one has power for days.

[timebombprod]

The bike ran but only with the choke on. Jetting seems way off. Only cylinders 1 and 3 a firing regularly, 2 and 4 don't seem to be getting enough fuel. I'll order a jet kit and an exhaust next week when I get back in town. All the cylinders have good compression and all the spark plugs fire so I'm pretty convinced the carbs are just gummed up and jetted incorrectly. I can check the valves too.

i would recommend checking the valves i dont know how much miles yours takes before you need to adjust them, but mine is every 3500-4000 miles so every 2 oil changes, it is VERY important to check your valve clearances on this bike, because if its not in spec, you will seriously damage your engine, there is very minimal space they can move out of spec. really they cant move out of it at all.


as for the carbs again theres a full carb clean tutorial on here somewhere taking them apart piece by piece off the rail and everything, if you are going to clean your carbs, you will have to take them completely apart to do it right and have them run.

the link i gave you for carb tuning will very much help you get your bike its best powerband and output. if you get an aftermarket exhaust call and ask them for the jetting recommendation and start from there, but stock works very well, you will find out much people on here believe leaving these stock is the best thing to do, and i believe they are for the most part right, other than me being young and wanting a sweet sounding exhaust.



i cant stress howmuch i wish i had the carb clean tutorial

[catdaddyrachel]

i would recommend checking the valves i dont know how much miles yours takes before you need to adjust them, but mine is every 3500-4000 miles so every 2 oil changes, it is VERY important to check your valve clearances on this bike, because if its not in spec, you will seriously damage your engine, there is very minimal space they can move out of spec. really they cant move out of it at all.


as for the carbs again theres a full carb clean tutorial on here somewhere taking them apart piece by piece off the rail and everything, if you are going to clean your carbs, you will have to take them completely apart to do it right and have them run.

the link i gave you for carb tuning will very much help you get your bike its best powerband and output. if you get an aftermarket exhaust call and ask them for the jetting recommendation and start from there, but stock works very well, you will find out much people on here believe leaving these stock is the best thing to do, and i believe they are for the most part right, other than me being young and wanting a sweet sounding exhaust.



i cant stress howmuch i wish i had the carb clean tutorial

Thanks,

I checked the valves tonight. two were within spec, two were in spec but right on the edge, and 4 were out of spec. I'll have to order a shim kit and the removal tool to my running list of parts.

Unfortunately, the bike didn't come with the stock exhaust or stock airbox so i'll have to go aftermarket.

I'm quite familiar with carb cleaning and tuning. My ZRX was also not running when I purchased it so I have more experience than I'd like with carbs.

[steve murdoch]

Z1Enterprises is a good place to order shims.

https://www.z1enterprises.com/

Another option would be to contact Ghost about the GS Shim Club.

https://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?122394-GS-Valve-Shim-Club&highlight=shim+and+club

[timebombprod]

Thanks,

I checked the valves tonight. two were within spec, two were in spec but right on the edge, and 4 were out of spec. I'll have to order a shim kit and the removal tool to my running list of parts.

glad i could help

[Steve]

I'll have to order a shim kit and the removal tool to my running list of parts.

Do yourself a favor and save some money in the process. Do NOT get a shim kit.

Yes, it will come with a few shims in most of the sizes available, but you will never need over half of them. The shims that were in the bike when it left the factory are just above the mid-point in the size range. Clearances always decrease, meaning you need thinner shims. The only time you will ever need a thicker shim is if you have some head work done and trim the ends of the valves.

Check your clearances, inventory your shims, determine what you need. Note that you might be able to move a couple of shims around in your engine, which will reduce the number of shims that you need. THEN order what you need.

I am not sure what the current arrangements are with the GSR Shim Club (contact member ghostgs1, as mentioned in previous post), but new shims from Z1 Enterprises are just under $5 each.

.

[Redman]

Looking at the head stock. It says its a 82 GS1100GK. .....
........
. . . . . . . . . .. ..i'm not concerned with the drive-ability of pods. I live in southern California so we get about 350 riding days a year.

I was going to say the forks look like maybe GK, and cant see one way or other in pictures the other definite signs of a GK (the extra frame work on the frame downtubes with threaded holes).

Of what you have remaining there, the front forks are about the only difference from a regular 1100G. THe GK fork tubes are larger diameter (43mm verses 38?37?). SO keep that in mind if/when getting fork seals. Also the fork tubes have a wider spacing so the tripple clmap is different, and then a regular 1100G headlight mount will not work either.

I am not that much of a gearhead to know the specifics, but I hear mentioned all the time on the forum here that the 850G and 1100G are fairly senisitve to having the pods instead of regular stock airbox, espceiall with aftermarket exhaust, and that takes a bunch of expereimenting with different jets.

SOuthern CA, San Diego.
My daughter and SIL were in SAnDiego for 5 years (Ocean Beach and then Oceanside). Was great to visit them and ride out in the canyons. I am missing that (but great to have them back here).

[Redman]

Speaking of looking up parts, for an 82 GS1100GK you will find listings for GKZ which you would expect for a 82. ANd then there also is GK2, that will be for a late 82 or maybe called early 83. THe difference was the paint scheme, and some minor stuff, which will be of no concern to you.

FOr what you have left there, you could more easy look for 1100G, expecpt for the front fork related stuff I mentioned.

[Redman]

And with any G, especially an 82, you will want to learn about the hub (some call spline) in the rear wheel. Note that I said IN the rear wheel.

You obviously have lots other stuff to deal with.
But if you are going to ride it any distance a way from home (if would you do that on a "brat"), you will want to learn about that rear wheel hub. On microfiche is called "joint assembly".
A search here on forum of hub will be a good start.

[Redman]

About shims: if you are scrounging and trading shims, as you have seen these are the "big quarter dollar sized ones from the 70s and 80s" (as the parts counter kid called them, then said "naw, we dont have those old ones").

Anyway, be aware the other brands from about that time used shims about that size were just a bit smaller in diameter, and may seem like they would work and do work, untill they get spit out at high rpm and unpleasant things happen then.

THe GS shims are 29mm diameter, I think, and the others are something like 28.5, anyway is as small but noticeable difference that does make a difference. (Steve will pop in and correct my memory.)

[Rijko]

THe GS shims are 29mm diameter, I think, and the others are something like 28.5

GS shims are 29,5mm, some Kawa (Z900 for one) and Yamaha models used 29mm.
Really small difference but i found out 29mm shims can make the GS produce strange
sounds.
Took a very long time before i spotted the 29mm shims used by a PO.
Buckets were not damaged (yet).

If you can find an OEM shim tool secondhand, it will probably last longer
than most aftermarket ones.

[catdaddyrachel]

About shims: if you are scrounging and trading shims, as you have seen these are the "big quarter dollar sized ones from the 70s and 80s" (as the parts counter kid called them, then said "naw, we dont have those old ones").

Anyway, be aware the other brands from about that time used shims about that size were just a bit smaller in diameter, and may seem like they would work and do work, untill they get spit out at high rpm and unpleasant things happen then.

THe GS shims are 29mm diameter, I think, and the others are something like 28.5, anyway is as small but noticeable difference that does make a difference. (Steve will pop in and correct my memory.)

29.5 is what I recall from my initial reading.

I'd prefer to just order a shim kit. Since this bike has unknown miles and an unknown service history, it might need more extensive top end work i.e. might be dealing with bent valves or worn valve guides.

I'm also big believer in porting and polishing heads. It's essentially free power and tends to make quite a big difference in these older bikes. My CRF45 supermoto race bike picked up about 2 HP throughout the entire rev range.

Again, the plan is to get the motor squared away to establish a baseline, then strip the bike down for a complete refresh. All the rubber parts on the bike were hard as a rock so I think its safe to assume the swing arm and head stock bearings haven't been service in a couple of decades.

I read about the rear wheel splines being weak on this year. I also read that you can just buy a new spline from a suzuki boulevard and it'll fit right in. I think when I change the rear tire, I'll just change the rear spline at the same time. It's cheap and easy insurance as well as a worthwhile upgrade.

[Redman]

Ah, 29.5mm diameter shims. Okay.

....
.....
I read about the rear wheel splines being weak on this year. I also read that you can just buy a new spline from a suzuki boulevard and it'll fit right in. ...

Okay, good, you know about the rear wheel splines. The stock ones that year were kinda gold color. And yes the original part number has been superceeed by another part numbers that was used then and used in the 90 and more more current models.

....
.....
................................ I think when I change the rear tire, I'll just change the rear spline at the same time. It's cheap and easy insurance as well as a worthwhile upgrade.

And lube with a moly paste. And any time have rear wheel off, inspect and relube.

[timebombprod]

whatever you do cat daddy i hope u make a badass bike out of this sounds like u have skills to do so