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Is it possible to ride these bikes too hard...?

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    #16
    Grip It and Rip It! Spin to Win!

    Yes, you can ride these things very, very hard. These engines love to spin, and the happy zone is 6,000 - 9,000 RPM. And they will happily spin hard day after day after day.

    My 850 loves to spin and sees redline often.

    It's not a good idea to exceed redline by a lot, though. It is possible to float the valves and spit a shim if you really zing it too far. There's no rev limiter as in a modern bike, although there are high-end aftermarket ignition units with this function.


    With a few simple upgrades, they also handle and stop phenomenally well.

    If you know what you're doing, you can proceed on public roads as rapidly as any modern motorcycle.

    I'd also strongly recommend signing up for "software upgrades" in the form of riding classes. I can highly recommend Lee Parks' "Total Control Riding", for example.

    There are also many here who have taken their GS to track days with excellent results and no problems.


    When I first started attending GS rallies, I was astonished at the number of riders who putt-putted around below 3,000 rpm like little old ladies, terrified their bikes would break somehow if they actually twisted the throttle or leaned a bit.

    Aluminum and steel don't give a hoot whether they're brand new or 40 years old. The parts are just as strong today as they were in 1983 or 1978 or whatever. They are extremely well-designed engines manufactured to a very high quality standard, and they were designed and intended to spin and handle.

    Last edited by bwringer; 06-17-2020, 08:14 AM.
    1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
    2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
    2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
    Eat more venison.

    Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

    Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

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      #17
      Have to agree with Brian. I been very bad since overhauling my 1100G head.
      Tested 10,000 a few times, looking for the ideal shift point RPM.
      9,000 RPM shift point may be ideal, 7,000 is very safe.
      "Only fe' collected the old way, has any value." from His Majesty O'Keefe (1954 film)
      1982 GS1100G- road bike, body, seat and suspension modded
      1990 GSX750F-(1127cc '92 GSXR engine) track bike, much re-engineered
      1987 Honda CBR600F Hurricane; hooligan bike, restored

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        #18
        wind it out, they like it.
        1983 GS 1100 ESD

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          #19
          Have you not heard of the old saying "ride it like you stole it"? From what I am reading here by the OP, you sure as hell are not going to hurt that bike. As mentioned previously, these may be old classics, but they still like to put many smiles on the faces of the riders.
          Larry

          '79 GS 1000E
          '93 Honda ST 1100 SOLD-- now residing in Arizona.
          '18 Triumph Tiger 800 (gone too soon)
          '19 Triumph Tiger 800 Christmas 2018 to me from me.
          '01 BMW R1100RL project purchased from a friend.

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            #20
            My first GS1100E, 1980, after the first 1,000 mi brake in, was abused every day, both on the street & on the local drag strips till I got rid of it with something over 50,000 mi. Still in great shape. 2 big repairs were a busted clutch hub, normal for the GS1100's, replaced with heavy duty after mkt. hub & never another clutch problem, & a loose rotor, also normal for the early GS1100's., repaired by tightening as tight as possible then welding the nut to both the rotor & the crankshaft, never a problem for me as I never needed to remove the rotor again. I have often wondered if that thing had been ridden normally, ie. from 2,000 to 6,000 & never wide open throttle w/ regular maintenance, I think it could have ran forever, nothing wears out on these things.
            1983 GS1100E, 1983 CB1100F, 1991 GSX1100G, 1996 Kaw. ZL600 Eliminator, 1999 Bandit 1200S, 2005 Bandit 1200S, 2000 Kaw. ZRX 1100

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              #21
              Factory went ahead and welded your '83 for you. I keep imagining a pic of your Suzi and Honda 11's next to each other on a sunny sidewalk.

              There was a corner bagel store near where I got off the bus from Wall Street every afternoon. Frequently there was a Kaw H1 parked next to a Kaw Z1 on the sidewalk in front of the store. I think the two guys worked there (flour on the Grab-Ons ).

              They were lightlyly modified, pods, clamp ons and 4-into-1s. Completely of the day (1980).

              It's more than just the metal. I would imagine the two guys coming and leaving together. There's a certain way you ride after a long shift. Not necessarily even very fast. Just with a certain amount of...camaraderie.

              I know I'm babbling, but can anyone relate?
              Last edited by Rob S.; 06-19-2020, 04:48 PM.
              1982 GS1100E V&H "SS" exhaust, APE pods, 1150 oil cooler, 140 speedo, 99.3 rear wheel HP, black engine, '83 red

              2016 XL883L sigpic Two-tone blue and white. Almost 42 hp! Status: destroyed, now owned by the insurance company. The hole in my memory starts an hour before the accident and ends 24 hours after.

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                #22
                I can kind of relate with you Rob. I don't ride to work to much now, but I use to. When leaving work I'd often jam 1st, 2ed, and 3ed gear. Kind of my way of saying nice to see ya, hate to be ya! I'm out of here! 🙂
                My Motorcycles:
                22 Kawasaki Z900 RS (Candy Tone Blue)
                22 BMW K1600GT (Probably been to a town near you)
                82 1100e Drag Bike (needs race engine)
                81 1100e Street Bike (with race engine)
                79 1000e (all original)
                82 850g (all original)
                80 KZ 650F (needs restored)

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                  #23
                  I can relate that the more I use something, the less I beat on it. Doesn't matter if its a sports car or a motorcycle. If i don't get much chance to run it, I get more thrills from each chance, more or less.

                  I think stock 2 valve GS motorcycles will pretty much run out of breath before they can hurt themselves. That explains the super high survival rate.
                  sigpic Too old, too many bikes, too many cars, too many things

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                    #24
                    Originally posted by 850 Combat View Post
                    I can relate that the more I use something, the less I beat on it. Doesn't matter if its a sports car or a motorcycle. If i don't get much chance to run it, I get more thrills from each chance, more or less.

                    I think stock 2 valve GS motorcycles will pretty much run out of breath before they can hurt themselves. That explains the super high survival rate.
                    Yeah, no problems with my G, even though I have missed a few upshifts recently. Not that I wanna keep testing 10,000+ RPM. Just testing where it's gonna actually find it's power limit.
                    "Only fe' collected the old way, has any value." from His Majesty O'Keefe (1954 film)
                    1982 GS1100G- road bike, body, seat and suspension modded
                    1990 GSX750F-(1127cc '92 GSXR engine) track bike, much re-engineered
                    1987 Honda CBR600F Hurricane; hooligan bike, restored

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                      #25
                      buried the needle on my old 550 all day, every day...Just couldn't bother the thing no matter how mean I was to her... my current 550 I've been more gentle with, she wants more but, I'm more timid on wire wheels... (sorry girl, it's not you, it's me)
                      My daily is and 850G, it see's 5k on the regular but, generally not more than 7-8K... not cause she can't take it, just don't ever need to...

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                        #26
                        I'm a little late to the game, but as most others have said, you won't hurt it as long as you stay out of the red. I redline my 850 at least once every time I ride it, but I always wait until it's warmed up.

                        A few weeks ago, I missed a shift and when I looked down my tach said 12,000 rpms Scared me for sure, but it continued running fine and I haven't noticed any ill effects yet... I don't think any damage was done, but I will definitely be kicking the shifter harder in the future, I don't want to blow it up.
                        - 1983 GS850L ~ 30,000 miles and going up - Finally ready for a proper road trip!
                        - 1977 GS750B - Sold but not forgotten

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                          #27
                          Originally posted by 93Bandit View Post
                          I redline...at least once every time I ride it, but I always wait until it's warmed up.
                          YES! All it takes is a little sense.
                          1982 GS1100E V&H "SS" exhaust, APE pods, 1150 oil cooler, 140 speedo, 99.3 rear wheel HP, black engine, '83 red

                          2016 XL883L sigpic Two-tone blue and white. Almost 42 hp! Status: destroyed, now owned by the insurance company. The hole in my memory starts an hour before the accident and ends 24 hours after.

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Well, low and behold I guess I did end up riding the bike too hard. I went for a ride yesterday and pushed a bit around town (never redlining but up there in the 8-9000 range sometimes, mostly in the 5-7) and developed a loud rod knock. Turns out the bike was low on oil so I think I did some irreversible damage. The knock is extremely loud and sounds like a piece of metal is clanging in the engine.

                            Never done teardowns or anything of the sort and don’t know how to. My brother (who is a mechanic) said it sounded like it had no oil in it and to empty the oil and check for metal; if there was no metal in the oil, fill it up with 20W-50 and see if it goes away. I’ve added 2 full cans of Lucas Oil 20W-50 and it still has the loud clanging.

                            Video link:

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                              #29
                              Oil in crankcase; "don't leave home without it!"

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                                #30
                                Originally posted by posplayr View Post
                                Oil in crankcase; "don't leave home without it!"

                                Thanks for the reply. So does that mean the engine is done? Is there anything I can do without a teardown?

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