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1981 GS850G preparing for road trip

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    #31
    Your new petcock is what we call "the dreaded '80 petcock". It was used only in 1980, and fortunately, not on all bikes. The shafties were spared that horrible creation, so it should never have been specified for your bike.

    Just order a proper petcock from Suzuki. You have already shown that your carbs are not sealing properly because the petcock failed. If you happen to forget to turn your Pingel off, it is no different than accidentally leaving the stock petcock on PRIme or having a leaky petcock. A new, properly-working petcock is a wonderful device. You just get on the bike, start the engine and GO. When you arrive at your destination, you turn the engine off, park the bike and leave. No worries about forgetting to move the petcock to OFF. And, I believe that a new Suzuki petcock is cheaper than a Pingle.

    .
    sigpic
    mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
    hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
    #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
    #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
    Family Portrait
    Siblings and Spouses
    Mom's first ride
    Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
    (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

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      #32
      Originally posted by Steve View Post
      Your new petcock is what we call "the dreaded '80 petcock". It was used only in 1980, and fortunately, not on all bikes. The shafties were spared that horrible creation, so it should never have been specified for your bike.

      Just order a proper petcock from Suzuki. You have already shown that your carbs are not sealing properly because the petcock failed. If you happen to forget to turn your Pingel off, it is no different than accidentally leaving the stock petcock on PRIme or having a leaky petcock. A new, properly-working petcock is a wonderful device. You just get on the bike, start the engine and GO. When you arrive at your destination, you turn the engine off, park the bike and leave. No worries about forgetting to move the petcock to OFF. And, I believe that a new Suzuki petcock is cheaper than a Pingle.

      .
      Okay, good points here. What would be a good online shop for ordering a genuine Suzuki petcock? If I go to a local Suzuki dealership here in Finland, I suspect they'll order it from wherever and charge me plenty.
      -81 GS850G
      -82 GS450

      Comment


        #33
        Originally posted by Juke Nukem View Post
        Okay, good points here. What would be a good online shop for ordering a genuine Suzuki petcock? If I go to a local Suzuki dealership here in Finland, I suspect they'll order it from wherever and charge me plenty.
        Fowlers can have surprisingly good prices on OEM stuff and will happily ship to Finland.
        I nearly bought a petcock from them, but they were on back order and I couldn't wait so fitted a manual tap.
        ---- Dave
        79 GS850N - Might be a trike soon.
        80 GS850T Single HIF38 S.U. SH775, Tow bar, Pantera II. Gnarly workhorse & daily driver.
        79 XS650SE - Pragmatic Ratter - goes better than a manky old twin should.
        92 XJ900F - Fairly Stock, for now.

        Only a dog knows why a motorcyclist sticks his head out of a car window

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          #34
          I have an 81 850G that has many miles, tiny oil leaks, and has taken out 2 deer. I coated the tank years ago with Red-Kote, upgraded the stator & R/R, went tubeless. I would not be afraid to circle the entire continent on it.

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            #35
            Originally posted by wymple View Post
            I have an 81 850G that has many miles, tiny oil leaks, and has taken out 2 deer. I coated the tank years ago with Red-Kote, upgraded the stator & R/R, went tubeless. I would not be afraid to circle the entire continent on it.
            Thanks for the encouragement!
            -81 GS850G
            -82 GS450

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              #36
              With the bike came some crash bars which were in a bit of a rough condition. Initially I thought I'll never put them on. Then I got to thinking that if I happen to tip the bike over somewhere far from home, they may save me from catastrophe. They buffed up reasonably well, an on they went.

              crashbars.jpg
              -81 GS850G
              -82 GS450

              Comment


                #37
                Originally posted by Juke Nukem View Post
                With the bike came some crash bars which were in a bit of a rough condition. Initially I thought I'll never put them on. Then I got to thinking that if I happen to tip the bike over somewhere far from home, they may save me from catastrophe. They buffed up reasonably well, an on they went.

                [ATTACH=CONFIG]61873[/ATTACH]
                Exactly. They prevent an unpleasant event from turning into a stranding.
                Some people don't like the look of them. I don't see them when I'm riding.
                ---- Dave
                79 GS850N - Might be a trike soon.
                80 GS850T Single HIF38 S.U. SH775, Tow bar, Pantera II. Gnarly workhorse & daily driver.
                79 XS650SE - Pragmatic Ratter - goes better than a manky old twin should.
                92 XJ900F - Fairly Stock, for now.

                Only a dog knows why a motorcyclist sticks his head out of a car window

                Comment


                  #38
                  Some update after a long time. Been mostly busy with the luggage rack. The bike is in a garage with welding equipment few km away, so everything happens sloooow, mostly between 10pm and 1am. Anyway, some shots:

                  Finding a good shape for the rack with cardboard, and then bending:
                  tarakan_raami.jpg
                  -81 GS850G
                  -82 GS450

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                    #39
                    Fabricating the side bag supports from 4mm flat iron bar:
                    tarakka_latta.jpg
                    -81 GS850G
                    -82 GS450

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                      #40
                      Close to finished:
                      tarakka_semivalmis.jpg
                      -81 GS850G
                      -82 GS450

                      Comment


                        #41
                        It was a cold and long winter this year!
                        lumi.jpg
                        -81 GS850G
                        -82 GS450

                        Comment


                          #42
                          Is there enough clearance for the seat to open?
                          ---- Dave
                          79 GS850N - Might be a trike soon.
                          80 GS850T Single HIF38 S.U. SH775, Tow bar, Pantera II. Gnarly workhorse & daily driver.
                          79 XS650SE - Pragmatic Ratter - goes better than a manky old twin should.
                          92 XJ900F - Fairly Stock, for now.

                          Only a dog knows why a motorcyclist sticks his head out of a car window

                          Comment


                            #43
                            Originally posted by Grimly View Post
                            Is there enough clearance for the seat to open?
                            Not properly. It opens enough to put something in the small under seat compartment if necessary. But then the whole rack comes off in a few minutes if necessary so I thought this is acceptable.
                            -81 GS850G
                            -82 GS450

                            Comment


                              #44
                              Measured the valve clearances. Manual says they should be between 0.03-0.08mm. They were all under the 0.03mm which is the smallest gauge on my set. However 7/8 of the tappets could be rotated by hand, so they had at least some clearance. One tappet needed some effort to rotate, so it's touching a bit.

                              My shed had only warmed up to something around +5 C, and the motor could have been pretty close to 0 C. I suppose this will have an effect on the clearances. Can it have such big effect? Will have to warm up the shed properly and re-measure.
                              -81 GS850G
                              -82 GS450

                              Comment


                                #45
                                The engine should be cold as it not ridden for at best since the day before. If they were all under .03 than please verify and replace as needed
                                sigpic
                                Cowboy Up or Quit. - Run Free Lou and Rest in Peace

                                1981 GS550T - My First
                                1981 GS550L - My Eldest Daughter's
                                2007 GSF1250SA Bandit - My touring bike

                                Sit tall in the saddle Hold your head up high
                                Keep your eyes fixed where the trail meets the sky and live like you ain't afraid to die
                                and don't be scared, just enjoy your ride - Chris Ledoux, "The Ride"

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