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I bought a 1978 GS400 for $100. Here's how it went!

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    I bought a 1978 GS400 for $100. Here's how it went!

    Hey guys, glad to be here. I never pictured myself as a motorcycle person, I grew up on ATVs and while I always liked motorcycles I just never seriously considered buying a road bike. Here's my story of how that changed.

    Last year I was cleaning a car for a guy and he asked me if I'd be interested in buying a dismantled bike for $100. He assured me everything was there and from my completely ignorant glances it looked like at least all the major stuff was there and the engine hadn't been cracked open so I wouldn't need to worry about rebuilding that. It was a 1978 GS400 he had torn down to the frame to turn into a cafe racer, a project I have discovered is really popular with this bike for some reason and also comes with a certain amount of hate from large parts of the community. If it makes you feel better, it doesn't have clip-ons!

    So the back of the frame has been modified to fit the custom cafe seat he had made, but other than that the bike was stock. I took his number and didn't end up buying it off him for like 6 months, and then it was another 6 months before the bike was running, although most of the progress happened in the last month. I ran into a lot of issues that could have been solved by doing maintenance checks first instead of waiting until I ran into a problem. Something would not work right and I'd be sure the bike was a dud and it would turn out to be something dumb (bad ground, didn't adjust clutch correctly, kinked fuel line, leaky valve cover gasket because of improper torque order, etc) and while I'm certainly very handy this whole project has really been a humbling lesson on how I need to be more patient and how an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That said, I think I did pretty well or at least acceptable for someone with absolutely no experience working on motorcycles, only basic experience working on cars, and armed with nothing but a couple service manuals and a basic set of tools. This has really sparked a flame in me though and I can see myself working on bikes in the future and possibly even doing another full rebuild. The victory of progress makes all the constant frustration and the slow IV drip of money from your wallet so worth it in the end. Riding around on a bike I literally built with my own two hands is easily one of the most satisfying experiences I've had in years.

    So here's the pictures. I'm sure there's some stuff in here that's going to make someone mad. Sorry.


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    Looking for better suggestions for mounting the seat. The clamps work fine but it's nowhere near an ideal solution. Unfortunately the original owner shaved off all the damn seat mounts when he modified the rear end so I'd have to make new ones and have them welded on.


    Expect to see more of me as this is an ongoing project and with these bikes being relatively niche there's not a ton of active communities around them. I have fallen in love with this thing and I'm going to do everything I can to get it running like brand new. I'm currently wrestling with removing the cylinder but the absolutely ancient gasket has welded it to the crankcase, check my thread in the engine section if you have any suggestions!
    $100 1978 GS400 Rebuild (Outdated thread, new one soon!).
    - Indicator light diode mod
    - LED underglow kit
    - Aftermarket LED headlight bucket
    - Hex head engine case bolt kit
    - SH775A Reg/Rec upgrade
    - Dynatek Dyna S ignition
    - All Balls taper bearing steering stem mod
    - Dynatek 5ohm ignition coils and NGK caps
    - Custom cafe seat

    #2
    Great back story to the project.
    "Generally" speaking the only time there is a dislike for a cafe project on this site is when it is poorly done or when a great condition stock bike is used as the basis.
    Plenty of junkers around to build up instead of tearing down a nice one.

    Happy to follow along.
    2@ \'78 GS1000

    Comment


      #3

      Had 850G for 14 years. Now have GK since 2005.
      GK at IndyMotoGP Suzuki Display... ... GK on GSResources Page ... ... Euro Trash Ego Machine .. ..3 mo'cykls.... update 2 mocykl


      Comment


        #4

        Had 850G for 14 years. Now have GK since 2005.
        GK at IndyMotoGP Suzuki Display... ... GK on GSResources Page ... ... Euro Trash Ego Machine .. ..3 mo'cykls.... update 2 mocykl


        Comment


          #5
          Above are just wo of many pics.

          And this partly assembly vidio.



          Man, that tank looks nice.

          Had 850G for 14 years. Now have GK since 2005.
          GK at IndyMotoGP Suzuki Display... ... GK on GSResources Page ... ... Euro Trash Ego Machine .. ..3 mo'cykls.... update 2 mocykl


          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Redman View Post

            Man, that tank looks nice.
            I wanted to keep the stock paint on the tank but there were several surface rust spots that needed to be sealed so I figured I might as well paint the whole thing.

            Unfortunately it turns out Rustoleum clear coat is NOT gasoline resistant so I'll be repainting the tank this winter with a new color, new stencil, and proper catalyst clear coat.
            $100 1978 GS400 Rebuild (Outdated thread, new one soon!).
            - Indicator light diode mod
            - LED underglow kit
            - Aftermarket LED headlight bucket
            - Hex head engine case bolt kit
            - SH775A Reg/Rec upgrade
            - Dynatek Dyna S ignition
            - All Balls taper bearing steering stem mod
            - Dynatek 5ohm ignition coils and NGK caps
            - Custom cafe seat

            Comment


              #7
              Oh, I was referring to the tank I saw with original stock paint. Looked shiney in pics anyway.

              putting together a basket case must be fun. Say, for example: finding the engine mounting brackets.

              Had 850G for 14 years. Now have GK since 2005.
              GK at IndyMotoGP Suzuki Display... ... GK on GSResources Page ... ... Euro Trash Ego Machine .. ..3 mo'cykls.... update 2 mocykl


              Comment


                #8
                I got lucky for sure. The major stuff was in boxes so the biggest pain for me was sorting out the literal bag full of hardware. Luckily these bikes are designed pretty logically and almost everything will only go where it's supposed to so it was mostly a matter of matching up bolts.

                I definitely used my thread checkers more than any tool in my garage. It made replacing crusty or stripped screws so much easier.
                $100 1978 GS400 Rebuild (Outdated thread, new one soon!).
                - Indicator light diode mod
                - LED underglow kit
                - Aftermarket LED headlight bucket
                - Hex head engine case bolt kit
                - SH775A Reg/Rec upgrade
                - Dynatek Dyna S ignition
                - All Balls taper bearing steering stem mod
                - Dynatek 5ohm ignition coils and NGK caps
                - Custom cafe seat

                Comment


                  #9
                  I think you're doing very very well. Good photoblog! and I note you have the manuals and appear to be reading them closely, which is always good.

                  Consider getting plumbing-strap to attach things where it's been cut off...I mean the roll of metal strap with pre-drilled holes that holds pipes up in the basement. I've found it awfully handy in certain circumstances to clamp onto frames for various mounting options rather than welding... It can be primed and painted too...or just find some thin strap and make your own clamped mounts that will look better. With with tinsnips, a vice and a drill you can do a lot of "mounting" without welding.

                  I don't think you should denigrate yourself with "Ratbike" in your signature. Howabout "Rebuilt Build" or similar. (ratbikes are fun but are usually a tangle of belts and strapped-on alternators and the like,...."stuff cobbled together" , I guess.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Dang, what a pile of parts & extra's of some of them. And you got them all assembled except for a good frame. I don't know your ideas but I'd think a good GS400 frame may not be too hard to find. Probably "77", "78", & "79" (except "L" models) were the same...Great work...Congrats.
                    1983 GS1100E, 1983 CB1100F, 1991 GSX1100G, 1996 Kaw. ZL600 Eliminator, 1999 Bandit 1200S, 2005 Bandit 1200S, 2000 Kaw. ZRX 1100

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by rphillips View Post
                      Dang, what a pile of parts & extra's of some of them. And you got them all assembled except for a good frame. I don't know your ideas but I'd think a good GS400 frame may not be too hard to find. Probably "77", "78", & "79" (except "L" models) were the same...Great work...Congrats.
                      I have thought about getting an unmolested frame down the line. I have all the plastics and the stock seat and I think I could get it back to 99% stock.
                      If I'm not mistaken the 425 was essentially identical as well wasn't it? I know the manual mostly makes distinctions between the 400 and the 450.
                      $100 1978 GS400 Rebuild (Outdated thread, new one soon!).
                      - Indicator light diode mod
                      - LED underglow kit
                      - Aftermarket LED headlight bucket
                      - Hex head engine case bolt kit
                      - SH775A Reg/Rec upgrade
                      - Dynatek Dyna S ignition
                      - All Balls taper bearing steering stem mod
                      - Dynatek 5ohm ignition coils and NGK caps
                      - Custom cafe seat

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Link appears to be broken, I am curious about the $100 price.
                        Anyway you're doing a good job on this build.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Looks like it's moving along!
                          1980 GS1000G - Sold
                          1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                          1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                          1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                          2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                          1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                          2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar.....

                          www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                          TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by salty_monk View Post
                            Looks like it's moving along!
                            It sure is! I got to put a few hundred miles on it and now it's down for the season while I tear it to pieces trying to trace down a noise. Having a devil of a time with this 40 year old base gasket though
                            Absolutely loving this bike though. I could see myself getting a 550 or a 750 down the line when I want something bigger. This is what I think of when I think "motorcycle" and I'm loving everything about them.
                            $100 1978 GS400 Rebuild (Outdated thread, new one soon!).
                            - Indicator light diode mod
                            - LED underglow kit
                            - Aftermarket LED headlight bucket
                            - Hex head engine case bolt kit
                            - SH775A Reg/Rec upgrade
                            - Dynatek Dyna S ignition
                            - All Balls taper bearing steering stem mod
                            - Dynatek 5ohm ignition coils and NGK caps
                            - Custom cafe seat

                            Comment

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