1978 GS750, Saving a strange project..

[DirtDiver]

So here is my beast. In need of much love, and to have its purpose redirected. As you can see, someone apparently had an idea of doing a Brat, and half way through, said screw it. Rode it, let it rust some, then what I can only assume, binge watched Mad Max and was like "Hey, I can be lazy and look cool!" ... So yes, I have an LED Light bar as my head lamp, plenty of surface rust on the tank, some on the exhaust and other various spots.

The tank looks meh overall. It has some minor dimples which I hope I can solve with bondo, the surface rust I should just be able to sand off, and the inside of the tank.. honestly, I have no idea what I'm looking at condition wise or if I can clean/salvage it.

Yup, homeboy took off the airbox, and chucked it. "Its got bigger jets and I threw on these Amazon pod filters!"... No idea what jets, if he cleaned it, or what condition all of that mess is in, but come monday-ish when my tools come in, they are getting ripped, stripped and dipped. Overall, yeah, I'm team pods, and yup, this is going to be a Cafe Racer (What can I say, I love old English Punk, and the pictures of James Dean / Steve McQueen really strike a cord with me).

The engine, the owner admitted to never touching it, though his guess of the mileage between him and the original owner hits about 9,000, and it runs. That is about where the good news of that ends. Currently getting 12 mpg, and my oil pulled a Houdini on my ass as well after the 320 mile ride home. With no leaks, and no visible smoke, I suspect gremlins in the engine.. or messed up rings.

The Vance 4-1 looks to be in solid condition, no holes that I can see, just some minor surface rust. It was apparently taken off a 2000's model GSXR, and due to dragging issues in turns, the owner didn't put the muffler on there.

 

[allojohn]

Go buy a lottery ticket! You rode that 320 miles....... and survived, amazing.
Welcome to the forum.

 

[thebrandonbeezy]

Save it please haha, it looks a heck of a lot like a 550 a dude in town has, minus the light bar

 

[Guest]

You rode that bike???

 

[dorkburger]

Brave man.... not such a strange project though. Looks like the typical sawzall and a dream project that typically goes unfinished.
Might as well finish the job and go full on cafe.
FYI, do it right, address the safety and running issues, an get a muffler and you'll get a ton of help here.
Good luck.

 

[Guest]

People are asking $3,500 for bikes like that down here and some are getting it. I bought this abandoned beauty off the boss for $275 and trailered it home two miles. When it came into the shop, the wiring harness was burnt up from the seat grounding the battery posts. The owner just bought it before he fried the system, but didn't divulge how much he paid for it. Those light bars are bright as heck, but illegal down here, though people still use them.

It will be donating it's parts to a red '82 1100E roller I saved from being the supplies for a VW trike.

 

[DirtDiver]

There is so much I want to UnF**K (not sure how this community is with language lol) on the bike. I've got my eye set on rebuilding just about the entire bike, however I may need to source some experts on areas as this is my first bike. While I bought it also in part that you can smack it with a wrench and have it work, unlike the computers under the hoods of modern vehicles, I know that in some aspects I am outclassed for now. Engine tear down and cleaning or even knowing the possible damage I'd be staring at is the first obstacle.

As for safety, I want to go steel braided brake lines, some new pads as well. The front end, I'm not opposed to, though I do like USD Forks, sacrificing the spoked rim would suck. The wiring harness, battery, and ignition all need to be swapped out too. I like how tidy the M-Lok stuff can get, but the price may have it as one of the last bits to be done.

As for the muffler, I'm oblivious there. I see a lot of people putting Kerker on, however I don't know how much modification is needed if any to make it work with the current setup. Also on a side note, I really hope the cut on the seating area that this guy made wasn't to close to the joint area for me to add on a hoop still for the new seat.


This week if time allows, I should have the carb cleaning out of the way, and hopefully be able to start sanding on the tank and maybe exhaust to clean up the rust. Ill snap a shot of the inside of the tank, or as much as possible to see if you guys think its even salvageable.

Any suggestions or recommendations are welcome guys! Thanks!

 

[DirtDiver]

You rode that bike???

Yup, I did.. and probably shouldn't have, but excitement, and my personality tend to win over logic. One fun little thing I noticed rather quickly, the Throttle side clip on is just far enough forward and in a weird enough position to make your Rotator Cuff feel like its being torn apart. Totes Funzies :numbness:

 

[Big T]

It looks like the rear wheel has been contacting the fender and taking chunks out of it

I'd steal the idea from another member and get a plastic tote, fill it with vinegar and drop the tank in there for a week or 3. Plus, other rusty parts

Lowering the front end that much would make the handling, um, interesting

 

[GSXR7ED]

So here is my beast. In need of much love, and to have its purpose redirected. As you can see, someone apparently had an idea of doing a Brat, and half way through, said screw it. Rode it, let it rust some, then what I can only assume, binge watched Mad Max and was like "Hey, I can be lazy and look cool!" ... So yes, I have an LED Light bar as my head lamp, plenty of surface rust on the tank, some on the exhaust and other various spots.

The tank looks meh overall. It has some minor dimples which I hope I can solve with bondo, the surface rust I should just be able to sand off, and the inside of the tank.. honestly, I have no idea what I'm looking at condition wise or if I can clean/salvage it.

Yup, homeboy took off the airbox, and chucked it. "Its got bigger jets and I threw on these Amazon pod filters!"... No idea what jets, if he cleaned it, or what condition all of that mess is in, but come monday-ish when my tools come in, they are getting ripped, stripped and dipped. Overall, yeah, I'm team pods, and yup, this is going to be a Cafe Racer (What can I say, I love old English Punk, and the pictures of James Dean / Steve McQueen really strike a cord with me).

The engine, the owner admitted to never touching it, though his guess of the mileage between him and the original owner hits about 9,000, and it runs. That is about where the good news of that ends. Currently getting 12 mpg, and my oil pulled a Houdini on my ass as well after the 320 mile ride home. With no leaks, and no visible smoke, I suspect gremlins in the engine.. or messed up rings.

The Vance 4-1 looks to be in solid condition, no holes that I can see, just some minor surface rust. It was apparently taken off a 2000's model GSXR, and due to dragging issues in turns, the owner didn't put the muffler on there.

Listening to TOTO-"Hold The Line", "Love isn't always on time" and that's perfect for the way you describe this bike!

Next up, "ROSANNA", All I wanna do when I wake up in the morning is see your eyes...never thought that a girl like you could care for me, Rosanna!

We love these bikes and from what I know, they get us home (if they've been properly cared for). Looks like this "Witchy Woman" met that standard. No Speedo? Who needs to know how fast we're going?

Anyway...thanks for the post. I'm enjoying the ride so far!


Ed

 

[SKiraly]

Hey, I'm new on this forum, was just getting ready to post my bike project which is also a '78 GS750. NEVER done this before, this is my first build. Yikes! But, if I take my time, I hope to figure it out and it will all be worth it. It will be worth it enough to just know the bike and have a better mechanical understanding of how it works. Not my strong area right now. Cheers! I'll keep an eye on ya and send good karma, and probably draw from your experience.

 

[DirtDiver]

It looks like the rear wheel has been contacting the fender and taking chunks out of it

I'd steal the idea from another member and get a plastic tote, fill it with vinegar and drop the tank in there for a week or 3. Plus, other rusty parts

Lowering the front end that much would make the handling, um, interesting

I'm not sure if the rear was hitting the fender, or if the owner busted it and clearly was out of ****s to give when he just threw the seat back on there. Btw, not screwed in at all onto the frame. It only stays on by means of body pressure lol.

The vinegar thing works? I assume just regular old vinegar was used? May have to try it since I'm thinking I want to clean up the interior of the tank.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[DirtDiver]

No Speedo? Who needs to know how fast we're going?

Anyway...thanks for the post. I'm enjoying the ride so far!


Ed

Guessing how fast I was going was a mix of witchcraft and matching other peoples speed.. but mainly witchcraft.

As for songs.. I've been hooked on Sonics-Have Love, Will Travel. At least for when it comes to this bike.

 

[DirtDiver]

Hey, I'm new on this forum, was just getting ready to post my bike project which is also a '78 GS750. NEVER done this before, this is my first build. Yikes! But, if I take my time, I hope to figure it out and it will all be worth it. It will be worth it enough to just know the bike and have a better mechanical understanding of how it works. Not my strong area right now. Cheers! I'll keep an eye on ya and send good karma, and probably draw from your experience.

This is my first build too, so welcome to that club, we serve punch and pie!

But in all seriousness, from what I have gathered in research up to this point, the most important thing I can tell you advice wise is this:

Don't give up, never quit, and don't rush the project.

These bikes can be awesome, whether you restore to original, cafe racer, or something entirely different, so take your time. Obviously we all want to rush things to get back to riding and enjoying the bike, but 1) This thing has to be trusted with your life, personal ability can only take you so far. 2) Rushed projects either don't turn out the way you want, or lack design features.

Good luck on your project brotherman, looking forward to seeing your progress!

 

[jibledso]

Good Luck on your project, I'll definitely be following.

Taking your time is the best advice I've read and I need to tell myself that as well with my 750 project.

It's kind of amazing the rust on the gas tank matches the light brown saddle, might be one of the few redeeming qualities to the bike.

12mpg and no smoke or leaks?! Yikes! I would definitely do a compression test and see what's going on.

 

[DirtDiver]

I don't have the tools to do a real test of the compression or tuning, so when I get to that part I'll need to take it to a shop. I got busy with work stuff over the last few days and time in the wind tunnel for some of my jump school stuff, so I haven't gotten to yank out the carbs yet. That happens today though since I've got the day off.

Plan of the Day:
Carb Removal- Strip, Dip
Gas Removal- Maybe soak it in vinegar as another member suggested. I want to make sure its clean as can be
Oil Drain - There doesn't appear to be anything in the reservoir, but Id still like to drain it so when I get to the engine, that portion is taken care of.
Battery Removal - Thing is going to get junked


Question though..

I don't have a bike lift, but is there a guide or suggestion of how to support the frame, and remove the engine without total destruction and chaos ensuing? I've seen some guys use those quad stand jacks and some sort of ratchet straps, but is that a good way to go about it?

 

[DirtDiver]

BEHOLD!!! More photos to share of this wonderous strange thing.. And in the great awe inspiring words of former NY Governor candidate, Jimmy McMillan (If you don't know this awesome guy, look him up, legendary facial hair), the use of Electrical Tape, Zip Ties, and Tom ****ery is too damn high!

So I took off my carbs, no idea if I'm dealing with CV or VM yet though - Soon to come I guess. In some respects they look clean, though it may not show up in the pics well. In other respects, they are grimey, and in need of a soaking. Also it looks like there is some gapage with the (floats I think, still learning names, brass colored cylinders), not sure if they are supposed to sit all the way down or not. But gaps appear on all 4 carbs. I think someone ran some seafoam at some point as slight green colored liquid came out from sections when I drained them. Some oil or black liquid came out, and then obvious clear fuel. It was a wonderous swirling fountain when I tipped them to drain.

I also drained out the tank via the fuel line attached to petcock. The good news, the fuel was normal coloring, no chunks or visable grit came out, and in the gas can nothing seemed to have built up like a slurry. The bad news, some decent rust on the under belly. Shouldn't be anything to crazy to clean up.

Trashed the little cute pouch hipster bob put on the bike, along with the chunked up rear fender plastic thing, and the head lamp with what I think was pipe wrap to help secure his tension brackets. Removed the battery for now, was going to toss it, but considering I may need it between now and acquiring a new one, I decided to stow it away. Some decent corrosion on the mounting brackets and battery box thing, but the battery it self seemed fine.

After getting a solid view at the wiring, I have solidified my choice to just redo the entire electrical work since its looking nightmarish. How do you like that dead man switch? Pretty high speed huh? I mean, last owner has pretty much proved he loves eating lead paint chips and licking windows.

All in all though, despite being a disaster zone, its pretty damn fun to go tinkering around with this thing.

 

[DirtDiver]

 

[DirtDiver]

Oh, and I definitely have no damn clue as to what that lil square thingy is that shows .8 on it. There is no power at all coursing through the wires since the battery is removed. What I do know is there is some sort of bubbly yellow crusty stuff all over the wiring cluster near it. So, I can only assume its bad joo joo and must be destroyed with fire.

 

[1978GS750E]

I think you may be talking about the gear indicator. It's about 3/4" wide X 1" tall indicator that was originally in the instrument cluster. Finding one that works is a rarity! It should change numbers as you go thru the gears and will be connected to a sensor that is mounted near the front sprocket.