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1980 GS1000S Reluctant Rebuild

That looks awesome David!! Can't wait to see it this weekend! Looking forward to shooting the sh*t with you.:)
 
Congratulations! The bike looks terrific! I'll be with Trevor at Vintage in the Valley so I'm eager to see it as well. Sounds like your ride was uneventful, which is a good thing! Now you can take your time with the first one and enjoy the 'reluctant rebuild' a little more!:cool:
 
Greg, is there a bushing for the cross pipe?
The fiche shows nothing and mine is just a clamp to hold it together. The inline composite connectors between outside headers and the muffler secured with a clamp are the only ones on mine.

http://www.boulevardsuzuki.com/fich...y=Motorcycles&make=SUZUKI&year=1980&fveh=2150

Haven't opened the link but there were certainly composition bushes in the one i had here. The pipe diameters indicated SOMETHING went in there....
Could always be model differences or Kiwi vs US market...

Anything Yosh on the new one other than the pipe ? Now you've got a breeding pair, watch the population grow....
 
Look Basil "Twins"
Well not quite, but almost.:D
Finally got home with the new "S" after 11-12 hrs on the road.
Picked it up in Boise Idaho on Sunday and rode her home.

I live in Boise, ID and I never saw this bike around... Did he ever ride it? Great purchase.
 
Anything Yosh on the new one other than the pipe ? Now you've got a breeding pair, watch the population grow....[/QUOTE]

The pipe is a Bassani and the only Yoshimura thing I've seen on the bike so far is the sticker.
 
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I live in Boise, ID and I never saw this bike around... Did he ever ride it? Great purchase.

Norman, This bike was part of a collection of about 125+ bikes and was never ridden, he had owned it since 2000.
His son David is selling the collection.
The guy owns Singers Pawn Shop and most of his collection is old BMW's and some Ducati's, he still has about 80 bikes left to sell.
Only a few are Suzuki's, a 1982 GS1100 and a GT550 I saw.
He also had a Suzuki 50 Chopper, forgot the model name. It looks like the old Japanese stunt bikes with the big high back banana seat and ape hanger bars and it's dead stock.
*Edit the model is an 1979 OR50*
I had meant to call on you and also "Alhntr" when I was there but by the time I got the bike ready to go it was quite late and I needed to get on the road, even though the bike had a full service I spent a good hour adjusting and fixing stuff before I was ready to leave.
I'm usually very social but I was itching to get on the road so nothing personal.

This was the first time I had ridden a GS1000S in more than 33 years.
As I pulled out of the parking lot and clicked through the first three gears and man they were smooth gear changes, time stood still and I was right back there when I used to race one of these bikes. :D
Yeah and I'm sure I had a big grin on my face until I realised I hadn't checked the brakes before I left and hoped they worked well as a red light was approaching fast, well they did thankfully and I was on my way.

BTW I hate those rain grooves in the US interstates, I could not find a speed that would allow the bike to be somewhat stable, after my first gas stop I checked the tire pressures and found the front to be 60PSI and rear 30PSI, made the adjustments and it was better but still a bit scary at times. Oh and the tires were in good shape but probably 10 years old. (or maybe 20)

Here's a shot from my iphone from somewhere in SE Washington.



 
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Super nice bike David. How did it run?

Well don't you hate it when you write a nice long and creative response and "poof" it's gone, well not sure what happened but I responded to your question but it didn't show up.:confused::(

So I finally got time to write a new response.

Rob, the bike ran well.

The end.
 
Should I steal or not?

Should I steal or not?

I've been eyeing up my new Boise Beauty, looking at all the shiny parts and wondering if it's morally OK to steal a few parts for my Rebuild of my Canadian Cooley.?
I will probably switch the wheels, the tank, the tail piece, the seat and the screen for now.
Not that the parts on the existing bike are bad, it just gives me the opportunity to have a bike that is very nice and virtually stock and a bike that is OK to use as a daily ride and I'm not going to worry about riding in the rain on occasion.

I took the Boise bike apart last night and checked out a few details around the wiring that I was having trouble with and cleaned up a few pieces, (left side turn signals were not working nor was the horn) it feels nice to know my around this bike now. Also was missing the air box cover so I "borrowed" the one from my other bike and it ran better.
The bike was idling quite high when it got warm, so I adjusted the idle screw to see if it was that simple or if the carbs needed some adjustment.

Just about got it all back together and then the rain started, so I packed it in and waited till this morning to test it.
As it was dry this morning I was able to take her out for a test ride to make sure it was all good.
Seems a lot better but still idling at 1,200-1,300 RPM.

The clutch is dragging a bit as I get the big “Clunk” when I click it into first gear, my other Cooley and the Vstrom are clunk free into first, so I will need to check that out.

Very happy with the new acquisition and have enjoyed having an exact bike to look at to help with the final assembly of the Reluctant Rebuild, really helped with the wiring routing and where those mystery left over parts go.:)
 
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Finished the Brakes

Finished the Brakes

I finally got around to finishing the reassembly on the Front Master Cylinder, the first time I assembled it I somehow pinched the o-ring and it leaked.

The old one had been cranked down so tight it had warped the plastic reservoir so I replaced it along with the seal and the cap so it's all new except the metal housing.

I used the lever bump method again and it only took about 2 minutes and it was done.
Also completed the Rear Master Cylinder reassembly, that one did not respond to the lever bump method very well, probably because the M/C is almost the same height as the caliper, anyways I persevered and finally got it to start burping out bubbles and had to use an 8mm wrench and do the loosen, pump, tighten, release - loosen, pump, tighten, release - loosen, pump, tighten, release and on and on until I got some liquid to come out at the caliper end.
Only about 10-15 minutes work but felt like a lot longer.

Here?s a picture of the nice new Front Master Cylinder.



A picture of the Rear Master Cylinder and the Rear caliper all nicely painted up.



 
Lock picking

Lock picking

I had a U Lock attached to my new "Boise Beauty" and the PO didn't have the key, so I taped it up so it didn't rattle too much when I rode it home.
Tonight I remembered it and dug out my tubular lock pick kit.

I purchased this kit about 25 years ago and it's been fantastic. Never met a U lock I could pick even the Kryptonite II models, some will open in 2-3 seconds, but usually 2-3 minutes was average for me back when I was an active locksmith technician.

Well it's been a while and the eyesight is not quite what it was, so I got the kit out lubed up the rubber O-rings as everything was dry and seized, and got to it. When it didn't open in the first few minutes I started to worry I'd lost my touch, but as it was locked to the rear turn signal, and it was in an awkward position I decided to remove the license plate to give better access.
Once I had good access I had the thing off in 30 seconds.
Man it feels good to be able to pick locks, very satisfying.:D

I recreated it on the bench so I could get some pictures.

Here's the U Lock and the Pick on the bench.



Here's the lock after I opened it for this demo.



Here's the pick with the slides still in position, so I can decode them and cut a key if I want one.



Here's the brand of Lock Pick I use, very expensive at the time but one of the best available.

 
So, this explains why you're so picky!:rolleyes: Nice to be able to get that off without any mess. That tube lock looks very similar to the lock that was installed on the HD Road King that I used to have. If so, just think of all the Harley's you could be riding using that picking skill!:p
 
So, this explains why you're so picky!:rolleyes: Nice to be able to get that off without any mess. That tube lock looks very similar to the lock that was installed on the HD Road King that I used to have. If so, just think of all the Harley's you could be riding using that picking skill!:p

Eddie21, If I was going to use my lock picking skills to steal something, a HD would be the last thing I'd steal. :lol:
 
I hope that tool is not readily available on the open market seeing as I have a disk lock on each of my bikes....
 
Carbs are flooding

Carbs are flooding

Well, I had tried to get the bike ready to ride out to Vintage in the Valley on Sunday.
When I started it on Saturday afternoon and was finalizing trouble shooting the wiring and making sure the stator was operating correctly, I noticed a pool of fuel on the ground and checked the carbs to see what was going on.
I realized I had a pretty good amount of fuel leaking, so I shut her down and grabbed rags to contain the fuel leak.

This is the first time that has happened (that I've noticed) and I have run her 4-5 times since the rebuild.

Seems #1 carb and at least one other was leaking fuel back into the airbox.

I have a new petcock and have the slot placed in the horizontal position as that's what the manual shows for the "ON" position. Is this correct?

When I cleaned the carbs originally I didn't set the float heights or the fuel level, so I will go over that next.
I also didn't pull the filters attached to the needle valve seats and when I took the first one apart very fine sand came out so that maybe a clue as to what the issue is.

I have the carbs back on the bench and will be a bit more thorough this time, as I have read a lot more about this topic and understand it better since my first attempt.
Problem was I was reading the info but not following it or absorbing it to be able to put it into practice.
I'm definitely better than before but carbs are not my strong suit and I must admit I feel a bit lost when I'm dealing with this part of the rebuild.
Hey I'm pretty good at removing and installing carbs on a GS1000 now.:rolleyes:

When I inspected the Needle Valves with a magnifying glass, there is a tiny groove just perceptible to the finger nail around the tapered part, the manual shows a very worn one as needing replacement, but mine shows just a very fine grove just visible to the naked eye. Could this be an issue?

Anyways, I'll carry on with the cleaning and rebuild of the carbs and see what happens next time.

I have managed to borrow a Carb Sync tool from a local member here and will see if I can figure out how to work it as soon as I get them back together again.

At least I had my other Cooley to ride out to Vintage in the Valley on the weekend.
Great show, good to catch up our local group from BC Classic Motorcycle Club and with the guys from the Island and the interior of BC.
We had our own section where we parked inside so that was great, thanks to Stan from Hell or who-ever organized that.
Enjoyed meeting all the people interested in the Cooley and had a few offers to buy it. :eek: Crickey, I've only had it for a week.

BTW, the bike had very nice crisp throttle response off idle, much better than the new bike from Boise, and IIRC it warmed up much quicker and I was able to shut the choke off after a minute or so rather than 2-3 minutes I need with the Boise bike. No idea why the difference, but it's nice to be able to compare things and have a reference point to work to.
 
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I hope that tool is not readily available on the open market seeing as I have a disk lock on each of my bikes....

It may not be easily available, but liquid nitrogen (or a can of compressed air for cleaning computer components) and a hammer is what the bad guys use to break these locks.
A couple of squirts and bamm, the lock explodes.

Here's the Myth Busters test of liquid nitrogen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC7gHeMJM3g

So rest easy Garth and get better, hopefully your bikes are still there when you get out of bed.:lol:
 
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You've got your petcock in the right position, yes. You really should check your float height on the carbs while you have them off the bike. I did this thread to show my way of doing it. You can also just use the correct size clear hose and file the end a bit so it fits into the float bowl drain hole nice and tight.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=209292

The reason your one bike is better on cold starts is because the valve have been shimmed properly. Your new bike probably needs a valve shim done and synch the carbs afterwards. As well you're probably going to want to clean the Boise carbs as some point as well.
 
Float Heights

Float Heights

You've got your petcock in the right position, yes. You really should check your float height on the carbs while you have them off the bike. I did this thread to show my way of doing it. You can also just use the correct size clear hose and file the end a bit so it fits into the float bowl drain hole nice and tight.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=209292

The reason your one bike is better on cold starts is because the valve have been shimmed properly. Your new bike probably needs a valve shim done and synch the carbs afterwards. As well you're probably going to want to clean the Boise carbs as some point as well.

Thanks Rob, I set the float heights very carefully at 22.4mm as per the manual, some were only about 19.5mm which required a big adjustment, as the tang was basically flat.
That's one of the reasons I didn't adjust them the first time because they were so far off and it looked stock, I figured I must have the wrong manual for my model of carbs. I will try it at this setting and see if it helps.

I have got them back on the bike already and will check the fuel height when I get a modified drain screw with a connection on it to attach some clear hose.
Hopefully I fixed the flooding carbs, which was the main issue.

Interestingly my carbs on the Boise bike have the recessed fuel mixture screw and the cap has been drilled out and removed.

The bike from Quebec has carbs that look like the ones in the GS1000T 1980 Service Supplement on BassCliff's Site, the screw is flush with the top of the carb and never had the cap on it.
Strange as they are made within a few weeks of each other, maybe the Boise bike was sold in California and required the mixture screws be tamper proofed back then. Is the carb housing different or is it a different mixture screw? Maybe when I pull the Boise carbs I will find out.

Any who, it's too late to start the bike up to test my work, so I'll get to test it on Wednesday when I get some time.
 
BTW, the bike had very nice crisp throttle response off idle, much better than the new bike from Boise, and IIRC it warmed up much quicker and I was able to shut the choke off after a minute or so rather than 2-3 minutes I need with the Boise bike. No idea why the difference, but it's nice to be able to compare things and have a reference point to work to.

That is because the Boise bike is running lean, probably needs a carb cleaning.
Lean symptoms are slow to warm up, slow to return to idle, poor transition from idle to needle, popping on roll off, runs hot, white plugs or grey ash on the conductor.

Rich symptoms are popping during idle once warm, RPMs drop below idle then retun when you blip the throttle, gas smell in exhaust, stumbles on rev when idled for a while, black plugs.

You want your plugs to be slightly tan on the insulator, and brownish on the conductor. Also note that the deeper into the plug you look the higher in the fuel curve you are looking at, so at idle your settings will be on the conductor and tip of the plug, the needle will be the middle of the plug and the base of the insulator is WOT. Also WOT doesn't take but a few seconds to get a reading, at idle you will want to let the bike sit idling for a minute or two to get the plug color set. I hope that helps.
 
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