1980 GS850G project...what must be done?

[Peter Buehner]

Hello,
I acquired a 1980 GS850G recently and am in the process of restoring it. It has been sitting for years.
Are there things that due to age and sitting idle must be replaced? This is what I have so far

1. New tires (Avon)
2. Complete teardown and rebuild of brakes: All new lines, new cups, pads, seals, bleeders, bolts, etc. Basically I cleaned everything and if there was rust I couldn't completely remove, it got replaced. I am going to have all calipers powder-coated. This was much more than a rebuild kit. Everything is OEM.
3. The carb is going to Steve to work his magic.
4. I have completely stripped the airbox and have a new element on the way. I am going to powdercoat the airbox too.
5. I plan on remounting the tires shortly (new ones in the living room now). When I do, I was going to replace the bearings in the wheels. Is an inspection enough or should I replace them? They are cheap enough that I don't care. Only 13K miles on the bike.
Should I replace the tire valves?
6. Flush all fluids- Oil, Drive shaft, fuel
7. de-rusting the tank with EvapoRust. I was NOT going to line it. The rust is very minimal.
8. New battery and plugs

What else have I overlooked?

Thanks!

 

[Frank Z.]

Hi Peter, you can reference Ed's Top 10 Newbie Mistakes thread, as it pretty well covers the lot. Go to the first post, page one. Good luck with your project!

 

[Peter Buehner]

Thanks Frank! So many spots to check here...so much info. Thanks for the patient reply.
Best,
Peter

 

[Guest]

Basically, anything made of rubber will likely need replacing.

Rubbers front and back of the carbs, seals (like the clutch arm seal, fork seals and the tacho drive seal). I thought I'd got away with some seals but after a year of running they are wearing quickly due to their age/hardening.

All electrical contacts will need checking and cleaning.

Put some pictures up for us...