1980 GS850GLT Road-worthiness Project

[D-Mac]

Looks like you're making good progress. Keep us posted.

 

[Steve]

Your spreadsheet, does it require Microsoft Excel?

Yes, it is written in Excel, but is saved as a '97-2003 document, so you don't need the latest version (or even the one before that) to run it.

If you don't have Excel, you can download Open Office (it's free ) and use that. Several people on this forum have done that.

If you have a Mac, sorry, I have no idea what it will take, but I do know that there is a version of Excel for you.

.

 

[Mista M]

To clean the airbox better, grab a 5 gal bucket or something big enough to submerge it in.
Remove any metal from the box
fill bucket enough to cover box, weight box down with brick.
Throw in 2-3 bottles of works bathrooms cleaner from dollar store.
That stuff will take off just about anything with enough time. Dont splash it on skin, carpet, eyes, etc
But it is corrosive to aluminum and will oxidize steel somewhat.

Check Mcmaster Carr for bolts, they do small quanities and have a hub in OH, so shipping is quick.

 

[eil]

Mista M, thanks for the tips. I thought about soaking it in Simple Green (or even just dish soap and water) for awhile, but ultimately decided that wiping it down as best as I could will be fine for now. My biggest worry is the rusting crankcase breather tube and area in the top of the box. I sprayed some rustoleum in there but I'll just have to keep an eye on it as part of regular maintenance.

I'll check out McMaster's for bolts. (I've ordered from them before, but it was a long time ago.) Someone mentioned Fastenal in another thread and I see that there's one on Ellsworth, do you know if that's worth checking out?

 

[Biggie]

Hey mister Eil,
Great thread! I'm doing the same thing as you are with a gs1100gk, just make it roadworthy. I'm pretty far in my roadworthiness and just bled the brakes, now it's syncing the carbs, mounting the fairing and other plastics back on and it's testdrive time
Good luck on the build!!

 

[eil]

Thanks, Biggie, I'll be sure to check out your threads.

So the big news is: as of today Phase I complete. It's alive! I tried to take a video, but of course my phone ate the file or something. (As it usually does when I want to save something important. Grr.) Perhaps I'll try again later. For posterity.

So anyway, yes, now it runs and idles. Doesn't sound perfect, of course, but not too shabby all things considered.

It needs a good carb sync yet and I'm sure I have massive vacuum leaks. Those air box boots that I made the judgement call on? Yeah, upon further consideration: they're toast. They've shrunk and don't make a good fit with the air box or the carbs. I have to order new intake boots as well. Those aren't nearly as bad, but it was a huge PITA getting the carbs back on. I had to have a heat gun and a strong nephew just to do the reinstall. Also need a new petcock. I thought the one I had was still good (enough) after tearing it down and inspecting, but now that I have the tank half full of gas, it appears to be seeping.

Next steps:

- Order up around $150 in parts to complete the fuel/air box/carb side of things
- Get started on the front brakes again
- Do a valve clearance check/adjustment

I've been weak on pictures lately, so I apologize for that. It just hasn't seemed to me that any of this basic stuff would be interesting to most of you with your shiny non-L models, but let me know if I'm wrong.

 

[Steve]

It needs a good carb sync yet and I'm sure I have massive vacuum leaks. Those air box boots that I made the judgement call on? Yeah, upon further consideration: they're toast. They've shrunk and don't make a good fit with the air box or the carbs. I have to order new intake boots as well. Those aren't nearly as bad, but it was a huge PITA getting the carbs back on. I had to have a heat gun and a strong nephew just to do the reinstall.

New boots will do wonders for the ease of installation. Just so you know, the 850 is probably the EASIEST bike to remove/re-install the carbs, when the boots are in good shape.

Next steps:

- Order up around $150 in parts to complete the fuel/air box/carb side of things

Exactly what parts are you planning on buying and where do you plan on getting them? We might be able to help you with parts selection and vendor to save you some money.

Next steps:

- Do a valve clearance check/adjustment

When you are ordering your carb boots, get a valve cover gasket, too. Might also want the breather cover gasket, but that one is not as critical, and usually comes off OK, and can be re-used.

While you are doing this job, you should also get that free spreadsheet from the guy that offers it in his signature.

Keep in mind that you should always sync your carbs after a valve adjustment, not before.

.

 

[eil]

Actually, I do have one picture. Accompanied by a very newbie question. After running it for a couple minutes (not too long: air cooled), I took a look at the oil sight window and saw this:

To me, it looks a little... frothy. Is that normal? I haven't changed the oil myself yet, because when I got the bike the oil level was okay and didn't look dirty. (I will change it before it hits the road, though.) Opened the fill cap and it doesn't smell of gas. Could be from condensation?

I think it's okay, but I'm new enough to all of this that I thought I would ask the GS Resources Hive Mind to be sure.

 

[eil]

New boots will do wonders for the ease of installation. Just so you know, the 850 is probably the EASIEST bike to remove/re-install the carbs, when the boots are in good shape.

Exactly what parts are you planning on buying and where do you plan on getting them? We might be able to help you with parts selection and vendor to save you some money.

Right now the short list is:

- Fuel petcock
- Air box boots
- Intake boots
- Valve cover gasket
- Shim removal tool
- Battery strap

Soon enough I'll be adding brake parts to the list as well but I need to do some research first. I've spent more on tools than bike parts so far and that trend will continue as I get ready to look into torque wrenches and a carb sync tool. Have to budget this stuff and space out the purchases a bit to keep from setting my bank account on fire!

I was planning on ordering most of the bike parts from Z1 since they come highly regarded around here.

When you are ordering your carb boots, get a valve cover gasket, too. Might also want the breather cover gasket, but that one is not as critical, and usually comes off OK, and can be re-used.

While you are doing this job, you should also get that free spreadsheet from the guy that offers it in his signature.

Email sent, thanks!

Keep in mind that you should always sync your carbs after a valve adjustment, not before.

Understood. I may put off the carb sync until it warms up a little outside (two months, at least) since I'll have to do it with the garage door open...

 

[Mista M]

I'll check out McMaster's for bolts. (I've ordered from them before, but it was a long time ago.) Someone mentioned Fastenal in another thread and I see that there's one on Ellsworth, do you know if that's worth checking out?

I've never gone to the fastenal, even though its down the road from my apartment. Not sure if they sell in small quantities. Did you try Stadium Hardware?

 

[eil]

Mista M: I've been there before but I don't go regularly since it's on the other side of town for me and I don't get over that way often.

 

[eil]

Alrighty, another weekend another update. So first of all, the more I start digging into the bike and looking it over, the more I discover that it needs almost everything redone or rebuilt. PO was basically lying through his teeth when he said it was running a year or two ago. By my estimation, it hasn't been roadworthy in at least a decade, so there's a good chance he never had it on the road at all. I guess this is fine because A) I bought the bike on the cheap B) I wanted to learn how to do all of this stuff anyway. I just wasn't expecting to have to do it all on one bike. It's a darned good thing I bought a Suzuki GS because this is the single most helpful forum I've ever come across on the Internet and I've been to a _lot_ of forums. You guys have helped me so much already and I've only had the bike three weeks!

So where was I? Oh yes, brakes. While I wait for new airbox boots, petcock, and other parts, I decided to start tearing into the front brakes to see what I'll need to buy there. The front brakes didn't work at all upon purchase and there was gunk in the reservoir. Additionally, peeling paint all over the MC says to me that the large o-ring under the reservoir was shot. I'm going to rebuild the master cylinder, all calipers, and replace the brake lines (home-made SS, most likely). This disassembly was to tell me what _else_ I need to buy.

I noted in an earlier post that the brake light switch was rather hosed. Mostly it just needs a good cleaning, but the more pressing issue was the rusted up spring which basically crumbled to dust between my fingers. I don't have a picture of it, but I ended up rifling through my pen and pencil collection trying to find a small enough spring that might work. I sacrificed a Bic mechanical pencil just to see what kind of spring it had inside it and it looks like it fits perfectly! It's a little wider and longer than the old spring but it should do. One less thing I have to buy! Woot!

Upon comparing the reservoir caps between the front and the back I also discovered that there's a white ring on top of the diaphragm that's missing on the front one. So I'll have to get one of those...

Then I set to work on separating the reservoir from the master cylinder. I stated earlier that I couldn't figure out how to separate the reservoir from the MC. Turns out it just needed some stern persuasion. After yanking on it for quite awhile, I noticed that it was starting to pull slightly from the MC body. Enough to jam a screwdriver into. So I did that, and it popped right out. Easy peasy.

This is what happens when you don't change your brake fluid, kiddies!

Tried getting the MC piston out to no avail. Basically there's a rusted clip with no bends or tabs that I can't figure out how to get out. The full story is over in this thread: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=203655 Suggestions welcome!

Next I went to work on the right caliper. Came apart easily enough for the most part. I've read a lot of stories about people having an absolute bear of a time getting the piston out, so I was worried that I would run into the same issue. Briefly thought about reassembling the MC, connecting the MC to the caliper with a single piece of hose, fill with fluid, bleed, and pump away with the caliper inside some kind of bucket or something. But there were two problems with this: A) Dunno if this would actually work since I've never heard of anyone doing it B) I don't have any spare brake fluid laying around yet.

So, I tried the most popular method instead: air.

This is my piston-popping setup. A bargain-bin bicycle pump from Walmart. I don't have a proper compressor, just a crappy 12V tire inflator. I had no idea whether this would work or not. I managed to dig up one of those conical plastic adapters for inflating pool toys and the like. Which was extremely lucky because I almost always throw those away and also because it happened to be just the right shape that I could thread it partway into the banjo bolt threads.

At first, I didn't have it in very well and all it did was leak air. So I tried rethreading the adapter and had another go at it. After a minute or two of no success and the piston not budging, I finally got angry, set the whole works down on the ground, and started pumping that thing like a madman. All of the sudden I heard a loud pop and the sound of a metal piston rolling away on the garage floor. It startled me something fierce, I thought I blew up the bicycle pump at first! Took me a few minutes to stop laughing at myself.

The newly-mangled conical adapter.

The piston, once cleaned up, turns out to have several pits all over the thing. I only tore down the right caliper because I wanted the left one intact as a reference in case I got confused whilst reassembling the right one with new parts. Based on what I see here, I have no reason to believe the left piston is any better, so I'll be ordering 2 piston kits. (Based on reading other caliper rebuild threads, it sounds like the piston kits come with all the seals and boots needed for rebuilding one caliper. Can anyone confirm this?)

You can also see one of the bleeder screws in the image above. Didn't get a good picture of it, but these are severely rusted on both of my front calipers and had no cap on them. I was going to try to order new ones (do they make them in brass or stainless steel?), but based on how things are going so far with this bike, I'd rather just see if I can clean these up and reuse them. I'm going to try giving them the vinegar treatment. I suppose painting them would be silly. Anyone have good tips on sourcing/making makeshift caps?

Also decided on purchasing brand-new front and rear tires and having a stab at mounting them myself. Shinko 230's, $130 for the set. I won't be buying them until I get the engine and brakes sorted, though. (Or would it be better to buy them now? Is the price guaranteed to go up in the spring?)

This might be my last update for a little while. At this point, I'm basically waiting on parts and then budget for buying more parts before much else can happen.

 

[GateKeeper]

Save yourself time and headache and order your Stainless Steel brake lines from this place...

http://stores.ebay.ca/Rennsport-Auto-Parts/_i.html?_nkw=suzuki&submit=Search&_sid=5680214

send an email to the guy and get what you need, email is on this page

http://www.rennsportautoparts.com/

 

[Steve]

PO was basically lying through his teeth when he said it was running a year or two ago. By my estimation, it hasn't been roadworthy in at least a decade, so there's a good chance he never had it on the road at all.

Until you can VERIFY any of the claims, you should automatically assume they are all lies.


.

It's a darned good thing I bought a Suzuki GS because this is the single most helpful forum I've ever come across on the Internet and I've been to a _lot_ of forums. You guys have helped me so much already and I've only had the bike three weeks!

Three weeks and that thing is not on the road yet???

I noted in an earlier post that the brake light switch was rather hosed. Mostly it just needs a good cleaning, but the more pressing issue was the rusted up spring which basically crumbled to dust between my fingers. I don't have a picture of it, but I ended up rifling through my pen and pencil collection trying to find a small enough spring that might work. I sacrificed a Bic mechanical pencil just to see what kind of spring it had inside it and it looks like it fits perfectly! It's a little wider and longer than the old spring but it should do. One less thing I have to buy! Woot!

Just so you know, you can get the whole switch assembly for about $10. That includes the circuit board with the contacts (includes the wires that go into the headlight bucket), the U-shaped slider, the spring, the plastic piece that goes into the brake handle, the outer cover and the two screws that hold everything together. Not a bad deal, and that way, EVERYTHING will be new.

I have no reason to believe the left piston is any better, so I'll be ordering 2 piston kits. (Based on reading other caliper rebuild threads, it sounds like the piston kits come with all the seals and boots needed for rebuilding one caliper. Can anyone confirm this?)

That would depend on your source. If you order from one of our favorite online dealers and get OEM stuff (highly recommended), you can see on the parts fiche that item #1 in the diagram is called "PISTON SET", and it also includes parts 2 and 3, which are "SEAL, PISTON" and "BOOT, PISTON". If you order after-market parts, you will have to contact the supplier to see if the seals are included.

You can also see one of the bleeder screws in the image above. Didn't get a good picture of it, but these are severely rusted on both of my front calipers and had no cap on them. I was going to try to order new ones (do they make them in brass or stainless steel?), but based on how things are going so far with this bike, I'd rather just see if I can clean these up and reuse them. I'm going to try giving them the vinegar treatment. I suppose painting them would be silly. Anyone have good tips on sourcing/making makeshift caps?

You might be able to find either/both of them at Auto Zone (or similar), but both items are available on the same parts fiche for the piston sets. Look at items #13 and 14.

Also decided on purchasing brand-new front and rear tires and having a stab at mounting them myself. Shinko 230's, $130 for the set. I won't be buying them until I get the engine and brakes sorted, though. (Or would it be better to buy them now? Is the price guaranteed to go up in the spring?)

I have not noticed any seasonal variation on tire prices. I got my Shinko 230s from Motorcycle Superstore two years ago and paid about the same price. And, that was around the first of June, the start of the prime riding season.

.

 

[eil]

Just so you know, you can get the whole switch assembly for about $10. That includes the circuit board with the contacts (includes the wires that go into the headlight bucket), the U-shaped slider, the spring, the plastic piece that goes into the brake handle, the outer cover and the two screws that hold everything together. Not a bad deal, and that way, EVERYTHING will be new.

Sure, but I'm trying to keep expenses down since I'm having to replace a lot more parts than I thought I would. $10 doesn't sound like a big deal, but if I can consistently clean up and reuse the bits that otherwise work fine, that will save me a small pile of dough over the winter!

That would depend on your source. If you order from one of our favorite online dealers and get OEM stuff (highly recommended), you can see on the parts fiche that item #1 in the diagram is called "PISTON SET", and it also includes parts 2 and 3, which are "SEAL, PISTON" and "BOOT, PISTON". If you order after-market parts, you will have to contact the supplier to see if the seals are included.

I thought I read a thread somewhere on here where a guy got his "piston set" and it included the caliper bolt boots as well. I need those too since mine are shot. I'll have to see if I can dig that up. (Although it was a different model bike, so may not apply...)

I have not noticed any seasonal variation on tire prices. I got my Shinko 230s from Motorcycle Superstore two years ago and paid about the same price. And, that was around the first of June, the start of the prime riding season.

Cool, I'll just wait awhile then. I might even set up some price alerts to watch and see if they go on sale. (Unlikely, but can't hurt.)

Thanks, Steve!

 

[eil]

Okay, I didn't think I was going to have anything new to report for awhile, but I managed to steal away for an hour or two in the garage today.

Item the first: MC disassembly successful! I basically gouged out the white plastic washer and the c-clip came with it. Nothing but gunk behind the washer, so I cleaned it out by squirting Simple Green and then the circlip was finally revealed. Pulled that out, but the MC still didn't want to come out. I took a screwdriver and pushed the MC down and let it spring back. After about a dozen rounds of that, it finally overcame the rust and crud and sprang out. It was full of rust and crud, just like the reservoir.

Item the second: I left the bleeder screws sitting in 6% vinegar overnight. Really impressed with how clean the one got! Almost all of the rust is gone and it's starting to look like new. The other one only got semi-clean because I had it covered in PB Blaster, which must have been protecting the rust from the vinegar. Cleaned that one off with Simple Green and will let it continue to soak with the other.

Item the third: I mentioned in a previous post that my petcock seemed to be seeping. Trying to avoid dumping $50 or more on a new one if I can help it, so I decided to see what I can do to troubleshoot it. (Side note: I can hear the screams, "just buy a new one already!" But look at it from my perspective: this is a winter project. I don't mind spending time chasing a few wild geese here and there. I bought this bike to learn from, not just throw money at it.) I think, but am not certain, that the plastic washers for the bolts holding the petcock on are cracked/old/broken/worn. I plan to find some new ones (vinyl?) to see if they will stop the seeping.

 

[cowboyup3371]

If you are talking about part number 18 here:

G&S Suzuki has them for $1.16 each

GASKET - Part #09168-06023 (replaces 09168-06010) Needs 2 cost $1.16​

 

[eil]

I thought I'd drop by the local hardware store first to see if they might have anything that would work. (Mainly so that I'm not paying shipping on two plastic washers that may or may not fix the problem...) Didn't think to check the parts fiche to be honest, I rather thought those would only be available as part of a new petcock! Nice to know I can order them if need be. Thanks!

 

[cowboyup3371]

Those washers have a special surface that helps seal them; getting something from a hardware store won't work due to its nature.

 

[GateKeeper]

Those washers have a special surface that helps seal them; getting something from a hardware store won't work due to its nature.

Yup, and don't add extra washers of any kind either, like I did and then had leaks, took the extra washers out, used just what had to be there and low and behold no more leaking.....the original washers get squished just enough to make a nice seal.....