Andrew.Moeller
Forum Newbie
Hello, I am brand new to the forum but in the time I have spent on it I have quickly realized that if I’m going to get any sort of answers to my GS questions it is here. My dad and I recently purchased a 1981 gs650g. We bought it as a project because “how hard could it be” even though we have never owned a motorcycle before. My dad is quite mechanically inclined and tends to find ways to fix just about anything, and I have learned from him. We have always done well in the past on the “doesn’t run, selling as is” kind of listings so when we came across a cool looking motorcycle that seemed really cheap we had to give it a try because “how hard could it be”.
The previous owner bought it as a project but I don’t think there was much of an attempt made. Whether the owner before that was the original or even saw it running I don’t know. The only sign of life we have been told of was the previous owner told us going from the stator the motor turned over but did not fire. He also told us that from what he could tell, besides a couple of trim pieces, everything was there and the bike was complete. After taking it home and doing some more looking and research, that is far far from the truth.
It is missing all of the trim pieces, the entire air cleaner system, the wire harness has been hacked at and most of the connectors lead to nothing so I don’t really even know what I don’t have for the rest of the electrical components, the carburetors are off but I have them, the throttle cable is missing, and the clutch cable doesn’t exactly seem functional.
At this point I am not looking to do a full restoration, I am just trying to make the bike start, run, and ride. Everything past that is not a concern of mine at this time and I am all for keeping a minimalist look to it when I am done. I am open to any suggestions, including get rid of it if that’s truly what people think is our best option. I really don’t even know where to start at this point. The only thing we can think of is to find another one that is functional to have something to look at to know what we’re actually missing.
Anything will help, thanks in advance.
The previous owner bought it as a project but I don’t think there was much of an attempt made. Whether the owner before that was the original or even saw it running I don’t know. The only sign of life we have been told of was the previous owner told us going from the stator the motor turned over but did not fire. He also told us that from what he could tell, besides a couple of trim pieces, everything was there and the bike was complete. After taking it home and doing some more looking and research, that is far far from the truth.
It is missing all of the trim pieces, the entire air cleaner system, the wire harness has been hacked at and most of the connectors lead to nothing so I don’t really even know what I don’t have for the rest of the electrical components, the carburetors are off but I have them, the throttle cable is missing, and the clutch cable doesn’t exactly seem functional.
At this point I am not looking to do a full restoration, I am just trying to make the bike start, run, and ride. Everything past that is not a concern of mine at this time and I am all for keeping a minimalist look to it when I am done. I am open to any suggestions, including get rid of it if that’s truly what people think is our best option. I really don’t even know where to start at this point. The only thing we can think of is to find another one that is functional to have something to look at to know what we’re actually missing.
Anything will help, thanks in advance.
Pictures will probably help you here. We'll at least be able to tell you most of what's missing from that I expect. I hope you got it for a really low price.... 
