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1982 gs850 GL rebuild...advice??

  • Thread starter Thread starter key_lo
  • Start date Start date
K

key_lo

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Hey, I picked up a '82 850 GL and after thinking about it I am just gonna strip it all the way down and refurb the entire bike. It only has 2000 miles, but it has been sitting in a shop for quite some time. This will be my first full breakdown of a bike like this and I was wondering if anyone had any info on this bike in particular, or I am hoping for someone to have a good reference for some written material as a guidance to put together what I know will be a nice ride. Thanks
 
key_lo said:
Hey, I picked up a '82 850 GL and after thinking about it I am just gonna strip it all the way down and refurb the entire bike. It only has 2000 miles, but it has been sitting in a shop for quite some time. This will be my first full breakdown of a bike like this and I was wondering if anyone had any info on this bike in particular, or I am hoping for someone to have a good reference for some written material as a guidance to put together what I know will be a nice ride. Thanks
Click to expand...

Not sure why a bike with only 2K miles needs a complete refurb. Are you talking about cosmetics? You may or may not want to do a carb clean - depends on how it runs.
 
Somewhere around here is a pretty complete list of things to expect to need, simply because of age. I can't find it right now, maybe someone has a better memory.

Basically, anything made out of rubber is suspect. Intake pipes on either end of the carbs and the o-ring where they join the head are first on the list after tires. Also, clean and inspect every connector in the wiring harness, and make sure it is charging correctly. That's the only thing to really watch for on the GS bikes. Find the Stator Papers in the garage section of the GS Resources home page. The only thing in particular that a lot of people change on the 850 GL is the handlebars.

At 2000 miles, it hasn't even had the first valve clearance adjustment. Nice find. You're gonna love it.
 
I would not bother to break the bike down unless you really want to, here is list of items and if I miss any I am sure someone here will chime in.

For the mechanicals I would suggest new sticky tires and valve stems, new Daytona bars, changing all fluids, replacing the petcock, a carb dip, valve adjustment, spark plugs, clean the air filter, new Progressives front & back, and replace both the throttle & clutch cables. Rebuild the brakes with new OEM caliper kits and new pads, and replace the front lines at least with new stainless.

As Dogma mentioned it is a good idea to replace all the important rubber you can including the fuel line, intake boots (both sides), and o-rings. The sidecover grommets are also good to replace so you do not lose a cover. If you want to go the extra step most of the other cushions (turn signal/instruments/etc) are still available. Enjoy the bike.
 
Greetings and Salutations!!

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. key-lo,

I'm glad you found us. Thanks for saving another classic GS! You'll find lots of GS850G lovin' on my website. Here's how I say "HoooowwwwDY!"

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike! :D

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Welcome !!

Before you go tearing it down, post up some pics. On BassCliffs site there are instruction for posting pics to GSR using photobucket. It's free and you can post up to four.

With only 2,000 miles and being stored inside has more than likely saved alot of cosemetic wear and tear on the bike. As mentioned earlier all the rubber bits and pieces are still going to suffer. They are 20+ years old and will still deteriorate regardless of the mileage.

Start with cleaning the carbs, replacing the o-rings and intake gaskets, see if the petcock is operating correctly, change all the fluids/filter and start that baby up....it may just surprise you !!:)
 
Thanks to all....I guess when I said full refurb I guess I meant like carbs, wires, and basically everything I have heard from all of you. i appreciate the advice. Yesterday I hooked up the battery to see if there was life and got all the bells and whistles. What I did run into is when I brought the kickstand up a wire on the bottom of the bike turned bright orange and started smoking. I realized the outter cover had rotted away and had an exposed wire. I think it may have been arking with the frame. I will post some pics here soon. Unfortunately I only get to spend limited time with the bike due to my job keeping me from home, but it is definitely a priority of mine....Once again thanks for all of your advice
 
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