1983 GS850G Revival (prep and Stage 1)

[Live2fly06]

The work has begun. Stage 1 is getting her to running condition before making any modifications to motor or cosmetics.
Started my last off shift as follows:

Removed fuel tank, seat, air box and carbs.
Drained engine, primary and secondary gearbox oil.
Pulled valve cover, checked and adjusted valve clearances.
Drained rear brakes.
Removed choke cable (after I free up the gummed up choke slide, I am going to fab up a pull handle and ditch the cable)
Pulled spark plugs and inspected.
Replaced battery.

While at work these past 2 weeks out of state, I have been collecting parts and preparing to continue the fun once I am home. My next off hitch (starting Saturday) will consist of:

Derust fuel tank: phosphoric acid
Replace blown petcock with new.
New fuel/vacuum lines to replace cracked stockers.
Rear caliper rebuild, new pads and stainless brake lines (fronts at a later date).
Disassemble, inspect carbs, verify stock jetting and soak/clean, reassemble.
Install new o-rings from Barr (intake boots are in good condition, but rings are shot).
Install new exhaust gaskets at head.
Replace airfilter, weatherstrip airbox.
Install new OEM stiffness clutch springs, inspect clutch while cover is removed.
Degrease engine.
Refinish engine covers ?to my liking? (more to come on that later)
Refill crankcase and gearboxes, replace oil filter and all new engine gaskets.
Install new throttle, clutch, and tach cables (factory tach cable missing).
Verify stator and regulator health, diagnose and replace as needed.


Stage 2, after achieving static running condition, will include:
Front brakes: stainless lines, rebuild MC, bleed and replace pads.
Progressive springs up front, undecided rear shock assemblies.
Neck, swing arm and wheel bearings.
Tires.
New controls (headlight switches etc) from Dime City. Stockers are dried, brittle and faded with corroded connections.
Superbike-style bars, to replace drag bars on it now.
Replace passenger foot pegs.
New grips.

The above lists are not complete but are a fair idea of what I?ll be doing over the next 2 weeks. My unique work schedule (14 days on/14 days off) has allowed me to set aside serious time for this bike and I?m loving every minute of it. Getting back into this bike after year and years of it sitting has given me an excuse to build a new workbench for the garage, as well as invest in a couple much-needed tools. These forums are a tremendous asset, and I have filled many hours of many days while sitting on oil rigs reading through them and gaining motivation.

Photos of current condition to follow.

 

[Live2fly06]

 

[Live2fly06]

 

[GSXR7ED]

Nice plan...and thanks for the pics. Lots of cleaning to do.


Ed

 

[tarheel]

Wow - looks like a fun project! Awesome bike, I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

[Live2fly06]

She runs!

It has been a busy few weeks, both at work in the gulf and at home in the garage! Here is a shot of how she sits as of today:

What i did during my last 10 days off (with pics)

Rebuilt rear master cylinder, installed steel braided line, bled system. Look at that old fluid! It was a pain in the butt getting the completely seized MC working again, after trying the hammer method, the screw and pliers method, and the "soak it in something strong method". At the end of the day, pushing the plunger IN to break the crusty seal allowed me to move it enough to let it spring free and diasassemble/rebuild. Rear brakes are like brand new now.

 

[Live2fly06]

Stripped the black paint of the tank, took it down to bare steel, and RUSTED it to my liking with a thin film aided by white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and a little salt in a spray bottle. This was the most fun part so far! And it uncovered a little history: as I got down into the paint layers, I realized the tank was originally black and maroon, and then I remembered seeing it that way as a kid when I rode on the back of this bike! It was an emotional moment, discovering that, as my father who used to take me on this bike passed away at the young age of 55, and all of those memories flooded into my head as I struck that maroon paint layer. Stripping away paint can lead to stripping away at layers of good memories, sealed by time.

 

[Live2fly06]

DErusted the interior of the tank using phosphoric acid and rinsing with denatured alcohol. Installed new petcock, repaired wiring to fuel level sending unit, and replaced aged fuel/vacuum lines.



Installed new clutch springs (check out the difference between new (L) and old (R))

Stripped and repainted side covers as I saw fit. It was so easy to clean out the oil level sight glass using a couple Q-Tips! Looks like new. (You may notice the scheme I'm feeling on this bike, reminiscent of Daryl's bike on the Walking Dead, which admittedly I haven't seen but that CB looks cooler 'n hell)

 

[Live2fly06]

Pulled apart airbox, and replaced with new lightly oil filter and weatherstripped the whole thing. Check out that old deteriorated filter!

Removed a huge bundle of wires from the front end and cleaned up (it had a vetter fairing on it in its heyday). I also cleaned the headlight assembly and tinted the glass yellow with leftover film from a car project. I dig the look!

 

[Live2fly06]

Took the leftover fender from my '79 750, trimmed it carefully, and refinished it. I wanted to rust it, but unable to strip the chrome plating with the tools/chemicals I had in the garage at the moment, I cleaned the hell out of it and created a fake rust using water and metallic brown/red spray paint mixed in a couple and dribbled on to the surface. Turned out pretty good for not being real rust.

 

[Live2fly06]

CARBS! What an ordeal. After diassembling, found many corroded and plugged jets, stripped screws, and soaked em in Berryman's for 24hrs apiece. What a relief to pull them from the dip can and see them so clean. That stuff is pure magic, will continue to use it. What I couldn't clean and salvage, I replaced, and with a full o-ring kit from Barr. It was also an excuse to buy a cheap carb cleaning brush set from Amazon. YES, that is a jet needle stuck in the needle jet. At first I really hated the idea of getting really into these carbs, but the truth is that now I have a drastically better understanding of how they function and how to troubleshoot issues based on symptoms, and it can be downright fun to tear into these things now (with the right music on in the shop, of course).

Check out that old and new o-ring for the intake runners! Great seal now, no air leaks on that end.

 

[Live2fly06]

I installed new throttle, clutch and tach cables. Removed the choke cable and run it by hand. Turns out factory tach is shot, but that's okay, as I'll be upgrading it soon to a minimalist one from DCC. I also pulled the front fork springs, drained the OLD fork oil, cleaned the innards, and refilled with fresh fork oil. Repressurized forks with a handheld pump to about 12psi. Fork seals are not leaking at the moment, but will surely be replacing them very soon, as well as putting in progressive or sonic springs. I needed to get the front suspension feeling better than it was so that I can take this thing to it first inspection in 10 years AT LEAST.

I am a LONG way from done, but man I am having some serious fun! And.....she starts right up! I have some 1/4-1/2 throttle hesitation, but will be getting back into the carbs (AFTER I do the first sync, as I am waiting on my sync tool to arrive in the mail). I suspect slides, or diaphragm with pinholes I missed. Will also very all needles are still in place, as well as no jets backed out during reassembly. I also know I didn't get the float bowl passages (choke and idle circuits) completely free-flowing, so I will be taking on that problem with some new ideas when I get back home again. I am leaning towards mid-range lean due to one of these issues, and I have verified it is not an air leak post- or pre-carb.


She starts, rides and stops, and I believe I can get her to pass inspection so that I can continue with the work and some LEGAL road tests. Just like the helicopters we operate, they can run great on the ground during dry runs, but until you get her into the air and put some real-world load on her, its hard to say just what she'll do through the whole power range.

Lastly, I'll leave you with a couple photos I snapped of her before I came down here to Louisiana for 2 more weeks of oil rig flying:

And a couple shots from work!

 

[nvr2old]

Um..I guess I'll go first..interesting to say the least. You took a naturally aged and patina'd bike, stripped it, and..faux re-patina'd it..? Not my cup of tea cosmetically, but I am glad you made it reliable and at least safe to ride.

 

[thebrandonbeezy]

Im gonna be frank about it. It looked like a nice good bike to mod up. But then you turned it crap. I think the rust look is so stupid, especially on a vehicle thats too new.. the lines dont mach the style youre going for.. honestly an L or T model would have been a decent bike for this style...
I understand its just my openion. The rest of your work looks good though

 

[thebrandonbeezy]

I do like how you cut the fender, always planned on doing that to mine

 

[Live2fly06]

I knew I could count on some honesty from the guys on this forum . In all seriousness, I fully expected some negative feedback from some. This isn't my first rebuild, and I'm going a different direction than I have in the past to make something unique and fun to ride. I'm happy with the work so far and enjoying it every step of the way.

Stage 1 was taking a non-running bike and get it running, make it safe, pass an inspection, with some minor cosmetic changes along the way. Stage 2 will commence shortly, like it or not

 

[Sam 78 GS750]

I don't understand putting all that work into a bike and paying so much attention to detail cosmetically to make it look like a beater. It's like the people who pay ridiculous amounts if money for brand new 'distressed' furniture, when they could have gotten that same look by spending 5 bucks on craigslist or at a flea market. Same thing as paying $300 for a pair of ripped jeans to look like I did when I was a kid and we were too poor to buy new clothes.

 

[storm 64]

It's a lot easier to make something look like crap than it is to make it look nice... Rust? I hate rust.

 

[GSXR7ED]

The GSR is all about aesthetics. Build her anyway you like!


Ed

 

[jdion81]

I understand not liking rust or more importantly the effects of rust. I have spent a huge amount of money and time getting rid of it. I think properly applied the distressed (rust) look can look good. I think it looks good on your bike. I like restoring something from the past and enjoy seeing the results of hard work. Let's face it, you could probably save time and money buying a "new" bike, but it wouldn't have the sentimental value or bring back the memories. Make it look the way you want, not how someone on the other end of the internet thinks it should look.