'79 GS1000E restoration question?

[GaThumper]

So I've dragged my old '79 GS1000E out of the barn :shock: (I know ) and I've been getting busy doing some much needed mechanical restoration and making the shiney parts shiney again.

She's coming along pretty well... carb kits installed and carbs cleaned, new tires, new battery, cleaned out the gas tank and put in fresh gas and a fuel filter and she fired right up.

Insurance, tag, and took her out for her first ride in about 5 years on the weekend of the SE Rally. (I live in GA, wish I had known you were in the neighborhood, I would have ridden up there instead of visiting my riding buddy at teh british bike rallye in Hiawassee!)

The short checkout ride went pretty well, only real problem was I lost my rear brakes. I've got a master cylinder kit on order and should get that worked out next week. I'll rebuild the rear master, then flush and fill both rear and front with new fluid. Thinking of using the Castrol synthetic fluid, OK? Then I'll probably replace the brake lines with braided ones and put new pads all the way around just for good measure since she's wearing her original shoes!

All this to say that I've found the site here and enjoy being in the midst of so many GS afficianados. So I've been reading about the dreaded regulator/stator problems and though I don't seem to have any problems YET, I was wondering if it would be prudent to go ahead and install the Electrex ESR100 regulator? Am I right that my '79 GS1000E has the poorly designed regulator that may end up ruining my stator? I've read about some Honda regulators being used? Either way, I'm thinking I should go ahead and replace mine as a preventative maintenance instead of waiting until I have a problem.

Any advice or comments would be appreciated!

 

[Nessism]

Does a bad regulator take out the stator? I didn't know about that.

Yes, your bike has the suspect regulator. It couldn't hurt to change it, particularly if you take long trips away from home. Most of us don't change ours as a matter of course though - FUF (forget until failure).

For brake fluid you want the DOT 3/4 stuff, not DOT 5 (lots of drawbacks - do a search for more info). Stuck brakes could be the caliper stuck so check that out too.

 

[Eli69]

i suggest going through the entire wiring harness and cleaning all connections. when i checked mine i found several hot spots, any one could cause stator failure from what i've read.

 

[gremlin]

remove the brake arm for the rear brake. you will find its got road grit and rust in the pivot point. do the same for the swing arm.

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

DON"T use synthetic brake fluid UN less you are doing a COMPLETE rebuild of the brake system

 

[txironhead]

I did the Honda conversion on my bike, it was really easy and there are several very well detailed posts on how to do it. All you need is a Shindingen (Honda) regulator with three yellow wires, one or two red wires, one or two green wires, and some have a black actuator wire. Yellow to stator wires, red to positive, green to negative, black to a "hot when key on" wire, eliminate the headlight switch loop if your bike has it and you're good. My regulator came off of a CBR600 I think. Can't remember. Bolted right up in the factory location. The stator and regulator were both shot when I got the bike so I'm pretty sure they went out together....the connector was fused.

Good for you for resurrecting your old litre beast! So, do you still need your Intruder?\\/

 

[GaThumper]

i suggest going through the entire wiring harness and cleaning all connections. when i checked mine i found several hot spots, any one could cause stator failure from what i've read.

How do you tell there's a hot spot? Wires melted a bit? I'll be sure and check and clean connections as I'm going over it. It's not a full strip down restoration and has only 12K miles and has been stored inside, so I'm not sure if I'll be checking EVERY connection right now, but I do appreciate the advice!

Thanks!

 

[GaThumper]

Does a bad regulator take out the stator? I didn't know about that.

Yes, your bike has the suspect regulator. It couldn't hurt to change it, particularly if you take long trips away from home. Most of us don't change ours as a matter of course though - FUF (forget until failure).

For brake fluid you want the DOT 3/4 stuff, not DOT 5 (lots of drawbacks - do a search for more info). Stuck brakes could be the caliper stuck so check that out too.

Thanks for the reply!

I normally will FUF (nice acronym!) but reading about the regulator problems has me thinking about replacing it as a preventative maintenance rather than waiting for a failure.

I have done a good bit of reading about the brakes and knew I didn't want to go with DOT 5 brake fluid, but I thought maybe the synthetic would be a better choice? It's Valvoline, not Castrol as I first stated, and it says it's compatible with DOT 3 and 4. I will be flushing and completely replacing the existing fluid, so this should be OK?

 

[GaThumper]

remove the brake arm for the rear brake. you will find its got road grit and rust in the pivot point. do the same for the swing arm.

Thanks Gremlin!

I'll be sure and check and lube these. The brake arm moves really smooth and easy, but I'm sure a clean and lube would be a good idea while I'm doing the master cylinder. My sidestand is really tight though, so I'll check it out too, probably the same issue...

 

[GaThumper]

I did the Honda conversion on my bike, it was really easy and there are several very well detailed posts on how to do it. All you need is a Shindingen (Honda) regulator with three yellow wires, one or two red wires, one or two green wires, and some have a black actuator wire. Yellow to stator wires, red to positive, green to negative, black to a "hot when key on" wire, eliminate the headlight switch loop if your bike has it and you're good. My regulator came off of a CBR600 I think. Can't remember. Bolted right up in the factory location. The stator and regulator were both shot when I got the bike so I'm pretty sure they went out together....the connector was fused.

Good for you for resurrecting your old litre beast! So, do you still need your Intruder?\\/

The Intruder was fun during my "cruiser" phase and I may sell it depending on what I can get out of it, or I may keep it for occasional "parade" rides, but I never felt as comfortable with the handling of the Intruder as compared to the GS.

I'll look around for the Honda regulator posts and would consider that as well as the Electrex unit, I'm sure it would be less expensive. A quick search at Ebay turned up a few and I think I may have seen some for sale here as well. Seems like I may have seen some posted concerns about Honda unit? but I'll have to do more reading to remember what the problem was. I can get the ESR 100 for under $100, so if it's the best solution, that's what I'll do.

Thanks!

 

[GaThumper]

I guess pics are needed to go along with the story, right? Here's a few of the bike when I started the restoration. She;s a little dusty, a little crusty, and a little rusty!

 

[GaThumper]

After I removed the seat, tank, windshield, and luggage rack...

 

[GaThumper]

Carbs and Airbox removed for rebuild...

And tucked away for the night... sure wish I had a garage!

 

[Guest]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eli69
i suggest going through the entire wiring harness and cleaning all connections. when i checked mine i found several hot spots, any one could cause stator failure from what i've read.

How do you tell there's a hot spot? Wires melted a bit?

Yup. Look especially where wires have been crushed together for years. Have a look at the "Wiring Master needed" thread for pix of what bad connections can look like.

While you've got the seat off, you can do the three stator wire AC voltage test.

You might also consider pulling the left engine cover and looking at the stator. Since it's oil-bath, any time the PO let it overheat or "extended" the oil change interval, the windings will have picked up layers of baked-on engine sludge. (On second thought, if the stator fails, you'll still get home)

 

[Eli69]

about hot spots in the wiring harness

about hot spots in the wiring harness

i tore the entire wiring harness apart on my drag bike and was surprised at all the blackened connectors. i don't think there are any connectors that are hidden in wrapped wires but they are under the seat, in the headlight housing and under the gas tank. also the ignition switch, the light switch and hi/lo beam switch could well be corroded. there are soldered splices under the wire wrappings but, in my bike's case, they were all fine.

are you planning on using that luggage rack? i've been looking for one.

 

[GaThumper]

i tore the entire wiring harness apart on my drag bike and was surprised at all the blackened connectors. i don't think there are any connectors that are hidden in wrapped wires but they are under the seat, in the headlight housing and under the gas tank. also the ignition switch, the light switch and hi/lo beam switch could well be corroded. there are soldered splices under the wire wrappings but, in my bike's case, they were all fine.

are you planning on using that luggage rack? i've been looking for one.

I'll be keeping the luggage rack unless I find a nicer one along the way somewhere. I like the look and design, it's just got a bit of rust on it. I've had it in the houst this weekend rubbing and polishing and have made it look pretty good. Still just a bit of rust on the bottom side and at the junctions of the pieces, and also the inside of the mounting brackets.

I'm trying to figure out the best plan for stopping the rust from spreading. I may end up using one of the "rust conversion" chemicals, and/or paint the inside/underside black. Or I may just shoot it with some clear coat and let it be. It doesn't look too bad, I just don't want it to advance any farther. I may just take some rust converter with a small artist paintbrush and just hit the rust without hitting the "good" chrome.

Any suggestions on treating the rusted chrome parts in general are welcome. Botom/inside of the header pipes and a few other odds and ends need attention.

Also going to have to do something with the clearcoat on the cases as it is looking pretty scaley in places. Strip and polish, or strip, sand, and clear coat I guess?

 

[txironhead]

Strip, sand, and paint with Dupli-Color Engine Enamel. It'll look like fresh-cast aluminum and it lasts pretty well, too.

 

[GaThumper]

Strip, sand, and paint with Dupli-Color Engine Enamel. It'll look like fresh-cast aluminum and it lasts pretty well, too.

Are you are talking about the clutch and ignition covers or the main engine cases? My engine cases are pretty much OK, it's the engine side covers that are a little ratty. My understanding is that it's the clear coat that is peeling on them? From what I've read they were originally clear coated, but you can strip the clear coat and polish the aluminum, or sand and re-apply the clear coat. I've also read that the clear coat sold by Yamaha is the best for this application?

I'll try and post some close up pics of the cases later.

Thanks!

 

[Nessism]

Are you are talking about the clutch and ignition covers or the main engine cases? My engine cases are pretty much OK, it's the engine side covers that are a little ratty. My understanding is that it's the clear coat that is peeling on them? From what I've read they were originally clear coated, but you can strip the clear coat and polish the aluminum, or sand and re-apply the clear coat. I've also read that the clear coat sold by Yamaha is the best for this application?

I'll try and post some close up pics of the cases later.

Thanks!

Upper engine case is painted gray/silver, side covers are polished and clear coated.

I'm redoing the engine side covers on my 550. Strip off the clear with paint stripper followed by sanding out the corrosion. Use wet dry sandpaper, progressively finer, until you are down to 600 grit. The original cases were not polished but rather have a "brushed" appearance - 600 is about right for the final finish. Yamaha clear eh? I've used VHT engine clear before but was not happy with the final appearance since it had a yellow cast to it.

Good luck. The bike looks great by the way. Don't forget to check the valves while you have the tank/carbs off. :-D

 

[txironhead]

The PO did a crappy "all-black" rattle can job on the engine of my '81 GS750EX. I'm going to end up trying to clean it as best as possible and repainting the block black, with the "brushed aluminum" painted covers. I'd love to polish the covers, but living in an apartment doesn't really make it easy to bust out my bench grinder and polishing wheels. I don't even want to think about how many polishing wheels I'd go through with my Dremel. I figure the brushed aluminum paint looks good for now (it really does look like fresh-cast aluminum) and if I get a chance later I can take them off and go for the really nice polished look.

Honestly, right now I'm more concerned with getting it running and riding it!