82 GS1100E Mr Turbo Rebuild

[Steve]

The front is probably wider than ideal (100) but measuring the circumference it is the best match for hugging the fender curve, and the rim width as well. It might make the steering a bit heavier.

A 100 on the front is actually near-perfect. :encouragement:

Several have tried to go to a 110 and found that there are clearance issues with the fender mounting bolts. Those that found enough clearance did report that it felt like the power steering got turned off. Most went back to a 100 tire.

.

 

[oldGSfan]

Yeah I hear you on that. I will check the fit and if any doubts will return, it's free to do that. More isn't always better on the front especially. The stock tire is 3.50" which is 89 mm so this is a big jump, but the tape measure says it should clear. Might have gone overboard.

A 100 on the front is actually near-perfect. :encouragement:

Several have tried to go to a 110 and found that there are clearance issues with the fender mounting bolts. Those that found enough clearance did report that it felt like the power steering got turned off. Most went back to a 100 tire.

.

 

[oldGSfan]

A little update. Tires arrived, and I am hopeful the 110/90-18 will be OK. I can't see how it will foul the fender bolts, there is plenty of clearance. Unmounted and obviously not pumped up, its the same height as the 3.5 stock 19" tire, and about .4" wider but I suppose that it'll grow a bit.

I am mounting myself, never did that before but slipped the one bead on the rear with no problem. I am going to try out tire balance beads, been reading up on them. Worth a shot for $10. I don't want weights stuck to the pretty gold EPMs.

I mounted fuel pump, pressure regulator, and filter, and wired the pump to the kill switch. It came out very tidy.

The inside of the gas tank looked clean, I could see no rust, but since I can't see way down I went ahead and filled with cleaning vinegar, and it was a good move because the fuel sending unit leaked, and on further inspection the unit was not in great shape. I recalled there was a spare and it is really clean and works fine. It had no float so I had to transfer from the other, with a makeshift fastener. The rubber gasket on it is much more pliable and should be fine, we shall see.

I talked to a local tuning shop and the owner said he worked on and tuned many Mr. Turbo GS's and Z's way back when, and will set up the jetting on dyno for $500. Seems fair but I really don't know. I was encouraged by his knowledge during our brief chat.

Finish the tank, mount the tires and bleed the brakes are all that's left, all electrics are sorted. Won't be long now.

 

[oldGSfan]

Got the Avon on the back, the fit of the 140 is fine, plenty of room even all the way forward, so a 150 would have fit. But I'm happy with it. I'll mount the front tomorrow.

 

[steve murdoch]

I can see why you wouldn't want to use stick-on balancing weights.
The wheel looks great.

 

[oldGSfan]

Thanks Steve. Many hours sanding and filling, the front is done too, just have to put in the bearings and screw the discs on. I mounted the rear with sprocket and disc brake, 'final mounting' and the 140/70-18 fits nice but there is plenty of room for more, easily a 150. It looks fine though. Before that though I found a couple of blems, so with tire mounted I taped it and painted, then clear coated. There went my day.

I'm fabricating a replacement air filter, using a VW Empi part which is the same diameter as the original at 5.5" and a healthy 3 1/8 'thick' so it will breathe easy. To enable the side cover mount I have to do some Dremel work to make the offset even more offset, but that is no problem, just grinding and drilling.

Once the front is mounted all I have left to do is bleed the brakes and finish my tank cleanup chore, and it will be time to light it up. Can't wait. I will just get it to idle and take to the dyno man to work his magic.

I can see why you wouldn't want to use stick-on balancing weights.
The wheel looks great.

 

[Rob S.]

I will just get it to idle and take to the dyno man to work his magic.

You MUST video that and future steps. Video with sound, I might add. Take pity on an old crippled man stuck to his couch. A fellow 1100EZ owner, I might add. :lol: :lol:

 

[oldGSfan]

Roger that!

You MUST video that and future steps. Video with sound, I might add. Take pity on an old crippled man stuck to his couch. A fellow 1100EZ owner, I might add. :lol: :lol:

 

[oldGSfan]

Well the wheels and tires are on. I went too large on the front 110/90-18, it looks chunky.

Could have gone 150 on rear too, so I'm a little disappointed but that's life. I got myself fixated (like I do sometimes) on filling the fender gap because the 3.50 slick had a big gap all the way around and it looked funky. Well, tires do wear out, especially the rear. I suppose braking may be a bit better, but handling worse. The EPM front is so light that it may help in the handling regard, will hopefully find out soon. Here is a pic, just have to bleed brakes fit air cleaner, and tighten all bolts, and clean the tank.

Thanks in advance to anyone who likes 'em chunky....

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Looks great! Looking forward to the ride report.

 

[Grimly]

Antici...pation.

 

[steve murdoch]

Great looking hot rod!
Fingers crossed the dyno tune goes well.

 

[oldGSfan]

Today I crossed off the next to last item on the list, the brake bleeding. I used the HF mityvac clone, which is cheaper and better IMO. Went easier than any bike or car I can remember, nice firm lever and pedal, and only took 15 minutes - goobered up top of the bleeder screws with grease like usual and had at it, and was done in no time. I used DOT4 because I had a fresh quart of it on the shelf. I read countless pros/cons of DOT3/4/5 and 5.1 and it's like oil threads, spinning in circles. I just make sure to cover everything nearby in rags and if any gets on the paint, I quickly hit it with my dollar store orange cleaner and a wet sponge.

Now all I have left (he says) is to drain the vinegar and salt solution from the tank, swish it out with distilled water and baking soda, and dry it out fill it with go juice. It didn't have visible rust but I wanted to be cautious. To even be more meticulous I buzzed the tank from underneath with a vibrating muscle relaxer - cue the jokes and yeah my wife dug it out of the closet LOL. I figured it might jiggle the rust free, ahem.

 

[Rob S.]

...vibrating muscle relaxer...

50 years ago they were called "personal massagers" in catalogs.

Sorry you're having difficulty getting a stock seat. So many custom seats, like yours, began as stock seats. Too bad we can't reverse engineer it (you know what I mean). Can we?

 

[oldGSfan]

I'll find one, no huge rush. In the words of James May from 'Unpimp my ride', it's "casual"

50 years ago they were called "personal massagers" in catalogs.

Sorry you're having difficulty getting a stock seat. So many custom seats, like yours, began as stock seats. Too bad we can't reverse engineer it (you know what I mean). Can we?

 

[Rob S.]

'Unpimp my ride'...

Never heard of that show (podcast?) before, but I like it already. I hate these customizers who think they're going to improve upon a '68 Corvette or Camaro.

 

[GSXR7ED]

I'll find one, no huge rush. In the words of James May from 'Unpimp my ride', it's "casual"

I've always gotten a kick out of the Brits!

Thanks for sharing.

Your bike takes beautiful pics by the way...

I said, "Beautiful" out loud just now and my wife thought I was talking to her...lol.

Ed

****

 

[oldGSfan]

Haha funny, just say yes, dear, I was talking about you!

I fired it up tonight, it needs a fair bit of choke but it sounds fine, no weird stuff going on, revs freely and sounds mean. I am putting the chain on now, just got my rivet master link for the new DID O ring chain that came with it.

I will post the video after it's done 'processing' which is taking ages. I was a bit light headed from the fumes I think, but happy. I shot a bit of starter fluid in the very first time, just to give an extra boost, and it fired after about two spins - after 24 years. Man these bikes are cool.

I've always gotten a kick out of the Brits!

Thanks for sharing.

Your bike takes beautiful pics by the way...

I said, "Beautiful" out loud just now and my wife thought I was talking to her...lol.

Ed

****

 

[oldGSfan]

OK here is the startup video. I was pretty tired after working on the bike a few hours, mainly prepping the tank to ensure no rust, and I lamely said 34 years not 24 since it has run. It fired right up and I may take for a short ride tomorrow, but really need to get it to the tuner. It sure seems good at first impression, no funky sounds and no dramas except the prime function on the petcock decided not to work, which is odd since I had it working not an hour prior. I used my hand vacuum pump to get it flowing, the electric pump grabbed some juice and it was all set for liftoff.

The front fork is not holding air and seems to be very mushy. I used 15w and should have used 10w, I think. It has progressive springs but nowhere near firm enough for my taste, so a bit of air would help, for a quick fix, but I'll address it properly soon enough.

 

[Rob S.]

Well done!