Barn find 1980 GS450L!

[Guest]

Hey all! Just got a GS450L from a neighbor. It has a backstory, hopefully it?s not too bad. I was told he was driving home one day and it dumped oil all over the road. He was 1/2 mile from home when it happened. He drove it home and parked it in the barn. This was in 2003 and it hasn?t been touched since (his wife doesn?t like motorcycles). Last weekend we drug it out of the barn to see the sunlight for the first time in 17 years. Cosmetically it?s in nice shape, I just hope that short ride wasn?t too hard on it mechanically. Anyways, I?m planning on dumping some oil in it to see if there is somewhere obvious where it?s leaking but are there any known issues that would cause this? I?m not new to motorcycles in general but I?m new to the GS series. Let the restoration begin!

 

[fastbysuzuki]

First I would check that the sump plug has not come lose and fell out, not an expert on the 450 but I think it is a plain bearing engine if I am correct I fear there will be a fair amount of damage after a 1/2 mile ride with no oil.
i hope you are lucky let us know how you go with it.

 

[Gorminrider]

such a deal! Lost all the oil? Before even refilling, however high the oil has besmirched the engine should be an indication of where to look... from the drain bolt in the engine bottom to the valve cover at the top.

Unlikeliest but nasty is a cranckase cracked by a curb or a rock.
Check the inside of the tank too. They can be nice outside but crumbled rust inside. Pinholes may indicate.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the responses guys! I'll start digging into it soon, may not be before Christmas though, things are hectic right now. I'm not familiar with the term "sump plug", could that also be called the drain plug? We'll see how much damage I'm dealing with. Crossing my fingers that I'm lucky, but that's usually not the case. Either way, I wont be out anything other than time and a little cost for parts, the neighbor told me he just wanted it out of the barn so he didn't charge me anything. Thanks for the tip on the tank too. I haven't even had time to give the bike a once-over, so I haven't seen what the condition of the tank inside is

 

[fbody_mike]

Check out this thread from another member here. Similar issue with oil loss. Hopefully your engine did not have a total loss.

https://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?260225-GS450-Surreptitious-Engine-Reassembly

 

[LAB3]

Thanks for the responses guys! I'll start digging into it soon, may not be before Christmas though, things are hectic right now. I'm not familiar with the term "sump plug", could that also be called the drain plug? We'll see how much damage I'm dealing with. Crossing my fingers that I'm lucky, but that's usually not the case. Either way, I wont be out anything other than time and a little cost for parts, the neighbor told me he just wanted it out of the barn so he didn't charge me anything. Thanks for the tip on the tank too. I haven't even had time to give the bike a once-over, so I haven't seen what the condition of the tank inside is

Here's how I would approach it. Get on the ground and look underneath the engine case, there's a big nut the same size as the spark plug wrench which is the main oil drain.
Make sire it's still there and snug. On the front of the engine down low you'll see a cover with three acorn nuts on it, this is the cover for the oil filter and it has a large wiggly looking o-ring to seal it. This is the first best guess where you'd lose a bunch of oil quick aside from the engine case being cracked. Pop off the timing cover, that's the round one on the right (facing forward) side of the engine case with three hex head screws holding it on. Take that cover off and you'll see a big nut, pretty sure I remember it being 14mm, that's on the end of the crankshaft. Get a wrench on that nut and turn it clockwise to see if the engine is seized up, taking out the spark plugs will make this easier since you don't have to work against the compression to turn the engine over. If the engine is free and isn't making any obvious noise THEN you can empty the oil, remove the filter and inspect it for metal bits. Don't run out to the auto parts store for oil and filter until you know the engine can turn and doesn't have any major sized filings or chunks in it, no sense in spending good money on a trashed project not worth doing. Auto Zone and Napa usually have filters in stock and other places can usually get it in a few days if need be. If you DO get a filter, make sure it comes with that big squiggly o-ring I mentioned. Shell Rotella T4 15w-40 (3 quarts) is plenty good enough of an oil, no reason to spend any more.

 

[rphillips]

Jumped on bike & headed out from home a few yrs. ago & my 05 Bandit dumped the oil & eng died appx. 100 yds. from driveway. Oil dripping everywhere underneath. Of course thought the worst. Found appx. 1/2" crankcase vent tube is where the oil came from. At idle all was good, rpm got up & that's when the oil was pushed out. Found pet cock, needle & seat had failed, & crankcase was still full of gas & oil mixture. Rebuilt pet cock, changed oil & filter, & all is good. Just a thought.

 

[Steve]

Go ahead and see if it might crank over, but do NOT use a running car as a jump starter. Turn the car engine off BEFORE connecting cables to the bike.

If if cranks, please don't expect it to start. Some here report that their carbs are crudded up after 17 WEEKS of sitting still, 17 YEARS is another matter, completely.

You will also need to check valve clearances. At least you know the previous owner and might have an idea of how it was maintained (if at all).

You will also need new tires (and tubes), brakes and brake hoses.

All of this is going to run AT LEAST $500, if everything goes well.

Lastly, don't sink a dime into it until you have the title for it. If there is no title, find out from your DMV what the process would be to get one, but do it BEFORE you lose any money in it.

A 450 can be a fun bike, unless you are a bit tall. The "L" can make things a bit more uncomfortable, but new handlebars and some re-shaping of the seat will go a long way.

Enjoy your project. :encouragement:

.

 

[Guest]

Lastly, don't sink a dime into it until you have the title for it. If there is no title, find out from your DMV what the process would be to get one, but do it BEFORE you lose any money in it.

.

The man speaks the truth. Made this mistake on my second bike. Guys said he had the title and would get it to me, I was an idiot and believed him. Sank money into the rebuild and lo and behold, turns out he ?forgot? he never had a title in the first place. Luckily for me I was able to get a title eventually, but there was a lot of paperwork, frustration and worry that I had just dumped the purchase price and a bunch of time/effort/money into something I would never be a able to put on the road.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all of the help guys, you?ve given me lots of places to start! The drain plug is still in it and I can?t tell from the oil soaking if it?s come from the filter cover. I?m planning on making sure the engine turns first before I do anything. The crankcase is completely empty, but the gears all look nice. We?ll see what kind of beating the the rest of it took soon. The inside of the gas tank looks really nice, but it looks like it could use a new cap. Good tip on the title, I?ll bug him about it next time I see him. Hopefully I can get started on this soon, Christmas hasn?t given me any free time yet.

 

[rphillips]

Just wondering. The crankcase is completely empty?? but the gears all look nice?? If the drain plug is still in it, how did you find the crankcase is completely empty?? What have you opened up to see any gears??

 

[Guest]

Just wondering. The crankcase is completely empty?? but the gears all look nice?? If the drain plug is still in it, how did you find the crankcase is completely empty?? What have you opened up to see any gears??

Maybe my terminology is incorrect. I don't have a good picture of mine so I've attached a picture of the engine showing the cap I pulled. This is the engine oil, correct? I pulled that cap and its got a dipstick. I can see gears inside and I can see clear to the bottom of the case, no oil.

 

[Guest]

Edit: I found a youtube video showing a teardown of the 450. Attached is a screenshot showing the cover with the cap that I pulled to check for oil and also with the cover removed showing the gears that I mentioned. Sorry, cant seem to get these pictures to show up normal size...

 

[sacruickshank]

The crankcase may not be completely empty, could be low, or at an angle that causes all the oil to pool to one side, or maybe the PO drained the oil but kept everything buttoned up to prevent internal rust.

The gears he mentions are probably between the crankshaft and the primary drive behind the clutch, which would be visible from the oil opening in the clutch cover, if i recall correctly on the 450.

RE: a title, don't forget the ever popular VT registration option. For probably $78 ($48 registration, $30 tax on minimum of $500 minimum purchase price or NADA fair value) anyone in any state can register that bike in VT without a title since it's old or a VIN check since it's under 500cc. they have even been waiving the VIN check due to COVID.

 

[Guest]

Update: I pulled the plugs, put a little oil in since the cylinders have been dry for so long. I pulled the timing cover off and the engine turned beautifully with no weird noises. So I hooked some jumper cables up to the lawn mower and tried to crank it over. When pushing the start button, nothing happens at all. The oil and neutral lights don?t dim at all, it?s like it?s not pulling any amps. I?ve made sure the kill switch is in the ?run? position. Does this bike have a clutch safety switch? Looks like there are wires coming out of the clutch lever housing so I?m guessing so. I put the jumper cables on the starter relay and it cranks normally. There is a fuse on the positive wire coming out of the relay and it is good. Where would you all start with this new information in mind? I think I?m going to go rent a compression tester today before I invest any money into it. Thanks for any more help!

 

[LAB3]

Does this bike have a clutch safety switch?

Yes, there IS a neutral switch and even if it's in neutral you still need to pull in the clutch lever to get it to spin the starter.

 

[Gorminrider]

Yes, there IS a neutral switch and even if it's in neutral you still need to pull in the clutch lever to get it to spin the starter.

yes^^ just bridge those two connectors at the clutch with a piece of wire...OR apply positive electricity to where yellow/green wire is soldered on at solenoid
Neutral switch and the green dash light is merely an indicator. It does not control actual "starting" Whenever the clutch is pulled, even in gear, you can spin the starter...It's very simple compared to newer bikes..that run an "either-neutral- or- clutch-and- sidestand-up-and-your-nose-is-clean" logic.

 

[Guest]

Thanks guys! I bridged the clutch switch and still have nothing. I bridged from the positive on the starter relay to the input wire and it cranks. I’m assuming that means it’s either the kill switch, the start switch. Does that sound right?

 

[rphillips]

Clutch switch, or clutch switch connectors, (for me) are waaay more likely than kill switch or start button. Relatively easy to remove the headlight & plug the 2 clutch switch wires from the wiring harness together, completely eliminating anything to do with clutch switch. Just say'in.

 

[Guest]

After lots of fiddling, it?s finally cranking! Now just have to get some fuel to it. I poured fuel in and tried cranking quite a bit, but no fire. I guess my next step is starting fluid, I want to hear it at least try to fire before I dig into the carbs