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Getting my first motorcycle into shape : GS550L in Lowell.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
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Guest

Guest
Since buying my 1980 GS 550 and joining I have begun work.
So far I have: put wd40 on corrosion prone parts for the winter, changed plugs, changed oil, changed oil filter, unstuck the choke cable, replaced and oiled the air filter foam, and cleaned the lock, run the engine, and shifted gears on the center stand.

There are exhaust leaks, a mushy rear brake, and a brake light issue to work around next.
 
Don't forget..
Valve adjust
Brake system teardown and rebuild
New brake lines
Fix charging system wiring
Replace carb boot and carb o-rings
 
So due to an exhaust leak I tried to pull the outermost pipes for fitting new gasket.
A bolt broke on it's way out well after being successfully unstuck.
I bought a set of feeler gauges for the valvetrain.
For brake lines I intend to go stainless, including stainless ends.
Hopefully this will not cause grief at inspection.

Due to some bad news from the temp agency this project will not be done this spring,
for want of funds for more parts and nice MC pants.
 
Were you able to get that exhaust bolt out?

I had a nightmare of a time trying to get that thing out. Ended up buying a new head on ebay for about 70
 
DanSkor said:
Due to some bad news from the temp agency this project will not be done this spring,
for want of funds for more parts and nice MC pants.
Click to expand...

It?s nice to know there?s others out there rebuilding GS?s who can?t throw the money they want to in it and have to wait. I know exactly how you feel.
 
jboge123 said:
Were you able to get that exhaust bolt out?

I had a nightmare of a time trying to get that thing out. Ended up buying a new head on ebay for about 70
Click to expand...

Sprayed with wd40 (all I had on hand), let sit some days, sprayed with pb blaster, let sit some more days.
Bought brand new 10" duralast vise grips (Didn't own any, wanted anyway). Got them to bite into the bolt. Lost a fair amount of thread. Did not remove the bolt.

Will get slightly undersized left hand drill bit.

In other news the other exhaust bolts are soaking up pb blaster. The battery is out and needs rewatering.
 
Heat can make a difference too

and sometime bolts are destined to never come out
 
Today I took another stab at the bike. The tank, engine guards, and exhaust pipes were removed.
Everything appears to be in the way of everything on this make and model.
The oil pan is leaking from stripped drain threads and the damage is on the female side.
Exhaust bolt? Work in progress.
 
Wrinkly old 1980 diaphragms that will not go in the slots.
JBM will get a chunk of my tax returns.
IMGP9447.jpg
 
Tried a torch and vise grips. Drilled into the exhaust bolt on #4. Then proceeded to, you guessed it, break a bolt extractor in said bolt.
 
I am such a fan on using a MIG welder to attach a nut to broken exhaust studs and bleeder valves. Sometime I will go through a bag of nuts, but eventually the stud loses and comes out. Even if the stud is below the surface you can use the MIG wire to build up material. Use the hottest setting possible and let it cool down before twisting on the nut. If you do not have a welder, hopefully you got a buddy that needs a case of Harpoon IPA (my favorite when I was in MA) that has small MIG.
 
Got the head and cylinder block off. SAND! There was coarse sand packed around several cylinder studs. On at more than one stud some PO crammed the gap from the bottom of the cylinder block and clear up to the cylinder head, and omitted O rings. When the head came off sand went into the cylinders. When the cylinders came off... yeah.

On a brighter note the pistons have very little wear. The machining marks are still visible. On the skirts they are reduced but present.
 
I have a nice 1980 head I can give you if you want to drive 80 miles south and pick it up...
 
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