• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Inherited a '78 GS400, bought a '78 GS750

  • Thread starter Thread starter cyrenus
  • Start date Start date
C

cyrenus

Guest
Hi all, name is John and I live in North Dakota. I mostly ride modern bikes, but still have a soft spot for the vintage bikes. Here are a couple of GSes I picked up recently. The gear position indicator works on both of them, lol!

I got the GS400 from my stepdad as he wasn't riding it anymore. I'm currently going through the bike and getting the maintenance caught up using Basscliff's handy links. I've already changed the oil, filter, filter cover o-ring gasket and plan on servicing the air filter and brakes soon. Am also going to check steering head bearings and lube chassis and do anything else it needs. As it stands it runs very well, but I know it hasn't been used or serviced for at least 3 years. As you can see it's in pretty fantastic condition.






The other GS is a '78 750. I paid $950 for it this spring. It's been repainted, but was well done in I believe the factory black, and I plan on stripping the pinstripes and replacing them with replicas of the factory blue stripes. I also plan on taking off the fairing -- fortunately the headlight bucket and ears are still mounted -- and replacing the funky floorboards with factory pegs. I may also try to locate a factory seat, but if I go used will bolster the foam. It ran when it bought it, but wouldn't hold an idle so I suspect the carbs need to be cleaned/rebuilt. It's in pretty nice shape also. Sorry about the crappy pic, it was the only one I had handy.

 
Last edited:
Welcome to the site, John.
The 400 looks like it belongs in a museum. Beautiful!
Gotta love the king/queen seats. I don't care how comfortable they are, they are fugly.
 
Thanks, Steve. Yep, the little 400 is probably the nicest unrestored bike I've ever seen, at least in person. I was surprised by how smooth the motor is -- I didn't know they were counterbalanced when I got it. I started riding on a Honda CM400T back in the eighties, and that little sucker was a tingler and a shaker. The Suzook motor is electric-smooth by comparison.

My idea for the king & queen seat on the 750 is to have a good upholstery shop streamline and trim the passenger part of the seat down to meet flush with the rear cowl which I think would improve the looks a great deal -- kind of like a vintage Corbin without the ugly rear bucket. If it doesn't work, no great loss, right?
 
The 400 is beautiful!! I love how the cluster still has lettering on it. I have ridden a bunch of vintage bikes, and these little 400's, they may not be the fastest or the most valuable, but they are a dream to ride and work on.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the welcomes guys, I appreciate it. Am enjoying the forum a lot already, seems like a group of real helpful people here.
 
I took the rack off yesterday, and have also since then changed the oil and filter, lubed and adjusted the chain, lubed the rear brake pedal, adjusted clutch, lubed the side stand (still need to do the center stand) replaced the air filter and lubed the throttle cables and throttle tube. Oh and I polished the paint and exhaust pipes. I still have more maintenance items yet to do, but thought I'd post some pictures of the bike without the rear rack; I'm sure it's pretty useful, but I have other bikes that will carry stuff, and I thought it kind of ruined the lines of the bike, so off it came. Looks much better now I think. I'm really enjoying riding the 400, it just keeps getting better the more I tackle the maintenance items and make the adjustments it needed. I've also included a pic of the 400 with my modern-retro bike, a 2013 CB1100. That bike is really the best of the old and new in one package, I love that thing. I've personalized it a bit with a Staintune slip-on, Corbin seat and Japanese market OEM low bars along with smaller mirrors, and also the Honda OEM rack.




 
Last edited:
The CB looks nice. I have seen the Youtube clips with the Staintune and it sounds nice as well.
Did the previous owner keep that GS in the house? It is that good looking.

Is that a NT650 lurking in the garage?
 
steve murdoch said:
The CB looks nice. I have seen the Youtube clips with the Staintune and it sounds nice as well.
Did the previous owner keep that GS in the house? It is that good looking.

Is that a NT650 lurking in the garage?
Click to expand...

Hi Steve -- I'm not sure where the GS lived prior to about 4 years ago, but I guess it might've been a house pet at one time. I'm pretty tickled by this little bike and am having a lot of fun getting to know it.

You called it - yep, '88 Hawk GT hiding in there, along with a '77 RD400. I'll have to see if I can't locate a pic. of the whole little collection together.
 
wow! Another nice twin on the forum! And you are a good picture-poster too! Nice to hear your comment on the smoothness. My twin has a slightly different engine (8 valve) but the counterbalancer is there and I think these are exceptionally smooth too compared to other bikes of the era and ilk.
 
I have not seen that good looking of a 400 in at least a decade. I like the physical size of them.
 
That is actually a genuine 1965 Lotus. A good year for them, with Jim Clark winning Indy, and the Formula 1 World Championship.
 
I assumed it had to be a replica because I'm sure the genuine ones are pretty rare over here. Even cooler that it's the real deal!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

SamLack99
1982 GS570T - 1/4 Throttle Onwards Flat Spot
Replies
4
Views
97
SamLack99
SamLack99
D
GS1000 "retromod" build questions
2
Replies
22
Views
378
slayer61
slayer61
I
GS400 clutch rod seal and cam chain noise.
Replies
1
Views
72
LAB3
LAB3
H
My 82 GS650GZ Build
Replies
4
Views
104
hookemdevils22
H
Zellock
That's a Texas GS450T, y'all
2
Replies
23
Views
267
Rich82GS750TZ
Rich82GS750TZ
Back
Top