Looking at an '85 GS850 shaft drive, need some advice.

[Crazy 88]

I recently came across a wrecked Suzuki GS850 shaft drive in a guys yard near me. I'm interested in possibly buying it, but I need some direction first. The bike appears to be in excellent shape except for the front end. The handle bars are turned about 40 degrees when the front tire is straight ahead. I foresee it needing new handlebars, headlamp, gauges, and possibly front dampers/tubes. This is where my questions begin, because despite all my searching I can find no parts or info for an 85 850. Did they not make 850's in 85? I was told it was an 85 by the guy; is he just flat wrong? If so, what clues should I look for to determine the year? Are the aforementioned parts interchangeable with those on any of the other big fours? (i.e. the GS1000, 1100, etc.)? Normally I would pass on a wrecked bike, but it's hard to find any UJM's in my area. Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TheCafeKid]

I recently came across a wrecked Suzuki GS850 shaft drive in a guys yard near me. I'm interested in possibly buying it, but I need some direction first. The bike appears to be in excellent shape except for the front end. The handle bars are turned about 40 degrees when the front tire is straight ahead. I foresee it needing new handlebars, headlamp, gauges, and possibly front dampers/tubes. This is where my questions begin, because despite all my searching I can find no parts or info for an 85 850. Did they not make 850's in 85? I was told it was an 85 by the guy; is he just flat wrong? If so, what clues should I look for to determine the year? Are the aforementioned parts interchangeable with those on any of the other big fours? (i.e. the GS1000, 1100, etc.)? Normally I would pass on a wrecked bike, but it's hard to find any UJM's in my area. Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Whole front end will swap from any of the big fours. They all used 37mm forks i believe, cept for the 1100GK i think. were i you, i would swap the ENTIRE front end, tree and all. and check for frame bending anywhere. How BAD was it wrecked?

 

[marvinsc]

85 Would be the last Year the 850G was imported to the U.S. I think Europe got them until 86. There were Tons of them sold here from 79 to 85 and as TCK said, forks and such from several of the Large Gs should work. Welcome to the GSR and Good Luck with it.

 

[Dogma]

Whole front end will swap from any of the big fours. They all used 37mm forks i believe, cept for the 1100GK i think. were i you, i would swap the ENTIRE front end, tree and all. and check for frame bending anywhere. How BAD was it wrecked?

There is some variation between the G and GL models. The L carries the axle in front of the tubes. The G carries it at the end.

 

[Nessism]

To tell the year of the bike check on the steering head VIN label.

 

[tkent02]

What's his price?
If it's wrecked even a little bit in addition to all the things it will need from sitting for years it may not be worth it.
Better be just about free.

 

[Griffin]

Be prepared to put a minimum of $500 into it after you buy, maybe as much as $1,000 depending upon the amount of damage you have to fix. You should be able to find a decent running example of this bike in the $900-$1,400 range.

 

[TheCafeKid]

There is some variation between the G and GL models. The L carries the axle in front of the tubes. The G carries it at the end.

Correct, BUT, i do believe, if you change the WHOLE tree as well, it wouldnt matter (frankly i like the end axle, but just saying) I may be wrong...

 

[Crazy 88]

What's his price?
If it's wrecked even a little bit in addition to all the things it will need from sitting for years it may not be worth it.
Better be just about free.

The guy I talked to about the bike was the father of the owner. I have yet to talk to the owner to get a price, I wanted to make sure I could track down parts and info first. Fortunately, the bike is actually running in its current state. It was fairly recently wrecked and has not been sitting very long.

were i you, i would swap the ENTIRE front end, tree and all.

That's actually what I was hoping to do. Can I hope to find a complete front end assembly from a dealer, or should I look for a bike being parted out?

 

[Griffin]

That's actually what I was hoping to do. Can I hope to find a complete front end assembly from a dealer, or should I look for a bike being parted out?

If you priced out everything from a dealer (not that everything would still be available anyway), the price would probably come to more than the bike is worth.

Occasionally on ebay you can find an entire front fork assembly for under $80.

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

I believe Most 85s were put together with left over 84 parts.

 

[Suzuki mad]

If the bars are straight but the wheel not in line then the whole things twisted.

You can get most parts second hand or new (I get a few bits for mine from the States) so thats not your major problem.

Those are going to be:- Frame twisted
headtsock (triple tree tube area of the frame)

It might need a partial strip and take it to a company to check the frame for true which will cost you a few dolar's. No point in putting a new front end on a bent frame.

Suzuki mad

 

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. Crazy 88,

Let it be known that on this day you are cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Further let it be known that your good standing can be improved with pictures (not you, your bike)![FONT=Arial, sans-serif] [/FONT]

Perhaps you've already seen these, but I like to remind all the new members. In addition to the carb rebuild series, I recommend visiting the In The Garage section via the GSR Homepage and check out the Stator Papers. There's also a lot of great information in the Old Q&A section. I have some documentation on my little BikeCliff website to help get you familiar with doing routine maintenance tasks (note that it is 850G-specific but many tasks are common to all GS bikes). Other "user contributed" informational sites include those of Mr. bwringer, Mr. tfb and Mr. robertbarr. And if your bike uses shims for valve adjustments, send an email to Mr. Steve requesting a copy of his Excel spreadsheet that helps you keep track of clearances, shim sizes and other service work.

These are some edited quotes from one of our dear beloved gurus, Mr. bwringer, with ideas on basic needs (depending on initial condition), parts, and accessories.
***********Quoted from Mr. bwringer************
Carburetor maintenance:

Replace the intake boot o-rings, and possibly the intake boots. Here's the procedure:
http://bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html
Here's an overview of what happens with this particular problem:
http://cycleorings.com/intake.html
You'll also want to examine the boots between the carbs and the airbox. There's a good chance these are OK, but check them over.
And finally, if things still aren't exactly right, you'll want to order a set of o-rings for BS carbs from the GS owner's best friend, Robert Barr:
http://cycleorings.com
Once you receive these rare rings of delight, then you'll want to thoroughly clean and rebuild your carburetors. Here are step-by-step instructions that make this simple:
http://thegsresources.com/gs_carbrebuild.htm
***********************************
Every GS850 (and most other models) has (or had) a set of well-known issues that MUST be addressed before you have a solid baseline for further troubleshooting. It's a vintage bike, and it's quite common (as in, every single GS850 I have had contact with) that there are multiple problems that have crept up and slowly gotten worse over the years. It's not like a newer vehicle, where there's generally one problem at a time.

These common issues are:

1. Intake O-rings (install NEW OEM or Viton only - common nitrile O-rings will quickly deteriorate from heat)
2. Intake Boots (install NEW -- these cannot be repaired)
3. Valve clearances (more important than most people think)
4. Carb/airbox boots
5. Airbox sealing
6. Air filter sealing
7. Petcock (install a NEW one)
8. On '79 models, install new points or Dyna electronic ignition (or at least verify that the old points are working correctly)
9. On all models, it's fairly common to have problems with the spark plug caps. These are $3 or $4 each, and often worth replacing if you're keeping the stock coils/wires.
10. Stock exhaust with NO leaks or holes -- good seals at the head and at the junctions underneath.
***************************************
OEM Parts/Online Fiches:

I would definitely double and triple the recommendations to use Cycle Recycle II and Z1 Enterprises as much as possible. These guys are priceless resources. Z1 tends to have slightly better prices, CRC2 has a wider range of goodies available. If you're near Indy and can bring in an old part to match, CRC2 has a vast inventory of used parts.
http://denniskirk.com - Put in your bike model and see what they have.
http://oldbikebarn.com - seems to be slowly regaining a decent reputation, but it's still caveat emptor. They don't have anything you can't get elsewhere at a better price anyway.
http://www.babbittsonline.com/ - Decent parts prices. Spendy shipping. Don't give you part numbers at all. Useful cross-reference if you obtain a part number elsewhere. Efficient service.
http://bikebandit.com - Fastest. Middlin' prices. Uses their own parts numbering system to obfuscate price comparisons -- can be very confusing for large orders. Cheapest shipping, so total cost usually isn't too bad.
http://flatoutmotorcycles.com - Slow. Cheapest parts prices, crazy shipping costs. Don't expect progress updates or much communication. Real Suzuki part numbers.
http://alpha-sports.com - Exorbitant parts prices. Different type of fiche interface that's quite useful at times, especially with superceded part numbers. Real parts numbers. Shipping cost and speed unknown due to insane, unholy pricing.

Stainless Bolts, Viton o-rings, metric taps, dies, assorted hard-to-find supplies and materials, etc:

http://mcmaster.com - Fast, cheap shipping, good prices. No order minimum, but many items like bolts come in packs of 25 or 50. Excellent resource.
http://motorcycleseatcovers.com - Great quality, perfect fit (on original seat foam), and available for pretty much every bike ever made. Avoid the textured vinyl -- it's perforated.
http://newenough.com - You DO have riding gear, don't you? Great clearances, always outstanding prices and impeccable service.
***************End Quote**********************
Additional parts/info links:

GSR Forum member Mr. duaneage has great used upgraded Honda regulator/rectifiers for our bikes. Send him a PM.
New electrical parts:
http://stores.ebay.com/RMSTATOR or http://www.rmstator.com/
http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/index.php
http://www.electrosport.com/
For valve cover and breather cover gaskets, I recommend Real Gaskets (reusable silicon):
http://www.realgaskets.com
The Rice Paddy (salvage/used)
http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com
Carolina Cycle
http://www.carolinacycle.com
Ron Ayers Motorsports
http://www.ronayers.com
MR Cycles
http://www.mrcycles.com
Moto Grid
http://www.motogrid.com
If all else fails, try this:
http://www.used-motorcycle-parts.org/
Used bike buying checklists:
http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadride/Riderresc/checklist.asp
http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html
Lots of good info/pictures here:
http://www.suzukicycles.org
http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Motorcycle_Wiki

Basic motorcycle maintenance/repair:
http://www.dansmc.com/Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed of your progress. There's lots of good folk with good experience here.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)

 

[Grandpa]

There were no GS850G's imported into North America in 1985. Do check the date of manufacture. There were 1985 units for sale in Europe then.

The last model year a GS850G was imported was 1983, as the GS850GD.

Get a triple tree and front forks off any year 850G, 1000G, or 1100G and replace the front end. I agree with TheCafeKid's recommendation. They'll all interchange.

 

[Crazy 88]

Given the nature of the damage, I highly doubt the frame is bent. If, however, it is bent, how would that effect the handling and function of the motorcycle?

 

[BassCliff]

Given the nature of the damage, I highly doubt the frame is bent. If, however, it is bent, how would that effect the handling and function of the motorcycle?

Hi Mr. Crazy 88,

Personally, I like to ride in a straight line. It's hard to do that with a bent frame. Let's hope it's not. Do you have any pictures?

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[TheCafeKid]

Given the nature of the damage, I highly doubt the frame is bent. If, however, it is bent, how would that effect the handling and function of the motorcycle?

It would render it a shiney death trap...

 

[catbed]

w00t, '83 850!