Mechanic says its time to let go of '81 GS750EX

[SamSeattle]

Hey all,

I bought my '81 GS 750EX in fall 2008. I've put about 10,000 miles on it (just over 28000 on the bike altogether) mostly commuting around town (Seattle). Aside from regular oil changes, spark plugs, chain maintenance, tires and brakes, I haven't done any work on it. It's been pretty reliable, and though I mostly stay off the road in the winter, I keep it garaged and manage to get out at least a dozen or so days during the rainy season.

Last October I dislocated my shoulder (non-bike related injury) and didn't ride again until late spring. I had started it up a few times while I was rehabing the shoulder, but never got out and rode.

When I took it out for the first time this spring, I got about 10 minutes from home, came to a stop sign and the bike died. It wouldn't start back up. I had a physical therapy appointment for the shoulder to get to, so I left it on the side of the road and came back an hour and a half later. It fired up and barely made it home before dying in the drive way. I drained the gas and put new gas in and checked the fuel filter, which appeared fine. The new gas seemed to do the trick. I rode every day for about two weeks. The idle seemed a little high but I wasn't too worried about it.

And then about a week ago on a 90-degree day I went to start it up and it didn't want to start. When it did finally start, it sounded really rough - blatty, uneven. I started it yesterday and at first it didn't sound bad. I took it around the block and it started running rougher and rougher. It wanted to die when I came to a stop and to prevent it from doing so I had to give it a fair amount of gas. I was maybe 5 minutes away from home coming up a hill when it started sounding really terrible (blatty, again) and lost compression. No response from the throttle or choke. It died part way up the hill, and then wouldn't start again. It is still a few blocks over, and I'll be picking it up when my buddy shows up with the trailer in a few.

Called a mechanic I've not dealt with before (Dan @ http://budgetcycleservice.com/) because my regular guy (Mike Lee of Maple Leaf Scooter) is MIA. (Anyone know Mike? Or heard from him? His phone is disconnected...). When I told Dan what was going on he said he wanted no part of it; said I was likely to end up owing much more than the bike's likely worth. Air leaks; float valve needles; carb cleaning; rust in the gas tank etc. etc. Last I checked the tank was clean, and the gas I drained back in May came out particle-free.

I'm hoping that its just fouled spark plugs. I'm a ****-poor mechanic but I've done my own regular maintenance and I've got the Suzuki shop manual that came with the bike. I'm wondering how deep in the **** I might be. Any advice is welcome, and any second opinions that might confirm or contradict Dan's suggestion to move on to a new bike.

 

[GS1150Pilot]

I hate lame @ss mechanics.

Assess fuel and spark.

Is fuel getting both to the carbs-and to the combustion chamber. If so, is it the correct amount?

Is there spark to create combustion.

It's probably time to check valve adjustment, too, and check the charging system for its health.

 

[hillsy]

I hate lame @ss mechanics.

He's just telling it like it is - many a time I've had to have the same conversation with people bringing non-running old bikes into our shop to make sure they realised they were probably going to have to empty their wallet to get their bike going again.

 

[SamSeattle]

Welp, put the bike on the trailer and by the time I got to the house (maybe 10 minutes) THIS massive oil spill had pooled beneath it.

There is no oil in the garage where I've kept the bike, and the quantity here suggests something catastrophic. I can't yet identify the leak and haven't pulled the plugs yet, but I wonder now if its even worth it, given the size of this oil slick that just poured out of it.

 

[dorkburger]

If it (the oil) smells like gas, it could be a failed petcock. Might explain some of the running issues as well.

 

[SamSeattle]

The oil does smell like gas. With the bike on the center stand, no more drips and nothing when I try to start it up. It did start, for a second, but as soon as I let off the gas it died. I'm starting with the fuel system and working down from there.

 

[dorkburger]

If the vacuum petcock fails, it will allow fuel to leak down the vacuum hose and into the cylinder then crankcase. Change the oil before moving forward. The oil level will be really high if gas drained into it, another tell tale sign of petcock failure.

 

[Guest]

If it (the oil) smells like gas, it could be a failed petcock. Might explain some of the running issues as well.

+1 Your petcock may have allowed fuel to enter your crankcase. The oil has gotten so thin that it can get past oil seals. Disconnect the fuel hose from the petcock and see if it is dripping. It .may not be as catastrophic as it sounds. A new petcock, oil and filter change and you may be good to go.

 

[Nessism]

Hate to say it but 35 year old motorcycles are best owned by folks that wrench for themselves. I'd get something newer.

 

[GS1150Pilot]

+1 Your petcock may have allowed fuel to enter your crankcase. The oil has gotten so thin that it can get past oil seals. Disconnect the fuel hose from the petcock and see if it is dripping. It .may not be as catastrophic as it sounds. A new petcock, oil and filter change and you may be good to go.

Plus valve adjustment!

 

[dorkburger]

Hate to say it but 35 year old motorcycles are best owned by folks that wrench for themselves. I'd get something newer.

Truth..... however, if you're willing to listen and learn, this is the place.

 

[Guest]

Don't call a bike mechanic again unless you need a tire mounted or something. It's the petcock as has been said. Get a new petcock, change oil and see if it runs better. Run the seafoam or I like a heavy dose of Berrymans B-12 Cleaner (this is what you pour in tank) and get out and ride her.

 

[Sandy]

Hate to say it but 35 year old motorcycles are best owned by folks that wrench for themselves. I'd get something newer.

What he said. Most mechanics nowadays weren't even born when these bikes were around and if it isn't fuel injected and electronic they haven't got a clue.

 

[roeme]

Hate to say it but 35 year old motorcycles are best owned by folks that wrench for themselves. I'd get something newer.

As others agreed; this is very much true.

Either you wrench, or spend.

 

[BigD_83]

Either you wrench, or spend.

Sometimes you have to do both, but for a bike that has been dead reliable up until what is likely a failed petcock, I can't see anything majorly wrong happening, and it's not likely you are looking at a tear-down.

Do you have the space and time to work on it?

 

[Nessism]

When was the last valve adjustment? Brake fluid change out? Clean the air filter? Chain and tire condition? Steering head and swingarm bearings? Charging system?

Preventive maintenance is what keeps our bikes from breaking down on the road. The things I mention here are but a few. It's crazy to just jump on a 35 year old bike and ride without performing the basic maintenance as called out in the service manual.

 

[2BRacing]

Perhaps the OP should ask if there are other GSR members living in his area, so that a knowledgeable member can take a look at his bike to determine what is wrong, and then guide him through the maintenance tasks, allowing him to learn.

 

[roeme]

Yeah; maybe that sounded a bit too harsh, I admit.

Re-reading the symptoms; I concur with the majority of opinions here; this reads like a failed petcock. Not a huge task to rectify, can be done on the sidewalk if necessary.

But in the long term you do have to prepare yourself to do most stuff on the bike yourself, and more importantly, get personal with the bike. This also allows you to order a shop/mechanic to do specific tasks; for which they/he can quote a realistic, if not reasonable price. It is exactly that – and more importantly, the GSR – which allowed me as a complete novice to both riding and vehicle mechanics to start out with a bike that is older than me: I could/can outsource anything beyond my current capabilities/equipment, and do the rest by myself.

The mechanic was doing you a favor by refusing to dig into the unknown (at least, unknown to him); if instead you'd asked him to adjust the valves, he much more likely would've done it.

Also, you will inevitably spend more on the bike than its worth; regular maintenance and deprecation* will take care of that (though this is true of any bike).

*Highly subjective

 

[eil]

Fixing the root cause is easy, just replace the petcock and change the oil. However, I can tell you exactly why the mechanic wanted no part of this.

If the bike was running on thinned-out oil for a long time, there's no telling what damage was done to the engine internally. In the best case, no serious damage was done and you'll just have to rebuild the engine at 90,000 miles instead of 100,000 miles (to pull figures out of thin air). In the worst case, your pistons and cylinders are shot, crankshaft bearings have spun, and the camshaft lobes are scored. Your engine is probably somewhere in the middle but you won't know where without a complete tear-down and inspection of the engine.

 

[Matt-Indiana]

There is only one mechanic within 50 miles of me here in Bedford Indiana that will even look at my '79 gs. They just don't want to do the work and then get stuck with a old bike they can't sale for enough money to get what they are owed when the customer can't or won't pay the bill. As frustrating as it is, I understand their reasoning. I even offered to pre-pay a few hundred bucks to get them started, but they didn't want the next guy to be like "but you did his bike".