New '80 GS850G Owner With Tons of Problems

[theprotege]

Hello Everyone,

I've been a lurking member for a few months now, but this is my first post. I purchased a 1980 Suzuki GS850G with approximately 15,000 miles (more on that later) from a guy with too many project bikes and a baby on the way for $750. Now that the it's starting to warm up a bit (relatively speaking for central Illinois), I'm trying to get the bike in shape before the spring sneaks up on me. I should also add that I'm planning on riding this bike to California and back at the end of August, so reliability is of utmost importance here. The previous owner painted the gas tank, put on new front and rear tires, claims to have rebuilt and cleaned the carbs, added a fairing, replaced the clutch cable, replaced all the brake pads, replaced oil, replaced all filters, replaced front fork seals and replaced fork oil, reupholstered the seat, and many other miscellaneous things.

I have been reading through the many articles on BassCliff's site, but am having trouble diagnosing many of the problems accurately to prevent replacing parts that aren't broke. Any advice on any of these problems would be greatly appreciated.

1.) The speedometer and odometer guage is broken and stuck at ~14,500 miles, so the actual bike mileage is difficult to estimate. The cable seems okay, but is there any way to replace just the single gauge or will I have to replace the entire cluster? If I replace the cluster, would you guys recommend rolling the odometer back to the approximate mileage (say 16,000) and informing a possible buyer of what happened?

2.) The left turn signal does not seem to work. If I switch the connections between the lights, the right turn signal doesn't work. Is the switch the most likely culprit here? Should I replace it, or is disassembly and cleaning likely and a doable process?

3.) Cylinder 3 appears to be running significantly cooler (but definitely running), does this indicate that the carb must be running rich? Am I due for a rebuild/rejetting?

4.) This is the baddie: the bike has completely erratic starting behavior. It's been somewhat hesitant to start due to the cold, but warming the engine up a bit with a space heater or propane torch seems to give it some motivation and it eventually fires up. But here is the mystery, if the engine is cold (not frozen due to Father Frost, simply at ambient temperature) the starter button seems to crank it and it eventually fires--with various numbers of attempts that seem to be affected by ambient temperature. However, once the engine warms up and the bike is shut off, pressing the start button does absolutely nothing. It does not crank AT ALL, the lights simply dim very slightly. But, here is the weird part, if I short the starter solenoid, the bike will fire up almost immediately. What could this possibly mean?

5.) there is a small outlet on the rear left (from rider's perspective) of the tank labelled "FUEL" that seems to dribble fuel, but only when the bike is on. How can I fix this?

6.) Has anyone ever tried constructing their own replacement side covers? My bike does not have any, and rather than spending $120 on ebay, I was considering fabricating some out of aluminum diamond plate.

I'm sorry about this very long winded message, and a rather demanding introduction, but I figured this would give you a little bit of insight into my ride.

Any help is GREATLY appreciated, and feel free to rag on me if it seems like I got suckered in this purchase. It is indeed my first motorcycle, but a few of my friends had great things to say about GSes and deemed this a safe buy for someone with moderate mechanical inclinations such as myself.

Cheers,
Damian

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

Good luck with your project

Hello Everyone,

I've been a lurking member for a few months now, but this is my first post. I purchased a 1980 Suzuki GS850G with approximately 15,000 miles (more on that later) from a guy with too many project bikes and a baby on the way for $750. Now that the it's starting to warm up a bit (relatively speaking for central Illinois), I'm trying to get the bike in shape before the spring sneaks up on me. I should also add that I'm planning on riding this bike to California and back at the end of August, so reliability is of utmost importance here. The previous owner painted the gas tank, put on new front and rear tires, claims to have rebuilt and cleaned the carbs, added a fairing, replaced the clutch cable, replaced all the brake pads, replaced oil, replaced all filters, replaced front fork seals and replaced fork oil, reupholstered the seat, and many other miscellaneous things.

I have been reading through the many articles on BassCliff's site, but am having trouble diagnosing many of the problems accurately to prevent replacing parts that aren't broke. Any advice on any of these problems would be greatly appreciated.

1.) The speedometer and odometer guage is broken and stuck at ~14,500 miles, so the actual bike mileage is difficult to estimate. The cable seems okay, but is there any way to replace just the single gauge or will I have to replace the entire cluster? If I replace the cluster, would you guys recommend rolling the odometer back to the approximate mileage (say 16,000) and informing a possible buyer of what happened?
Put the bike on the center stand, disconnect the speedo cable from the gauge & turn the front wheel You should see the cable turn IF not the cable is broken or the wheel adapter is bad

2.) The left turn signal does not seem to work. If I switch the connections between the lights, the right turn signal doesn't work. Is the switch the most likely culprit here? Should I replace it, or is disassembly and cleaning likely and a doable process?
Check all of the bulbs and the ground wires, try another flasher

3.) Cylinder 3 appears to be running significantly cooler (but definitely running), does this indicate that the carb must be running rich? Am I due for a rebuild/rejetting?
I would check the valve adjustment first then try a carb sync

4.) This is the baddie: the bike has completely erratic starting behavior. It's been somewhat hesitant to start due to the cold, but warming the engine up a bit with a space heater or propane torch seems to give it some motivation and it eventually fires up. But here is the mystery, if the engine is cold (not frozen due to Father Frost, simply at ambient temperature) the starter button seems to crank it and it eventually fires--with various numbers of attempts that seem to be affected by ambient temperature. However, once the engine warms up and the bike is shut off, pressing the start button does absolutely nothing. It does not crank AT ALL, the lights simply dim very slightly. But, here is the weird part, if I short the starter solenoid, the bike will fire up almost immediately. What could this possibly mean?
I would check the run switch on the rt switch assembly and the clutch saftey switch on the lever

5.) there is a small outlet on the rear left (from rider's perspective) of the tank labelled "FUEL" that seems to dribble fuel, but only when the bike is on. How can I fix this?
I would start by replacing the fuel line. If it still leaks you may need to replace the petcock

6.) Has anyone ever tried constructing their own replacement side covers? My bike does not have any, and rather than spending $120 on ebay, I was considering fabricating some out of aluminum diamond plate.
It is possible depends on your fab skills

I'm sorry about this very long winded message, and a rather demanding introduction, but I figured this would give you a little bit of insight into my ride.
We have to all start somewhere, You should also check the charging circuit
Any help is GREATLY appreciated, and feel free to rag on me if it seems like I got suckered in this purchase. It is indeed my first motorcycle, but a few of my friends had great things to say about GSes and deemed this a safe buy for someone with moderate mechanical inclinations such as myself.

Cheers,
Damian

 

[Guest]

You've just bought yourself one of the most dependable bikes around. Soundsl like it just needs some TLC and she'll serve you well. Sounds like you have some electical issue's possible with the hard starting and turn signal. I think you would do yourself well to clean and grease every connector and ground on the bike. Good advice to check the charging system as well, there are some very easy tutorials on here on exactly what to do. But I bet a wiring clean up will help wonders. Make sure you check the air filter, clean it and a mist of oil, only a mist. Basscliff will be along soon with a Megawelcome, follow his tutorials and advice as he has the same bike. There's a good tutorial on how to set the air and fuel mixture screws on his website. Well that's enough for the moment, good luck with it all and post often.

 

[tkent02]

Not too many problems, that's fairly typical for old bikes, even when they are advertised as "perfect" condition.

Go through the whole thing, start to finish, valve adjustment, brakes, electrical system, clean the carbs, just do everything on Cliff's list one by one, fix anything else you find, and you should be good to go any distance this summer.

 

[Steve]

Welcome, Damian.

Nice bike. Sounds like the previous owner is getting a good deal on a kid:

... and a baby on the way for $750.

:-\\\

Sounds like many of the normal "issues" have been taken care of before you got it, but it won't hurt, especially with your RIDE in mind.

You also have some good advice from another 850 rider there, SqDancerLynn, just one thing was left out.
Which cylinder are you calling "#3"? The cylinders are numbered from left to right, as you sit on the bike.
That means that #1 is under your clutch hand and #4 is under your throttle hand.

Also, when you go looking for parts, you don't have an 850G, you have an 850GL.

Speaking of parts, if you were inclined to spend anywhere near $120 for your side panels on eBay, you would be better off getting NEW ones. They are $47 (and change) each, plus another $20 for the emblems, then a couple more bucks for the grommets and clips that hold the emblems on. That includes paint, by the way.

.

 

[KitKat]

looks like an "L" model to me

 

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. theprotege,

I've seen side covers made with various triangle-shaped plastic bits as well as diamond plate. Though I don't know what's holding them on.

I would add to the other suggestions by saying clean all electrical connections and grounds on the entire wiring harness, from the headlight bucket to the tail light, including the fuse box and blinker stalks. Also consider the "coil relay mod" and connect the ground wire from your r/r directly to the negative terminal of the battery. You might want to try a good dose of Sea Foam in a tank of gas to see if it can get the carbs a little cleaner. If not, well, you know the drill by now. By "check the charging circuit" Lynn means go through The Stator Papers (link in your "mega-welcome"). Now, I just can't put it off any longer. Even though you've seen my site I just can't help myself.....Don't try to stop me!.....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[KitKat]

am i missing something... he's got "G" wheels, "L" forks ( i think ) and an "L" frame it looks like...

or am i just completely wrong

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Those are the same wheels I have on my 1980 GS850G. This is an "L" model with different handlebars and mirrors. Everything else says "L"; leading axle front forks, smaller fuel tank, chrome fenders, stepped seat, trumpet flared exhaust, etc. It's a decent looking bike.

All the headers are gold. Seems it's been running rich.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[theprotege]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I had no idea this was a "GL." The previous owner seemed very diligent about his motorcycles, and had several other cafe/track projects in the garage, which was very well equipped, might I add. He wanted to turn this into a rat bike, but, as previously mentioned, his wife was not all too happy about taking care of 4 children (including her husband) and 5 motorcycles, which at least didn't tick me off as someone trying to pawn off a project that was unfinishable.

The title designates this as a 1980 GS850G, could it be that someone went through all this trouble to swap so many parts from a "GL?"

BassCliff, thank you so much for the Mega Welcome. I was hoping you wouldn't omit me. Your site has been invaluable to me, and I selfishly tried to download every single article to my hard drive in fear that at the time I need it most it might no longer be there.

Now, going back to my list of issues:

1.) The speedometer cable is definitely fine, I checked that yesterday. The needle in the guage is broken and the odometer simply will not budge. Does anyone have any input on the idea of rolling a replacement odometer back to an approximate mileage of the bike? I feel like it would be more difficult to convince a future buyer that the bike has ~16,000 miles when the odometer reads (hypothetically) 40,000, than to admit that a replacement odometer was purchased and show him copies of the titles at the time of registration.

2.) I've already started going through all the connectors, and cleaned off all the grounds and leads I could easily follow to and from the battery. The remaining connections and harnesses are getting their due attention soon. I'm slightly worried about the integrity of the plastics once I try disassembling switches and what-not.

3.) Having never owned an engine that was not fuel injected, is carburetor maintenance something I could accurately do with common tools and without ruining the engine or would you recommend a n00b such as myself recruit a carburator veteran? And BassCliff, it is indeed cylinder #3 using the convention you mention. I wasn't aware that the gold tint on the header indicated richness in the mixture. Does this mean it's been running rich for a long time? Is there possible damage I should inspect for? The previous owner replaced the plugs and wires, mentioning he went up to slightly hotter plugs for a reason I cannot recall, but I couldn't judge if they were fouled because of the "newness." Should I return to stock-rated spark plugs?

4.) The starting problem is EXTREMELY frustrating, as it's gotten me stranded on a few occasions when I'd shut off the bike and had to wait for the engine to cool completely since I didn't have anything to short the starter solenoid with. It seems like a switch problem, but I cannot justify why it only occurs on a hot engine.

5.) The petcock was completely rebuilt and replaced by the previous owner, so it must be a fuel line somewhere. I couldn't find any seal failures at connection points, and wasn't sure why the fuel was dribbling out of the exterior part of that outlet I previously mentioned.

6.) BassCliff, where can I purchase new side covers for $47? Is that a price you're quoting for a set? I did some eBay hunting and it seems everyone prices them at about $60 each.

 

[tkent02]

Does anyone have any input on the idea of rolling a replacement odometer back to an approximate mileage of the bike? I feel like it would be more difficult to convince a future buyer that the bike has ~16,000 miles when the odometer reads (hypothetically) 40,000, than to admit that a replacement odometer was purchased and show him copies of the titles at the time of registration.

Nobody believes odometers on old bikes anyway, if you trust the seller you can assume the miles are as he says, if you don't trust him it's just another unknown variable. It's a five minute job to swap speedos, commonly done as they fail or get smashed in a fall quite often. Keep the old one, explain when you swapped it, the new buyer will believe you or he will not.

3.) Having never owned an engine that was not fuel injected, is carburetor maintenance something I could accurately do with common tools and without ruining the engine or would you recommend a n00b such as myself recruit a carburator veteran? And BassCliff, it is indeed cylinder #3 using the convention you mention. I wasn't aware that the gold tint on the header indicated richness in the mixture. Does this mean it's been running rich for a long time? Is there possible damage I should inspect for? The previous owner replaced the plugs and wires, mentioning he went up to slightly hotter plugs for a reason I cannot recall, but I couldn't judge if they were fouled because of the "newness." Should I return to stock-rated spark plugs?

It's a DIY thing, not that much to it in most cases. If someone lives near you they might help with the first one, if not, no big deal. Turning color means the exhaust is too hot, it can be ignition timing, fuel mixture but most likely fuel mixture. Too lean generally causes blue or purple pipes, the gold is just a little too hot, could be slightly lean or could be fuel burning inside the pipe from being too rich. No big deal there either. On a stock engine, changing spark plug heat ranges is usually a band aid, used to hide another problem such as being too rich. A hotter plug may run a while longer before fouling. Fix the real problem and run the correct plug.

4.) The starting problem is EXTREMELY frustrating, as it's gotten me stranded on a few occasions when I'd shut off the bike and had to wait for the engine to cool completely since I didn't have anything to short the starter solenoid with. It seems like a switch problem, but I cannot justify why it only occurs on a hot engine.

Go through every wire connection that has anything to do with starting or charging, go through all of it from the switches on the clutch, the start button, connections on the starter and the battery. Slightly corroded wiring or crud in the switches can do this, as can poor grounds. Start by cleaning everything around the solenoid. At some point you will find the culprit. Most likely it's a compilation of several little problems. Carry one of those remote starter switches on your rides until you find the problem.

5.) The petcock was completely rebuilt and replaced by the previous owner, so it must be a fuel line somewhere. I couldn't find any seal failures at connection points, and wasn't sure why the fuel was dribbling out of the exterior part of that outlet I previously mentioned.

He obviously missed something, petcocks are very simple. Sometimes the rebuild kits don't fit correctly, sometimes the petcock body is too corroded inside to seal up even with new parts. If that is the case just replace the petcock. Leaking fuel is not a good thing to have between your legs at high speed.

It will be a nice bike once you get it sorted.

 

[Steve]

I had no idea this was a "GL." ... The title designates this as a 1980 GS850G, could it be that someone went through all this trouble to swap so many parts from a "GL?" ...

Not likely. The list of differences includes different forks, different headlight, different gauges, different gas tank, different seat, different fenders (front and rear), different tail light and different mufflers. Many of these items have different mounting points than the G, that means there is a different frame holding them all together. If your serial number on the frame matches what's on the title, the error is on the title, not the bike.

6.) BassCliff, where can I purchase new side covers for $47? Is that a price you're quoting for a set? I did some eBay hunting and it seems everyone prices them at about $60 each.

BassCliff might and might not know, it was I who mentioned the covers for $47.

Have you read the part in BassCliff site where he mentions Vendors? He has a nice list of them and has comments about most of them. I have not looked at his list lately to see how it compares to mine, but here is my list, along with the price for the right side cover (Suzuki part number 47111-45300-10U, the left one is usually the same price):

Alpha Sports 65.93
Babbittsonline 48.30
Bike Bandit 60.38
Carolina Cycle 47.82
Cycle Parts Nation 47.10
CYCLE-RE-CYCLE (no body parts)
Full throttle 60.38
Motogrid 51.32
MR Cycles 53.62
PartShark 48.98
Partsnmore (no body parts)
Ron Ayers (no body parts)
Z1 Enterprises (you have to call them for stuff not shown on website)

For your convenience each of the names above is a link to the site. The side covers are listed on the "FRAME COVER" fiche. Along with the side covers, you will need the emblems (about $18-22 on most of the sites), the clips that hold the emblems in place, the rubber grommets to hold the covers to the frame and the cushions that the top of the cover rests on.

.

 

[Guest]

I've got a black left side cover here (minus emblem) i'll let you have for the cost to ship it to you.... PM me if you want it.

 

[Guest]

I forgot to add that it is for a GL, it was on my G when i bought it....

 

[theprotege]

Wow!

You guys are simply incredible. During my lurking period I've noticed how incredibly knowledgeable everybody here was, but I was not expecting this immense of a support! Thanks again to everyone for every last bit of advice. For the first time in a week, since I've started to diagnose my bike, I feel like I might NOT be in over my head. So a Mega Thanks to all again!

Steve, my apologies for misattributing the tip. I'd glanced through those sites, but didn't find the side covers because I didn't know to look under "Frame Cover." Thanks to KingOfVenus, hopefully I'll only need one, now!

 

[Buster-boy]

The easiest way to tell the diff between a G and a GL is by the seat and/or handle bars. A G seat is almost flat/straight whereas a GL seat is lower in the front than the rear. I'm talking OEM seats here. GL handlebars are higher and the hand grips are bent a little more downward.

Most body parts are not compatible between the G & GL because of the frame styles. You can do a parts XREF on Babbits.com online OEM parts finder.

If you're looking for parts try Stockers and/or Tri County Motorcycle Salvage. They'll usually have what you need. Or try www.uneedapart.com That's a MC salvage yard search engine. Fill out the form, submit it, and anyone that subscribes will email you if you have the part.

Good luck and happy riding!!

Jim

 

[Steve]

Steve, my apologies for misattributing the tip. I'd glanced through those sites, but didn't find the side covers because I didn't know to look under "Frame Cover." Thanks to KingOfVenus, hopefully I'll only need one, now!

No problem. As you have found, there are times where the amount of information can almost overwhelm you into mis-remembering things.

Keep track of those vendor sites, read BassCliff's comments on them. Basically, Alpha Sports has a very nice search engine to find the parts, but they also have the most expensive prices, by far. In fact, they are often above 'retail' prices. In the case of your side cover, 'retail' is 60.38, Alpha charges 65.93. Next most expensive (but rather reasonable shipping costs and speed) is Bike Bandit. Bike Bandit is unique in that they are the only ones that don't use Suzuki part numbers, but have their own system, which makes it harder to cross-reference some stuff. Babbitt's and Motogrid have a nice reverse-search feature that will also tell you all the other models that use that particular part. The three I have found to be consistently the least expensive are Babbitt's, Cycle Parts Nation and PartShark. In the case of your side cover, however, Babbitt's is among the expensive ones, which only points out that you have to shop them all, every time you shop. When I am looking for several parts, like I had to do recently when shopping for "Freebie", I actually make a spreadsheet that lists all the prices from all the vendors, then go with the one that is best overall. Surprisingly, it's not always the same vendor.

Nice that the "King" has a cover for you, now you can get all the other stuff to match.

.

 

[waterman]

It could be possible that your starter switch relay, solenoid as you call it, is weak. I had a bike that was reluctant to start and I knew the battery and electrical connections were in good shape. I had a spare on the shelf and it solve my problem.

Welcome to the forum, we always need more members.

 

[Guest]

The local dealer here has jacked up there prices so much that they are very close to Alpha's. I told them i won't be buying anything from them anymore. I always liked to throw a bone or two they're way because twenty years ago i worked at one but....