New GS1100G(K) owner from Colorado

[Guest]

Hello,

I just found a 1982 GS1100GK in good condition, ~15,000 miles and I am thrilled!





This is not my first bike from this era, had various Yamaha XS's, a naked Honda GL1100, Moto Guzzis and others, so I am familiar with the areas that need to be addressed: valve clearance, carbs, electrical, brakes (including brake lines), tires, etc.

Read lots of threads on this forum about these bikes and new ownership, got the shop manual and can't wait to go through the bike from front to back. I appreciate all the knowledge and willingness to help on this forum!

I very much love the looks of this model but the large fairing will be removed; will most likely keep the hard bags and luggage rack.

I live in Colorado between Denver and Boulder and ride in the mountains as much as I can.

 

[Redman]

Certainly looks like a very nice complete stock GK. I had to look for year and half to find one.

.....
............................ but the large fairing will be removed; ......
..............

What you find is that headlight (and t-signals and such) from a gs1100g will not fit. THe fork tubes are bigger and spaced further apart.

.

 

[scratch]

That's a pretty sharp find...

 

[Guest]

Certainly looks like a very nice complete stock GK. I had to look for year and half to find one.



What you find is that headlight (and t-signals and such) from a gs1100g will not fit. THe fork tubes are bigger and spaced further apart.

.

Yes, I used the search function and looked at ALL GS1100GK threads. One forum member used the original GS1100G headlight "ears" and a tailpipe expander to widen them for the thicker forks.

 

[Guest]

That's a pretty sharp find...

And the engine starts and runs nicely. No (visible) rust in the tank.

 

[Guest]

And the engine starts and runs nicely. No (visible) rust in the tank.

I bought it from the second owner. The title was from 1985. The clerk at the DMV had never seen a title like this; it looked ancient, only half the size of today's Colorado titles.

 

[Redman]

That is the most stock, all complete GK I have seen in years. Even has the original fairing mounted mirrors yet.

.

 

[Guest]

In regards to fitting new headlight- I got universal headlight brackets from ebay. They are multi fit 35-43mm, so no issue with fork tube thickness. Then fitted a round 7" universal motorcycle headlight. Cheers.

 

[scratch]

Realy digging those vintage Bosch driving lights mounted on the crash bars... it's an 80's time machine.

 

[Guest]

Hi,

I wasn't able to log in, had to register again, changed my user name from MtnManCO to MtnManCA as I ended up moving from Colorado to Clovis, California.

Attached is a picture of my 1982 GS1100GK after fairing removal and thoroughly going through all systems.

I am enjoying the warmer climate of Central California and the incredible beauty of the Sierra Nevada.

The bike runs very well most of the time, idles smoothly, accelerates strongly, occasionally it loses about half of its power, still runs but does not accelerate smoothly.

Yesterday it ran very well for the first ~20 miles, then things deteriorated and the engine stuttered/shuddered severely during acceleration for about 20 minutes and then suddenly went back to normal for the rest of the ride (about 30 minutes) as if a switch was flicked.

I hope I will understand one day what causes this behavior. The shuddering has happened before after ~15-20 miles but this is the first time the engine went back to normal. This was also the first longer ride.

Yesterday I suspected fuel starvation/poor tank venting. Opened the gas cap when the engine ran poorly; this did not help. Will go for another longer ride as soon as time permits to see if the intermittent issue comes back.

 

[ddaniels]

I must say, the naked GK looks pretty cool like that. Well done. I assume you've gone through all the electrical connections? If not, there may be a culprit in one of those somewhere. Either clean all of them or replace them with a spade type.

 

[Nessism]

A beauty for sure.

Maybe check the petcock and look for a kinked line somewhere?

 

[Guest]

Sorry for the late response and thank you for your input! The intermittent "shuddering" is still there. I can ride the bike for 100 miles and it performs flawlessly and runs strong and the next moment the engine seems to run out of gas.

Today the bike left me stranded in the mountains (we moved to Clovis, close to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Today, for the first time, the engine stalled and would not start again. There was no cell service. After I opened the tank vent and checked that there was gas in the clear fuel line I tried to start the bike again and it wouldn't start.

Switching the (new) petcock to PRI did not help.

10 minutes later it started and I was able to ride for ~10 miles, then it started running poorly again and the engine stalled again. Same scenario happened three times - after a 10 - 20 min waiting period the bike started again and I was able to make it home.

On the last leg of the trip the bike accelerated as strongly as always, was a pleasure to ride.

I will check the fuel flow through from the petcock. Why would fuel starvation be intermittent and why would the bike start after sitting for some time?

Thank you in advance!

 

[alke46]

Have you checked the coils? I've heard of coils behaving that way.

Usually when you think you have a fuel problem, it turns out to be electrical.

Good luck.

 

[zuluwiz]

First thing I always think of when I hear symptoms like that is the carb boots leaking air. Had much the same thing happen on my old GS1000G, and it was the carb-to-head boots had cracks. Should have replaced them but didnt have the green, so the mechanic smeared silicone sealer on the boots. It worked but I dont really recommend that.

 

[Guest]

Thank you, Larry!

The entire ignition system, including the coils, has been replaced with new parts, but the issue has not gone away.

I started a new thread to consolidate all the facts.

 

[alke46]

Thank you, Larry!

The entire ignition system, including the coils, has been replaced with new parts, but the issue has not gone away.

I started a new thread to consolidate all the facts.

Yes, my bad. I saw where you mentioned replacing the coils. Sorry

 

[Guest]

It looks like the issue is resolved!


Thanks again for all your input! I focused very much on fuel starvation. Removed the tank, tested the petcock in all three positions.

Started the bike without fuel supply to empty the float bowls. Reconnected tank, put petcock in PRI position. Did not see any fuel flowing in the clear fuel line.
It looks like the issue is resolved!


Removed tank again, thoroughly followed fuel line and saw it was kinked!! Rerouted and shortened it. Put petcock in PRI position again and this time I saw the clear part of the fuel line filling up with fuel.

Took 70 mile spirited test ride close to home in a cell phone reception area. Bike ran flawlessly and strong. First ride without any hesitation! Will do another test ride soon to confirm things and regain confidence in the reliability of this amazing bike!

 

[Guest]

Did another 80 test drive and the bike ran very well! Regaining confidence in the bike.

 

[Larry D]

Please keep track of those fairing mirrors. They are very difficult to find on their own.