New Illinois (Soon to be New Mexico) Member - GS650G

[jswhite]

Hi All,
I'm Justin and I just purchased my first street bike after wanting one forever!
Its a 1981 GS650G
I passed the motorcycle exam and bought it last night. It has 21,000 miles on it and I got it for $1,000, so I already know that I will have to get my hands dirty soon enough.

Have a few questions for you all...
1. It has IRC tires on it, which the guy at the shop said are super cheap and arent worthy for the freeway, is this true? Do I really need to get different tires before hitting the freeway?
2. Where can I find a print version of the factory service manual? I know the Clymer manual is out there but was hoping to get the full FSM.
3. I am hoping to clean up the rims, cause the powder coating looks like it was sitting outside for a while. Any suggestions on how to clean the rim's off?

I know I will need to do the front brakes, the fluid is dark brown. Which means I probably need to do the rear brakes too, and replace the lines.
I believe the front rotor is warped due to surging in the brakes, so I will have to check replace that.
Dont know when the shaft drive oil was changed, and it looks like there is a little fuel coming out from the carbs so maybe the floats are mis-adjusted, while i'm in there it would probably be good to check valve clearance too. The last owner put seafoam in the gas, I was told that this was bad for motorcycles so I siphoned it out and replaced the gas.

It runs and I'm just stoked to have a running bike!
I'm in Central Illinois but moving to Albuquerque NM in a month, and NM people out there!

Justin

 

[jswhite]

Here is another shot!

 

[Burque73]

Hey Justin. You're going to like it here. Pretty much year round riding weather, especially if you throw some heated grips on that bike.

Some of us use seafoam occasionally and it doesn't hurt anything. I use either that or startron enzyme treatment a few times a year. Usually in winter when the bike may sit a week or two.

The tires have a date code on them. If they're really old, say 5+ years then you should put new ones on. Google how to find a date on MC tires.

Look up posts by member Admiral Beez. He's been searching for a 650 for a long time and has had great QandA posts in various threads.

Don't take anything the P.O. said as gospel truth about the bike, unless you knew them well. Look up top 10 newbie mistakes by Nessism, read the very first post and each one after.

I'm on a mobile phone right now otherwise I'd post links to these things. You've found a tremendous forum for GS bikes and I'd like to welcome you aboard.

Look me up when you get here.

Cheers!

 

[GSXR7ED]

Great Lookin' Bike!

Great Lookin' Bike!

Welcome Justin,

Nice bike!

I'd get new tires if they look questionable...I would check the manufacture date too. Here's the link to find your bike's manual:

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

I used rubbing alcohol & q-tips when I was cleaning the grime off my bike...but others may suggest something else.

Definitely do the brake rebuild and get braided lines. You've got lots of work to do including changing the gear oil on that shaftie.


Ed


EDIT: Roger is a member here from ABQ and MrBill is down in Las Cruces.

 

[Redman]

Justin, Welcome to GSR.

Do get in touch with Roger Burque.

Do change the final drive gear oil (80-90 weight). Just the final drive (some call pumpkin) is what needs to be changed for the shaft drive of a 650. The 650G doesnt have a seperate front (secondary) gear box, all the other Gs do. THe 650 the secondary gears are in engine oil along with the transmission.

Yes, do check valve clearence. SHould do every 3 or 4 thousand miles. THe GSes has quite a narrow specification for the valve clearence. If let go too long, as the valve wears, it can lead to hard starting and then to a burnt valve.

Do change the brake fluid at least, even if you dont change the brake lines.

Even cheap tires these days are as good or better than tires 35 years ago. So not too concerend about what brand to be suitable for highway. WOuld be concerned about how old the tires are. Learn about the date code on tires.

If you do change the rear tire, do learn about the spline/hub in the rear wheel. It should be inspected and lubed while have the rear wheel off.

When you mention moving from IL to NM, and mentioned "before go on highway", you intending to ride the bike for the move.....?
If so, you may want to go for a 2 hour ride, before you go for a 2 day ride.

 

[jswhite]

Hey Justin. You're going to like it here. Pretty much year round riding weather, especially if you throw some heated grips on that bike.

Some of us use seafoam occasionally and it doesn't hurt anything. I use either that or startron enzyme treatment a few times a year. Usually in winter when the bike may sit a week or two.

The tires have a date code on them. If they're really old, say 5+ years then you should put new ones on. Google how to find a date on MC tires.

Look up posts by member Admiral Bees. He's been searching for a 650 for a long time and has had great QandA posts in various threads.

Don't take anything the P.O. said as gospel truth about the bike, unless you knew them well. Look up top 10 newbie mistakes by Nessism, read the very first post and each one after.

I'm on a mobile phone right now otherwise I'd post links to these things. You've found a tremendous forum for GS bikes and I'd like to welcome you aboard.

Look me up when you get here.

Cheers!

Thank you, I appreciate the info! I'm looking forward to cruising around those roads!
I Checked the tires and looks like they were made in 03'/04', so over 10 years old at this point

I'll shoot you a PM when I get in town.

 

[jswhite]

Welcome Justin,

Nice bike!

I'd get new tires if they look questionable...I would check the manufacture date too. Here's the link to find your bike's manual:

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

I used rubbing alcohol & q-tips when I was cleaning the grime off my bike...but others may suggest something else.

Definitely do the brake rebuild and get braided lines. You've got lots of work to do including changing the gear oil on that shaftie.


Ed


EDIT: Roger is a member here from ABQ and MrBill is down in Las Cruces.

Manual downloaded, and yea, looks like the tires are over 10 years old at this point so I will have to get some new ones on there. I'm just excited to have a solid foundation of a bike to start with.
Thank you for for the advice on cleaning, I will be trying that on Thursday after seeing if I can get a rebuild kit for the front brakes from a local Motorcycle Shop.

 

[jswhite]

Welcome to GSR.

Do get in touch with Roger Burque.

Do change the final drive gear oil (80-90 weight). Just the final drive (some call pumpkin) is what needs to be changed for the shaft drive. The 650G doesnt have a seperate front (secondary) gear box, all the other Gs do. THe 650 the secondary gears are in engine oil along with the transmission.

Yes, do check valve clearence. SHould do every 3 or 4 thousand miles. THe GSes has quite a narrow specification for the valve clearence. If let go too long, as the valve wears, it can lead to hard starting and then to a burnt valve.

Do change the brake fluid at least, even if you dont change the brake lines.

Even cheap tires these days are as good or better than tires 35 years ago. So not too concerend about what brand to be suitable for highway. WOuld be concerned about how old the tires are. Learn about the date code on tires.

If you do change the rear tire, do learn about the spline/hub in the rear wheel. It should be inspected and lubed.

When you mention moving from IL to NM, and mentioned before go on highway, you intending to ride the bike for the move.....?

Ahh, I was wondering what this secondary gearbox I was seeing in the forum was! Good to know that I'm not missing something major.
On the valve note, I will need to get some feelers for this.

No I will not be riding the bike for the move, but I am hoping to do a road trip with it soon after... So I need to start on these ASAP to make sure it is running perfect for the trip. I can always take my truck, but would prefer to take the bike

I have a bit of a laundry list going now. Gear Oil, Engine Oil, Tires, Front Brake assembly, Carb Clean, and Valve Clearance check. Any suggestions on priorities? Start internal with the valves and work my way out to the tires?

 

[Redman]

On valves: Spec clearance is 0.03 - 0.08mm which is 0.0012 - 0.0032 inches.
So if get feeler guages that are in inches will want a 0.001 and a 0.003. If cant get the 0.001 in there, then need to go to smaller shim.
Will need the valve compression tool (less than $20) to swap out the shim (or is a way to get by without one).
Steve will probably be along and offer his spreadsheet for keeping track of which you might change.

Of your laundry list, I would say should all be done. If safety is your concern then the tires and brake fluid first. For general maintenance, the oil change is first.

 

[dorkburger]

Justin, welcome. Looks like you've found a solid bike to start with, and good to see that you're looking to get the maintenance up to date before putting it into regular use. It really pays off in the long run.

Roger has posted some wonderful pictures of riding in his part of the world. Enjoy.

 

[Burque73]

There are many amenities in NM for riders that's for sure. Also several GSR member's in this little town, not to mention others in surrounding areas. We meet up on occasion, hopefully more frequently in the future.

Also when looking for tools, parts or if you need to swap a shim or two (guess that falls under parts) local member's are great to keep in touch with.

Happy wrenching, Justin, and hopefully very soon you'll get to enjoy your new ride!

 

[ddaniels]

Welcome to the forum. You should also go through the electrical and check all the connections. Either clean the connectors or replace them with good "spade" type connectors. They can overheat and wires can melt if they get corroded. Just follow the wiring harness and wherever there is a connector, check it out. Don't forget inside the headlight bucket too.

 

[Gorminrider]

Hi,Justin!
Nice 650!
hmm- is that a steel front fender? it kind of looks to be- Mine's plastic...I have an 82 so naturally yours is interesting...you have older tube-type rims so picking tires will be a bit of a question - there's opinions here that a tubeless tire will work without a tube on those rims with a mod to the valve but whatever does fit will definitely work fine with a tube....