New member - wanted one, ended up with two.

[obxGS1100]

Hey guys,

So I found a '80 GS750 for $300 about a month ago, knowing I'd have it in the shop for awhile before I could ride.

Time goes on and repairs keep piling up...I find out the thing was flooded in a hurricane, and that's why all this stuff is corroded and rusty (the clutch especially.) So I see an '81 GS1100 down the road that's in awesome condition for sale...turns out it's owned by the same guy who originally had the 750 before the next guy got it. He thinks it's great I've got his other bike too and he gives me a sweet deal on the 1100.

The 750 just got outta the shop today, and a buddy of mine is gonna buy it from me. I'm taking a bit of a hit after the cost of repairs selling it to him, but because of possible further damage going on in the bike because of the hurricane, I don't mind. The bike sounds amazing and runs well. One issue I found on the ride home...(I'm a complete newbie when it comes to motorcycle repair/maintenance so I'd love any suggestions) When downshifting and slowing down, the bike wants to die when I pull the clutch, but will stay alive if I give it a little throttle. I found this out coming off the highway onto a side street. There's a gasoline leak that's coming out of the carbs somewhere in the middle, but that only seemed to happen coming off highway speeds. Any thoughts? I had the carbs rebuilt in the shop...

The 1100 has been awesome to ride. The owner worked hard to keep everything original, so I'm hesitant to make many alterations apart from maybe the handlebars and light/gauges...so no frame chopping to make a cafe style rear. The only things I've noticed with this bike are that the head gasket has a small leak (which the owner said has been happening since he bought it, just not major enough to fix) and I think one of the exhaust header gaskets has a loose seal. I'm getting a kickback in the exhaust and I've noticed little puffs of smoke come out when I start it. Is an exhaust header gasket a reasonable fix for newbie to handle?

 

[jsandidge]

Wow, 2 nice bikes. Is that the Outer Banks you're in?

 

[obxGS1100]

Thanks! Got very lucky finding these...and the guy who had them spent a lot of time working on them and is a super nice dude. Has no problem answering my questions...though I'm trying not to bug him too often haha.

and yep I'm in kill devil hills on the outer banks...can't wait to ride down to Hatteras on a warmer day!

 

[jsandidge]

Thanks! Got very lucky finding these...and the guy who had them spent a lot of time working on them and is a super nice dude. Has no problem answering my questions...though I'm trying not to bug him too often haha.

and yep I'm in kill devil hills on the outer banks...can't wait to ride down to Hatteras on a warmer day!

A little longer ride for me, but I'm looking forward to the same thing!

 

[dorkburger]

Nice looking set. Welcome to the site.

 

[Rob S.]

...so no frame chopping to make a cafe style rear.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!


They're beautiful bikes...don't take a saw to them.

 

[suzukidude87]

Nice twins you have there.

 

[Guest]

Sure is a nice looking set of bikes there. Exhaust header gasket should be an easy fix if.... the nuts come off easily. Spray a bit of pblaster on them a day or so before trying to wrench them off. As for the carbs on the other bike there is lots of help here or on Basscliffes website. They are daunting at first but I would never trust mine to a bike shop these days. The mechanics that worked on these are retired now, and the new kids all work with fuel injection - plug in and replace. That is why we are here as a community to help you along.

 

[Chris G]

Nice pair of bikes

 

[chuck hahn]

First thing I would check for the diing issue is if the idle knob is turned in enough. May be as simple as that. If its idling a tad low they tend to fall off easily. For example, my 7750 idles smooth as silk right at 1,000 Rs..but the 1000s seems ti idle the smoothest around 1,200ish. Point being that each bike is its own unique thing.

Ask that shop if they adjusted the valves too. If they say no, then theres a potential weak spot thats gonna need attention. Did they replace all the orings in all the carbs? We have had techs actually admit to reusing the old ones and thats just not gonna work.

Now for some place thats gonna be invaluable as your learning about crabs and such. Look around here and see al the tutorials. You have CV style carbs and theres a great tutorial on them. Also in the carb section there is a STICKY at the top title CV CARB TUNING PROCEDURES...use that.

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

 

[Jedz123]

... Jealous...
They are gorgeous, especially the 1100! Great Find!

Do your usual valve clearance checks and learn the art of tearing into your own Carbs. I was fortunate to know an older gentleman that taught me how to properly jet and clean carburetors(I'm a hands on learner), I think I'm the only person my age in my area that knows how to pull, clean, sync and jet a rack. Knowing how to do all the maintenance on your GS is going to save you tons of money and time...

Welcome to the site! Always ask questions, everyone loves to put their 2 cents on here.

 

[obxGS1100]

thanks for the advice and compliments!

jsandidge - looks like you're in Norfolk? Shoot me a message if you head down this way!

 

[jsandidge]

thanks for the advice and compliments!

jsandidge - looks like you're in Norfolk? Shoot me a message if you head down this way!

Will do! Used to go down there all the time when I had my Jeep. Should be a good ride on the 850.

 

[megatwin]

I would let the shop check out the carbs,if you had just paid them to do them.

 

[Redman]

Welcome to GSR.

Thanks for introduction and the great picture.
Would be good for you to add something of a general location (does not have to be too specific) in your user profile. Also add your bike(s) model/year in signature line. THen those things show up in every post. Goto UserCP to do that.



Is that why they are both painted the same, because the same guy owned them at on time?

 

[Redman]

Exhaust - Header - Gasket.....

you mean where each exhaust pipe goes into the head? .. . .each one is separate .. Yes is a round, real thick, metal and fiber, gasket in each one. That will be a stock Suzuki part that is fairly common, used by many models and years. They are real thick, an suppose to turn the nuts on the flanges to a certian torque spec. Some folks just turn them till way too tight and smush the gasket way too much and then it leaks after a while, especially if then reused.
Or maybe it was not tight enough and now is leaking, maybe first try tightening up just a little, it does not need to fell like the bolt "bottoms out", it just needs to compress that big thick gasket some.
Other than that, no, not too difficult. If replacing the gasket, May have to take all the exhaust loose to get any pipe to clear the exhaust opening. Or maybe can pull that pipe from the other pipes below, but maybe easier to take all pipes loose of the bike and move all at once, than to pull one or two pipes away from the others ..... maybe, maybe not, never can tell with bolts and nuts that maybe have not been undone in decades, or were undone just a year ago and overtightened or otherwise messed up.
Oh, do yourself a favor, yourself or anyone else that works on it in the future... get some antiseize grease (little tube for a few bucks) and use just a little bit on every bolt thread you take apart. Just a little bit rubbed in between the threads near bottom of bolt will spread out and cover the threads. Years later, you can take out the bolt and you will say, wow that was a lot easier than before.

You mean where the exhaust pipes have come together and go into the other pipes. The pipes look stock to me (maybe coated), and if they are stock, Those gaskets would be called "connectors" (if like my G) on the zuki miocrofosche. BassCliff site has a tutorial about replacing those (he got pictures and description of that from some weird goofy guy here on the forum.).
( http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/ near bottom, column on right, 3rd from the bottom)
An old original stock "conector" that is leaking will not even look like it is something replaceable, is so hard and brittle that you might just think is the pipe itself. I think maybe the original 30+ years ago was some fibre (asbestos?) or mesh but now is full of carbon and is so hard it seem like a solid metallic. A new one is made of a metal mesh that doesn't look anything like the exisiting. The difficult part maybe getting the old ones out, may have to hack and scrape and pry, or look at the tutorial and see an easy way that goofy guy figured out.
And then is a tight fit to get back together.
If the pipes are not stock, well, then, I cant say.

Do post your location.

.



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[Redman]

http://www.alpha-sports.com/spst/1981 GS1100E/32.gif

just use above for general reference.

see the #2 [TABLE="width: 150"]
[TR]
[TD]14181-11010
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
those #6 are reuseable.



see the #7.[TABLE="width: 150"]
[TR]
[TD]14771-49001
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
If you are going to replace the #7s, also check out the condition of your clamps #8 right there.

this microfishe from this website/supplier ueses Suzuki part numbers ... and what must be full stock retail prices.


.

 

[Grimly]

Nice to see a pair in the One True Bike Colour
I always thought plain black suited these.