New to the GS engine!

[DenwayCC_]

Hey guys. A couple years back I purchased myself a 1984 GS650e - and it's been in storage. It was apparently running before the previous owner played around with it.

I've pissed about working on bikes in the past, and I would like to start getting my GS up to scratch. It's had some tinkering done in the past, so before anything I'll have to aim to get it running in all stock form before I piss about with any pod filters and rejetting etc, so I'll keep it basic to start with. I've ordered a set of 650 carbs that I believe are stock, and a 650 loom to undo some electrical gremlins someone has done to the poor old thing. I have a workshop manual which is handy, so repairing and steps to repair should be straight forward. I have to guess the rest of the parts will work, but I'll cross those bridges when I come to them.

What I'm aiming for is some input from some of you GS gurus on where I should focus some of my time for engine longevity. For example, when working on my CX500, there was a common maintenance task dubbed "triple bypass", where you sort out camchain, stator and mechanical seal. Ironically it's something I wish I knew before I started building it as I did the stator, but I haven't touched the rest, and it sits in my mind while riding, knowing my poor camchain may give up any time soon. But I don't want to work on the engine yet, as I'm afraid it may not find its way back into the bike for too long and I won't ride anything anymore!

So.. Do you guys in the GS community have a similar list of things you do to rejuvenate your engines? I currently don't have any photos of the GS in particular, but it's a pretty sound bike.

Thanks, Jim. PS - I doubt this will be the only question I'll be asking and I'll be back with more..
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[Big T]

If it was stored for some years, all of the rubber bits are questionable.
there's a technical forum down below for every imaginable issue.
You should reference the Bikecliff website for all sorts of technical info, including replacing the rubber bits in the camchain tensioner
https://gsarchive.bwringer.com/

​​​​​​​Welcome aboard and good wrenching!

 

[DenwayCC_]

If it was stored for some years, all of the rubber bits are questionable.
there's a technical forum down below for every imaginable issue.
You should reference the Bikecliff website for all sorts of technical info, including replacing the rubber bits in the camchain tensioner
https://gsarchive.bwringer.com/

​​​​​​​Welcome aboard and good wrenching!

Cheers mate. Yep I'll er on the side of caution regarding the carb boots etc. Thanks for the link I appreciate it.

 

[gtem]

Thankfully, unlike the CX500s which as you note have a number of achilles heels, the GS motors are largely quite robust mechanically, their one weak spot is definitely the charging system. Very well documented on this site with ways to update the rectifier/regulator, etc. Thankfully the GS motors are vastly easier to work on, you're not dropping an engine to replace a stator!

 

[850 Combat]

The E model does not have a plane bearing bottom end I don't believe. The G model (shaft drive) does. I think the ball bearing bottom end provides additional tolerance of neglect and abuse. At least all the 850s and 1000s I've had seemed pretty impervious to abuse. As to getting it running, there are the carb leaks at the heads. Last I bought the carb mounts and O rings were expensive. You need O rings at the very least. Carb cleaning & a valve adjustment are needed to begin. I've personally had trouble dismantling a set of carbs on one GS1000G. Normally I don't. Once experienced a clogged air passage in a GS1100G engine that I didn't find right away. My dad bought a Honda CX500 when they were introduced. He liked it ok, then he bought a Suzuki Savage. He didn't like the riding position and bought a Honda GB500 to replace it. He didn't like that riding position either, so he bought a Honda Ascot 500 single. He stuck with that one. Good luck with the Suzuki. You will want to add grounds for the electrical, clean some connectors, and upgrade the Regulator/Rectifier. The new types are a big improvement. I've upgraded all of mine to old Gold Wing rectifiers & Regulators. Haven't had issues with them, so I haven't switched to the newer better type. Except for the heads I think the shaft and chain 650s are completely different. The old Suzuki fours are tough. There are a lot of survivors.

 

[salty_monk]

Charging systems & neglect are the only enemies the GS really has in most cases Welcome to the nut house.

 

[rphillips]

"84" GS650 "E".....Is that an oxymoron or am I missing something?