Please help with 1982 GS1000G

[Nikoniko]

Please help evaluating 1982 gs1000g. I went to look at it and did a test ride. The good: carburetors in excellent shape, dry and clean. Started from cold on choke, then after a minute or so idled with no choke, no problem everything works good, rides ok pulls good. Charges the battery. Tank inside is very clean - no rust whatsoever. I liked it a lot actually.





The bad: seat upholstery is crooked, unoriginal paint, needs work, side plastics are in bad shape and held with zip ties. Motor sweats a little in some places and at the bottom left side there is a small cover held by 2 screws snd with a tube going to the middle of it - it sweats a lot and there is some oil around it in near vicinity- see picture. Is it bad? How big of a job would be to fix it? 78.000 km on the clock.
I would like to know how bad is this oil leak, and whether plastics can be acquired. I would like to ride the bike for the rest of the season and then during the winter fix what needs fixing. To me it looks like mechanically good but rather ugly specimen. Please give me your opinion.

 

[Grimly]

That looks like the neutral light switch, if so it's sealed with an o-ring under it, so easy to replace.

 

[Rob S.]

All depends on the price now (I didn't see one). Engine runs good, "everything" works, you like it, so talk him down as far as possible.

What's the asking price?

 

[Nikoniko]

All depends on the price now (I didn't see one). Engine runs good, "everything" works, you like it, so talk him down as far as possible.

What's the asking price?

an equivalent of 2.5k usd or 2.1k eur (sellers minimum price)

 

[Rob S.]

1. It's NOT low mileage
2. Lot of cosmetic issues

How much do you like it?
Is it the exact model you were looking for? If not, does it still 'check all the boxes'? (Ex: did you want shaft drive?)

 

[Nikoniko]

1. It's NOT low mileage
2. Lot of cosmetic issues

How much do you like it?
Is it the exact model you were looking for? If not, does it still 'check all the boxes'? (Ex: did you want shaft drive?)

Yea this is the bike i want, i just have a hard time figuring out its value. If the oil leak is just an o-ring fix on neutral switch thats easy enough, but since I have no experience owning this bike (or any bike as old as this) i am a bit hesitant - if it can be ridden despite cosmetic issues for 4-5k km more before doing any work, that would be fine by me.

 

[Steve]

I made a couple other observations, but they might not be accurate based on your comment of "unoriginal paint" and your potential location, which is evidently not in the USA.

Over here, there was no 1000 in '82, it would have been an 1100. Bodywork and wheels confirm it's at least an '82, but Suzuki did not start painting the engine black until '83. However, some owners (like me) like the black engine well enough that we have painted earlier bikes, too. In fact, if you click on the link in my signature, you will see how '82 wheels and a black engine look on my '80 GS850G(K).

Other than the issues you have noted, it appears to be a decent bike. Far from perfect, but a good starting point.

.

 

[rphillips]

I's thinking like him ^^^^, over here a GS1000G would be either "80" or "81", "82" would be a GS1100G. Thinking here you could find a pretty nice GS1000G for $2500

 

[Nikoniko]

I's thinking like him ^^^^, over here a GS1000G would be either "80" or "81", "82" would be a GS1100G. Thinking here you could find a pretty nice GS1000G for $2500

Thank you for your input

 

[Big T]

1000/1100 is a good motor
Minor problems are expected on a bike over 40 years old. If the leak is the neutral switch, it's an easy repair.
I assume you're capable of doing the repair.
Here's your guide

Gsarchive.bwringer.com

If it runs good, $2,500 US is reasonable.

 

[LeT]

1. It's NOT low mileage
2. Lot of cosmetic issues

How much do you like it?
Is it the exact model you were looking for? If not, does it still 'check all the boxes'? (Ex: did you want shaft drive?)

Those are Kms, not miles, so just under 50k miles. At this age, condition/evidence of care is probably more important.

 

[LeT]

I'm in Switzerland, pretty much in the middle of Europe. These bikes are pretty rare in Europe. There are probably about 5 for sale at any one time on this continent and distance shopping cost can be very significant. For a running bike, that's a good price.

If you're looking and are serious, you know about the electrical weaknesses esp the charging system. It makes sense to put a multimeter across the battery terminals with the engine running to see what the alternator is doing.

With bikes, the heart normally rules the head. That's as it should be. Good luck with your new bike

 

[LeT]

That looks like the neutral light switch, if so it's sealed with an o-ring under it, so easy to replace.

It's hard to tell from the picture but it could be the gear position indicator switch. I can see Allen screws holding it on so someone has been in there already. That's an o-ring so yes no big deal. To be fair, it could also be running down from higher up, a seal from the bevel box, which is more involved. There's only so much one can say from a picture like this.

 

[bwringer]

It's hard to tell from the picture but it could be the gear position indicator switch. I can see Allen screws holding it on so someone has been in there already. That's an o-ring so yes no big deal. To be fair, it could also be running down from higher up, a seal from the bevel box, which is more involved. There's only so much one can say from a picture like this.

You can also get oil down there (and in a lot of other places besides) from a leaky cam chain tensioner. It happens to every GS, but resealing this is fairly easy.

Suzuki GS Motorcycle Illustrated Repair and Maintenance

And yes, the o-ring on that switch should be replaced too. It's a trivial job.