Project: 1985 GS550ES

[Nerobro]

I think mine are around 3 turns out. 3.25 maybe.

So, today I went to adjust my valves. Turns out that the valve adjuster for one ofthe valves wasn't just loose, it was GONE. So.. that 122mph number... was on 15 valves.

 

[550ERAT]

What Plugs Are You Running? I Am Using A Hotter Plug, But Think I May Go Back To Orig Spec Since Everything Is Cleaned And Buttoned Up.

 

[ron bayless]

Last summer, 2006, my uncle decided to trim down his stable a bit and, coincidentally, I was looking for an inexpensive way to re-enter the world of motorcycling after a hiatus of over 12 years.

The most interesting and well-kept bike that he had to offer (his classic BMW was not on the block) was a 1985 Suzuki GS550ES. It was kept in a detached garage, under tarps and was properly prepped for storage two years earlier.

May 21, 2006
First look. My uncle had the bike properly stored for two years. A tad dusty and a bit of rust, but basically in OK shape. :-D We agreed to get together over the coming weeks and get the bike running. If it ran and showed not major issues [-o<, I'd take the bike off his hands.

GORGEOUS BIKE!!!

 

[Nerobro]

run stock spec plugs.

I wanna hear about progress onthe bike

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

GORGEOUS BIKE!!!

Thanks. Hoping to get it even more "gorgeous-er"! :-D

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

Carbs are out...Finally

Carbs are out...Finally

It's simple when you know the trick.
MelodicMetalGod: Yeah, I figured.

First, loosen all the bands holding on the carbs.
MelodicMetalGod: Check. Already done.

Then undo the two screws holding the throttle cable bracket on the carbs.
MelodicMetalGod: Um, I think that's the two lock nuts, right? Check. Already done.

Undo the choke cable nuts. Never use a wrench on those, they only need to be finger tight, and they're plastic. Using a wrench on those WILL strip them.
MelodicMetalGod: This was why I waiting on tools. Didn't have 12 mm tool to break these and they were way more than finger tight. Plastic! I had no idea, but thanks to your tip and that fact that I've been painstakingly careful with this project I managed to not damage them. Thanks! Check!

Take your battery out of the bike.
MelodicMetalGod: Darn. I was hoping to avoid this. Check.

Remove the ignitor from the side of the battery box.
MelodicMetalGod: Darn. I was hoping to avoid this too. Check.

Remove the fusebox from the other side.
MelodicMetalGod: Darn. I was hoping to avoid this too. Check.

Undo the two bolts that hold the battery box down. They are underneath it and bolt to the shock mount.
MelodicMetalGod: Darn. I was hoping to avoid this too. As it turns out, on my bike their actually on the sides of the box (actually the box has "tabs" that extend down onto the sides of the frame). Check (once I stopped looking for them UNDER the box/frame).

Remove the battery box.
MelodicMetalGod: Darn. I was hoping to avoid this too. Check.

You will now be able to move the airbox back 3" or more. Pleanty of room to remove those carbs.
MelodicMetalGod: Check!

Take care not to lose the blocking rubber bits that fit in the front of the carbs. They tend to fall out easily.
MelodicMetalGod: Check. However, I saw no sign of anything rubber that could fall out of the carbs. Just in case I missed them falling I looked all over the place for something and found nothing. Either they vanished into thin air, the PO lost them already or this bike doesn't come with those bits.

Tip the carbs toward you to remove them from the carb boots. Then you can rotate the pully to remove the throttle cable. This manuver is where you'll usually lose those little rubber blocks.
MelodicMetalGod: Darn. I was hoping to avoid this too. Check!

That's it.

Thanks for the info. Very helpful!

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

Time consuming my butt!! It's fast, and almost stupidly easy. It just sounds complex. It's a fairly deep stack of parts you're going under. At least all the bolts are 10mm, which makes things fast.

I can have the carbs out of my bike in 3 minutes. It takes longer than that just to squeeze a carb past the boots on a bike where you can't get the airbox "out".

Pulling the carbs out of a 1980 GS550E takes 10-20 minutes. Depending on air temprature and how strong I feel that day. putting them back in takes at least as long. By the time the carbs were out of a 1980 GS550E you could have the carbs out, jets changed, and back into the 83 GS550E

I gotta say, while it may be easy (as in not difficult), I found it far from fast. Next time I need to pull my carbs I'll offer $100 to the first one who can pull my carbs (without damaging anything) in 5 minutes or less. It took me 4 times that amount of time just to pull get the battery box out of the way. Now that I've been through the process I'd estimate that I could pull them in less than an hour, maybe 30 minutes if I'm a bit wreckless (for me) and going for speed. 3 minutes? That's a dream on this bike. Still, if you think you can take my money, it'd be worth every penny just to see such a miracle.

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

Got a bug in the system!

Got a bug in the system!

So after I finally managed to get the carbs out (Thanks to all for your insight, especially Nerobro!), I thought that I should take the opportunity to clean up those tough to reach spots while the carbs weren't in the way.

The worst looking thing on the bike is the starter cover, so I pulled it to give it a good cleaning. Boy did that open a can of worms (actually, spiders and bees!). Apparently, via the access channel for the starter wires, a spider(s) had set up shop and made babies. Hundreds of little dead bodies amidst their little house of web. In addition, it seems that some kind of larger insect that liked mud (I'm guessing mud wasps of some sort) had the same idea as the spiders. Only the wasps brought in a whole boat load of dirt and started building a mud town in the starter bay.

Well the only way to get in there and clean all that out was to remove the starter. Great...more time!

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

Pulling the starter...

Pulling the starter...

Well, much like pulling the carbs, ya can't just pull the starter. You pretty much have to tear down the house so that you get to the door knob. ](*,)

Just getting access to the two bolts that mount the starter to the starter bay requires tools made of rubber and hands with reconfigurable fingers due the fact that the cam tensioner and ridgid oil lines are directly above the bolts and blocking space needed for tools.

Geesh. Do the engineers ever give consideration to maintenance access? Ever? At this point I'm feeling pretty lucky that the gas tank fill port is right on top of the tank and not located on the underside.

Once I finally removed the bolts securing the starter, it would have slid right out...except for, the cam tensioner and oil lines. Arrrrggggghhh!](*,) So...I had to remove the cam tensioner and loosen the oil lines, but not before I spent 30 minutes trying to "finagle" the starter out by simply willing space and time to distort to my whim. THEN the starter slid right out.

Here's a good look at what the bees home looked like with the starter out.

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

Frayed wire...

Frayed wire...

I found a frayed wire on top of the crank case and I have a couple of questions:

1) What is this wire?
2) Since only the outer jacket is frayed, how necessary is it to replace it? I'd like to replace it eventually, but my feeling is that right now I'd like to just get the bike running before dealing with this detail.

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

Pic Update/Project Album

Pic Update/Project Album

See the whole album here.

If ya get a chance, take a peak at the most recent shots of the carbs, airbox boots, intakes, etc. and let me know if ya see anything of concern. From what I can tell, it looks like everythings in pretty good shape, but I don't have a whole lot of experience with these things.

Thanks for any insights you may have!

 

[Steve]

Are you talking about the braided wire just beyond the starter post or the little wire beyond that (just under the plastic tab)? The little wire looks like it is the oil pressure switch.


.

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

Are you talking about the braided wire just beyond the starter post or the little wire beyond that (just under the plastic tab)? The little wire looks like it is the oil pressure switch.


.

It's the smallest wire in the pic. It feeds into a rubber boot on the other side of the oil line banjo's. You can see the outer jacket fray (to the left of the oil line banjo's and directly under the plastic tie). The fray appears more white/lighter than the rest of the wire.

 

[skreemer]

it's an oil pressure sensor... tis all, mine looks about the same and until it breaks off completely... it's fine.

when you gonna pull that old outdated shock and step up to a new GSXR rear?

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

Thanks for the clue in on the oil pressure sensor wire. I do think that I'll leave that alone until I finish with the larger issues.

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

when you gonna pull that old outdated shock and step up to a new GSXR rear?

:!: Hey! I thought "all original" was a good thing around here. ;-)

One thing at a time. I won't replace anything that I don't have to until I get this bike on the road regularly. No sense in spending money on performance upgrades if I never get it to idle.

 

[Nerobro]

I'm not sure I would have dug into the starter to clean all of that out. it's just mud, it wouldn't have hurt anything really. By pulling the starter you've opened the crankcase to contamination, and started a potentional (though unlikely as it's an o-ring seal) oil leak.

The GSXR shock replacement is a non-permanant modification that brings HUGE benifits. Everyone wants to concentrate on making more power on a bike, when real speed comes from working on the suspension. Once you go GSXR you never go back.

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

I'm not sure I would have dug into the starter to clean all of that out. it's just mud, it wouldn't have hurt anything really. By pulling the starter you've opened the crankcase to contamination, and started a potentional (though unlikely as it's an o-ring seal) oil leak.

The GSXR shock replacement is a non-permanant modification that brings HUGE benifits. Everyone wants to concentrate on making more power on a bike, when real speed comes from working on the suspension. Once you go GSXR you never go back.

Yeah, guess it's the clean freak in me that had me pull the starter. I know it wasn't NECESSARY, but I was compelled to do it! :shock: I've blocked the crankcase opening with a clean towel to prevent any contamination. With any luck at all the oil leak won't happen as the seal looks good. If that becomes a problem, I'll just add it to the list.

I'm more of a finesse and cornering kinda rider, so I would definitely be after handling before I worry about more power. But, again, not until I get the bike road worthy in as close to stock condition as possible. Still, I'll keep the GSXR shock in mind.

 

[pb53chevy]

Since you have the carbs out of the bike I would pull the intake boots and replace the o-rings. Even if you think they are ok on a bike that old they are more then likely hard and brittle. And it doesn't sound like you would want to pull the carbs again to change them.

 

[foghog]

Hi, I also have an 85 550 and had to get it running after 5 or so years sitting. It sounds like your low speed/idle jets are plugged with crud, mine were. Also the larger tube leading to the rear of the bike goes to the smog cannister which may be missing and the smaller one is a drain which will catch gas leaking from the fuel level sending unit and rout it away from the hot engine. Good luck