Purchase of 1980 GS550 (sat 3 yrs)

[teh_engr]

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently looking for a first bike and will soon be going to look at a 1980 GS550 which has been sitting for the last 3 yrs. I wanted to get some opinions first, however, on what I'm getting into.

The tires are dryrotted and will have to be replaced, but should I necessarily plan on replacing any other parts/seals? Should I plan on rebuilding the carbs? The current owner said it had been stored properly (he didn't sound too sure, however) and will be trying to get it to start later today. What would be a reasonable price if it starts and runs smoothly? If it does not start? The asking price is $600 (US).

Also, is this bike a good fit for me? I'm 24yo, 6'1" and 300lb so it seems that this would be a reasonable starter bike once in running condition. I have no experience with motorcycles, but am a mechanically inclined and feel I am capable of doing reasonably complicated repair work.

It looks like parts availability is not too bad (agreed?), so I am seriously considering this bike if the price is reasonable. Any opinions? Anything you would consider a deal breaker.

Thank you for your help,
Jack

 

[tkent02]

Three years and unknown maintenance before that, brakes should be looked at or rebuilt, valve adjustment, The carbs will almost certainly need to be cleaned. There will be other little things for sure. Guy your size could ride a 550 just fine but it may get to feeling small after you get more experienced. If it's an "L" model it will have your knees bent up in your face.

That price is good if it runs and looks OK, and has a clean title, you will spend more than that getting it all working correctly.

If it doesn't run or if it's ugly talk him down.

 

[Nessism]

We are talking about a 28 year old motorcycle here so you should expect to do a proper carb rebuild, brake system clean out, tires, ect. Consider this the price of admission for any old bike, not just a GS.

Good luck.

 

[doctorgonzo]

I'd say $600 running is a very fair price unless cosmetically it's just trashed (dented tank, missing covers, rust, etc...) , but expect to put that much in it within the first couple of months. As was said, at your size, it's a pretty small bike. Fine for a starter bike, but it won't be long before you want something bigger... like the first time you ride a bigger bike.

 

[teh_engr]

As I understand it, the bike is an E/standard model.

Thanks for your replies- I appreciate it!

Jack

 

[tkent02]

Location?
Maybe someone knowledgeable will go with when you look at it.

 

[hampshirehog]

Parts availability is pretty good, new and secondhand, and usually, as they are the baby of the family and 'less desirable', secondhand parts are cheap.

You won't find a tougher bike - ignore the tacho redline, I only ever consider it for information only. Fast enough to break the law by quite a bit.

Great bike to learn the spanners for Jap 4 cylinder motors.

Loads and loads (and I mean loads) of mods you can do cheaply and effectively. I'm gonna do something silly with my next one when I can work out what that is.

Beware though - you could end up addicted. I've bought then sold countless 550s as they are a bit tame compared to the bigger bikes but I've always ended up buying another one to replace it.

 

[teh_engr]

The bike is in Bella Vista, AR, and I am located in Fayetteville, AR.

 

[teh_engr]

I've spoken more with the owner (he's just recently pulled the bike out of storage and was trying to get it running before anyone came to see it) and he says that the gas tank is awfully rusty and with further inspection it does not appear that any precautions were made prior to storage. Because of this, he is removing his for sale ad and intends to buy a new tank. The bike would turn over, but not start.

I've seen where it is possible to buy a gas tank sealant coating to repair the tank- so how big of an issue is this? I think I could low-ball him at this point.

Thanks.

 

[doctorgonzo]

It's not "easy", but very possible. MANY threads on various methods of rust removal and different brands of coatings for after the rust is gone.

 

[teh_engr]

Would rust in the gastank make any other repairs necessary? How should this be reflected in the price?

Thanks

 

[doctorgonzo]

Would rust in the gastank make any other repairs necessary? How should this be reflected in the price?

Thanks

No doubt. You could tell him, "tell you what I'll find another tank for it (and actually probably be able to repair the one it has) if you'll sell it for $300.00.

 

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. teh_engr,

Search the tech section of the forum for 'electrolysis' and you'll find a ton of tank-cleaning info. Here is your mega-welcome!

Dear fellow GS rider,

Let it be known that on this day you are cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Further let it be known that your good standing can be improved with pictures (not you, your bike)!

Perhaps you've already seen these, but I like to remind all the new members. In addition to the carb rebuild series, I recommend visiting the In The Garage section via the GSR Homepage and check out the Stator Papers. There's also a lot of great information in the Old Q&A section. I have some documentation on my little BikeCliff website to help get you familiar with doing routine maintenance tasks (note that it is 850G-specific but many tasks are common to all GS bikes). Other "user contributed" informational sites include those of Mr. bwringer, Mr. tfb and Mr. robertbarr. And if your bike uses shims for valve adjustments, send an email to Mr. Steve requesting a copy of his Excel spreadsheet that helps you keep track of clearances, shim sizes and other service work.

These are some edited quotes from one of our dear beloved gurus, Mr. bwringer, with ideas on basic needs (depending on initial condition), parts, and accessories.
***********Quoted from Mr. bwringer************
Carburetor maintenance:

Replace the intake boot o-rings, and possibly the intake boots. Here's the procedure:
http://bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html
Here's an overview of what happens with this particular problem:
http://cycleorings.com/intake.html
You'll also want to examine the boots between the carbs and the airbox. There's a good chance these are OK, but check them over.
And finally, if things still aren't exactly right, you'll want to order a set of o-rings for BS carbs from the GS owner's best friend, Robert Barr:
http://cycleorings.com
Once you receive these rare rings of delight, then you'll want to thoroughly clean and rebuild your carburetors. Here are step-by-step instructions that make this simple:
http://thegsresources.com/gs_carbrebuild.htm
***********************************
Every GS850 (and most other models) has (or had) a set of well-known issues that MUST be addressed before you have a solid baseline for further troubleshooting. It's a vintage bike, and it's quite common (as in, every single GS850 I have had contact with) that there are multiple problems that have crept up and slowly gotten worse over the years. It's not like a newer vehicle, where there's generally one problem at a time.

These common issues are:

1. Intake O-rings (install NEW OEM or Viton only - common nitrile O-rings will quickly deteriorate from heat)
2. Intake Boots (install NEW -- these cannot be repaired)
3. Valve clearances (more important than most people think)
4. Carb/airbox boots
5. Airbox sealing
6. Air filter sealing
7. Petcock (install a NEW one)
8. On '79 models, install new points or Dyna electronic ignition (or at least verify that the old points are working correctly)
9. On all models, it's fairly common to have problems with the spark plug caps. These are $3 or $4 each, and often worth replacing if you're keeping the stock coils/wires.
10. Stock exhaust with NO leaks or holes -- good seals at the head and at the junctions underneath.
***************************************
OEM Parts/Online Fiches:

I would definitely double and triple the recommendations to use Cycle Recycle II and Z1 Enterprises as much as possible. These guys are priceless resources. Z1 tends to have slightly better prices, CRC2 has a wider range of goodies available. If you're near Indy and can bring in an old part to match, CRC2 has a vast inventory of used parts.
http://denniskirk.com - Put in your bike model and see what they have.
http://oldbikebarn.com - seems to be slowly regaining a decent reputation, but it's still caveat emptor. They don't have anything you can't get elsewhere at a better price anyway.
http://www.babbittsonline.com/ - Decent parts prices. Spendy shipping. Don't give you part numbers at all. Useful cross-reference if you obtain a part number elsewhere. Efficient service.
http://bikebandit.com - Fastest. Middlin' prices. Uses their own parts numbering system to obfuscate price comparisons -- can be very confusing for large orders. Cheapest shipping, so total cost usually isn't too bad.
http://flatoutmotorcycles.com - Slow. Cheapest parts prices, crazy shipping costs. Don't expect progress updates or much communication. Real Suzuki part numbers.
http://alpha-sports.com - Exorbitant parts prices. Different type of fiche interface that's quite useful at times, especially with superceded part numbers. Real parts numbers. Shipping cost and speed unknown due to insane, unholy pricing.

Stainless Bolts, Viton o-rings, metric taps, dies, assorted hard-to-find supplies and materials, etc:

http://mcmaster.com - Fast, cheap shipping, good prices. No order minimum, but many items like bolts come in packs of 25 or 50. Excellent resource.
http://motorcycleseatcovers.com - Great quality, perfect fit (on original seat foam), and available for pretty much every bike ever made. Avoid the textured vinyl -- it's perforated.
http://newenough.com - You DO have riding gear, don't you? Great clearances, always outstanding prices and impeccable service.
***************End Quote**********************
Additional parts/info links:

GSR Forum member Mr. duaneage has great used upgraded Honda regulator/rectifiers for our bikes. Send him a PM.
New electrical parts:
http://stores.ebay.com/RMSTATOR or http://www.rmstator.com/
http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/index.php
http://www.electrosport.com/
For valve cover and breather cover gaskets, I recommend Real Gaskets (reusable silicon):
http://www.realgaskets.com
The Rice Paddy (salvage/used)
http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com
Carolina Cycle
http://www.carolinacycle.com
Ron Ayers Motorsports
http://www.ronayers.com
MR Cycles
http://www.mrcycles.com
Moto Grid
http://www.motogrid.com
If all else fails, try this:
http://www.used-motorcycle-parts.org/
Used bike buying checklists:
http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadride/Riderresc/checklist.asp
http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html
Lots of good info/pictures here:
http://www.suzukicycles.org
http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Motorcycle_Wiki
http://www.bikepics.com
Basic motorcycle maintenance/repair:
http://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm


Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed of your progress. There's lots of good folk with good experience here.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)

 

[tkent02]

Would rust in the gastank make any other repairs necessary? How should this be reflected in the price?

Thanks

You need to take the carbs apart to clean them anyway, replacing the tank is easy if you can find one on Ebay or whatever. Cleaning takes more work but it's doable. Easy to clean the loose stuff off, an inline filter should get you going for a while.

Definitely a bargaining point, offer less that before, act like it's a big deal. It kind of is.

 

[doctorgonzo]

Hell, I run an inline anyway (controversial I know), even though my tank has been cleaned and coated. The last time I ordered from Z1 I just bought a half dozen filters at 1.97 each (should be many years supply). Tearing a rack of carbs totally down is too much of a PIA to take the chance IMO.

 

[almarconi]

I paid $365 for my GS750L. It was not running, had a clean title and for the most part was complete. I would not pay $600 for a bike in the condition you describe, I think $350-400 is reasonable. To me it is better to pay a little more for a complete bike than one that is missing alot of parts. Motorcycle parts ain't cheap.

So far, I had to clean the tank, the carbs, make some electrical repairs, replace battery, recover the seat, new cables,exhaust, mirrors, grips and control levers. On a bike that has been sitting for along period of time I would also replace the tires and overhaul the brake system. Your safety depends on it.

I started the bike up for the first time this weekend and I can't wait to ride her. Still waiting on brake parts so hopefully I'll have her roadworthy in a couple of weeks.

Good luck on your GS restoration.

 

[Guest]

Offer him $250 for it and remember Ebay is your friend with these old bikes.