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"The" 1981 GS650G revival!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gthing
  • Start date Start date
Don't think the rust is only in the bowl. It likely made it into the passages and got stuck in the jets, too.

Remember that any shortcuts you take are merely opportunities to do it over and do it right. :encouragement:

.
 
Looks pretty rough. You can do up to 10 pictures in a single post if you prefer (that includes the emoticons)
 
No worries I'll take them apart and cleaned them properly! Also I plan to clean the tank with muriatic acid
 
Needle valve on #2 is stuck! All others open and close as they should
 
Scrubbed surface rust on the foot pegs cyl1 exhaust and header.

Cleaned of the grime on the left side, I'll do the right side tomorrow.

left the degreaser on there too long:(

I just want to get it clean enough so I'll look decent and then I can take the valve cover off to check clearances.

Has anyone just RTV'd the cover back on without a gasket?
@$30+ dollars for just the cover gasket I might be willing to try :D
 
Please Don't RTV the valve cover on. It'll work, but if any of it pinches off inside and blocks a spring or valve or oil passage...well! Plus there's the difficulty of getting the stuff off if you need to go in there again....

If you're so thrifty, you can Try to reuse the old one if you can get it off without wrecking it...this takes time and care and even then won't always work, but a good valve cover gasket can be used more than once....a tiny smear of rtv might do the trick where it's broken or torn but more than one or two, forget it.

Best for "thrift" is make your own gaskets. Use the same thickness of gasket paper from a roll (available at your favourite auto-parts outlets)that is very reasonably priced versus the cut gasket . But This also takes time and care. You can use bit's of copper pipe to punch bolt holes..razor knife to cut oh-so carefully...
it's a Time-OR-Money thing...
 
I really just want to get it going but it seems like I need to practice patience! All the gaskets on eBay I see come from overseas. I think I found one on Amazon for $11 hopefully it's the right one.

It most definitely is a time thing! Today I had to order new rubber plugs for the idle jets so that's another week from today before I rebuild these carbs:(
 
I tore down and rebuilt a 1981 GS650GL a few years back. Click the link in my signature for my blog and some pics that may help you along the way.
 
That's a beautiful bike there Skinner,however I don't possess the time to undertake such a big project. I wish I had the guts and time to strip it down to the frame like most of you guys here. This is a great platform and resource of knowledge but I can't justify doing a full tear down just yet. Fwiw I haven't even performed a compression or leak down test lol. I probably have 2-4hrs per week to work on this bike without really carving out time from other things. This being my first and knowing I'm gonna drop it several times in the first few rides I don't want to make it look so purdy just yet!
 
Thanks for the compliment, but don't worry about the cosmetic things yet. Get it starting, running and stopping before anything else. My pics just might show you a part here and there that you can't figure out, much like the many pics on this forum did for me.

Take one carb completely apart and put all the metal parts (no floats, no diaphragms, no choke plunger seals, etc) in Berryman's Chem Dip and let them soak for a day and move onto the next one. Follow the guide from BikeCliffs website. Then reassemble them with new o-rings from cycleorings.com. Don't forget the intake manifold o-rings - yours are probably like hard spaghetti noodles. Do this and you'll be well on your way to a much better running, more reliable bike. A half hour to an hour each day is enough time to take care of this and most of the items on the Newbie List.
 
I did a mild cleanse only, cleaned jets, set float heights and changed the o-rings for the float guides. I'm just waiting for the 4 rubber plugs on the idle jets , I lost two and the other pair shrunk so they fit loose.

If I can get it running and it sounds "good" I'll do the full rebuild and order the shims for the valve clearances
 
Gthing said:
I did a mild cleanse only, cleaned jets, set float heights and changed the o-rings for the float guides. I'm just waiting for the 4 rubber plugs on the idle jets , I lost two and the other pair shrunk so they fit loose.

If I can get it running and it sounds "good" I'll do the full rebuild and order the shims for the valve clearances
Click to expand...
If only someone were to mention the need to do a full cleaning and rebuild and valve adjustment BEFORE expecting it to run, let alone "right", ... :-k

Please remember, any shortcuts taken are merely opportunities to do it over and do it right. :encouragement:

I do admire your optimism, but imagine how much more satisfying it would be to do it in just ONE try. :-\\\

.
 
You are absolutely right Steve! That's it I'm going out to the car and pulling them out the trunk for a full rebuild! Anyways! I keep checking the tracking on the plugs and for the last 3 days they have been "in transit" from Seattle and I'm 100% convinced they're lost!(Thank You USPS!)
 
After all the wait between float bowl gaskets and valve cover gaskets being lost during transit, Steve putting up with me during valve clearance adjustments (shout out to the shim club)and fighting those now damaged intake boots it runs. (Not like it should ) I was able to go around the block to check all gears, brakes etc. Placed an order for new intake boots so when they get here I can get the vacuum sync tool so it'll be ready for the road.
 
Gthing said:
…. Placed an order for new intake boots so when they get here I can get the vacuum sync tool so it'll be ready for the road.
Click to expand...

I suggest that you also order new OEM clamps for the carb boots and airbox boots if they have the same clamps on them - those wide "hose clamps" will damage your new boots.

Also before "it is ready for the road", you should rebuild all the brake calipers and master cylinders and fit new OEM rubber brake parts. You have attended to the carbs, but I do not see that you have gone through the braking system yet. Neglected brakes could lock up on you during a trip and result in injury/damage/possibly even death.

Judging from your previous posts, you get frustrated by waiting for parts to come in - you should rather spend some time beforehand and inspect everything and make a list of all the parts required for proper maintenance, and then just order everything together in one batch. Then it is just one wait and will save you a heap in separate shipping costs!
 
Will do sir! I already made a list of all the stuff to do the brakes. My concern was to get it running before spending time and money fixing things. Now that it runs I can do brakes,pack bearings and polish up some aluminum and chrome
 
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