I've been tinkering the bugs out of my bikes of late.
My tach cable unscrewed itself out from the crimp on my 1100, I recrimped it and the pot metal just fell apart, so I replaced it.
Same thing goes with my 1000 tach cable, I cleaned it where it crimps (I had already crimped it once and it screwed back out) so cleaned and red lock tited it, then recrimped it so far it's working well.
I've had this annoying noise on my 1000 for the longest time, I decided to do something about it, but I just couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from. It's a pinging sound, thought for the longest time it was the float in the gas tank slapping the side of the tank when I hit bumps. But then it disappeared with the slightest of pressure on the front brake. I decided it was the right caliper, pulled pins regreased and re O-ringed, still there. Worked the left caliper, still there. Sprayed a little grease around the brake pad on the right, still there, so I sprayed a little grease on the left pad, bingo, it was gone. Wow, sure is nice not to hear or wonder where that noise is coming from.
Bought this cam chain tensioner for my 1100 sometime ago. I liked it because the '82 and '83 GS1100E's have plastic knobs held on with a nut secured with lock tite. Well to get the lock tite loose you have to heat it, then you melt the knob. You try to loosen the nut without heat and the knob shatters, so I got this one because it had a nice metal knob like my 1000.
Put it on the bike and it leaked, not allot but a little. I lived with it.
Then I saw this post about turning the cam plunger lock screw a minimum of a quarter turn, I only turned mine just enough to hear the plunger let go when I installed it. So, I decided to tighten that screw then back it out a quarter turn. So, I did, and wouldn't you know it, oil was pouring from around that screw. I had a new O-ring for it, so I removed the tensioner and took out the screw and this O-ring I think was a plastic washer of some sort, it wasn't rubbery at all, but hard as nails.
It broke just taking it off. Put the new one on. Then I decided to look at the oil seal and the part that fits into it under the spring. I couldn't believe it. That surface is just so rough and uneven, had little dimples and scratches, I mean no wonder these things leak I thought. It was not a machined smooth surface at all. I'm thinking it came from the factory like that. Anyway put it back on the bike and no leaks as yet, fingers crossed.
I had a new seal for it, but after looking at that rough surface I thought why bother, probably wasn't the seal but the surface should it leak.
Now here's that little O-ring that came out of it all crushed (far right) I think it was a piece of plastic someone put it there, doesn't matter, it failed to seal. Those two fiber washers (one broken) is the early model petcock gas tank screw washers off my 1100, they dry out and one broke just loosening the screw, I replaced those with the new rubber over metal ones. The teflon O-ring is a temp substitute gas tank petcock washer I could use if I have to.
