what did you wrench on today??

[steve murdoch]

Carbs all done and wrestling match getting them back in finished and I won. Runs pretty good now.

Any bloody knuckles or new swear words invented?

 

[Baatfam]

Again, not a bike, but the riding mower gas tank needed to be replaced. Thought it would be easy and quick, but nope....pretty much an all day job.

 

[mcycle-nut]

Dragged my wife's '82 GS850G out from winter storage. Aired up the tires, put in the serviced battery and it flashed right up! I DID fill the tank before I put it away and put in fuel stabilizer, so I'm sure that helped. She's picking up insurance on the way home from work so it's back on the road for her!

 

[Guest]

Dragged my wife's '82 GS850G out from winter storage. Aired up the tires, put in the serviced battery and it flashed right up! I DID fill the tank before I put it away and put in fuel stabilizer, so I'm sure that helped. She's picking up insurance on the way home from work so it's back on the road for her!

Glad to hear about your wife's bike starting so easily. I have an '81 850G that as far as I can tell sat for a LONG time before I bought it. It had pretty major carb and intake issues, but now that those are (mostly) cleared up, it seems really eager to start. I bought this one because it's the twin to one I bought new in '81, and I'm rediscovering why I had such fond memories of it - 36 friggin' years later!

 

[Guest]

Hi Pete. Those brake parts look fantastic. What kind of paint did you use, and how did you prep the parts? The front brake master cylinder on my 850G needs to be done.

And is the paint brake fluid resistant? I have not had good luck painting brake parts, maybe because I am a messy bleeder

Sorry guys, missed the questions!

The paint is Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black, two coats of their primer first, then three coats of the black. I know it's not caliper paint but I have a mate who's used it with good success and it is resistant to brake fluid.

http://ppcco.com.au/eastwood45.html

You guys will be able to get it a lot cheaper over there too.

As far as prep goes, paint stripper followed by a wire wheel and then sand paper for the areas I couldn't get the wire wheel into. Some brake cleaner and then wax and grease remover before painting. (A few more pic's in my Kat build thread too)

And on another topic, spent some time looking at the Kat on the weekend after getting my seat back from the upholsterer finally... lovin' it!





(Yes the project still has a long way to go)

 

[thebrandonbeezy]

I love first gen katanas so much

 

[Burque73]

I haven't wrenched on anything today, yay! Yesterday on the other hand, my dad needed a new refrigerator installed in his mobile home. The house has a 32 inch wide front door so after removing the door, storm door, and hydraulic closer thing, the fridge squeezed through. Unfortunately he didn't bother laying a tape measure a crossed the old fridge before buying a new one. I had to raid his shed for some tools to cut the counter tops back. I thought this would be an easy thing since this is a man who once made furniture, toys and all manner of hobby crafting stuff. My how the years change us!! Anyway, the fridge is in and mom is much happier too!

I bought this one because it's the twin to one I bought new in '81, and I'm rediscovering why I had such fond memories of it - 36 friggin' years later!

That's a very familiar theme. Mine was not new but purchased used in 1991 from a Honda dealer. Made payments of $75 every other week until paid off. The stator crapped out a week after purchase (imagine that!) but the dealer took care of it and got me back on the road. Good thing too, no GSResources back then, hahaha. The one I'm riding now isn't the same year and has a few additions for longer trips, but still reminds me of the good old days.

 

[Guest]

I haven't wrenched on anything today, yay! Yesterday on the other hand, my dad needed a new refrigerator installed in his mobile home. The house has a 32 inch wide front door so after removing the door, storm door, and hydraulic closer thing, the fridge squeezed through. Unfortunately he didn't bother laying a tape measure a crossed the old fridge before buying a new one. I had to raid his shed for some tools to cut the counter tops back. I thought this would be an easy thing since this is a man who once made furniture, toys and all manner of hobby crafting stuff. My how the years change us!! Anyway, the fridge is in and mom is much happier too!




That's a very familiar theme. Mine was not new but purchased used in 1991 from a Honda dealer. Made payments of $75 every other week until paid off. The stator crapped out a week after purchase (imagine that!) but the dealer took care of it and got me back on the road. Good thing too, no GSResources back then, hahaha. The one I'm riding now isn't the same year and has a few additions for longer trips, but still reminds me of the good old days.

Today I pulled the battery box and the electrical panel that supports all the electronics because they were getting pretty rusty and crusty. I wet sanded both of them then repainted them with gloss black rattle-can. They're not concours-worthy, but way better than they were! I'm buying all new hardware from Parts Outlaw (that $1.50 flat rate shipping really helps!). My goal is to have underneath the seat and behind the engine as nice as the rest of the bike. It's getting there!

 

[bobgroger]

Starting to resemble a bike. Brake hydraulics rebuilt and plumbed, front and rear suspension on semi-permanently, chain guard mocked up and nearly done. Still needs wiring harness put back in, brakes bled, and exhaust. Hope to go for a ride around the block next weekend. Wednesday drag bike series starts May 3.

 

[Guest]

Good Gog Bob.....thing looks freakin' amazing!! I would LOVE to come down and watch you do the drag strip on it. Awesome.

 

[bobgroger]

Good Gog Bob.....thing looks freakin' amazing!! I would LOVE to come down and watch you do the drag strip on it. Awesome.

Drag racing is only moderately exciting unless you are a participant. Come down, bring a bike, spend the night, go racing too. No pressure on the Wednesday races, no money involved and first timers are welcome, everyone will help and make sure you improve as the day goes on. You need a leather jacket and over the ankle boots, and a Snell 2005 or newer helmet. And $40 US, or $300 CDN. $10 to watch.

This project has kind of changed directions since I started, I was going to make it a drag only bike. But as I collected parts and started test fitting them it looked like this might be a pretty decent sit-up sport bike that I can drag race as well. Time will tell how successful it is at either. I am not in to it for a ton of money, and the experience will pay off on a future build.

 

[ddaniels]

Any bloody knuckles or new swear words invented?

No new words invented, but used standard ones a couple times. No bloody knuckles, but a couple bruises to showcase.

I pulled the carbs back off to check float heights since I did not do that the first time (duh). The bike is apparently running too rich because I can start it without choke and, after a few seconds of feathering the throttle, it will run without choke. Plus, I'm only getting about 32 mpg where it should be getting 40+. I've thought about buying new pilot jets, but the old ones are clean and are the correct size. I already have the pilot screws adjusted to 1.75 turns out, which should be a fairly lean setting. The screw is located on the engine side of the carbs so they meter fuel flow rather than air, so adjusting out adds more fuel. Maybe I'll adjust them in a bit.

 

[Guest]

I love first gen katanas so much

Me too

 

[Guest]

Tell me something guys, what do you tell a guy that claims to have worked as a Suzuki mechanic for 20 years (1980-2000) and says the GS series bikes never had a charging issue?? The problem was all bad batteries.

 

[dorkburger]

Goodbye? ?

 

[mnferwerda]

Definitely!

 

[alke46]

I would tell him he is full of sh*t. Plus I would tell him to never touch my bike.

 

[GSXR7ED]

Tell me something guys, what do you tell a guy that claims to have worked as a Suzuki mechanic for 20 years (1980-2000) and says the GS series bikes never had a charging issue?? The problem was all bad batteries.

I'm surprised you didn't put him in his place!

Just kidding. Sounds like a "not-so-knowledgeable" mechanic. Backing away slowly works too.


Ed

 

[Guest]

Tell me something guys, what do you tell a guy that claims to have worked as a Suzuki mechanic for 20 years (1980-2000) and says the GS series bikes never had a charging issue?? The problem was all bad batteries.

I'd tell him Suzuki still has charging problems, especially with the GSX-R 600/750.

 

[cowboyup3371]

I'd tell him Suzuki still has charging problems, especially with the GSX-R 600/750.

And the Boulevards.