Wife's new bike, GS850GL with a 1000 engine

[bomber737]

With winter coming it's now time to get the wife her next ride built. Funny how things work, I had a GS850GL burn down on me so I stripped the frame and sold it. Over the next 8 months I helped the guy who purchased my frame (I like to call her Christine) build his bike. While acquiring parts for his build he got another 850GL frame with a title and wound up giving it to me. During this time I was introduced to his friend who had a GS1000G rolling chassi so I purchased the engine with the hopes I could put it in the 850 frame. Just yesterday with friend #1's help I got closer to finishing her new bike. We moved the engine from one frame to the other. Here is the plan, I noticed the wires are cut at the connector for the stator so I will have to fix that and I anticipate replacement, new regulator, shocks front and back and the seat will have to be redone. I have already purchased sonic straight rate springs and I will probably put Hagon on the rear or emgo if she ****es me off. I like the G forks so I will use those but since I am using the stock GL tank I have to keep the GL tripple tree. I have 3 different gauge clusters so she will have to pick the one she wants and I will be dong a lot of polishing. Ill get pictures up when I can. Any one need a complete running GS850 engine? Make you #1 good deal on it.

 

[Mop Bucket]

Sounds like fun! Mind sharing some pictures so we can enjoy your craftsmanship?

 

[Steve]

Be careful swappng forks without also doing the matching triple trees.

The G forks will move the axle back a bit, which will increase your trail. That will make the bike harder to turn, and once you finally get it to turn, it will try that much harder to straighten out. If you use the G triples, it will not affect the steering geometry, and will also not bother your L tank. You would, however, have problems if you went the other way around and used L triples with a G tank.

Do you have the bike up and running yet? I have heard that you also need to use the 1000 driveshaft when you do this swap, or was it the 1100/850 swap? :-k

.

 

[bomber737]

I have thought about that Steve. The tanks I have for this frame are both GL tanks, I had to use my G tank on a friends bike. Because of that I am forced to keep the GL tripples, the G tripples would let the forks hit the tank. From my understanding the G and the GL have different head angles so the G and the GL have the same fork geometry. So using the G forrks in the GL tripples will in effect remove some rake and make the bike steer faster and be more responsive. Now I am not an expert by any means and I still have the GL forks so I can easily change them out. I also am using the shaft from the 1000. What I don't know is if the gear ratios are different between the 850 and 1000 rear ends since the 1000 uses a 17 inch rear tire and the GL a 16. We use our bike mostly for touring so I am looking for lower RPM's at freeway speeds. My wife is not the type to power shift her bike and rides very conservatively. Can anyone weigh in on this? I know my friend Mark that some of you know from the rallies with the hoge poge 850 did not like the handeling with the 17 on his GL frame.

 

[Steve]

I have thought about that Steve. The tanks I have for this frame are both GL tanks, I had to use my G tank on a friends bike. Because of that I am forced to keep the GL tripples, the G tripples would let the forks hit the tank. From my understanding the G and the GL have different head angles so the G and the GL have the same fork geometry. So using the G forrks in the GL tripples will in effect remove some rake and make the bike steer faster and be more responsive.

I have not done any actual measurements, but I have been lead to believe that the head angle is the same on both frames. The axle actually sits in the same relative place, but because the L has a leading axle, the forks are moved back a bit. To do that, the triples are straighter across than the G triples. THAT is why the L tank is set back a bit (and smaller), it is to clear the fork tubes that are pulled back a bit.

Since you are running an L tank, it won't matter which set of triples you use, the tank is back far enough to avoid contact. If you were using the G tank, you would have to be sure to use the G triples to keep the fork tubes from hitting the tank. Then, because the tubes would be pushed forward, you would have to be sure to use the G tubes with the axle at the bottom.

I also am using the shaft from the 1000. What I don't know is if the gear ratios are different between the 850 and 1000 rear ends since the 1000 uses a 17 inch rear tire and the GL a 16. We use our bike mostly for touring so I am looking for lower RPM's at freeway speeds.

There is a slight difference in the secondary drive on the 1000, which will lower revs a bit. They use the same final drive ratio, and the difference between a 16- or 17-inch wheel isn't enough to mention.

Here is a chart with ratio and engine speed information:

Looks like you will drop about 400 RPM at 70 mph.

.

 

[bomber737]

Thanks for in the information Steve, I appreciate it. I knew some one would know. Guess I will be going with the 1000 rear end and we will see how it handles with the G forks. 400 RPM is good enough for me. Might be worth .5 MPG. Pictures as soon as I get home tuesday night.

 

[bomber737]

finally got some pictures of the project so far. Looks like all I have to do is grease the head bearings and I can get the tripples back on the frame. I already cleaned the first of many grounds and I am planning on wire brushing any and all rust off the frame and tomorrow I will be sand blasting the swing arm so I can put a new coat of paint on it.
Before

After

 

[bomber737]

Finally got back home and had some time to get a few things done on the project. I sandblasted the swing arm, upper and lower triple tree, and battery box. So tonight I got them painted with some nice VHT epoxy paint so hopefully it will last. While I was at painting I also roughed up the frame and gave it a fresh coat or 2 of paint.

Next on the agenda will be getting the bearings re-greased and re installing the swing arm and read diff.

 

[bomber737]

Got more time today since it has been raining and the Wife won't ride in the rain. And to tell the truth after 320 miles riding in the rain on our way to Indiana rally. I am not keen on riding all day in the rain. I started the day packing bearings so I can get this project under way. What a pain but you have to do it. I got the swing arm, tripple tree, rear diff, and battery box mounted. I am finding that I should have organized my bolts much better and labeled where things went. I also found out that the rear axle on the 1000 is different than the 850 so now I have to source one of those. I used the 1000 swing arm. I also fixed and cleaned the fuse panel. It had a broken lead and was quite dirty.

I ordered a polishing disk to take care of the corrosion on the rear diff. So it will be getting a nice polish on it next week.

I also got the rear brake master cylinder mounted and connected up. This bike will be getting stainless lines if the future. I did find out the return spring for the brake lever is different, so I'll have to get a different one of those to.

The broken part is in the back ground. Glad I looked at that before I tried to start the bike and pull my hair out when it wont run or charge.

 

[bomber737]

Got to spend more time in last few days working on the bike. I got the battery box installed, and started working on the rear brakes. I decided to sandblast the caliper support and axle. I also took a wire brush to every bolt head and washer. Out of 3 rear calipers I have at least 2 good ones so the best parts will be going back on the bike after I paint them back up. I was surprised to find that none of the caliper pucks had any corrosion on them and a quick brush on the exposed surface removed all the dirt and any rust. I will have to get new rear pads but the front pads look new so I will be reusing them. I also stripped the fuse box/starter solenoid support and got that painted. Im feeling pretty good about the rebuild so far. I pulled the new tire I have for the rear home and the box of misc. parts. It turns out I have 5 front master cylinders and 3 for the rear so I should have no problems finding one that will work. The wife has about 7 different sets of handle bars she gets to choose from so well see which one works. I also found a really nice set of gauges so she has 3 sets to choose from for that to. What I seem to be missing is the bolt for the top of the upper tripple. The GL has the choke cable on the left control and all I have are the center bolt for the choke cable going down the center of the tripple's. So I might be forced into using the G tripples, they are set up for the choke in the center.

 

[Steve]

So I might be forced into using the G tripples, they are set up for the choke in the center.

Keep in mind that if you use the G triples, you should also use the G forks.

The triples have a different offset that compensates for the leading axle on the GL.

.

 

[bomber737]

I finally got my own sand blasting cabinet today so yeah I am no longer at the mercy of other peoples schedules. Got my 40lbs of glass beads so Im ready. First thing to do today is strip the calipers and I have found that in my stupidity in the past and the fact that I never planned to rebuild that GS850 frame. I have gone and sold the left side control and not I will be forced to use the G tripples. So more to strip and get painted. The bearings on that tripple had some rust so I got new bearings ordered for them. I also will be putting new seals in the forks and the sonic straight rate springs in it I have been sitting on. After all this effort Im not sure I want to give it to her, It's going to be like a new bike.

 

[bomber737]

Work has been progressing at a good pace now. I got the new blasting cabinet loaded up with nice new sand and I was able to get all my brake calipers blasted clean in no time.

I finally got my sisel polishing wheels so I started on the rear diff. After many many hours of working on the thing I think its coming around nicely. Hopefully a few more hours and that thing will shine. I really need to get a real polisher, using a drill and harbor freight ploishing wheels sucks and takes for ever. But they get the job done eventually.

Now I just have to get my parts bike out of storage so I can start moving electrical parts off of it and get the forks rebuilt and mounted. I have a new tire all ready to go for the front. Unfortunately its a Dunlop 402 but that's what my friend had me mount before that bike burned down and I got it back.

 

[bomber737]

More work completed this evening. I finished the polishing on the rear diff and got it re-mounted on the swing arm. I think it came out well.

Since I still had time before bed I decided to mount the rear wheel and found that the spacer does not quite fit. The rim seemed to mount up fine and I did put the spacer in the diff. It looks like the rear tire is in the middle so I am not sure why the spacing isn't right. The only thing I can think of is I am using the swing arm from a GS1000G and the rim is from a GS850GL. I was inder the assumption that they were interchangeable so tomorrow I will have to pull it all apart and compare both difff's and see if there is anything different. What a pain. Anyone smarter than me have an idea?

 

[bomber737]

I finally got the parts bike back to my garage and I found that there are some large differences with the rear wheel between the GS and G's. Besides the fact the G has a 17 inch rim, the way the hub is shaped and how the rear brake rotor is mounted is different.
This first picture is the GL rim and it seems like it's more substantial

This next rim is the one on the 850G

 

[bomber737]

More progress today. I got the rear wheel cleaned up and wound up taking a wire brush to the rear rotor. I think it looks way better than it did before. Rear brake caliper cleaned and working like it should. I already have a nice new stainless brake line for it. That will go on after I get the wire loom in place.

I also finished putting the electrical panel together. I couldn't stand looking at those old rusted screws so I got some new ones in there now. I also drilled some holes and mounted the ignition module. I have seen them on other bikes at an angle and I wanted things to be nice and straight.

The donor GS850G is starting to look pretty bare. I took the headers off and 1 of the exhaust bolts had to shear so I am not sure what I will do about that. Yes I will be searching through the forum for that. I also have a bunch of options for the front fender, not sure if I want to put a painted one or use a chrome one. The rear fender is chrome so I am leaning that way.

Every time I look around my garage I find another part I have been looking for. Tonight I found that rear grab bar that it originally had but a friend gave me a more square one so Ill put that one on and see which one I like better.

I did find I am missing the right side turn signal mount. I have the left one so I am not sure where it got off to. If anyone might have a turn signal mount for the right side I would really appreciate being able to get my hands on it. The ones for the GL has extra metal on the back side to space it out a little. I have a set for the G I would be willing to trade. Tomorrow I will be rebuilding and polishing the forks and finally putting the Sonic straight rate springs in.

 

[bomber737]

More work done, I got all the grounds grouped and soldered together so I wont have to worry about bad grounds. They will all be connected to the battery and the engine case. I also got the the forks torn down. I decided that I will be polishing the fork lowers so I broke down and busted out the Sear's card and purchased a buffer. Now I just have to wait for it to arrive. I took them and sand blasted them so I now have a nice even surface to start polishing on.

I didnt like the way the front rotors looked so those got blasted to I am repainting them. So they should look like new when they go back on. I also painted the rear turn signal mounts painted.

I got the Tripples painted and installed with new bearings and seals. So I mocked up the headlight mounts and got the front turn signal's mounted. Turns out I am missing one of the nuts for the headlight bucket so I will have to make one of find one. I will be using a very nice 6" headlight my friend gave me. While I was cleaning things I got all the hardware wire brushed so now everything shines.

As soon as I get the fork lowers polished up I have the Sonic springs measured and ready to go back in with new 30W red line fork oil and new seals. Should make for a very nice riding bike. I love the way my GS1000 rides with them and the cartridge emulators don't hurt either.

 

[bomber737]

Got home a few days ago and my polisher has arrived. Got it mounted to a stand I can put in my vise after it fell on my foot and I started working away. Got the forks polished to a high sheen and re-assembled. Since I was playing with my new toy I polished the front rim spacers and spedo drive. I think it looks great and now I have some protectant it should be easy to keep clean.

I got the forks installed and started working on the electrical. I put a set of bars on it so I can mount the controls and get them hooked up. I am hoping to have the rest of the wiring done tonight so I can see if it turns over. Going to install coils tonight and get the rear turn signals on.

The seat is the original from the bike I burned down a few years ago when I was learning the proper way to clean and set up carbs. So the wife gets to have it redone. I am sure she will have it re-contoured and have a gel pad added in addition to a custom cover.

If anyone needs a 850 chassis and engine I will have the rest of the parts bike for sale. I will have pictures up when I get all the parts I need off of it but I should have them all later tonight. I will also have a couple of sets of 850GL triples I don't need.

 

[bomber737]

More work done today, new tach and spedo cables lubed up and put on, 1 rear turn signal mounted and rear grab bar polished up. I got the brake calipers put back together and remounted on the forks. When Mark, Bill and I rode down to the S. Indiana rally Mark had one of his calipers fall off his bike when we were tooling down the highway. So I elected to replace the flange bolts with some hardened bolts with washers and lock washers. Mark was very fortunate this did not cause him to crash that day so I don't want to tempt fate again with her. I like the way they look and I feel better that hopefully they are safer. I also replaced all 4 of the studs on the fork bottoms and replaced the washer/lock washer arrangement with a washer and a nylock nut. Cleaner look and as secure as before.

While I was away at work the stainless brake lines arrived so I got to install those as well and replace the banjo bolt with a nice new one.

I also test fitted the gas tank after I installed the frame covers with some nice new screws. I think it's coming together nicely. Every time I work on this as I dig through my parts bins I find parts I forgot to put on it. It's not a concourse restoration but there is just something about getting all the little parts back on. This time I found the guide for the brake line.

Once I know the bike runs and charges I will be stripping the tank and purchasing side covers for it. She likes white and chrome so that's what she is going to get. I purchased some rectangular turn signals the other day off of a GS550 for it but now ai can't use them. Turns out one of them has a cracked stem so shes going to have to live with smaller round ones on the front and large ones on the back. Guess I will keep looking around for 2 more of the same kind.

When I was at work the other day the sky was just lit up on my way back into Atlanta so I thought Id share a few pictures I snaped with you guys

 

[bomber737]

Started snowing out side today so now no more riding for me I guess. Until it melts that is, got heated jacket liner and gloves this year so my riding season has been extended. Put 150 miles on my 1000 yesterday and I was nice and warm. Took care of some wiring issues and decided to see if the engine would turn over. Sprayed some oil down the cylinders turned the key and it turned over. So I put some plugs in the wires and I have spark. So I have that going for me. I don't know the history of the engine so I guess the fact that it moved should be encouraging. The gauges look great and all the lights work.

I must still have something hooked up wrong since the high beam light is lit and the headlight did not turn on but I will deal with that a little later. The turn signals work to. So since it snowing I decided to take the clutch cover, stator cover, and shifter support cover to polish them to. Thank god for left turning drill bits because 2 of the screws striped and I had to drill them out. It's always a good feeling when they brake loose when you are drilling them. I will be replacing them with stainless alen head screws. I did find out the shifter support cover from a 850 is different than the one off the 1000 after I had already polished it up nicely.

Since I had the clutch cover off I decided to check the pads and make sure they were in spec and they were. None of the steel plates had any bluing so I think the clutch will be fine and I didn't see anything that might be a problem. There wasn't even a bunch of sludge at the bottom. I ordered new gaskets for everything today and all new cables.

I also got my parts bike completely torn down so the engine from it will be for sale in the for sale section..