1981 GS550 Rebuild

[denton550]

Hey guys, just got this guy for $850 in Gainesville. The story behind this bike is the guy whom i bought it from did not have the original keys and claimed to have rebuilt the carbs. However, this was not the case. It did run at the time of purchase, but very rough and EXTREMELY lean. Here is a quick rundown of things that need to be done before i ride it again.

•Replace throttle cable
•Rebuild carbs ( gaskets are melted and gunned up the internals, I;m going to have to fine tooth comb this thing :/ )
•Replace the boots between the carbs and air box ( it was missing one)
•new air filter
•new spark plugs
•new oil
•replace broken gas cap (duct tape for now, but no corrosion in the tank so thats good)
•front brake pads are gone, its mostly metal on metal now ( at least i hope thats all)
•rear brakes are seized at time of purchase, so a complete rebuild there is in order
•reposition the ignition cluster, the guys used an ignition switch from an old yahmaha, so if you guys have any ideas on how to mount it, ill post pics when I'm back in town soon)
•replace the lights

other than those little things, the bike is in great conniption, all the chrome is solid and not cracked or peeling, and there is minimal rust and corrosion. al OEM badges intact and no dents or scratches. This is my first rebuild and I am excited to get her going. Ill post up pics Monday night.

 

[denton550]

Ok, so I'm looking over the bike again and I notice that the exhuast header bolts are broken off in the engine block, the front brakes have both pads on ONE side?!?! and the rear brake is completely useless.

On a good note, I have replaced the airfilter, found some resources to get the bolts out of the engine, and rebuilt the carbs, I will fire it up once i get a new throttle cable this weekend.

 

[gs550marc]

Looking forward to this rebuild thread. I just started on my GS550 (1980) Rebuild.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=195131

PB Blast anything you're thinking of taking off and let it sit for a day or two.

 

[7981GS]

Did you find the three digit code for the keys on the seat lock?
What is the number? I very well may have a key for it and could get a copy made for you if you cannot get your dealer to do it.

Eric

 

[denton550]

That would save me time in finding a new lock, and hopefully it will als match the one for the seat, I have to use a screwdriver and get it under there to get it off everytime.

Also an update of progress, got my front brakes working, both pads are pretty much brand new, but I desperately need to change the fluid in the lines... I'm sorry for the lack of pictures, but I'll get them up soon

 

[denton550]

When I first got it

Rebuilding the carbs

Was told they were freshly rebuilt, HA! All but 3 gaskets for the bowl were completely melted into the carbs and oozing out the sides, also #2 was spewing fuel due to a missing float needle, also missing the choke linkage to connect to the bar and the 4 rubber plugs are missing as well.

Could not get all the screws out, so I'm just going to leave them banked for now, the connections between the carbs are solid anyway.

As you can see, someone broke this off, this is carb #2 and its on carb #4 as well, I hope they set it right...

The air filter before... notice the creative use of a shirt

And after. Purchased some UNI air filter foam and cut it to size, soaked with WD40, hope it holds up, Also am missin the top to my airbox, so I'm going to have to figure that out.

It was running when I got it and has just under 10K on the ODO. However, it was running extremely lean and rough, I'm hoping after a quick rebuild of the carbs and some minor adjustments, I get her going again enough to get it to my friends shop in Arlington so we can sort out the broken bolts on the exhaust headers and the rear master cylinder.

 

[denton550]

Did you find the three digit code for the keys on the seat lock?
What is the number? I very well may have a key for it and could get a copy made for you if you cannot get your dealer to do it.

Eric

could not find the 3 digit code, where should i look?

 

[cowboyup3371]

Do you have an impact driver? If not, go get one ASAP as you need to pull those carbs apart to properly clean them when thrown into the dip. Then replace them with allen or hex head screws.

The key code is on top of the ignition switch I believe or even on the key lock for the seat.

 

[denton550]

Tear down of the rear master cylinder reveals a bunch of corrosion

Unfortionately, while trying to unsieze the cylinder, I destroyed this piece and the the little gold piece too

Is there a place where i can order just these pieces? without ordering the entire assembly?

 

[denton550]

Changed the oil the other day, black and sludgy, and am now just waiting on new gaskets for the carbs. I hope i did everything correctly and she fires up tuesday. I will definitely be hitting up the forum for some answers.


The bad news: In order to get her properly running and the carbs sync'd properly, i have to drive her 45 miles to arlington to my friends shop, free labor and parts. Kind of nervous about that since my rear tire is old but not unsafe. Also excited as I have not had transportation in over a year now. Also, my gas cap is broken and is being held on by ductape, any suggestion on how to not let gas escape until i get a new one?

Good news: ordered new rear master cylinder kit, so the brakes will not be an issue anymore, looking around for some new turn signals, something low profile any suggestions for the front and back, i do not like the OEM's

 

[cowboyup3371]

If you are already waiting on gaskets and such, I'd go ahead and order a new cap. It looks as though partsnmore.com is selling gas caps for our bike. I haven't bought one yet but would think it works well.

As far as the turn signals, do a search here; you'll find lots of ideas from what people have done. Just remember you may have to swap out your flasher if you get LED style lights.

 

[denton550]

ive already ordered a gas cap, but it wont be in for another couple weeks. Ive got her running again with a new carb rebuild and new gaskets, but ive found out that my throttle adjustment screw is stripped out so i need new one. Ive also noticed a bit of fuel leaking out of the second carb at the airbox side, the vacuum hose is not connected to anything yet, but i have plugged it up, is that a good temporary solution?

 

[denton550]

Ok so I figured out how to stop the gas leak.

First I broke down #2 carb and cut away the gasket on the inside, I also refitted the float needle and raised the float level 1mm. That seemed to work.

I just noticed my idle screw is stripped in the middle, right at the place it needs to be for optimum idle speed :/ I've ordered that and a new air box cover plate. I hope that should rid all of the bizzaar problems I'm having with tuning this thing.

 

[denton550]

Sorry for the lack of updates, been busy with summer schol and work. But now that I finally have the bike running reliably, i can modify its appearance to my liking
Some updates on the bike:

Modified the whole front end, nothing too big, little tweaks everywhere, lowered forks an inch, polished and painted trees and light. minimized the cockpit, getting exhaust tape tomorrow, should help with the heat and the lack of an intercooler on a hot texas day in the traffic

EDIT: sheard off bolt on the bar clamp :/ will deal with later, and can any one recommend some cheap rear sets? ANything under $150? or what would be almost compatible to my bike? LIke if i were to take it off another bike with little modification

 

[denton550]

Here are some updated pictures

I got some pods ready to go and battery box to build, then its on to the seat