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1982 GS850GL makeover project

  • Thread starter Thread starter BillH
  • Start date Start date
B

BillH

Guest
Just purchased a used 1982 GS850GL about a month ago. It was ridable but ran poorly to about 4K rpm and then picked up strong. Also it backfired several times during declearation. With this I knew the carbs needed attention and probably the valves. It's all stock and all the pieces seemed to be there.

So I have started the carb cleaning process, tearing them down completely, doing the dipping process as well as valve clearance adjustments. Also airbox overhaul ( the airbox gaskets had all dried up and crumbled).

I had a 1982 GS850GL from 1990 to 1997 and loved it. I'm looking forward to getting this one back to prime and enjoying it.
 
Yes, Welcome. I love mine. Click the link in my signature and you'll see another one being brought back which is nearing completion now.
 
Make over

Make over

Dogma said:
Welcome to the forum. It sounds like you know your way around these things. Got pics?
Click to expand...

I've been reading the forum boards a lot ha. Especially the newbie mistakes posts. So right off hit the carbs and valves and airbox. I could tell the petcock had been changed by the previous owner at some point. There was an inline fuel filter between it and the carb.

Currently I just finished the dipping process on the carbs and now putting the little pieces back together. I had damaged one of the idle jets on one carb trying to remove it. It was stuck bad. So I have ordered all 4 idle jets waiting for them to arrive, 8 bucks a piece I think. Wouldn't you know I have lost one of the air jets. LOL I just knew I was going to drop something while doing it.

While waiting for carb parts I started the valve clearance procedure. They were all too tight. I was able to get some shims locally but still I needed 2ea 2.60 shims. I have contacted Ray and he is sending me those.

I will post some pictures a little later.
 
jsandidge said:
Yes, Welcome. I love mine. Click the link in my signature and you'll see another one being brought back which is nearing completion now.
Click to expand...

Hey Drew, Wow yeah I saw your photos. You are doing a complete tear down. I may go that far later, at this point I was making mine a reliable rider that looked pretty good. Just a make over. Your doing a complete restoration. My hat is off to you.

By the way, I was in the Army with a guy named Drew that was from Norfolk and he was your age.
 
A few photos of my progress ...
One is what I think is a major milestone, I finally got all 4 intake boots off ... whew

Looks a little sad stripped down like that ....

IMG_2753.jpg
 
Update on progress
Installed new intake boots with new O Rings and hardware I got from cycleorings
Finished Valve clearance part, new gasket and some shims I got from Ray. Valves are in spec.IMG_2763.jpg
 
Last edited:
Tried one of the seat covers from Pit Replica. I did take about 5 weeks before I got it, it comes from Thailand. So with that said, it's not as good material as the original cover. It's a thinner material and doesn't have the same sheen as the original. With that said it looks better than a torn seat. IMG_2767.jpg
 
there are metal snag hooks on the bottom of the seat pan. Mine were rusty, I hit them with some sandpaper and a small file and then shot them with black ruIMG_2768.jpgstoluem
 
Here is the seat cover installed. Looks better than a torn seat. Not sure how the cover will hold up with use. will try to follow up on a post with that.IMG_2769.jpg
 
BillH said:
It's a thinner material and doesn't have the same sheen as the original. With that said it looks better than a torn seat.
Click to expand...
When you are comparing "sheen", don't forget that one of those covers is over 30 years old, the other is brand new.
 
Yes sir - the old one has more sheen (shiner appearance) the new one is duller finish. Maybe there is a product out there that could give it more sheen without making it slippery. I don't know.
 
IMG_2778.jpgUpdate - the carbs and airbox is finally on after cleaning and servicing both. Dipped the carbs, even put new idle jets in. I destroyed one idle jet taking it out and another was corroded so bad it was deformed. Put weather stripping in airbox with new air filter. New spark plugs were installed. Was able to rig up way to start the bike with a small tank where I could get to the mixture screws on top of carbs. The bike started with a little choke and warmed up to release choke to idle about 1100. YAH ! That was a good feeling. No leaks in the carbs so that was a big plus too. So I think I got them put back together right :)

When it warmed up the throttle seem responsive when I blimped it. Ouu looking good so far. Now for the adjustments. I had static balance the butterflys on the bench before installing the carbs. I didn't have to touch the adjustment screws pretty close as they were. While running, the gauges were pretty close to the same readings across all cylinders. Another good sign. I checked them up to 2500 rpm. I had set the mixture screws to 3 turns out before I started the bike. I decided to try my hand at the mixture screws adjustments without doing anything to the sync adjustment screws. Turning them up made the idle go faster, it was subtle and I had to go slow with it. So I adjusted them all for best idle and then turned the big idle adjustment knob down for 1100 rpm. Seemed okay so far.

I shut the engine off and went inside the house for a bit. I came back out to restart and this is when the trouble started. It had cooled so I applied some choke and it started and ran for about a minute then it bogged down and died. It would not start again. I checked the fuel line and it was getting fuel. So I looked at one of the plugs, it was all dark and sooty. These were brand new plugs when I started. Obviously too rich and apparently fouled out now. Well I put the mixture screws back to 3 turns out from seated. I then measured the voltage at the coil connector I had 9 volts. So it appears the combnation of weak spark and too rich did me in. I will be doing the coil relay mod whether I was ready to or not.
 
Did the relay mod, have nearly 12v at the coils now. Now to fix exhaust leak issues. I have the pipes off and have ordered new exhaust gaskets. I'm cleaning up the pipes while I have them off. I'm using the white vinegar and tin foil method for now getting some rust off. Here's a before shot of cylinder 3 pipe.IMG_2799 [test1].jpg
 
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