81 gs850

[toofar]

Just picked this up the other day for $35 on Craigslist. Not a lot there but the motor seems good. No wiring, lights, handlebars, etc etc. Planning on building it into a cafe.

This is my second build. Here's my first, an 82 Honda 450cm

 

[DanTheMan]

You've got an 850L. That's the cruiser style bike. leading forks give it away. Here's a link to all things GS by our resident unofficial greeter, BassCliff http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/ . Introduce yourself to the collective mind in the GS owners thread.

 

[toofar]

You've got an 850L. That's the cruiser style bike. leading forks give it away. Here's a link to all things GS by our resident unofficial greeter, BassCliff http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/ . Introduce yourself to the collective mind in the GS owners thread.

So will it make a decent cafe since its the cruiser?

 

[Guest]

So will it make a decent cafe since its the cruiser?

It's your bike - do what you want with it. And ignore those that criticize what you are doing and don't agree with you. No fun driving a bike that other people wanted.

 

[lemmon95gt]

Look at my profile pics....cant post from the kindle......I build my care from a 82GS850. I looove my bike.....I have post on here of what looks like now.....I hope it gives u inspiration

 

[toofar]

It's your bike - do what you want with it. And ignore those that criticize what you are doing and don't agree with you. No fun driving a bike that other people wanted.

That's true. I was just wondering more on the performance aspect. Will it handle good enough to be a cafe? I want the look and ability.

Look at my profile pics....cant post from the kindle......I build my care from a 82GS850. I looove my bike.....I have post on here of what looks like now.....I hope it gives u inspiration

I dig it. Does bringing the forks up above the top triple tree lower the bike? It looks like in your pics that's how you have yours.

 

[Dogma]

That's an '82, at least. Not only the wheels are '82+, so is the frame (as evidenced by the tank mount).

Handling is the same between the G and GL, so don't worry about that for a cafe project. So much of it is gone, the L forks are the only thing you won't be covering or cutting to reveal that it's an L. Unless you put an L tank on it.

 

[Steve]

I was just wondering more on the performance aspect. Will it handle good enough to be a cafe? I want the look and ability.

There really isn't much of a handling difference between the G and the L.

The front axle on the L is a leading axle, but the fork tubes are offset a bit, putting the axle exactly the same place in front of the engine, giving it the same wheelbase and steering geometry.

The biggest "gripes" about the L revolve around:
the smaller gas tank (might be a plus for your build),
'buckhorn' handlebars (won't matter for your build,
stepped seat (won't matter for your build),
different-sounding mufflers (might not matter for your build) and
the use of chrome fenders front and rear (might not matter for your build).

For your purpose, either bike will work well enough, I think DanTheMan was merely making sure you were aware which one you have.
When you go to order parts, there are some things that are a bit different between the G and the L, so make sure you order the correct one.

.

 

[rogerramjet]

I might have a stator cover to replace the one that's missing. PM me.

Mark

 

[toofar]

Thanks for all the responses. I am a little lost because of the lack of parts still on the bike. I'm glad I found this site. I've got very little experience withbikes. Hell, I don't even have a motorcycle endorsement yet and I'm starting a second build. I'm trying not to jump feet first into this project as I have my other bike, Eclipse and 3000gt projects going. The only reason my wife didn't kill me for dragging this home is it was $35.

 

[toofar]

Is an engine cherry picker the best way to get this engine out to paint the frame?

 

[lemmon95gt]

It lowered it.....I love that its a shaft.....road it yesterday with new carb boots.....carburetor rebuild kit and it moved! Last year it ran good but this year with the new parts its night and day. I love the 850. You have a blank canvas to do whatever you like. I wish ya the best of luck.

 

[toofar]

It lowered it.....I love that its a shaft.....road it yesterday with new carb boots.....carburetor rebuild kit and it moved! Last year it ran good but this year with the new parts its night and day. I love the 850. You have a blank canvas to do whatever you like. I wish ya the best of luck.

So is the best way to do that to take the forks off the frame. Where did you set yours height wise on the forks?

 

[cowboyup3371]

There are many different ways you can pull that engine out but most folks will lay it down on it's right side and pull the frame up. Or, you can use a couple of long rods, a jack, and some two by fours and manhandle it out the right side. Just make sure you have a couple of folks to help if you do that.

Do a search on engine removal

 

[lemmon95gt]

Loosen the fork clamps. Upper and lower. Try and support the bike in front so it doesnt slam down. I pushed my forks up through the top clamp 2 inches. I run clip on bars though. Its pretty easy to drop the front end. Just dont go too low or the bike will handle funny.

 

[toofar]

Loosen the fork clamps. Upper and lower. Try and support the bike in front so it doesnt slam down. I pushed my forks up through the top clamp 2 inches. I run clip on bars though. Its pretty easy to drop the front end. Just dont go too low or the bike will handle funny.

Thanks. I'm planning on running clip on bars too. I think I'm gonna use the stock bar tower as a mount for the tach and speedo to bring them in closer. I gotta find some first. Any suggestions on aftermarket ones? Also, can someone let me know the fork diameter so I know which clip ons to get? Can't find my micrometer.

 

[toofar]

I'm assuming that a tank from a gs550 will work on my bike. Just looking for verification before I order it. Thanks.

 

[toofar]

Can some let me know what carbs and from what years I can use on this bike? I found some Mikuni 26mm carbs off of a 79 gs850 and some from a 83 GS750. thanks

 

[7981GS]

The rims on that bike are '82-up.
The CV carbs from the 750 might fit if the spacing is the same.
The '79 carbs are too small to fit into your intake manifolds beside being smaller carbs.

Eric

 

[Dogma]

Well, a lot can be adapted, depending on how much work you want to do. For the least effort, you want Mikuni BS32SS, and those aren't horribly rare from parted out 850s. Being a cafe project, I assume you're going to do pods (K&N, right?) and a 4->1 pipe. So, it won't matter how it's jetted since you'll be installing a Dynojet kit anyway. There's a carb specs thread here from which you can glean what models have that size carbs. Other manufacturers used those carbs too, but I'm not sure what might be different. The only difference among GS bikes is jetting and a couple different styles of choke linkage.

The '79 850 carbs are VM carbs. From what I've read, they're a little twitchy off idle in comparison to the BS32SS. Get a comparison opinion from someone who's used both, though. The '83 750 carbs are BS32SS. If they're in good enough shape, I'd nab 'em.

Edit: Take Eric's advice on checking the carb spacing.