83 Tempter

[Reaper]

Hey guys just got another G series bike. This time got an 83 Tempter in trade for a pocket bike i had. Everything seems to be in ok order however i avent really tinkered with her yet. Not knowing anything about these bikes anyone have any input on background information on these bikes? pics coming soon

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

Quite a few members have these.
Its was offered only for a short period of time but for some reason they are everywhere in ads.

I raced one once at a stoplight that is my only direct experience.

They share some cosmetic bits and switch gear with the 83-86 550Ls as well as a few bits from the Madura bikes.

 

[tom203]

Quite a few members have these.
Its was offered only for a short period of time but for some reason they are everywhere in ads.

.

Yes, lots here in Maine on CL - low mileage, apparently owners have been storing them for this spring! prices are ridiculous

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

high prices or low?

 

[Reaper]

i must have lucked out then cause i spent 140 for the pocket bike and now i have a gr650 sittin in my yard lol.

 

[Badooka]

Quite a few members have these.
Its was offered only for a short period of time but for some reason they are everywhere in ads.

I raced one once at a stoplight that is my only direct experience.

They share some cosmetic bits and switch gear with the 83-86 550Ls as well as a few bits from the Madura bikes.

Madura's are bad ass bikes!

 

[78gs750e]

My wife has one hers is the deluxe model with mags and the parking lamp under the headlight. They are a nice bike to ride, not a power house compared to my katana 750 or my brothers 1100 but plenty to keep up with traffic. They have a real low center of gravity so they feel nimble and have a weight with a clutch that makes it hard to stall taking off but it drops off higher up so not to slow the revs. Be sure to check the air filter it is made of foam and replacements are hard to find and expensive.

 

[Reaper]

so far I've established it needs a battery and air filter haven't been able to go much further without being able to start it. looking good so far though

 

[Big Rich]

I have one, and have had a couple. Matter of fact, I'm parting one out that was wrecked, but that's a whole other story.

My best advice: take care of the motor best you can. Engine parts can be hard to find, along with any body work. The rear wheel is very model specific (to the best of my knowledge), but even they are replaceable.

Other than that, they are standard 83 Suzuki's - electrical system problems, easy maintenance, etc.. I love mine.

Edit: Wanted to add - Uni filter foam can be used to make a new filter. You'll need to cut it to fit and use some hot glue to make a new "foam seal" around the plastic cage.

 

[Reaper]

hey big rich thanks for reminding me about the uni foam. I couldn't remember who it was. shoot me a message with all available parts. we may be doing some business, I always like to have extra parts around.

 

[Big Rich]

Pm incoming sir....

 

[Reaper]

UPDATE!! Got the tempter to fire today and run for a few seconds, however she's gonna need a carb clean done cause she wont run unless I'm sprayin starter fluid down her throat. however still sounded pretty good for not being ran in such a long time.

 

[Reaper]

ok so I got the carbs cleaned up and now she's running without help. I found out however that the itake manifold boots were toast so I made new ones from pieces of stainless. pics coming soon.

 

[Guest]

Hey Reaper, Welcome to the GR fan club. Limited though we are.

I am currently rebuilding the engine in my Tempter. What Big Rich said is true. Take care of the engine and if a parts bike can be had for cheap, snatch it up. Took me 4 weeks to find crank bearings...in the Netherlands.

Send a PM to oldrookie. He has one too and lots of riding time on it. If I can be of help, let me know.

 

[BigD_83]

Speaking of GRs. There is one here locally with the need for new cam gears/tensioner...sounds like it may have thrown the timing chain, but the owner says is still running. I've steered the owner to the forum.

Is there anything specific about these beast one should be aware of when taking on this kind of project?

 

[Guest]

Parts may be hard to find depending on how deep of an engine project it turns out to be. Other than that, I don't think there's anything out of the norm.

 

[old_skool]

More than a few I've seen develop a base gasket leak, the gasket design has some pretty thin narrow areas to cover, and blow out sometimes. The Gr650 I had did that, repaired it in one weekend. Easy bikes to work on. I modified a Ninja rear mono shock to replace the OEM to drop the height a little as well as raise the forks into the tree a tad, as it was for my wife at the time. She loved it but decided to be a passenger instead of a rider, too many medical issues distracting her from safely riding any distance.

 

[oldrookie]

Riding mine less now that I have an SV650, but I really like the bike. Just an easy bike to ride.

True on the base gasket leak that Oldskool mentioned. He is better at working on them than I am, as is Big Rich. Both helped me at different times to get mine back on the road.

Have mine running well, but paint off the tank and sidepanels. Working on getting it ready to paint. Going to have to let mine go, can't afford two bikes--but I am going to miss it.

 

[Reaper]

anyyone know of a good cafe style seat that's good for two up riding?

 

[Big Rich]

Any kind of 2 up seat will really need to use the stock seat pan / frame rails to support the weight. You might be able to fab up some type of removable cowl to fit the stock pan though.

Edit: Or better yet, find somebody who is parting out a GR650 (ahem.....) and buy the seatpan to make a cafe style seat out of. Then you can just switch back and forth whenever you'd like.