84 GS550ES rebuild

[mike-s]

Clutch adjustment is out, likely a stretched cable. loosen it slightly at the lever end and then adjust and tighten it up at the engine end until you start getting clutch release in the outer extremities of clutch movement, then adjust the lever end until you get it snugly in the spot that suits your hand most comfortably.

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

Heres the current state of my GS. Just finished taking the carbs off. That was definitely an ordeal.


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/leonhartseed17/IMG_3409.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/leonhartseed17/IMG_3410.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/leonhartseed17/IMG_3411.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/leonhartseed17/IMG_3412.jpg

Welcome! Nice lookin' bike!

Seems you have one of our fine and relatively uncommon bikes. Check my sig for my original project thread and a thread regarding our "Weird Carbs". Also, be sure to get the factory service manual (for free!) in PDF format from BassCliff's site or elsewhere.

...
PS
You should be able to get them in and out in about 10 minuits. They're not that bad to do. I have a 4 carb bike and it's not any harder or easier with either.

Don't believe him! Pulling the carbs is a PITA, IMHO, but some with much more experience think I'm a slow poke. The first time is a "learning experience" to be sure.

Got my carb dip today. So I went to start tearing down the carbs and i cant get the screws that hold the brackets on out. So I might have to invest in a set of vice grips. They are just stripping away.

As others have said: Impact Drive: My impact driver made short and clean work of those screws.


Best of luck!

 

[huahuahauzi]

Went out and adjusted the clutch cable . Tightened it all the way down at the engine side, and messed with the lever side, but still no good.

 

[huahuahauzi]

Took off the cover and this is what i found:

 

[SVSooke]

Pretty standard old bike grunge Here's what mine was like:

Before,I cleaned a bit before I thought to take a pic

After,yes I penned the tab over

 

[huahuahauzi]

I'm starting to think that this might be related to this pesky oil problm I'm still having. The bike is low on oil again. Gonna go buy a couple quarts and see If that doesnt fix the issue.

Gotta figure out where that oil keeps going though.

 

[huahuahauzi]

I SOLVED THE DOWN SHIFTING PROBLEM!!!!

Can you tell I'm happy about that?

I took off the side case cover and there it was. I single screw was almost all the way turned out. Turned it in( tight ) and problem solved.

While I was working on it, I also decided to change out the dual exhaust for a 4 to 1 exhaust.

And heres a pic of the old ones I took off.

While i was putting the carbs back in I noticed something odd. The house from the air box to the engine had some cream colored goo in it. Not sure exactly what it is.

 

[huahuahauzi]

So today, i went to drive my bike to work, and immediately after starting riding it, I noticed it felt slugish, and it had no power. After driving for another minute I decide to turn around and go home.

When I pulled into a parking lot it stalled out. I looked down and realized that it was ****ing oil. Just tons of it. I take off the left side fairing and notice that it is leaking out the left port on the air box.

My questions are this. 1. Where is the hose that was supposed to be there lead to? I can not figure out what it is supposed to connect to. 2. Why is there oil coming out of my air box.?

 

[MelodicMetalGod]

So today, i went to drive my bike to work, and immediately after starting riding it, I noticed it felt slugish, and it had no power. After driving for another minute I decide to turn around and go home.

When I pulled into a parking lot it stalled out. I looked down and realized that it was ****ing oil. Just tons of it. I take off the left side fairing and notice that it is leaking out the left port on the air box.

My questions are this. 1. Where is the hose that was supposed to be there lead to? I can not figure out what it is supposed to connect to. 2. Why is there oil coming out of my air box.?

Can't recall about the port (got pics?, might be a drain port (to ground) or might be the crankcase breather port, but then it would be less likely that you'd find oil in the air box), but if there's oil in the air box...well, I think that means it's blowby from the cylinder, often an indication of worn rings. I'd expect one of the GSR experts will be along shortly to clarify.

 

[huahuahauzi]

Been awhile, but I havent really had time to work on the bike.

Started it up recently, runs fine, almost better than it did before. The idle seems a little better. However, as soon as i turn the throttle, it starts smoking. The more I turn it the more it smokes. Its a nice white smoke. So today, I took it around the block. The power is all there, and it rides great. Same situation though, as soon as i start turning the throttle it starts to smoke, and after a few minutes of riding it, it consistently smoked no matter the throttle position (albeit more if I do turn it).

No my first thoughts are either one of two things:

1. Valve seals are shot.
2. Piston rings are shot.

Honestly, I feel like I've put too much money into this bike as it is, so I'd like to take the most likely route to fix it. Or maybe it isnt even one of the two things listed, and it's just a small fix.

Any suggestions.

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

Could just be sticky rings.
Get some MOPAR combustion chamber cleaner and run it through.
The drive the crap outta it.

You could do a compression check too.

The valve seal question is interesting Mine are fine.
I wonder what your mileage is on the bike and if all the other 83-86 owners have had an oil seal failure.

 

[huahuahauzi]

I'll give the cleaner a try. That would definitely be ideal if that was all it was.

The mileage on the bike is about 27000.

 

[huahuahauzi]

Well, I traded a new problem for an old one.

I decided to take off the 4 to 1 exhaust because it's too loud, and put the stock ones back on.

Started it up to make sure everything was tight enough, and it didnt smoke at all. Not even a little puff. So I took it around the block. Still no smoke, but a minute into the ride it started feeling sluggish. So i drove it back home and stalled it in the driveway.

It was leaking oil out that same port on the left side of the air box as the last time it happened. Gave it a chance to cool down and stop leaking, and started it back up. Didnt start leaking immediately, but after 30 seconds or so, it started leaking again.

To me, this points right to the valve seals, because how else is oil getting into the air box?

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

That is a drain tube. I suspect you have contaminated you oil with gasoline. That would cause a great deal of smoke because as the oil heats up and gets in the top end it will vapourize and the smoke will be drawn into the airbox via the large rubber tube that exits the top of the valve cover and connect to the right side of the airbox.

The oil leaking out of the airbox is probably residue that has plastered the inside of the airbox and has settled and is running out of the drain.

Open up the crank and take a whiff to find out.

 

[huahuahauzi]

Ok well first off, I drained the oil last night only to found i had way to much oil in there. Like way way too much. Not sure how that one happened. So that might account for some of the oil coming out there. Took the bike out for a ride. No Sluggish feeling, actually felt more powerful. So I drove it back home and parked it.

There was still oil coming out of that port, but not nearly as much. And most of it was rolling off and burning off on the exhaust.

As far as the crank case, what am I looking for? A gasoline smell?

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

Ok well first off, I drained the oil last night only to found i had way to much oil in there. Like way way too much. Not sure how that one happened. So that might account for some of the oil coming out there. Took the bike out for a ride. No Sluggish feeling, actually felt more powerful. So I drove it back home and parked it.

There was still oil coming out of that port, but not nearly as much. And most of it was rolling off and burning off on the exhaust.

As far as the crank case, what am I looking for? A gasoline smell?

If you had way too much oil then you had gas in the oil
very common and petcock and\or carb o-ring related.

Was th oil thin and smelly like gas?

 

[huahuahauzi]

The oil does smell like gas, but doesnt seem to thin.

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

alas oil should smell like oil.
Did you replace your carb o-rings?
If so were you careful not to damage them?

O and as a test you can remove the fuel and vacuum line from your petcock.

If there is a leak ther you will find out quite quickly. Do one at a time.

Did it ever refuse to crank over as if everything was locked?

 

[huahuahauzi]

"Did it ever refuse to crank over as if everything was locked?"

Yes it has. Quite a few times. And the only way it will crank again is if I put new oil in it. So I assumed it was burning oil somewhere.

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

"Did it ever refuse to crank over as if everything was locked?"

Yes it has. Quite a few times. And the only way it will crank again is if I put new oil in it. So I assumed it was burning oil somewhere.

Good god man stop that and do not do it again
check your petcock and
Did you replace the carb o-rings the itty bitty ones inside?