Bringing my '81 GS850G back to life

[G. Bruns]

Hi All,



I'm back after a 4 year hiatus. Unfortunatley, life interfered and my GS project got pushed to the side. Regardless, I'm glad to be back working on my bike. My original username was Bruno for anyone who remembers.



While trying to figure out where to start up again, I picked up the front fender from it's resting place in the garage and noticed one side was a different shade than the other. I'd already painted all of the body parts. The lacquer paint job had yellowed making the silver take on a greenish tint. Ugh.



I didn't cry too much.



The new color is (drumroll please...) HUGGER ORANGE!


If you're interested in seeing pics of the project, you are welcome to check out my photobucket site.



http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff19/Bruno31/Motorcycle%20Pics/?start=all

 

[7981GS]

Bike looks like it is off to a very fine start!
Love that seat!
So, what color/colors is it going to be now?
Silver w/ hugger Orange or Silver or Orange?

Daniel

 

[G. Bruns]

Thanks Daniel. It's been a lot of work and I've still got a ways to go. The entire bike needed to be repainted, so it will be orange. The different body parts didn't even yellow evenly, so everything needs to be repainted. I'm through with silver as it is bound to yellow again, so I may as well go with a color that won't be affected by it.

The overall color scheme should look pretty sharp. Blacked out engine, orange body parts, polished engine covers with a chrome exhaust.

The bike will have modern touches such as the seat and an all in one speedo/tack and have a very clean look. I'm going for a modern take on a great '80's bike.

I'd really like to relocate the ignition switch to somewhere on the left side. Has anyone done this or have any ideas?

 

[bbjumper]

Seat

Seat

Really like that seat cover, can you share where you got it?

 

[7981GS]

I'd really like to relocate the ignition switch to somewhere on the left side. Has anyone done this or have any ideas?

I would make a mount out of 1/8" steel or aluminum and mount it between the left ear of the speedo mount or
the original ign. mount hole and the upper fork tube mount above the rubber cushion for the headlight ear.

Daniel

 

[G. Bruns]

I got the seat cover from Sargent Cycle. They do very impressive work. I paid $60 for mine. I'm not sure what they are charging now. They'll even rebuild your seat for you if you're willing to pay. You can easily find them online.

Thanks for the suggestions, Daniel. I appreciate it.

 

[G. Bruns]

It's been awhile since I've posted any pics of my project, and since I now know how (thanks to BassCliff's site), I will.

As you can see, this bike is getting the head to toe treatment. I've only ridden it once, then ripped into it. It needed EVERYTHING! I can't tell you what wasn't wrong with this bike except the price. Here's a list of things I've done so far:

Restored seat pan and recovered seat
New front master cylinder resevior
New handlebars
New control switches, left and right
New grips
Cleaned and painted engine
Ground down rusty frame and painted with Rustoleum
New footrests all around
Rebuilt carbs w/ new O rings (Thanks Robert!)
Cleaned and painted airbox, even bought the new little springs that go on the boots.
New wires/coils
Rebuilt starter
Adjusted shims
Installed Acewell 2853
etc., etc...

I'll just let the pictures tell the rest of the story. You can view the entire album here if you'd like.
http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff19/Bruno31/Motorcycle Pics/


Here are some previews.

Theres still more to do before it's ready to ride. Thanks to everyone in the forum. Not just to those who answer the questions, but also to those who ask them. The information is invaluable to my project.

 

[kdo58]

where did you get the ignition switch?

 

[DannyMotor]

I love pro-grip grips... SOOO comfy.

 

[G. Bruns]

I got the ignition switch set-up from Partnmore. http://www.partsnmore.com/parts/suzuki/gs850g/?filters[category]=electrical&filters[fitting]=universal&filters[page]=2

I really like it. Very nice for the money. My bike didn't come with the original ignition switch, so I considered a number of options including relocating the switch to the side cover or somewhere off the frame. Then I stumbled on this and the decision was easily made. Looks pretty good, eh?

Yeah, I love Progrips too. These aren't quite as cushy as the other ones I've got, but hey, If I don't like 'em, another pair are just a few click away.

 

[G. Bruns]

Today found me sorting through the wiring yet again. This time some final soldering, cleaning connections, and putting everything in it's final place. It's very gratifyting to take what was a mangled, chewed up, semi-charred mess and turn it into something that resembles an organized, clean wiring system.

While I openly admit that I didn't know if the the original coils and wires were technically up to snuff, I can also tell you that I wouldn't have cared if they were. This is a complete rebuild and the old stuff needed to be gone. The coils were the last gravel and oil caked reminder of the bike that was, and they had to GO. I'm saving everything and will be giving it away to anyone who may want some leftovers.

Here are some pics of the the more ordered wiring . I still have some electrical tweeks to do to make sure the charging system is functioning well, but won't be able to do much until I get the bike running again. For the time being though, every wire at least has a home. Let me know if you see anything terribly out of place.

Last but certainly not least, a new set of Dyna coils and new plug wires. I went with the suppression wires as I've got an Acewell gauge and didn't want to risk interference. Anyone else have this coil/wire set up? Feedback?

 

[Steve]

I went with the suppression wires as I've got an Acewell gauge and didn't want to risk interference.

What plug caps did you use? :-k

If you use suppression wires, you need non-resistive caps. The stock wires are solid core, so have resistive caps.
If you used the stock caps with your suppression wires, you might not get enough 'fire' to the plugs.

.

 

[G. Bruns]

It's a Dyna 7mm black set that have the boots built in, so there shouldn't be a problem with that. Thanks for watching our for me though! I appreciate it.

 

[G. Bruns]

Here are some fresh pics! I got the two right side engine covers shined up and back on the bike. I debated on restoring the original DOHC sticker which is the plain black version I prefer and is original to the model, but opted for the new one with gold-tone as it will match the one I have for the stator cover. Less obvious improvements include a rebuilt rear master cylinder, new rear wheel bearings, rear tire, and new carb intake boots. I also cleaned up and re-packed the swing arm bearings.

I spent a good amount of today cleaning up some nasty crash bars that were well used, meaning, they had obviously both seen a crash. A Flea-bay special I couldn't resist due to their low cost, but I probably should have passed on 'em.

I was originally concerned about painting over chrome, only to find out the chrome was thinner than the foil on those little chocolate easter eggs. A few passes of an orange nyalox wheel and it was gone. My theory on the crash bars...If I'd have bought new ones, I was sure to go down. If I bought the rattiest, nastiest things I could get my hands on, they would grace my bike unscathed for years. Hey Life, I'm learning!!!

 

[G. Bruns]

I finally figured out how I was going to mount my speed sensor for my Acewell unit. First off, I had to find a place to mount a magnet of some sort. The magnetic bolt that Acewell sent me with the unit was too small to swap out with one of the brake rotor bolts. Looking online, I found Pete's infamous $19 magnetic bolt. Not being able to justify the expense, especially with shipping from Australia, and being unwilling to wait, I lopped the magnetic head off the bolt sent to me and used some epoxy to mount it on top of one of the existing rotor bolts.

Part two involved positioning the sensor so that it 1. would pick up the signal from the magnet and 2. be able to be mounted to something fixed. This is what I came up with. A simple bracket that is fixed to one of the studs at the bottom of the right fork with the sensor mounted on the end of the bracket.

 

[G. Bruns]

One for the road

One for the road

I just got done with my tank and tail piece and am about to launch my rebuilt ride. I haven't been very good about updating this thread, and am at the tail end of my project...the part where I actually get on the bike and go for a ride after a complete rebuild.

A couple of weeks ago, I fired it up for the first time in five years. I had primed the cylinders with some PB Blaster Small Engine spray ensuring a fast start up. Combined with a slightly high idle, it was a loud, smokey rebirth. I already got an initial air/fuel mix while sitting in the driveway using the tank off my Maxim and synced the carbs using mercury sticks. Hopefully I got it right and it runs well on the road. It sure sounds good with that V&H 4 into one!

Here are some pictures of the completed tank and tail piece. I used Testor's Model Masters Acrylic Lacquer in Hugger Orange with U-Pol Clear#1 over top. I wet sanded with 1500 grit and then used 3M Scratch remover for a mirror finish.

Here's a pic of the engine.

I've got the side covers left to complete and will post a picture of the bike after they are done. But now it's time to hit the street. My thanks to those who helped me when I needed it and to those who helped me indirectly through their advice to others. I couldn't have done it without you.

So one more reclaimed, another GS back in service. One more for the road!

 

[MAJikMARCer]

The bits and pieces look great. I can't wait to see the fully assembled bike. I really like the paint job, looks great.

 

[Good Times]

Really look great. Nice job on the paint.

 

[G. Bruns]

I'm painting the sidecovers today. Actually, I painted them a couple of days ago. I just put stripes on them and then put some clear over top. This is how they look, except obviously, they will be shiny when I'm all done.

It's been great riding it! Apparently I did a pretty good job tuning it as it runs terrifically. Very spirited but well mannered too. Simply put, a joy to ride. This has really been my first opportunity to really ride it as it was more or less a non-running bike when I bought it and I'd never ridden a big GS shaftie before. It makes all of the hours of work and dollars spent worthwhile.

 

[Good Times]

Can't wait to see a picture of the bike all dressed up.