GS850GS (Sasha) - Help me prioritize

[ThomWill]

Ok, y'all. Just picked up my 82 GS850G on Friday and am working my way through it. I know from my "mega-welcome" and from some experience that there is a lot to do. But since I have a kid in college and another right behind her, this is going to have to be done in stages whilst hopefully maintaining a running machine.

Currently, it starts a little hard and idles rough, but runs MUCH better at speed and with some choke. I do not think that I am getting anywhere near all the power that the power plant is capable of producing, but the tach is not working so I cannot be more specific about RPM/Speed/gear calculations yet.

What I have done so far:
Cleaned up the engine so I could get a handle on the small top leak - Cam end seals / covers. I ordered a cam cover gasket and half-moons already, should be here by week's end. Will do the valve check / adjustment when I have the cover off.

Fork seals were blown / front brake pads soaked in fork oil. - I have the forks at the shop being rebuilt, and new pads / fluid for the entire brake system once I get the forks back.

Redid the right side airbox cover with weather stripping, have not pulled the left side yet. Looked at but have not cleaned / oiled the air filter element yet. Would love suggestions on what to use to clean it, and how best to get the "mist of oil" since the owner's manual suggests dipping

What I will do this week before the forks are done: Gear oil change, final drive oil change, motor oil / filter change to Rotella T6 (PO was running Motul synthetic)

What is in the near future:
Troubleshooting the tach issue / fuel gauge issue

What I need to prioritize based on roughness at lower RPM's:
Intake boots and O-rings
Carb tear-down and clean / rebuild (have run some Seafoam in the system)
Air box rubbers
New Petcock
New plugs
New wires

Also, if there is a GS-Genius somewhere in the Atlanta area (I am in NE suburbs) who wants to drop by and give her a look / listen to see if I there is anything I am not hearing. I would be pleased to meet you and share a beer and war stories.

Thanks,

 

[Guest]

Looks like a good plan to me... you'll want to check the charging system too, see the stator papers in your mega-welcome.

Good luck & post some pics!

 

[Dogma]

A good plan overall. I do suggest a few adjustments.

-'82 is one of the years with the bad final drive splines. I think I remember they can last as long as 40,000 miles, but that would be with good maintenance. Inspection should be on your list, with eventual replacement. New parts are good (they still use this part on new bikes), and used parts up to '81 are good. Check the color on used parts to be sure. I think bwringer has info and pics, but you can probably find it on BassCliff's site too.

-Plug wires. Unless the wires themselves are bad, you don't need to change them. The plug caps are probably bad, and nice NGK caps are available from Z1 Enterprises (A resource well worth learning to exploit). I think NGK part numbers are given somewhere in Cliff's site. A search here should turn them up too.

-Changing the brake pads is a good idea, but a rebuild should probably be scheduled ASAP. After 30 years, your brakes are full of sludge. Your rubber brake lines probably swell visibly when you squeeze the lever, wasting your braking effort. Rebuilding with raided stainless lines will make an enormous improvement in your ability to stop. If you don't rebuild, you will very likely get this recommendation again when you can't get the master cylinder to bleed.

-Get familiar with your charging system and how to test it (Find the Stator Papers on the GSResources page (it's not in the forums). If your charging system does not hit all the numbers specified there, you are on the way to being stranded with a dead battery. Clean (Deoxit) and protect (dielectric grease) all of your connections, especially in the charging system. Don't forget all the ground connections. The stock GS charging system does not fail safely. That is, dirty connections will burn up expensive components instead of merely preventing charging.

Edit: One other thought. Many of us are plan to spend up to $1000 making a GS reliable when we buy one of unknown maintenance. I thought you should should know that so it doesn't seem like an endless money pit as you keep finding things that need fixed.

 

[Steve]

I will also suggest not waiting to check your valve clearances. There is a very good chance that you will need to order some shims, so find out what you need and order them. The best place to get shims is Z1. They are less than half the price of other places and very quick, as they have them in stock.

I will also invite you to read my sig, since you are in that area of your bike.

.