When you buy a GS what should you do?

[oldrupert]

Hey everbody

This is my first post here on the GSResource as I have just purchased my first GS.

It is a 1980 GS450E. It is in fairly good condition but i bought it cheap with the understanding that it started but could not run because of fuel issues.

I have no problem pulling apart carbs and actually enjoy the puzzle/maze that they are, so I will be doing that immediately. I will probably put some pod filters on right away too as I like the way they look and hope that they will help out a bit.

Here are my questions:

I see that the carburetors are called BS34SS and that they are CV, but I am having a hell of a time finding parts. Am I calling them the wrong thing? Are they actually Mikuni VM34?

I have heard of syncing the carbs, does this require a set of pressure readers and tubes?

and most of all, before i start riding this bike after getting the carbs cleaned and set, What should I check before riding a whole bunch so I don't blow up the bike or get stranded 300 Km from home (Yes I live in Canada)?

I hope to give back some good info and pictures of rebuilding as I take on this new project.

Thanks
oldrupert

 

[Nessism]

Our resident greeter will be along soon but in the mean time this is a link to his web site...http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

There are a fairly large number of maintenance tasks which should be tended to, and all is contained in that link if you dig around.

To get you started, cycleorings.com sells a carb kit for your bike. Get the carb O-ring kit and the intake boot O-ring kit. The GSR home page has a detailed carb rebuild tutorial. The carbs as shown are a little different than yours but you will get the idea.

Before tackling the various tasks please come here and do an Advanced Search to glean important information. If you click the Titles Only button when doing searches it will bring you to the answer faster than using the general search feature.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Flaming Chainsaws]

The carbs as shown are a little different than yours but you will get the idea.

Better yet, I have written a step by step guide for cleaning the carbs SPECIFICALLY for the BS34.

It's hosted on BassCliff's site.
BS34 Carb Rebuild

Everything you need to know is in the link Nessism gave you so look there first.

Welcome to the forum and it's good to see yet another GS450

I see that the carburetors are called BS34SS and that they are CV, but I am having a hell of a time finding parts. Am I calling them the wrong thing? Are they actually Mikuni VM34?

...and most of all, before i start riding this bike after getting the carbs cleaned and set, What should I check before riding a whole bunch so I don't blow up the bike or get stranded 300 Km from home (Yes I live in Canada)?

I remember reading somewhere that BS34SS is just the part number Suzuki gave the carbs. So VM34 may be correct but I'm not sure about that. Maybe you should try searching for VM34 instead of BS34?

Before riding, make absolutely sure that the tires are up to date. No older than 5 years old. Make sure the brakes and suspension are good. Electrical stuff is worth checking too. My bike was overcharging so that actually fried my electricals! At the GSR homepage is the Stator Papers. Go through that completely. And you said that you're switching to pods? Make sure to tune the carbs correctly. You don't want to burn any valves.

Good luck!

 

[Nessism]

Better yet, I have written a step by step guide for cleaning the carbs SPECIFICALLY for the BS34.

It's hosted on BassCliff's site.
BS34 Carb Rebuild

Rock ON! Nice!

 

[Steve]

Better yet, I have written a step by step guide for cleaning the carbs SPECIFICALLY for the BS34.

Way to go, FC. :clap: :clap:

Looks like our resident student is also a teacher.

.

 

[Hornswaggle]

Welcome and good luck on your GS project, I know you'll enjoy it!

 

[Guest]

Welcome oldrupert, nice to see another 450 coming along

I don't see anyone mentioned valves, and you'll need to adjust them before balancing your carbs.

Also, change your oil if you haven't done so already, check the state of your brake hoses and if they're not brand spanking new rubber swap them out.

The charging circuit is notorious on these GS' for failure, so check it out as per what Flaming Chainsaws said.

Also, if you're going the pods path, make sure you get good quality ones (K&N), there are too many inconsistencies with the cheapo Emgo type ones and everything I read on here indicates they're not worth the trouble. You will also need to rejet after doing the pods.

Oh, and when you do rebuild those carbs, do yourself a favour and get yourself some nice new stainless steel allen bolts to get rid of those dodgy philips head screws! You'll need 8 x M5 with washers and 15 x M4 with washers. The combination cycleorings.com kit will give you the intake air boot stainless steel allen head screws too. And make sure to use anti seize on all those shiny new stainless bolts!

 

[oldrupert]

Wow

thanks guys!!

this is a great bunch of info. I will be busy for a while getting this stuff done and then I will post a pic later on. I just got a new puppy and I have a 4 year old son, so it might take a while.

I am very happy to own this bike, and even happier to find out there are so many other people out there that feel the same and want to share their knowledge of them.

looking forward to more reading. If anyone else has any tips for a new GS owner feel free to post.

 

[Runningdog]

Oldrupert, welcome to the fold....nice to see more BC members.

Parts are available for the BS34SS.....that carb was used on lots of other makes....I have them on my XS400.

In case you missed in exploring all the information treasure on Basscliffs site, get the o-ring kit from cycleorings.com.....the other bits, like jets, needle and seat, etc., are available from ebay or Suzuki. These bits don't usually wear out, but at least you can replace if necessary.

If you ever make it over to Kelowna area, give me a call.....

 

[oldrupert]

I actually attained the bike yesterday in Idaho in a snow storm and imported it into Canada, (no problems because of age). I am totally happy with the condition of the bike. Besides a big dent in the gas tank "AARGH" it is in amazing shape. very clean, everything is there and in one piece and even the intake boots from the carbs are still rubbery and soft.

Here is a photo. View attachment 12517

Hey runningdog, I also have a '77 Yamaha xs500 sitting in parts. I will be slowly rebuilding it as the funds make it possible (lots of stuff needed). It has twin BS38's on it.

Has anyone switched to using Mikuni 38's on a GS450?

 

[Flaming Chainsaws]

Bigger picture. It already has clubmans .

 

[oldrupert]

here is a picture of the engine and carb. you can see the dent in the tank a bit, it's a bad one, I will try and buy a new tank down the road a bit.

besides the dust on it this engine seems to have been kept very clean which I figure usually means good things about it mechanically too.

View attachment 12519

 

[ReTread]

A nice clean looking bike. I've always liked that color combo.

Oh yeah, I'd make sure that you go through the brakes too. It's useful to have good ones.

 

[Runningdog]

Re: swapping in the BS38 carbs....

You won't gain much in the way of performance without improving exhaust flow and a lot of farting around with intake flow (ie filters, jets, maybe porting). If you can, stick with the 34s on the GS, makes smooth running easier.

Kinda figured that it was a US bike, as Canada just had the 400, for insurance purposes. Nice looking bike, always liked that style.

 

[850 Combat]

I gad a big round knee dent on the side of the tank on one of my bikes. I put an air nozzle from the compressor into the fuel filler with a rag around it. The dent popped right out. I can still barely see where it was, but others have said that they cannot see it. I had the petcock off, and held a rag over that opening too.

That was 2 years and 6000 miles ago.

 

[SVSooke]

Unusual bike for Canada,imported from the US is my thought.Had a couple of 400's and just picked up this one:

for my wifes first bike.Soon as my 750 projects done I'm going to dig into it.Welcome to GSR,nice to have another BC member.

 

[oldrupert]

I have run into some problems.

The left cylinder wasn't firing. The right one would fire up no problem but nothing on the left. Checked for a spark out of the plug and it was fine and strong, so I did a compression check. At first there was no compression then all of a sudden it fired up to 150psi with three strokes. I pulled out the comp. checker and put the plug back in and fired it up. Both cylinders fired and ran smooth for 30 sec and then the left one died. tried a couple more times and the same thing happened, compression then no compression, compression then no compression.

Are my piston rings fried?

I suppose the valve timing couldn't be off or the right cylinder would do the same, and I would probably have other problems.

Maybe the valves are semi fried in some strange way.

any Ideas would be helpful before I start to pull the engine apart.

 

[Guest]

Somewhere I have seen how to test to see if it's your rings or valves, but for the life of me I can't remember.

Aside from doing a search here for compression testing, there will be something either in the garage section of the main www.thegsresources.com website or on BassCliff's page.

Either way, you need to check the valves, but of course if rings need doing you need to take the cylinders and head off anyway...

 

[Redneck]

Nice find but I think that in answer to your post question no one mentioned the most important thing,

1.Pray to God for forgiveness for the sins you will commit.

2.You will curse and swear more times than you care to count, it will either be the broken bolt, lack of parts, or funds, usually the latter or why will this not go back in the way it came out. Think you get the picture.

3.Then once you are done sinning, and you have it up and running you can thank God for the good thing he has given to you.

4. One week later, return to step one and repeat.

Gratz again on the find and welcome to the sight hopefully the wonderful wealth of knowledge here will keep step 2 to minimum.

Paul

 

[spyug]

Welcome aboard. Nice bike. You will have lots of fun once its ironed out.

I'm trying to read between the lines here and I suspect you are not performing the compression check correctly. I haven't quite figured out what you're doing wrong but its highly unusual to go comprssion, then no comprsssion and back and forth with adding something to the equation.

Usually when you find an engine with low compression, you would add a few teaspoons of oil to the cylinder and that will allow the compression to come up and gives you the diagnosis of bad rings. If you add the oil and it doesn't change then it is likely valve related. This back and forth is just too weird.

I think you should make sure your valves are correctly adjusted before you try the compression test again as this may well have something to do with it. So don't freak on your rings until then.

The not firing is less likely to be rings or valves and more likely to be a carb issue in that the cylinder is not getting any/enough juice. So a carb rebuild is definitely a priority. Don't rush in to pod filters right away either. Pods need to be dialled in with 'fatter" jets (larger orificed jets that allow for a richer gas mix) to compensate for their freer flowing abilities. It can be tricky getting them right and impossible if the bike is not running right to begin with.

Once you know the carbs are clean and with fresh o-rings and the valves are adjusted have at it again. I'm betting it will fire right up and a compresssion test will show plenty of compression in each cylinder.

Its nice to find an oldie that fires right up and runs like a Swiss watch but that is not common in any bike that sits for more than a few months. Cleaning and adusting is all part and parcel of the game but if you take your time and do a thorough job you will soon have it running like that proverbial watch from the land of cheese and chocolate.......mmmm fondue!

Keep us informed of how it goes and lots of pics on the way too please.

Cheers,
Spyug