Is it worth it?

[Tigeroffhell]

Hi, first post on the gs forum here and I've got a question. I found this 1980 suzuki gs850g for 450 on FB market place and it seems like a crazy good deal the thing is though that the current owner has added that they have spent over 1 thousand on trying to get it to stay running but all they are able to do is get it jump started and then it dies out. Now they have said they cleaned out the carbs and have even taken it to actual mechanics and they still haven't been able to get it to stay running. The bike in the photos likes amazing especially for the price but if they haven't been able to get it to stay running even after having mechanics look at it is it worth it. I have very little mechanical experience but me and a friend want to try and get it going if its worth the time and effort.

[rphillips]

Looks well worth $450. Hard to believe they can't get it going, GS850's rarely have any big problems, other than sitting too long and carbs need "good" cleaned. But no guarantees... Oh yeah, WELCOME

[alke46]

Welcome to the forum. DO NOTHING to this bike until you have read member Nessism's top 10 newbie mistakes. Not following this advice will give you every opportunity to
re-do everything a second time. Especially the carb cleaning.

[Tigeroffhell]

Thats what I've seen about the GS series from this forum and every where else so its crazy to see how nice it looks and the price I've been seeing so many other GS series bikes on FB that look like dirt and twice or three times the price of this one. what do would be the first thing I should try and look at? And THANKS!

[alke46]

Re-read my post.

[Tigeroffhell]

Posted my message before I saw yours haha thanks will do!

[dorkburger]

Is it worth it? That depends on your level of desire to learn.

[Carter Turk]

Stator (inside left engine cover), SH 775 regulator (finned, behind carbs, behind side cover), starter motor brushes (under carbs), splines.
Maybe someone else will say something about this, (splines) as I'm chain driven guy. Parts if needed, probably less than $350.

[gtem]

My single biggest worry is what some other "mechanics" may have done to the carbs. Best case scenario you're likely replacing some crappy off-brand jets. Worst case scenario is some permanently damaged carb bodies and extracting stripped out pilot jets and/or broken off idle mixture screw tips.

[Big Block]

It depends on your skill set and patience. Yes butchered carbs would be worst case, not that hard to find another set though if they were unrepairable.

[Tigeroffhell]

So I got it guys I'm excited to look into why it won't run. I've got some finals this week but I plan to spend most my free time trying to get it to run. I even found a free manual for it which I wasn't expecting!

[Big Block]

Great, lots of experienced guys here that can save you a lot of head scratching when you get into it. Most of us will tell you to pull the gas tank, make sure the inside of it is clean, then pull the carbs, clean them properly, install new O-rings and bowl gaskets if they are needed before doing anything else.

[zuluwiz]

one possibility: rusty tank and/or dirty gas. either will clog the petcock and produce the symptoms you describe. if the tank and fuel are clean then do the carbs. you still might have to replace the petcock but that can wait till the carbs are good. Oh and yes, for $450 that bike is a steal. The parts are worth more than that. Welcome to the site, step up to the bar and draw yerself a beer.

[dpep]

Hi, first post on the gs forum here and I've got a question. I found this 1980 suzuki gs850g for 450 on FB market place and it seems like a crazy good deal the thing is though that the current owner has added that they have spent over 1 thousand on trying to get it to stay running but all they are able to do is get it jump started and then it dies out. Now they have said they cleaned out the carbs and have even taken it to actual mechanics and they still haven't been able to get it to stay running. The bike in the photos likes amazing especially for the price but if they haven't been able to get it to stay running even after having mechanics look at it is it worth it. I have very little mechanical experience but me and a friend want to try and get it going if its worth the time and effort.

This sounds like at least two different issues. Why are they having to jumpstart it? It does not crank with a fully charged battery? Once started how long doe it run before dying out?

[dpep]

You can remove the tank and hang an external one for your tests. If the engine does not die out after short time that will tell you to focus on the petcock, tank, and lines.