New GS owner in Central Florida

[Guest]

EDIT: See newest post, updated 03Oct16


Hello!

I've been prowling the forums for a while ever since I bought a motorcycle I've wanted ever since I was a kiddo, a 1981 gs450s.

I'll post up some pictures later in the week.

I bought the bike nearby, about 45 minutes from me from a couple North of Orlando. They're members here but I don't know their usernames.

I've been riding dirt and flat tracks as a kiddo and only rode on the street occasionally. After I found myself a single parent and divorced, I didn't have much room for a motorcycle and didn't ride for almost 12 years.

I was born into a motorcycle family and eventually my blood pushed me back onto a motorcycle. I have the 1981 gs450s that I'm currently working on.

I did basic maintenance and tuning on the motorcycle. It was in great shape, some minor things that needed replacement like the tach cable, fuel petcock, and the shift linkage was bent (it was usable but it was bent, making shifting a little rough sometimes). I rode it around for a couple weeks around the neighborhood and on town roads. After I got used to it and comfortable I took it onto the highway back and forth to school and started experiencing rear wobble (so much fun at 75mph!)

At first I thought maybe it was the condition of the road or the rear tire (it needed replacement, not terrible but only 10% left before the wear bars were poking out). But as I rode around the wobble made itself known a few more times. Let me tell you, when it starts to wobble, cars REALLY BACK OFF!!! LOL

I took the rear end apart and immediately encountered issues. I took the cotter pin out and with the utmost ease I took the axle nut off. It was barely more than hand tight. I thought, AWESOME! It just wasn't tightened properly! I will just torque it down and be good to go!

I had a tough time torquing it down. It was clear something was NOT okay back there. I had it lifted and after I torqued the axle nut down the rear wheel did not spin freely. I said screw it and loaded it into a nearby shop and said HALP!

We took the rear wheel out completely. The bearings FELL out of the hub. I'm really worried that the wheel needs to be replaced but hopefully the wheel wobble just ruined the bearings and the hub is okay. There was a spacer missing on the left side which caused the drum sprocket to sink way into the hub, which is why I had a hard time getting to 63'lbs and the wheel got stiff.

SO NOW!! We've a bunch of parts for the rear end on the way, I'm hunting for a replacement wheel in case the bearing housing in the hub is buggered, I'm getting a new tire, chain, brakes, etc while the wheel is off (might as well, hate doing things twice), and I possibly have to go buy another motorcycle. My older days are back and I'm a little displaced feeling without a machine.

All in all, I love the motorcycle aside from the hiccup. Save the paint and the pods someone put on her, it's stock.

A picture from the seller just before I bought it:
IMG_4030.jpg

[Boba]

Wow that picture is tiny.

Anyway! Hello all! And if anyone can PM me where to source the 18" rear wheel please do. I would preferably like one that is new or known for fact to be in god condition. I'm hesitant to buy off of ebay for this reason.

[dorkburger]

Welcome. That bike has passed thru ownership of 2 members here. Cool to see It reemerge.
Good luck getting it sorted, and again, welcome. I dig the 450e and s bikes.

[gsrick]

Boba, this is Rick. I'm glad you weren't hurt. I didn't meet you, but you bought my wife's bike. I'm really sorry to hear what happened. We bought the bike in the same condition as when you bought it, and never needed to to anything to the real wheel, so I can't think of what would have been missing. My son and wife road it down I-4 many times going 80 mph, so I'm glad no one got hurt. Eric sent me a link to this thread this morning thinking I could sell you some parts. I have a complete rear wheel/swing arm set, you can have for free. It's from a450L, but it should all be the same. I'll have to go get it from storage in my parent's barn out in Osteen. I'll send you a PM with my cell number and we can make arrangements to meet up.

[trevor]

Boba, this is Rick. I'm glad you weren't hurt. I didn't meet you, but you bought my wife's bike. I'm really sorry to hear what happened. We bought the bike in the same condition as when you bought it, and never needed to to anything to the real wheel, so I can't think of what would have been missing. My son and wife road it down I-4 many times going 80 mph, so I'm glad no one got hurt. Eric sent me a link to this thread this morning thinking I could sell you some parts. I have a complete rear wheel/swing arm set, you can have for free. It's from a450L, but it should all be the same. I'll have to go get it from storage in my parent's barn out in Osteen. I'll send you a PM with my cell number and we can make arrangements to meet up.

You're a good man Rick.

[gsrick]

You're a good man Rick.

Hey, don't ruin my reputation with that crap.

[Boba]

Welcome. That bike has passed thru ownership of 2 members here. Cool to see It reemerge.
Good luck getting it sorted, and again, welcome. I dig the 450e and s bikes.

Thanks for the wish of luck, but I'm confident it will be back on the road by Friday (Thursday if I didn't have to work) unless I need a new wheel, then it will be two weeks at most. Other than the question of the wheel, the bike is in great condition.

Boba, this is Rick. I'm glad you weren't hurt. I didn't meet you, but you bought my wife's bike. I'm really sorry to hear what happened. We bought the bike in the same condition as when you bought it, and never needed to to anything to the real wheel, so I can't think of what would have been missing. My son and wife road it down I-4 many times going 80 mph, so I'm glad no one got hurt. Eric sent me a link to this thread this morning thinking I could sell you some parts. I have a complete rear wheel/swing arm set, you can have for free. It's from a450L, but it should all be the same. I'll have to go get it from storage in my parent's barn out in Osteen. I'll send you a PM with my cell number and we can make arrangements to meet up.

Wow! Not expected! Thank you for the contact. I had lost your number and my brother, who I know has your card somewhere, has been in New Zealand. I have some holes in my schedule due to wonky class availability this semester so I can definitely get up your way. I'm willing to pay for parts as well. When I started digging, I never once thought that you were in-the-know of the rear end and hiccups come with older bikes. It wasn't bad when I first rode around and below 50mph you might never notice it. We didn't take it onto the highway at all until I went through the basics and checked the bike out. I knew I'd need a chain by the time the rear tire went. I had rode it several times on the highway and the wobble quickly progressed. It went from an annoying "What did I do wrong?" to a "Wait no there's something wrong with her butt!" So then I tried to adjust and fix.

The chain was a little slacked so I went to adjust and when I went to torque the axle nut to tighten everything down, the rear wheel stopped spinning freely as it should. It spun, but it was a firm movement and ddn't continue to "coast" once you stopped moving it by hand. The chain, being a little older, was the culprit. It was tightening in one spot while being loose in another. Typical when it needs to be replaced but it wasn't too bad and would last me until I replaced the tire. I adjusted to loosen the chain a bit and it helped but not much. I had noticed how sunken in the silver drum was into the hub of the wheel and it was poking at my conscious mind.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but usually they don't "sink" into the wheel much if at all right?

So I stopped scratching at my head and had the guys down the street take it all apart. I don't have all the tools to pull out bearings and do it comfortably and they are good guys. I do all my work in a storage unit so it can get uncomfortable after a while. When we pulled it apart, turned out I didn't need any special equipment and the bearings in the hub came out way too easy. I've seen this before on large electric motors used in chillers and HVAC equipment and after replacing the bearings, the new ones fit in firmly like they should. Sometimes though, the bearings would bang around in the housing as the client would shut off the motor once it was obvious something was wrong and we'd have to replace the entire bell housing, a much more expensive repair than just replacing bearings. I think (and hope) that the bearings were squash due to the wobble causing extra wear on them as the wobble worsened. I'm hoping that I dug into it early enough before it messed the rim up. Visible inspection it looks like it is still round and not ovaled or belled out.

I was finishing my Associates and one of the classes I needed was only available over the summer in Osceola Campus for Valencia. It's a good hour ride. I made the ride on the bike a few times before I stopped for the semester and the last ride it was obvious that the wobble wasn't me. I rode it to UCF a couple weeks ago and that was the confirming nail that I needed to take it apart asap. I rode back home using back roads and us50.

So! To stop droning on, thank you for PMing me and I will be contacting you in 3... 2... 1...

Another question, do you happen to have any more of that 450L around? May we talk about parts, money, and how much can fit in a Fiat? I shall be in touch *eyebrow wiggle*
I have money saved for a KTM Duke 690... or Suzuki parts. LOL!

[gsrick]

The only thing left from the 450L was the front and rear suspension with wheels/tires. Sadly it is a 16 rear and 18 front. You are welcome to anything you need that will fix the problem, I can bring it to you later today or any other evening after work. Did the rear hub have the spacer tube inside between the bearings? Looking at Partsoutlaw parts fisch they 16 and 18 use the same parts, the spacer looks different in the drawing but the part numbers match up, as do the outside spacers.

[Boba]

image1.jpg

Running well! Rear end feels solid as a .. uh... new? rear end? LOL
Rode it back and forth to class a couple times this week on the street and then on the highway.
No wobble at all anymore!
I got a little too confident and came away from a stop sign and lifted the front a hair off the ground. I didn't even think the 450 was strong enough! LMAO
I DO NOT STUNT ON ASPHALT, EVER
As a result, I may or may not have pulled over at the next Starbucks to use the restroom.

The rear wheel is now gold in color. I'll have to take a more proper picture. I think my next task is to try to convert the rear into a disc brake system. I know the drum is more than adequate, it brakes hard and solid for the size of the bike. But I hate messing with drum brakes. Such a pain. The gold color does not bother me at all. Thanks to Subaru and their popular blue/gold combinations, it actually kinda looks like it's supposed to be that way.

Now however, I think I messed up the intake bits! LOL
I took the intake pipes off while it was on the rack to see how a stock airbox fit that I had gotten off of ebay. I put the intake pipes and carbs back on (with pods) and carried on.

The right side pops on de-acceleration, especially from higher revs. And the left side is a bit rich. Before, the plugs showed me a dark grayish to black color, just a little rich but not bad. Now the left side is about the same, maybe a little darker, and the right side is white and gross looking.
I don't have a working tach (ordered a new cable, just waiting for delivery), so I didn't do the 2k rpm test. I did bring the idle up a little though with the idle setscrew. I detached the plug wires and the right side runs alone, but the left side putters out.

I also noticed that during the end of my rides, especially coming off of the highway, the idle will be higher once it's hot. I have a feeling it's those damn o-rings on the back side of the intakes. I ordered those too.

After a long ride, I pull into a space and when I turn her off about a second later I get a nice loud pop. Not always, usually only after 45 minutes or more of riding. (I'm going to see "sounds lean" posts I feel like hahaha)

Along with the intake pipe o-rings, I ordered new side panel cushions that go on the top where the plastics slide over metal frame tabs. Ordered a new shift linkage bar, mentioned it was a little bent in the original post, and bought a tub of rotella 15e40 and a box of k&n filters kn-133. I did an oil change right after I got it with rotella and a k&n from advanced auto, but they charge significantly more than buying directly from the manufacture. Buy a larger order and it's not only less expensive but also free shipping! LOL

She feels so great. I took her down the only winding road I know of nearby, which has 3 whopping bends every mile, and I had plenty of enjoyment.

As a quick fix and to see if it helps, while I wait for the o-rings for the intake pipes, I took them off and put a small bead of high temp rtv around on the existing o-rings. I put them on loosely, waited an hour while I ran my fingers through the wiring trying to find the bad ground not letting my right directional blink (stays solid on, left side blinks fine), and after about an hour and fifteen minutes, I tightened the intake pipes down and ran my finger inside to make sure none of the rtv pushed through into the intake. I found a little and wiped it all away, then put the carbs back on.

In the morning I shall start it up and see how bad the mistake was.

[Boba]

So! First things first: the RTV didn't help at all. The new o-rings didn't help and I have redone the carb seals and cleaned them. Honestly they didn't need it, they were clean as they were.

I think I'm too late!

I've noticed some smoking during start up. Up until now, I've been changing the oil consistently to both monitor the engine for shavings (I get a small amount every time). Now I've waited a few tanks of gas before I changed it, and I'm on about 1,000 miles since the last change. I've had to add about half a quart! Yikes!

So in my tiny storage unit (5x10) I will be doing a motor swap with a good 450 hopefully, and then rebuilding the existing motor, maybe with some upgrades.

The main problem is that I have no access to power in the storage unit, so I will have to use my car for power (uhhh what?), or somehow maybe I can talk to the management and see if I can gain access to an outlet.

I was looking at some things at harbor freight. Mainly a small air compressor to use for tire maintenance and to blow **** out. Has anyone used harbor freight air compressors? I was going to use it to do a leakdown test on this motor as well as any replacement I might get to while I rebuild.

I'm thinking about doing a 500 motor swap instead, but that is only if I buy another moto so I can work everything over to get it right. If not, I'll swap in a good 450 and rebuild the current 450 with 500 parts and carbs. I have some research to do and tools to buy.

penny for your thoughts!