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I have been dinking around with my 850 for over a year now (a new job, a move, a dissertation defense, and a WI winter all intervened). I may have reached a breaking point to where I'm about to toss it all to the wind. But before I do, I thought I'd at least "vent" to the group, and tell my story. In the least, someone might learn from some of my mistakes.
I first encountered my bike at a friend's in Hillsboro, IL. He had gotten it for $100 after seeing it parked under someone's lean-to in the country. He had a local shop tune it up and put new tires on it, and viola, he was on the road on what he has described as a wonderful, riding machine.
But after one season, it seemed to run a little rough, and the pipes seem to show signs of a too lean mixture. Back to the shop, and after a little haggling, he was on the road again.
This time, only a month or so passed. My friend claims that after his brother-in-law rode it into a ditch, it never ran right afterwards. In fact, he had trouble getting it started, and it started tossing gas out the airbox. He removed one float bowl in an effort to start working on it, but there it sat for two years.
Then I came along. I had just started riding on a 1975 Yamaha XS650 that another friend had given me because he couldn't exorcise the 650's electrical gremlins. With help from an online 650 group, I got things ironed out and was on the road . . . until 5th gear vanished on the Hwy one day.
I was busy finishing up my dissertation, and looking for a job, so my 650 sat. But then my friend offered me his 850 for $500. Sweet. It was cosmetically a wonderful looking bike. Plus, it would offer a much smoother ride than my 650's upright twins, thereby offering me the potential for some really serious cross-country riding. So I sold my '64 Dodge Polara that I had been restoring, and with the proceeds bought the 850 (and a farm truck with the left overs). A $500 850 in great shape that only needed a float unstuck! What a deal.
Soon after bringing the bike home, I had my friends over to look at it, and they all confirmed what a great deal I had gotten. One friend had a GS550, and likened my 850 to the 550 on steroids (apologies to the baseball fans). One even said I had a $1500 bike. More sweet. But here's where it all begins.
I pulled the carbs and cleaned them out without breaking them from the brackets. I thought, "This is gonna be the greatest $500 I've ever spent." While taking them off and apart, I found two little rubber plugs on the engine case. There was even one over a jet in the carbs. Not knowing what they were, and not seeing much in the book on them, I took the one in the carbs out, and figured they shouldn't be there. Wrong. The bike started, and I rode it around a little, but it had no power. A (different) friend also confirmed that they belong in the carbs.
I also dicovered that the post holding #2's float up had been previously broken and JB welded back into place. This discovery was made when I too broke the JB repaired break. So I JB welded it back. Hey, if it was good for the previous goose, what the hey.
Round two. I replace all the rubber plugs in the carbs, and try it again. This time I don't even get it out on the road. The throttle response was erratic and weird. Plus, gas was coming out of the airbox. After more consultation with my other friend and the GS site, I concluded that the petcock was shot. No problem. A call to Pingel, and a credit card number provided me with a great replacement.
However, it would be at least a couple months before I could try the new Pingel. I also learned about this time that the JB Weld wasn't going to cut it on the float post. So a third friend and I did our best to aluminum weld that post back on. In the end, we ended up with a glob of melted aluminum at the bottom of the throttle body. But the float pin hole was at the same height, roughly, and the pin fit, mostly, so what the hey.
At the same time, I got this hair in me to do the complete carb cleaning sequence from the GS site. In order to do that I needed to get my mixture screws out to get that small o-ring out before dipping. So with the help of my third friend, we drilled and EZ-outed one stubborn mixture screw. But on the second one, we broke the EZ out in the drilled hole. By the time we were done trying to recify the problem, we had actually rectum-fried the problem.
So a search online for used parts yielded a complete used set of carbs for $100. Plus, they were located only 100 miles away, and I could pick them up and save on shipping and time. Since they had been sitting for who knows how long, a proper cleaning was in order. Only this time, I left the mixture screws alone, and was happy to see that other POs had done the same since the caps were still on them. I also ordered the complete o-ring replacement kit, and I replaced the intake boots and o-rings as they were too aged. Also, I managed to break the float post on #2 of these used carbs. But from the site I leared an ingenious method of drilling, tapping, and screwing the post back on with a small screw.
Round three. I also needed to sync the carbs since I had taken them off their racks this time. But the only manometer I had was a singular unit used to tune the three Weber carbs on my brother's 240Z. So I got the bike running, and tried to tune. Of course, I had erratic throttle responses, etc. since I had to have the airbox of to get this singular mannometer over the intake of the carbs. I kept thinking the float levels were off because of the surging and popping I kept getting. I ended up adjusting the carbs until the bike wouldn't run. Not sweet.
But summer was soon over, my dissertation was defended, revised, and submitted, and we had moved to WI. Here I discovered that the boots between my airbox and carbs were pretty shot too--all hard and out of shape. So I replaced them. I also learned that these bikes don't run for jack without their airboxes on.
Round four. I then adjusted the floats back to something close to specs, and tried to start it. Nothing. Nothing at all. Frustrated, I left it for the winter.
Come spring, I was eager to get at it. I had committed to go stem to stern on the bike and make it completely road worth. Not that it really needed anything, but I figured there were bearings that could be re-packed or replaced. Plus I had fork seals that leaked, and steering head bearings that needed replacing. I had also become more familiar through numerous posts on the site that good electrical connections were critical on these bikes, and often these were weak links. So over the course of about two weeks I started in the back and working forward I:
Dropped the rear wheel and replaced its bearings.
Repacked the swingarm bearings.
Cleaned and painted the swingarm and battery box.
Replaced the driveshaft boot.
Drained the excess secondary gear oil.
Sprayed all connections with electrical cleaner and coated with dielectrical grease.
Cleaned nooks and crannies.
Dropped the front wheel and replaced its bearings.
Replaced the fork seals and dust covers (damaged one seal and replaced it).
Replaced the steering head bearings
Cleaned and painted the inside of the headlight bucket (and tidied up all the wiring and connections inside there).
Replaced the choke cable that broke during installation.
And replaced numerous nuts, screws, and bolts as needed, and with stainless steel where appropriate.
By this time, my nickel and dime expenses have probably approached $500, and my wife has kindly remined me of the need to keep spending down where possible. Also, a month earlier, I witnessed a (new) friend start his bike after winter by jumping it from his car. With all this work and knowledge, I was ready to go. This bike was going to start. The day of reckoning had arrived.
Round five. And . . . it started. I jumped it from my truck, and with the choke open and no throttle, it fired right up. I let it idle and warm up, and then closed the choke. It was a little rough, but I figured the carbs just needed sync'd. I turned it off, and started it again, just in case. And it ran right off the bat. "Finally," I thought. "Tomorrow I sync."
The next day I started it up on its own with no jumping or trouble at all. Mega sweet. I let it warm up, and then hooked everything up to sync the carbs (with a new, mercury manometer even). I started it, and voila, it ran again. "I'm definately on my way now!" The mercury was even bouncing up and down and I could see that the levels were off and scattered. After a few adjustments, I would finally be on my way, and at the end of this long journey.
Not so fast. What's this? Gas dripping from the bottom of at least one float as best I can tell. Crap. Must be a float that is off a little. No problem. I'll adjust it a little lower, and I'll be in business.
Round six. Floats adjuststed for the last time. Time to fire it up and sync. However, no go. Nothing in fact except for a brief catch of one, maybe two plugs. I must have adjusted the floats too lean. I'll just adjust them back a little.
Round seven. Certainly the floats are adjusted for the last time. Time to fire it up and sync. However, no go. Just like round six, but with a little bit more catching and brief firing. In fact, it feels like all the plugs are firing, but they last maybe a second or two. Alright, I guess I need to adjust them up a little more. No problem. Can do.
Round eight. Did, and not "no problem." This time, no freakin' start at all. "What the 'grief'?!" Is there no gas? Air? Spark? I try a spark test with #1 plug. It doesn't spark. It's also pretty clean and has no carbon on it. A site member suggests trying new plugs, claiming that if they are wet-fouled no matter of cleaning them will help. I'll try anything. Removing #4 to take to the parts store shows carbon. Perhaps it was firing and my ingition system is fine. Other site members instruct me that jumping my bike with my car was a big boo-boo. More crap. My regulator/rectifier may be, you guessed it rectum fried.
So, after letting the bike sit over the weekend, and after having absolutely no interest in working on it, I'm going to give it a try this afternoon. Who knows if the floats are right now. Who knows if the RR is shot. But I'll try it again. Maybe the RR survived all the jumps. Hopefully the ignition system is fine. Maybe the float levels will be alright. Or, maybe I'll just have to adjust the floats a little more. Maybe I'll have to replace the RR. If so, I'm going with a used Honda RR. They're better, and probably cheaper over ebay or used than a new Suzuki replacement. Plus, I've been wanting to do this for a while. If the ignitor is toast, I guess I'll cross that bridge if/when I get to it. Considering it probable price, I may even take the bike to the bridge and, how shall I say this, not take it all the way across.
So, will all this be worth it? Obviosly, I can't answer that since I'm still on the journey. Only someone else who has done the same or more can tell. Is anyone out there like that?
I first encountered my bike at a friend's in Hillsboro, IL. He had gotten it for $100 after seeing it parked under someone's lean-to in the country. He had a local shop tune it up and put new tires on it, and viola, he was on the road on what he has described as a wonderful, riding machine.
But after one season, it seemed to run a little rough, and the pipes seem to show signs of a too lean mixture. Back to the shop, and after a little haggling, he was on the road again.
This time, only a month or so passed. My friend claims that after his brother-in-law rode it into a ditch, it never ran right afterwards. In fact, he had trouble getting it started, and it started tossing gas out the airbox. He removed one float bowl in an effort to start working on it, but there it sat for two years.
Then I came along. I had just started riding on a 1975 Yamaha XS650 that another friend had given me because he couldn't exorcise the 650's electrical gremlins. With help from an online 650 group, I got things ironed out and was on the road . . . until 5th gear vanished on the Hwy one day.
I was busy finishing up my dissertation, and looking for a job, so my 650 sat. But then my friend offered me his 850 for $500. Sweet. It was cosmetically a wonderful looking bike. Plus, it would offer a much smoother ride than my 650's upright twins, thereby offering me the potential for some really serious cross-country riding. So I sold my '64 Dodge Polara that I had been restoring, and with the proceeds bought the 850 (and a farm truck with the left overs). A $500 850 in great shape that only needed a float unstuck! What a deal.
Soon after bringing the bike home, I had my friends over to look at it, and they all confirmed what a great deal I had gotten. One friend had a GS550, and likened my 850 to the 550 on steroids (apologies to the baseball fans). One even said I had a $1500 bike. More sweet. But here's where it all begins.
I pulled the carbs and cleaned them out without breaking them from the brackets. I thought, "This is gonna be the greatest $500 I've ever spent." While taking them off and apart, I found two little rubber plugs on the engine case. There was even one over a jet in the carbs. Not knowing what they were, and not seeing much in the book on them, I took the one in the carbs out, and figured they shouldn't be there. Wrong. The bike started, and I rode it around a little, but it had no power. A (different) friend also confirmed that they belong in the carbs.
I also dicovered that the post holding #2's float up had been previously broken and JB welded back into place. This discovery was made when I too broke the JB repaired break. So I JB welded it back. Hey, if it was good for the previous goose, what the hey.
Round two. I replace all the rubber plugs in the carbs, and try it again. This time I don't even get it out on the road. The throttle response was erratic and weird. Plus, gas was coming out of the airbox. After more consultation with my other friend and the GS site, I concluded that the petcock was shot. No problem. A call to Pingel, and a credit card number provided me with a great replacement.
However, it would be at least a couple months before I could try the new Pingel. I also learned about this time that the JB Weld wasn't going to cut it on the float post. So a third friend and I did our best to aluminum weld that post back on. In the end, we ended up with a glob of melted aluminum at the bottom of the throttle body. But the float pin hole was at the same height, roughly, and the pin fit, mostly, so what the hey.
At the same time, I got this hair in me to do the complete carb cleaning sequence from the GS site. In order to do that I needed to get my mixture screws out to get that small o-ring out before dipping. So with the help of my third friend, we drilled and EZ-outed one stubborn mixture screw. But on the second one, we broke the EZ out in the drilled hole. By the time we were done trying to recify the problem, we had actually rectum-fried the problem.
So a search online for used parts yielded a complete used set of carbs for $100. Plus, they were located only 100 miles away, and I could pick them up and save on shipping and time. Since they had been sitting for who knows how long, a proper cleaning was in order. Only this time, I left the mixture screws alone, and was happy to see that other POs had done the same since the caps were still on them. I also ordered the complete o-ring replacement kit, and I replaced the intake boots and o-rings as they were too aged. Also, I managed to break the float post on #2 of these used carbs. But from the site I leared an ingenious method of drilling, tapping, and screwing the post back on with a small screw.
Round three. I also needed to sync the carbs since I had taken them off their racks this time. But the only manometer I had was a singular unit used to tune the three Weber carbs on my brother's 240Z. So I got the bike running, and tried to tune. Of course, I had erratic throttle responses, etc. since I had to have the airbox of to get this singular mannometer over the intake of the carbs. I kept thinking the float levels were off because of the surging and popping I kept getting. I ended up adjusting the carbs until the bike wouldn't run. Not sweet.
But summer was soon over, my dissertation was defended, revised, and submitted, and we had moved to WI. Here I discovered that the boots between my airbox and carbs were pretty shot too--all hard and out of shape. So I replaced them. I also learned that these bikes don't run for jack without their airboxes on.
Round four. I then adjusted the floats back to something close to specs, and tried to start it. Nothing. Nothing at all. Frustrated, I left it for the winter.
Come spring, I was eager to get at it. I had committed to go stem to stern on the bike and make it completely road worth. Not that it really needed anything, but I figured there were bearings that could be re-packed or replaced. Plus I had fork seals that leaked, and steering head bearings that needed replacing. I had also become more familiar through numerous posts on the site that good electrical connections were critical on these bikes, and often these were weak links. So over the course of about two weeks I started in the back and working forward I:
Dropped the rear wheel and replaced its bearings.
Repacked the swingarm bearings.
Cleaned and painted the swingarm and battery box.
Replaced the driveshaft boot.
Drained the excess secondary gear oil.
Sprayed all connections with electrical cleaner and coated with dielectrical grease.
Cleaned nooks and crannies.
Dropped the front wheel and replaced its bearings.
Replaced the fork seals and dust covers (damaged one seal and replaced it).
Replaced the steering head bearings
Cleaned and painted the inside of the headlight bucket (and tidied up all the wiring and connections inside there).
Replaced the choke cable that broke during installation.
And replaced numerous nuts, screws, and bolts as needed, and with stainless steel where appropriate.
By this time, my nickel and dime expenses have probably approached $500, and my wife has kindly remined me of the need to keep spending down where possible. Also, a month earlier, I witnessed a (new) friend start his bike after winter by jumping it from his car. With all this work and knowledge, I was ready to go. This bike was going to start. The day of reckoning had arrived.
Round five. And . . . it started. I jumped it from my truck, and with the choke open and no throttle, it fired right up. I let it idle and warm up, and then closed the choke. It was a little rough, but I figured the carbs just needed sync'd. I turned it off, and started it again, just in case. And it ran right off the bat. "Finally," I thought. "Tomorrow I sync."
The next day I started it up on its own with no jumping or trouble at all. Mega sweet. I let it warm up, and then hooked everything up to sync the carbs (with a new, mercury manometer even). I started it, and voila, it ran again. "I'm definately on my way now!" The mercury was even bouncing up and down and I could see that the levels were off and scattered. After a few adjustments, I would finally be on my way, and at the end of this long journey.
Not so fast. What's this? Gas dripping from the bottom of at least one float as best I can tell. Crap. Must be a float that is off a little. No problem. I'll adjust it a little lower, and I'll be in business.
Round six. Floats adjuststed for the last time. Time to fire it up and sync. However, no go. Nothing in fact except for a brief catch of one, maybe two plugs. I must have adjusted the floats too lean. I'll just adjust them back a little.
Round seven. Certainly the floats are adjusted for the last time. Time to fire it up and sync. However, no go. Just like round six, but with a little bit more catching and brief firing. In fact, it feels like all the plugs are firing, but they last maybe a second or two. Alright, I guess I need to adjust them up a little more. No problem. Can do.
Round eight. Did, and not "no problem." This time, no freakin' start at all. "What the 'grief'?!" Is there no gas? Air? Spark? I try a spark test with #1 plug. It doesn't spark. It's also pretty clean and has no carbon on it. A site member suggests trying new plugs, claiming that if they are wet-fouled no matter of cleaning them will help. I'll try anything. Removing #4 to take to the parts store shows carbon. Perhaps it was firing and my ingition system is fine. Other site members instruct me that jumping my bike with my car was a big boo-boo. More crap. My regulator/rectifier may be, you guessed it rectum fried.
So, after letting the bike sit over the weekend, and after having absolutely no interest in working on it, I'm going to give it a try this afternoon. Who knows if the floats are right now. Who knows if the RR is shot. But I'll try it again. Maybe the RR survived all the jumps. Hopefully the ignition system is fine. Maybe the float levels will be alright. Or, maybe I'll just have to adjust the floats a little more. Maybe I'll have to replace the RR. If so, I'm going with a used Honda RR. They're better, and probably cheaper over ebay or used than a new Suzuki replacement. Plus, I've been wanting to do this for a while. If the ignitor is toast, I guess I'll cross that bridge if/when I get to it. Considering it probable price, I may even take the bike to the bridge and, how shall I say this, not take it all the way across.
So, will all this be worth it? Obviosly, I can't answer that since I'm still on the journey. Only someone else who has done the same or more can tell. Is anyone out there like that?
)
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