Hell

[EricGS850G]

i had bought a 1980 Suzuki GS850G in August 2008 and ever since i got it home is has been nothing but a nightmare. Things keep braking things not working i am having to buy parts for it all the time now. But I did get to ride it once it was amazing. This is my first motorcycle ever i am 23 years old but i do now how to repair cars and small engines so i am doing okay in that department. I also have been ripped off of this website by people selling parts saying they work and when you get them they don't. Also this motorcycle had no gauge cluster on it so i bought one on eBay and i have that all wired up but that took me a couple of months. Come to find out my bike being a 1980 has a 1979 wiring harness on it but i was trying to wire up things off the 1980 diagram and it was not working man was i mad when i found out the truth.it really seems like this bike might not see the road for a while but man that was the whole reason i bought it i will just keep trying to get her road ready. Confused on factory or aftermarket parts on my bike it looks totally factory but i am not sure. When i bough the bike it was running when i transported it home on a trailer only about 45 min. drive i pulled it off the trailer it wouldn't start, battery was dead and no good at all, rust in tank and in carbs. Cleaned tank and crabs it started right up but battery was no good i stalled and jump stated it but when i did the positive cable was touching the frame and fried about 5 ground wired,repaired them. Bought a gauge cluster for $50 off a 1983 GS850L had to splice wires together(tough job) done with that. my bike only had one original horn but i fried it so i installed a horn off my 1996 Buick Century it really works haha. now the font brake switch does not work. its not the switch.

[jbs80106]

The joys of owning a 30 yr old bike...

I feel your pain! I can be VERY frustrating when things don't work. I seem to get into running condition, get a few months out of her before something else needs fixing. Probably my own doing as I fix what breaks as i go along as opposed to what some do and completely rebuild the bike.

I agree, when alls right it is S-W-E-E-T!

Try breaking your questions down into single threads. The folks on here will help you through both fixes and the stresses. Some have the luxury of having 2 bikes, I'm not one of them so its fix ride fix ride.....

[heathen]

just think of it this way. some day you will have replaced everything and you will know it is right so no more problems. when you are finished some one somewhere will come up and say "hey i had one of those bikes wish i still had it". then that warm fuzzy feeling will rush over you and you will know you did it right.

[PAULYBOY]

Eric, I feel your pain. I bought my bike a couple years ago rom a good ole boy backyard Kentucky motorbike mechanic. It was titled as a 1982, but everything critical seems to only work from a 1981.
I've been in the car biz long enough to know that the comment about everything being replaced eventually making it almost new all over is only half the truth. The care and time you put into replacement is as important as the parts themselves, as has been said since old times, "it's the journey, not the ending, thats important."

[mf70]

Ooooh that sounds familiar.

Two learning curves at once, or three. Learning about bikes, learning about THIS bike, and learning about Suzuki's, and all the time NOT learning about what it's like to actually ride it.

Keep plugging. Things will break, but commercial repair jobs break too.
At the end, you'll know both yourself and the bike in a way that no one with a five-figure bike shop bill ever would.

Ask here if you get stuck.

Have you read Robert Persig: _Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance_?

[not a biker]

if the reason you get a fixer uper bike is becouse it is a fun project FINE.
but if the reason is cost that is another thing. i feel it is much better to get a bike in the best condition you can afford. you can get a very nice bike cheeper than it costs to bring a fixer upper back to life.
i picked up a 84 gs 1150 es last summer. i put 1,000 trouble free miles on it. total cost a oil filter o ring for filter cover leak , and removing the rear brake light switch and cleaning the contacts. it needs clutch fibers and new springs , but until i get around to doing it i still can ride it . looks like new. now if you get a bike for say 500 bucks and all you want to do is get it in so so condition and ride it GREAT
what is the point in paying say 1,500 on a bike and a year and 1,500 bucks later it finally is ridable. you could prolly get a very nice example for 2,500 dollars. if doing the work yourself and having fun doing it is the reason by all means that is the right choice.

[Smokinapankake]

Agree with not a biker. to buy a fixer upper to learn about bikes is great and usually very informative. By the time you're done you will be intimately knowledgeable about your bike, generally knowledgeable about most bikes, and usually a little more knowledgeable about cars and trucks, too. They all run on the same gas.

BUT - You will in no way be further ahead dollar wise. Many people don't realize the costs (sometimes steep to prohibitive) involved in motorcycling. Parts can be hard to come across. Wrong parts can be erroneously ordered, adding to the cost. And sometimes you may find some parts are specific to the model and not at all available anywhere, thusly wasting all the money you've previously spent.

However, it's very hard to rationalize a deep seated and long unfulfilled lust when the opportunity arises to acquire the object of your desire. This happened to me last year with my 84 Katana. In spite of the fact that the price was too high, and that parts would be unobtainable, I sprung and have not regretted the decision once. I could have gotten a very nice bike that was many years newer for the same or even less than what I'm into my 84. Would I do it again if I had the chance? ABSOLUTELY.

The point is - it's a journey and a learning experience. Enjoy it for what it is. Plug away at it, take notes, ask questions, be patient, and I guarantee you will get it where you want it.

[not a biker]

here in so cal if you pick up a older bike that did not get a none op certificate you could pay more to register it than what you pay for the bike. it was going to cost me 400 to register a 82 gs 1100. he could not find the pink slip so i did not buy the bike.

[argonsagas]

now the font brake switch does not work. its not the switch.

A conundrum from the first post.

Well...either it is the switch OR it is not.
The switches can be fun as the contacts get dirty over time.

First caution: if you do not already have a volt-ohmmeter, get one. Buy a decent one because they are more reliable and tend to last longer, both of which features you will appreciate.

On many of these bikes you can disassemble the switch, clean it, and reassemble it. I recommend you get a large, clear, plastic bag and work inside the bag.

IT may sound awkward, and it is so some extent, but doing this allows you to get your hands and small tools inside (small is all you need) with the switch and work on it. The reason for this is to avoid having to worry when the springs or other tiny parts come loose....which they WILL do.




Your automotive horn, if wired directly into the original harness only, may pose a danger of overloading your electrical system.

The horn wires inside the harness are tiny, about 24AWG, and you need the thicker 16 AWG (lower numbers indicate thicker/heavier wire) to accommodate the higher amperage draw of the average automotive horn.

You correct this by adding a relay and an in-line fuse to the circuit and then making your wiring connection directly to the battery.

For technical" questions about your bike, there is a Technical section on the forum. This is the best place to look for answers, or to ask questions about repairing your bike.

[JMHJ]

There is a lot of satisfaction in doing your own work and doing it right, even if if takes you so long you'd be in trouble if you were earning a living at it. The older I get however, the less I'm interested in working on stuff. Maybe I'm just lazy, or have too many other things drawing on my attention. In any case, you've got to start with a good foundation to work with, which seems like part of the problem in this case.

[Mr. Brown]

Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in...

I bought my GS850 in May 2007 for $800. I've invested $1000 in it, and that includes a $500 parts bike (bad idea). Once I hit the $2200 total (bike + repairs) , I'll have a bike that's worth about what I have into it.

I've had it for 20 months, and it's been reliable for the last 4. That said, I've never fixed a motorcycle before. I wouldn't consider myself mechanically inclined. I've had to buy all sorts of interesting tools. It's been a lot of fun. I've also found myself handier at other things, from auto to computer repairs.

Open book. Follow directions. Ask questions. Be patient. Have fun!
Maybe that's the "zen" of motorcycle maintenance.

If this was too cheezy, fire tomatoes at will.
-=T=-

[not a biker]

one thing nice about fixing a motorcycle up if you never did a lot of your own auto repairing is , you do not need a lot of special tools.
lifts, air tools ets. trying to fix a old car is a major project. a motorcycle is a great way to learn.

[Zooks]

Dude - BREATHE!

That's a hell of a rant. Slow and steady and the guys here will help you with every single problem. I've never seen a tech question (on here) that didn't get answered.

[tkent02]

Dude - BREATHE!

That's a hell of a rant.

Tried three times and I can't get through it.
Sounds like somebody bought the parts bike?

[jabberjoe87]

You have to take your time and make good descisions about buying parts for these bikes, there are so many "underground" places that sell more than you would ever need for much cheaper than online places, I agree with all the people that say it is cheaper to buy a running nice bike than to buy a fixer upper. You still can buy an old ass GS for under a grand and not put a grand into making it nice, just go over the electric system and the grounds!!!