Never trust a previous owner not to be an idiot...

[Guest]

So my little GS250T project has revealed some curious previous repairs (last on the road 2012).

One part I rather left to last was the front brake. It had been rebuilt I was told, and it was clean and had fresh paint. Looked good. Was told it needed bleeding. I noticed the top union was weeping, so assume that was why he was having issues getting it to bleed, a quick anneal of the copper washers, and correct torque soon stopped the leak, so I moved onto other, more urgent things and only just got back to the brake.

It still wasn't bleeding, so I replaced the seals in the master cylinder. Nope, wouldn't bleed.

Oh well, 37 year old master cylinder could easily be worn, so I ordered a cheap master cylinder on ebay just to get me on the road (I can then source a proper one at my leisure).

Still won't bleed.

Grrrrr. Not like I haven't had this fun before, but it's usually with twin caliper setups.

So I thought I'd just pull the caliper clear of the disk and see if I can give it a squeeze and bleed it from the bottom.

IMG_20180611_231604.jpg

Oh good grief!

Seen enough! New seals ordered...

Still not sure why it won't bleed, it's not leaking, maybe the hose has developed enough give to take a complete handful, but I've got a new hose on order already, and who knows what horrors are behind that piston!

From "rebuilt" caliper to entire system rebuild/replacement.

*rolls eyes*

[Steve]

You know how to tell when a "previous owner" is lying, don't you?






His lips are moving.

.

[Tankslappa]

You know how to tell when a "previous owner" is lying, don't you?

His lips are moving.

I won't go into too much detail of what happened with the Kawasaki mirrors he installed... Let's just say M10 1.5 thread vs M10 1.25 holes...
At least Aluminium is easy to helicoil.

Good God I hope the gearbox works properly... Please, don't let him have gone inside the engine casing!

[bwringer]

All Japanese bikes use M10X1.25mm thread on the mirrors. Some Yamahas used a left-hand thread on one mirror, but it was the same pitch.

So the PO might have installed some sort of euro or Harley mirrors with a different thread, but they weren't Kawasaki. Or maybe they were and he somehow modified or re-threaded them because he didn't know different thread pitches were a thing. You can't pretend to understand or follow the demented reasoning of a PO.


The point stands that POs are usually idiots (present company excepted, of course -- it normally turns out quite well when one GSR member buys a bike from another).


My GS came to me sprinkled with several 5//16" and 1/4" bolts from Grandpa's coffee can crammed into M8 and M6 threads. Some still had the Briggs & Stratton paint. Many of the fasteners and plugs were also slathered with some sort of hardened sealer goop. The PO was supposedly a retired Air Force mechanic. I'm just glad I never had to fly on anything he touched.

I once counseled a friend to take an M6 screw from his GS1000E into a hardware store to buy a replacement. For some damnfool reason, the brainless geezer inside sold him a 1/4" X 25 (fine thread; normal 1/4" threads are 20tpi) bolt, even though he clearly explained it was from a Suzuki.

A fine thread 1/4" is somewhat difficult to distinguish from a standard M6 X 1.00mm. (One inch equals 25.4mm.) However, it damaged the threads because 1/4" is about 6.3mm. Fortunately, it wasn't an engine bolt, just a screw holding on a sidecover so we were able to just drill out the threads a bit and add a nut behind the mounting tab.

I've also encountered stripped M6 threads "fixed" by re-tapping to 1/4" X 20tpi, including in a couple of clutch baskets. (Hint: this can give you a bolt that threads in, but little to no strength.)


I think one of the most common PO/dealer mechanic bonehead moves I've seen is re-installing completely chewed-up case screws. Why? Just, why?

PO wiring is a whole topic of its own. Draping accessory or horn wires across a hot engine is inexplicably popular. Bonus points if the wires rest on or in the carburetor linkage. Of course, wire nuts and random bits of extension cord are the preferred materials.


I remember one gent here a few years back who proudly declared his intention to end all future electrical problems on his GS by re-wiring everything with 12 gauge Romex (solid house wiring). He even posted a few photos showing some progress toward this goal.

This was long before Ichiban Moto, but to this day, I'm not 100% sure whether that was a troll or not. He did seem sincere, and seemed to get genuinely very angry at the ensuing dogpile of mockery. Assuming he didn't end up burning the bike and his house down, I feel bad for the next person to get that bike.

[Tankslappa]

All Japanese bikes use M10X1.25mm thread on the mirrors. Some Yamahas used a left-hand thread on one mirror, but it was the same pitch.

So the PO might have installed some sort of euro or Harley mirrors with a different thread, but they weren't Kawasaki. Or maybe they were and he somehow modified or re-threaded them because he didn't know different thread pitches were a thing. You can't pretend to understand or follow the demented reasoning of a PO.

Oh they're Kawasaki mirrors alright, it's moulded into the plastic backs... However, upon closer inspection under the little rubber boot, the M10 1.5 (and yes, it is definitely 1.5 pitch) is welded onto the end of what remains of the original bolt! W the actual F?!

I have no idea what was going through his mind! M10 1.25 helicoil inserts are already ordered! As are some new mirrors. They were already planned, can't have my GS with Kwaka written on the mirrors!

Being a Brit, I have to be very careful in the pot of nuts and bolts, as they've been collected over the years it's not unheard of for an imperial one to sneak in with the metrics, and vice versa. Luckily I have a nice set of thread pitch gauges which quickly identify an interloper.

PO wiring is a whole topic of its own. Draping accessory or horn wires across a hot engine is inexplicably popular. Bonus points if the wires rest on or in the carburetor linkage. Of course, wire nuts and random bits of extension cord are the preferred materials.

I remember one gent here a few years back who proudly declared his intention to end all future electrical problems on his GS by re-wiring everything with 12 gauge Romex (solid house wiring). He even posted a few photos showing some progress toward this goal.

The wiring isn't actually that bad. Starting the bike for the first time in 6 years only took a new battery and a carb rebuild. Most of it is still sleeved, but there have been a few repairs (contacts burnt out in connectors, and then bypassed), and generally it's routed pretty sensibly, although there are some curiosities. Like the two unused connectors I found in the back of the headlight, one of which seems to be an ignition switched 12v. I've yet to identify the other. I was hoping it might be for front brake light (bike didn't have it originally, but new master cylinder does), but it doesn't match up with the colours on the wiring diagram. I'm sure I'll get to the bottom of it one day, I'm an IT/Telecom engineer so I guess I could put my cable tracing signal generator on it, and follow it along with the receiver wand.
Oh, and for some reason, putting the ignition into P actually lights up the rear brake light, not the parking. Front parking bulb works as expected... In normal running all the correct bulbs light with their respective switches. I'm looking forward to working out just how that was achieved!

I love the idea of someone rewiring with solid core, that's just too funny! I assume he was planning on using his bike as a static display?

[Allie]

I don't even trust my bike's current owner to not be an idiot.

[dorkburger]

That’s funny. I’ve recently said that I’ve owned my bike long enough to blame all problems on the PO - present owner.

[Brendan W]

The PO was supposedly a retired Air Force mechanic. I'm just glad I never had to fly on anything he touched.

In one day my grandfather brought down three Messerschmitts and two Heinkels. He was without doubt the worst mechanic the Luftwaffe had.

The old ones are the best

[roeme]

I don't even trust my bike's current owner to not be an idiot.

Grudgingly, I concur...

[allojohn]

I don't even trust my bike's current owner to not be an idiot.

My bike has one of them too....

[GSXR7ED]

When I bought my "T" in Nov 2012, the guy said he was changing out the plates on the clutch and had the carbs removed from the bike. He said the bike runs and that the clutch was slipping.

After my bike being in a friend's bike shop (he pestered me for buying a $200 for $475 bike), the owner was surprised the bike started up! He had the main mechanic check the compression and worked some electrical issues but other that that, my bike was operational. I was happy!

Other than having an "L" seat and a crack on the frame where the seat pan is (not on main portion of frame) and an "L" headlight, the bike has been very good to me. I had a great time riding in southern New Mexico while I was working for Boeing and meeting MrBill was the BEST!

I'm one of the fortunate ones I guess. Fix what you got and test what you need to...or vice versa...and make your bike whole again. I'm not being sarcastic...just positive.


Ed