Can you remove Vetter fairing easily from 1982 GS850g

[Guest]

Hi All,

I am looking to purchase a 1982 gs850g but it has a vetter fairing which is not my style. Do those fairings fit around the OEM light? Is it a part I can remove easily and cheaply? (hopefully no cost). I dont know much about them. Thanks!

[850 Combat]

Usually, the stock headlight and mounts have been removed, but they don't have to be. Check the forks and the fork crown area, or ask the owner. Otherwise, you will have to source the mounts and headlight assembly. This stuff is available aftermarket, but not stock looking. To install the stock headlight mounts, you must remove the fork tubes and loosen the steering bearing shaft a little. Electrically, there is a plugged cord to the fairing to remove and rewire to the headlight, and very little else, unless the fairing wasn't hooked up the correct way. I've removed a number of them with no problems.

If you are wanting to saw the bike up and make a chopper bobber brat steampunk café the aftermarket headlight brackets and headlight will be just fine.

[Steve]

Yes, it will come off of there virtually FREE.

However, you may have to find parts to get legal again.

It is possible that, when the headlight bucket was removed, they also removed the turn signals and just folded the mounting ears toward the center. If so, you are in luck (sort of). Then you only have to find a headlight bucket (with light) and turn signals. If they took the mounting ears off, too, then you need to find them, then pull the fork tubes out so you can install the headlight mounting ears.

Won't be all bad, though, that would be the perfect time to freshen up the forks with new seals.

.

[estcstm3]

Great points.

Can somebody provide me with places to look for the replacement parts. I know the owner does not have the oem light housing, so what are the other parts I need? Worst case scenario what do we think the cost to replace those parts are? Im wondering if I should wait to see if a non-faired version crops up?

1) OEM light housing
2) Light bracket
3) Turn signal bracket???
4) Turn signal lights???

Best,
Justin

[FLHGSRay]

I think I'd base my decision on the overall condition of the rest of the bike. If the rest is in good shape, buy it and ride it as-is while you source the parts.

[Gorminrider]

...and it may help in a pinch to consider using the Vetter's headlight bucket. The width is ok,(these are a standard width to suit standard repplacement headlights) but the bucket itself is a bit small to pack wiring into....

[850 Combat]

Great points.

Can somebody provide me with places to look for the replacement parts. I know the owner does not have the oem light housing, so what are the other parts I need? Worst case scenario what do we think the cost to replace those parts are? Im wondering if I should wait to see if a non-faired version crops up?

1) OEM light housing
2) Light bracket
3) Turn signal bracket???
4) Turn signal lights???

Best,
Justin

A Hundred Dollars Total. Get them from your local motorcycle junkyard, this list in the want adds, E Bay, or where ever. I think Emgo makes reasonable copy stock turn signals for around 20 bucks each. They do for the 1980. A lot depends upon what you want. Be careful. I'm not certain if 850 GL parts will fit. you want 850G or 1100G parts. The GL has a small chrome headlight instead of a normal 7" light the G has.

[coldwhiteguy]

Check a parts fiche

Lots of parts places have the parts fiche to see exactly what parts you need, I had exactly the same feelings about my '83 650 GL and started acquiring parts on e-bay. You might have to wait awhile for the headlight bucket since there are fewer GL's around. In the end, after some very windy days, I decided I like the faring and am going to keep it for now. But should you decide to take it off, the brackets and the faring will come off easily- and I'm not exactly a master mechanic.

[CraigS]

Bikebandit.com has a lot of weird stock parts that are difficult to find elsewhere.

[Ghostgs1]

Bike bandit is expensive and not as easy to deal with as many Suzuki dealers or other online vendors. Ray

[growler]

I just purchased a 82 GS850G myself, and also removed the Vetter fairing. Now just a matter of plugging things back in where they are supposed to go. Hopefully I do it correctly!

[850 Combat]

Be careful on the turn signal grounds. They normally go to the harness from the bolts where the signals attach to the headlight shell to the wiring harness. Leave them out, and the signals won't work.

[growler]

good tip, thanks.

i need to figure out a clean way to protect/hide all that wiring. at first glance i couldn't fathom how i was going to stuff it all behind the headlight.

[850 Combat]

good tip, thanks.

i need to figure out a clean way to protect/hide all that wiring. at first glance i couldn't fathom how i was going to stuff it all behind the headlight.

It fits in the headlight shell.