Should I replace 4-into-1 with original pipes?

[stanzukowski]

The P.O. of my '82 GS1100GK replaced the stock pipes with 4-into-1. He gave me the stock pipes when I bought the bike, but there are a few pieces missing (like the collars and some bolts) that I'd have to replace.

I'm getting the carbs completely rebuilt, and am wondering if I should replace the 4-into-1 at the same or just leave well enough alone for now? Any pros/cons?

[UncleMike]

I much prefer the stock 4-2 over 4-1 setups. Yes, the weight loss with the 4-1 is nice, but even at 20+ pounds, you're still only talking about 5% of the weight of the bike.

For me, the big advantage with the 4-2 is the sound. Yes, you'll replace a bit of low-end grunt and some mid-range with the 4-2, but the sound of an inline 4 coming out of dual pipes is just wonderful.

[Buffalo Bill]

Go with the classic 4>2 on a GK

The P.O. of my '82 GS1100GK replaced the stock pipes with 4-into-1. He gave me the stock pipes when I bought the bike, but there are a few pieces missing (like the collars and some bolts) that I'd have to replace.

I'm getting the carbs completely rebuilt, and am wondering if I should replace the 4-into-1 at the same or just leave well enough alone for now? Any pros/cons?

As a GK owner, I would expect you to be more of an OEM guy, that you prefer a classic look. A 4>1 looks out of place on a GK.
4>1 is sometimes a squid thing, throwing away the very high quality OEM exhaust, and replacing it with a cheap 4>1 for the illusion of more HP.
A GK is not the GS sportbike, it's the long distance rider's classic bike.

Now, if you were building a GS sport bike, then you would choose a different model like an E or a GSX and go with 4>1 plus a retune of the carbs and much more.

Bill

P.S. I put a 4>1 on a cafe project and rejetted the carbs, but even that was because I couldn't find good Suzuki mufflers for the OEM headers.

[stanzukowski]

As a GK owner, I would expect you to be more of an OEM guy, that you prefer a classic look. A 4>1 looks out of place on a GK.

Thanks for the feedback, and I couldn't agree more. That's the way I was leaning, really, just wanted some positive reinforcement

I like neither the look nor the sound of the "performance" pipe. It's loud (not that that's a bad thing) but it's too high pitched, like a very large angry bee. A lot of unpleasant noise for no reward, if you ask me.

As I said earlier, I pulled the carbs and they're being completely rebuilt from the ground up with new parts by a guy who really knows the GSs ~ he has a drag racing business, and all they use are GSs ~ Gs and Es.

On a purely visual inspection the stock pipes look solid. A little surface rust, easy to remove. Nothing serious, on the outside at least.

Is there any way short of reinstalling them to tell whether or not there are any holes or cracks that might cause problems?

Any other issues I should keep in mind when I reinstall the originals?

[UncleMike]

Give 'em a good shake and see if you hear anything rattling around or if anything falls out of the end.

Check all the welds and seams and see if you can spot any holes.

[Buffalo Bill]

Lots of GK owners on the site…

You should have 1100GK in your thread title, that would draw all the GK owners like bees.
Go to edit thread then choose advanced, then you can change your title wording, add 1100GK.
GK owners can answer your detailed questions.

I have an 1100G, similar but without the luggage.

Bill

[stanzukowski]

Thanks for the tip, will remember in future. It let me change the title of the first post, but it didn't change the title of the thread itself.