1981 850G parts interchangeability?

[93Bandit]

I'm looking for some parts for my 81 850G and I found a complete 79 850G parts bike that I could probably get for less than buying parts individually. I'm looking mainly for factory exhaust, airbox and some other miscellaneous parts.

My main concern is the airbox; the 79 has VM carbs and my 81 has CV. Will the VM airbox fit my CV carbs?

Also I assume the exhaust system is the same?

[Steve]

...; the 79 has VM carbs and my 81 has CV. Will the VM airbox fit my CV carbs?

Also I assume the exhaust system is the same?

The part numbers on the airboxes are different, but the main difference is the size of the hole for the boots.

The exhaust system is not the same, but it will fit just fine. I have installed a set of '79 pipes on my wife's '82 GL. Had to make some mounts for the rear. That might have been because it's an L, could also have been because the '82/'83 bikes had different mounts on the frame. Regardless, the front half of the pipes are a bit different. There is no crossover pipe. Your '81 pipes have #1 and #4 that are continuous from the head to the tip. #2 and #3 downpipes go to the "H" box crossover section, which is then connected to the outer pipes. The '79 pipes have #2 and #3 as the continuous pipes, with #1 and #4 joining them near the front footpegs. It changes the sound ever so slightly, but it works just fine.

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[93Bandit]

I have the factory airbox from my 77 750E. Do you know if the airbox can be adapted to the CV carbs on my 81 850G? I assume the openings in the airbox are smaller for VM carbs, so maybe the holes can be enlarged to fit the CV carbs? I haven't taken a close look at a disassembled airbox yet so I'm not sure if the holes have a bevel or shaped edge to them, or if it's just a hole in the sheet metal.

[Steve]

It appears that the same airbox was used on the '79 850, so at least it fits the frame.

I don't know if it would be as simple as enlarging the holes for the boots, but it might be.

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[93Bandit]

After looking at some pictures of airboxes online, it appears the holes are just cut into the metal without a flare or ledge, at least it looks that way on the exterior. I'll just have to take a closer look at my 750 airbox.

If I'm lucky, it's just a hole and I can find a hole-saw blade that will be the right diameter for the 850.