Sitting Beauty GS1100E 1983

[GS482]

Hello Everyone, I received an amazing gift from a buddy of mine, a 1983 GS1100E. It had been sitting in his garage since 1999, and was given to me as a new rider to restore past its orginal glory. (I welcome the challenge) It is in near perfect condition and has 70,000+ miles on it. As a new forum member and new rider, what are some basic things I need to do to get this bad boy on the road again? (The only reason why it doesn't run is because he purchased a new bike 10 years ago and let the GS sit.) I already purchased a new battery, and the tires and wheels are in great shape. There is also some 10 year old fuel in the tank...yikes!
Once, I get it running, then the fun will start. Please Help!

[7981GS]

What a FANTASTIC Christmas gift!
Throw the bad fuel and those tires away. ASAP!
Basscliff will be along shortly with links to ALL of what you need to bring that bike back to its original glory.
BTW, we need pictures of the bike.

Daniel

[Baatfam]

First, you need to read, read, read the forum...
Basscliff will be along to give your required reading soon...

Next steps:

Post pictures...this is a requirement.

Put your location in your profile. There maybe someone close to you if you need help.

Now read...

And FYI...If your tires are over 4 years old, they are NOT in great shape...doesn't matter what they look like.

[trevor]

Hey welcome to the forum! I recently bought a bike that had not been plated since 2003. The tires looked great! The first thing I did was replace them!
Now how about some pics of 'sleeping beauty'?
Trevor

[keman]

Pull the carbs, do a complete tear down and soak them in Carb dip. There's a great tutorial on bike cliffs page. Click the link in my sig line...

Check the intake boots and air box for leaks.

Look in the tank for rust. Get rid of that old gas.

For the carbs, you don't need to buy rebuild kits , just a set of o-rings from cycleorings.com, and a set of new bowl gaskets (I got mine from z1enterprizes)
Then follow the step by step tutorial on bike cliffs site. Trust me, take no short cuts.

Before you know it you will have a great running bike and an empty wallet. Enjoy!

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. GS482,

Go through the maintenance lists in your "mega-welcome". You'll find "how-to" guides for most of the procedures on my little website. Take no shortcuts so that you and your bike will be insanely happy. There is a LOT of information contained in the links below. Have fun!

Let me dump a TON if information on you and share some GS lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...



Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[jwhelan65]

Pictures are mandatory ....

[Cassius086]

Welcome aboard! What a great Christmas gift!!!

1.) Read BassCliff's megawelcome and follow all recommendations

2.) POST PICS of the Ole Girl!!!

DO NOT run those tires. I'd change the tubes, too.

Get the old fuel out of that tank.

You'll need to pull the carbs (for a thorough diassembly and cleaining) in all likelihood if he didn't drain the float bowls prior to storage. I'd flush the old brake fluid out of the front and rear brakes, and consider replacing the brake lines, too, if they are the factory originals.

[GS482]

Thanks Everyone!

Wow, What a great welcome! Thanks a bunch! I have just begun to delve into the wealth of information that was given to me. I have so much to learn, but it is clear that I have come to the right place! The tip about the tires was huge, ya'll possibly saved me from a series accident. I attached a picture of her in this post. My apologies, I am not a photographer and my camera is really really old. I will post some more pics once I figure out the settings.

One more question, once I get her restored and running again, should I leave her as is...or would it be out of the question/taboo to make a few cafe racer modifications? Any thoughts?

[Larry D]

Welcome and great looking bike !!!!....and the price was right.

I think that most here would advise to get it up and running correctly, ride it for a year and see how you like before doing any mods to it. I'm a "stock" kind of guy and when someone starts talking about making mods to a bike it makes me cringe a little.....although there are many members that have done a wonderful job of making their bikes look and ride well with some mods.

[FiremanBob]

GS482, where in the world are you? You might find a GSR member just around the corner who can help you with your beautiful new bike.