Minimum Maintenence for Safe Riding

[coldsolderjoint]

I picked up an '87 GS450L a few weeks ago, and I want to ride it to work to catch what I can of this riding "season". It's about 30 miles each way and I would be at highway speeds 60+ mph for probably half of it.

I don't have a lot of free time to tear the bike down to the frame and rebuild it paying attention to every bolt if you know what I mean.

I'd like to do some mods to the bike, but that's as time allows and with the new house, renovations, full time job, weddings, etc etc.. u know how life gets in the way...

The bike seems to be in great shape for the year and what I paid, the previous owner said he did a lot of clean up work on it. I've only ridden it 2 or 3 times around my neighborhood and a short ride on the highway.

What would be the minimum stuff you'd guys recommend to be able to ride it to work and back safely?

Lights/signals/Controls - All work properly.
Carbs - Seem ok - Starts right up, and bike doesn't "chase idle" - Choke is only needed for a minute or two when cold. Kind of going with the "If it isn't broke, don't fix it idea?"
Oil Change - Previous guy said he did an oil change and filter right before I bought it.
Tires - Check - back tire is from 09 (Couldn't find a date on the front, but they both look brand new including the tire ****).
Brakes work ok, but old- Need to change front break line / rebuild caliper (Original Line says 11/86). Is there a tutorial thread for 2 cylinder specific breaks or is it the same as the bigger ones?
Clutch Cable - Seems fine.. but I think some lube wouldn't hurt.. do I just buy the little adapter piece and put some oil in it?
Valves - I doubt the previous guy did this. Is this a safety issue?

As far as personal gear.. I have full helmet, gloves, and jacket..I wear emt/police style duty boots. I'm going to need some pants.. I'm thinking kevlar jeans so I can just wear them at work. I don't have saddlebags yet

And I'd like to hear anything else you guys would like to add.

Thanks in advance.

[koolaid_kid]

Yous should look at this and perform all the things suggested: BikeCliff's MegaWelcome

[coldsolderjoint]

OK, So I'll take a look at the 10 things from bwringer and the 15 things from Brian EZ

I've seen this page before, but I think I got overwhelmed with all the links and everything there.

I just wanna re-state that this thread wasn't meant to be a total n00b "omg, help me! I'm helpless" kind of post.. I'm just anxious to ride this bike. So if there was some stuff on there like.. say suspension.. can that wait or is that a safety issue? That's kind of where I was going with this thread.

[tkent02]

I will start to ride them as soon as the brakes and tires are done, valves are adjusted and the wheel bearings are checked, assuming it is running fairly well. If it's not, I do the carbs before going anywhere except around the block... The charging system needs to be looked at before going very far... The rest I will do as a rolling restoration, as anything else failing is an inconvenience at worst, not really hazardous. I don't go very far from home at first, and go farther and farther away as the reliability issues are fixed, and as my confidence in the bike grows. Eventually everything on Cliff's list will be in perfect condition, and I'll ride it anywhere.

[coldsolderjoint]

I will start to ride them as soon as the brakes and tires are done, valves are adjusted and the wheel bearings are checked, assuming it is running fairly well. If it's not, I do the carbs before going anywhere except around the block... The charging system needs to be looked at before going very far... The rest I will do as a rolling restoration, as anything else failing is an inconvenience at worst, not really hazardous. I don't go very far from home at first, and go farther and farther away as the reliability issues are fixed, and as my confidence in the bike grows. Eventually everything on Cliff's list will be in perfect condition, and I'll ride it anywhere.

Cool! Thank You, that's what I was looking for.

[posplayr]

My list (off top of head) in rough order of importance:

• tires (any tread, proper pressure)
• brakes (pads, fluids, bleed)
• wheel bearings (wheels spin freely?)
• fork oil (drain and refill to spec height unless already done)
• head stock bearings (is there any grease, is it notchy?)
• swingarm bearings (is it dry? add some grease)
• chain (clean , adjusted lubed)
• check clutch play (should not drag)
• all nuts and bolts (go around and check especially on forks,wheels)
• oil?
• Charging Quick Test
• Lights, Blinkers, Brake lights
• Unless the tank is really clean I would install a filter
• spark plugs look OK?
• air cleaner?

[Steve]

Sounds like you lucked into a decent bike.

Since everything appears to be working rather well, it appears that there is nothing MAJOR wrong with it. At the very least, I would check the valve adjustment and the charging voltage. How many miles on the bike? That might give you an idea how far out the valves might be if they have never been checked. Since it starts easily, it appears that the valves are not too tight. Also, because it starts easily and warms up quickly, it appears the carbs might be clean and adjusted properly.

Valve adjustment is not that much of a "safety" issue, but if neglected, can leave you stranded on the side of the road. Same with charging voltage. You will have symptoms of poor running before getting stranded, so it's best to check both items to make sure they are good.

Brakes (hopefully not 'breaks') are pretty much the same for all the bikes. Might need a different part number, but the procedure is the same.

.

[coldsolderjoint]

it has roughly 22k miles on it. so that should have been adjusted roughly 4 or 5 times if I'm not mistaken?

The previous owner gave me two service manuals, the instruction manual and a box of parts including a spare set of carbs, so I may have well gotten very lucky with the maintenance of the bike. He said he had bought it for his wife, fixed it up, and then she decided she didnt want it any more, and had said the guy before him had the same story..

Thanks for these replies, It gives me a good base to start with .

[tkent02]

it has roughly 22k miles on it. so that should have been adjusted roughly 4 or 5 times if I'm not mistaken?

Yeah, probably adjusted four or five times or maybe even none.

I have actually bought one GS which had it's valves adjusted properly. One GS out of about fifty.

Take a look inside.

[1_v8_merc]

Usually when the valves clearances are too tight, you can have slight problems with cold starts, Idling, or have trouble with engine vibrations at higher Rpm's.....the engine just won't feel smooth.(these engines buzz good, but shouldn't have excessive vibrations)

[sedelen]

Yeah,
Make sure headlights, tail lights, brake lights work, check the play in the rear brake and adjust, check the brake fluids and oil level, check for any leaks, check the brakes to make sure they work, proper air pressure in tires, and..................
check the chain for proper adjustment, alignment, and lubrication.
Adjust the clutch to your liking.
I do allot of this stuff prior to riding anyway.

[spyug]

What the guys have all said but also get in the habit of a "walk around" everytime you get on the bike for the first time in the day or coming out of work after a fair period of time.

Look at your tires for nails or cut treads etc., check pressure every week at least, look for any oil seepage at the fork bottoms or from the calipers, look for oil under the bike, check for carb or tank leaks, check the turn signals work.Make sure your axle nuts and cotter pins are still there too as well as shock nuts and any other bolts and fasteners.

And very importantly, every once in a while check that your brake light is actually working. This year, as I was checking my 750 prior to getting it certified for sale, I found out my bulb was burned out and getting my new to me 550 ready, a little later, I found it burned out too. The last time I remembered checking the 750 light was just prior to bringing her out in April and as I sold the bike in June I shudder to think how long I rode around with no brake light.

If you get in the habit it becomes like the pilot's preflight and second nature, just don't slack off like I did.

Be safe,
spyug

[coldsolderjoint]

Funny you should say that.. I actually have single and multi-engine land airplane private licenses.. haven't flown since 2005 though.. but I was meticulous on the pre-flights.. on my truck.. bad habbit. just get in and drive..

I have to get into the habit with the bike. On my ninja, I'd do a cursory walk around.. but not really actually checking stuff like you just described..