About to buy an 1980 GS400. Best things to check?

[Guest]

Hi all, looking at a GS400 for sale.
There is one for sale which i'm going to inspect tomorrow and i would love to get some advice on what to check before i fork out the cash.

Its a 1980 model, apparently it runs fine but its not ridden very often.
Little worn out, missing the battery.

- rusty tank
- Obvious oil leaks
- How easily it starts....
- Alternator/rectifier issues?

what else? compression test could give me some info - is it difficult to do?

regards, Michael

[pete]

Hey Michael, welcome! The GS twins are great bikes and yeah compression is always good to check.

If the bike hasn't been ridden regularly and has sat for a while, you may need a good carb clean as modern fuel can go "off" pretty quickly and clog the circuits.

Does the "melb" in your screen name indicate Melbourne Australia at all? If so, there are some members down that way.

Check wheel bearings out and swing arm bearings. Put it on the centre stand and see if the swingarm and/or rear wheel have side to side movement (they shouldn't). Front wheel is a bit trickier but if you can get the owner to help you rock it back on the back wheel while on the centre stand you should be able to do the same.

If the original rubber brake line is on the front you can count on replacing it... Suzuki say replace after 2 years... not 32!

Oh, also with compression... low compression will make a hard start...

[mikomelb]

Thanks, thats very helpful. I'll definitely try that.
I'm expecting it to be a bit rough around the edges!

If it's the one i buy i'll be stripping it down and rebuilding.

Indeed i am from Melbourne Australia. It seems there are still some parts around for these internationally not so much in my neck of the woods.

If all goes well i'll put a picture up tommorow. If not, you might not hear from me for a while until i find another GS of course.

[pete]

Good stuff mate, good luck!

Postage has become a bit more expensive in recent times but you can still get parts pretty cheap from US eBay etc.

Locally down there for genuine parts try Mick Hone, good prices and service and you can order online if you have the part number or if the fiche for your model is on there.

There's also www.findapart.com.au that may find used parts locally for you.

There's a fella on here called Nikosg (from memory) that has a GSX400 he's doing some work on and he's around Melbourne somewhere too.

[850 Combat]

Is it an L? They are less revered, and worth less money

[Gorminrider]

Pete mentioned chassis and for sure.
Fork seals have been blown on every bike I've bought.
Pump them up and down.oily=blown. But ..it's an easy and cheap job albeit really messy....

However,be sure the fork tubes themselves are in good shape, especially where they will go through the seals- rusted or deeply scratched fork tubes are something to avoid. More common is bad chrome above the sealing surfaces-you can live with 'em but it's ugly and unfixable at the backyard-mechanic level. ( except with paint!) They are big $$$$ to replace and difficult to find in shiny condition

Inspect the spark plugs. These are the first diagnostic tool and reflect everything except the charging and chassis. Given the issue they might indicate is not just the result of tune, and there's other symptoms....

like blue Smoke out the exhaust (burning oil and hard starting, nasty spark plugs) . A compression test is maybe the next stage to pin it down to valves or rings.

Chain and sprockets. Put the bike on centre-stand and see if the tightness of chain VARIES. This means replace sprockets + chain.
Charging, you mentioned. Take a multimeter. you should get somewheres over 14 volts with the headlight on and not much above idle. IF you get 15-16 expect regulator issue. If you get less, expect stator or both issues.
Look under the seat and sidecovers for corroded connectors.

Take a battery and some thick wires. A car battery will do but motorcycle or smallish is best. If they say it starts and runs, it will run fine with a car battery but voltage will not be so high as described above for a car battery. Nevertheless, voltmeter should indicate that the battery is not discharging....say 13-13.5 volts

[Gorminrider]

rounded bolt heads and bugg*rd screws- a good indication of the vocabulary you will need cursing previous owners.

and ...drips, of course. But try to figure out if the seals that need replacing are internal jobs.
Drain a bit of oil and look at it in the sun....sparkly gritty bits are bad. Takes time,messy, but you can just pour it back in so no harm done. Take some handcleaner and rags.

some say a stethoscope ...beyond my competence- I just listen hard and get down close for the clap-clink,chick-chick noises of intermittent noises ..broken bits being tossed around inside.
hopefully, Ride it. Strap that car battery on if you must. How else can you test the gearbox?

[pete]

I also forgot to say there is no 1980 GS400 providing it's the twin cylinder one.

The fact it's a 1980 probably means it was sold and registered first in 1980 and that's it's more than likely a '77 or '78 model. 1979 saw the GS425 introduced and 1980 was the first of the 450's.

I'm not saying the owner is lying, I'm saying the transport dept. usually list them by their first registration year back then rather than the year they were made

Compliance plate should confirm.

[eil]

Well, obviously, as you can see there are many different schools of thought with regard to how to check out a used bike.

My own opinion is that how in-depth you check out the bike should mostly be a function of how much you're paying relative to its general condition. If you're paying top dollar for a mint machine that comes with all sorts of promises from the seller, then you certainly want to go through the bike with a fine-tooth comb. Inspect every nut and bolt, check for fine particles in the oil, look for bugs caught in the air filter, or whatever you like.

However, a bike that doesn't run as-is for any reason is to be priced as a project bike. (Again, my opinion.) Unless it's rare or collectible. With a project bike, you (probably) only care about whether the frame is straight, whether or not the engine is seized, and possibly what percentage of the parts are still there.

Assuming your prospective bike falls more into the latter camp than the former, I would just check for obvious frame damage, make sure all the pieces you want are there, and you can check that the engine isn't seized by putting the bike in 5th gear and rolling it forward to turn the engine. Everything else is at your discretion.

[Gorminrider]

... But every serious buyer might be advised to keep a disappointed scowl on their face. Practise in the mirror if you are naturally cheerful or demented.
Once I got so chummy, I easily fixed the bike for the seller and didn't buy it, telling them they weren't asking enough.

[mikomelb]

... But every serious buyer might be advised to keep a disappointed scowl on their face. Practise in the mirror if you are naturally cheerful or demented.
Once I got so chummy, I easily fixed the bike for the seller and didn't buy it, telling them they weren't asking enough.

haha well i did scowl for real when i saw a few things... but on the whole i think it was a good start for my project. i checked most of the aforementioned points, very helpful thanks guys.

Ill post some pics and get things rolling soon.