My "New" 1982 GS650GL: 6k Miles, Trying to Assess Priorities

[tom203]

Ok, put your new petcock on, at least change the crankcase oil ( cuz it's got gas in it) and see how well it runs - not just starting and idling, but running under load. I'm not sure why you are putting any faith in a previous owners claims.....

[Leftie]

So they really designed this bike so that a flooded carb would result in one or more flooded cylinders? Greeaat... I'll check the oil for signs of gas in the next work session, and if there is any hint of contamination I'll change it - cold, I guess. I guess I'll pull both airboxes and look into the carbs. If it appears that they need to be pulled, I think I'll leave that job for the mechanic I hope to find. I'll post again when I know more.

[tom203]

Forget taking off airbox - carbs need to be out first unless you use a sawzall. Change the petcock, change the oil,and see if the engine sounds better- the gas thinned oil might have caused problems in this plain bearing crank.
There are a bunch of members on here that clean carbs properly- for a fee - so if you have no luck finding an experienced local guy, consider this option.
But try to determine if engine sounds good mechanically, before you invest more money in it. Even with just 6k miles, something bad could have happenned 30 years ago sending it into the barn. I'm the suspicious type!

[Leftie]

Re: Carb Removal

Forget taking off airbox - carbs need to be out first unless you use a sawzall. Change the petcock, change the oil,and see if the engine sounds better- the gas thinned oil might have caused problems in this plain bearing crank.
There are a bunch of members on here that clean carbs properly- for a fee - so if you have no luck finding an experienced local guy, consider this option.
But try to determine if engine sounds good mechanically, before you invest more money in it. Even with just 6k miles, something bad could have happenned 30 years ago sending it into the barn. I'm the suspicious type!

I posted the video here of me starting and warming the bike up in the hope of determining that. I know basic engine technology, and my opinion is that the bike hasn't got any big red flags, but does sound a little "off." I've ordered carb kits for it, and new O-rings for the intakes. I didn't realize the carbs had to come off before the airboxes! I am also familiarizing myself with the valve adjusting procedure. Can anyone point me to a reasonably priced shim assortment for a bike getting its first (or maybe second, at most) valve adjustment? Is the "shim club" still active here? And also, can I safely get aftermarket valve cover gaskets, or should I get OEM only?

[tom203]

Skip the shim assortment- most will be useless to you. You'll likely need a few smaller thickness ones and can shuffle them around. Determine what size you need and join the shim club.... PM member ghostgs1
You don't need carb kits- you just need new o-rings from www.cycleorings.com (a member on here)

The 82 gs650 had two different cam cover gaskets, so be careful. If you show me a pic of the camchain tunnel at front of engine, I can make sure you get correct gasket. Later 82's had a extra bolt in this area. I prefer the genuine suzuki gasket, but last winter I picked up some Vesrah versions- a sideby side comparison showed them exactly alike.

[Leftie]

The carb kit is already ordered - I figured if I got it I might not need it, and vice versa. ;-) I am also bidding on a complete O-ring kit. It will either cost me less than $20 or near $30 shipped if I don't win and buy it. As for the gaskets, can you tell by looking at the photos I've posted? If not I'll take a couple of the front cam housing.

Now, as for the gas tank. The bike has a fuel filter with a clear housing with a metallic element, and it looks clean. I can't wrestle with a gas tank full of any kind of treatment because of health issues (I could barely carry it 1/4 full), so it's either drain it, install the new petcock, and refill it with fresh gas for now (I can also refill it after every ride) or hire the job out. How do I decide if the tank needs cleaning and possibly coating? I don't want to get into a situation where every step I take produces three more, and the bike is never back together. I haven't actually seen any crud in the gas so far.

[tom203]

Your tank needs cleaning/treatment. Can you skip this now and hope that inline filter works? Probably.

As for camcover , here's a pic of my bike- note the camchain tunnel at front. This uses the earlier cover gasket. Later models had an additional cover bolt right in that tunnel area, so gasket is different. Some ebay sellers get it wrong here,so beware.

[Leftie]

I don't see any extra bolts on mine. I'll post a better photo, showing the cam area in higher res.

[tom203]

Here's a parts fiche of the later camcover- note the extra cover bolt in cam cover at tunnel front. A quick check of ebay offerings showed the wrong picture for the gasket p/n they were selling (no extra gasket hole at tunnel)

http://www.partsoutlaw.com/oemparts/a/suz/50d3fdb8f8700230d8b4daea/cylinder-head-cover-f-no-104613

[Leftie]

Here's a parts fiche of the later camcover- note the extra cover bolt in cam cover at tunnel front. A quick check of ebay offerings showed the wrong picture for the gasket p/n they were selling (no extra gasket hole at tunnel)

http://www.partsoutlaw.com/oemparts/...er-f-no-104613

Dammit - I took two photos, one left and one right side, and BOTH exclude that area. You mean on the left side of that center passage, buttress, whatever..?






In fact, looking at every photo of the bike I have, that area is either blocked by a frame downtube, or isn't in the shot. I'll look at the area tomorrow, when I change the oil.

[Leftie]

The bike is out on the garage apron, it's after dark now, and I'm wondering if I should quit for the night...

First, there is no extra cam cover bolt on mine, happily, just the usual...8? No extra one in the spot noted. So I'll get a set from Ebay. If I don't need the cam end seals I'll get Suzuki. If I do I'll get the aftermarket complete set. Opinions?

I got held up an extra hour when I discovered I don't have the strength alone to put the bike on the center stand. I occasionally had this trouble with my 850 too, but this bike is supposedly 90lbs lighter - Geez. Anyway, once my housemate came home and I got it up on the stand, ready for the cold oil & filter change, I rechecked the Clymer manual on changing the front shaft oil. The trouble is, my bike doesn't match the picture. Instead of a small, angled drain bolt in front of the oil pressure or gear position sending unit (whichever it is on the left side, in front of the shaft) I have a BIG drain bolt that faces straight down. It's also about 4" above an exhaust pipe, explaining why this plug gets pulled so rarely. Anyway, I cut a funnel off to try to catch the oil, but I'm only 75% sure that this is actually the drain bolt. I'll post a picture later, but for now I'm searching the site for a photo, and not finding one...

[Leftie]

Ok, here are a a few more photos. First the cam covers, then the area where the front shaft oil drain bolt is located. Since I found zero good photos of this, once I know for sure which bolt it is, I'll label the photo (Windows Paint is great for this) and make it available to all who need to find it.







I stopped taking these photos with my smart phone, and used a real (if cheap) camera. It makes a big difference in quality.

[tom203]

This part fiche shows the correct suzuki p/n for the gasket. You probably won't need the half moon cam end thingies, as long as you are real careful removing old gasket residue from all cover surfaces.

Personally, I'd just skip removing the secondary drive oil bolt- it connects to main area, so most will fallout main drain. Note the suggestion to use Shell Rotella 15-40 diesel oil. About $14 for 5qt jug.Do not use 10-30 weight auto oil. Of course change the oil filter

http://www.partsoutlaw.com/oemparts/a/suz/50d3fdb8f8700230d8b4dae9/cylinder-head-cover-f-no-104612

[Leftie]

I was going to use Valvoline Premium 10W-40 motor oil, as it won't be staying in the bike more than a few weeks. When I change it again to get the "cleaning oil" out I'll use either Rotella or one of the motorcycle oils.

Which filter from my Suzuki collection is likely to be less crappy, a Chinese made K&N or a Mexican(?) made Fram "Pro" motorcycle filter? I don't buy Fram as a rule, but once it was all the store had.

I'd still like to know for sure which bolt is the front shaft oil drain bolt.

[Leftie]

While I'm waiting for an answer on the front shaft oil drain plug (and I really want to drain that now, because I almost never change oil cold, but this time I'll be able to wrap the whole exhaust pipe in a garbage bag to protect it from oil) I'd like to hear about the folks on this site who rebuild carbs. Who are the two or three best, and roughly how much do they charge? I really don't know if I'm still up to doing that sort of work, now. My hands shake a bit and my memory is going along with my close eyesight. I had a few carbs apart (and even back together!) when I was much younger, but now I'd be safer mailing them off to an expert.