Haynes or Clymer?

[Guest]

Which one would you go with for a GS550L, and why? I'm familiar with Haynes for cars and trucks, but don't know if they change format for bikes, or if Clymer has more or less info. I get the Manuela for my vehicles any time I can. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

[Hinermad]

I've never had both for the same vehicle to do a direct comparison, but the Haynes manuals just feel more useful to me. Sometimes they offer techniques using standard tools where the factory service manual tells you to use their specialty tool which is no longer being produced.

[posplayr]

Only use the factory manual

[Trilug]

That tells me what I need to know. Getting the carbs off my 550 are going to be difficult enough without having to try to find a special tool. Not sure what all is bad in the carbs, but I know the float bowl gasket is shot on 3 of them. Have a full set of o-rings ordered, gaskets and manuel where next on the list.

[Nessism]

Get the factory Suzuki manual. You can get used copies off ebay. Be careful to get the proper manual for you bike. Suzuki sold a base manual for 1977 and then each year they released a supplement. You can buy the complete package, including all the supplements, but they are harder to find. A lot of the manuals on ebay are just the supplements too, not the complete manual. Be careful to get the right thing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUZUKI-GS550-SERVICE-MANUAL-WITH-SUPPLEMENTS-AND-SETUP-MANUAL-/172329213936?hash=item281f9f1ff0:g:cG0AAOSwxg5Xy0wj&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUZUKI-MOTORCYCLE-GS550-SERV-MANUAL-Owners-manual-assembly-pre-delilvery-serv-/372012765999?hash=item569db0532f:g:KkwAAOSwXYtYvY6O&vxp=mtr

[mmattockx]

Which one would you go with for a GS550L, and why?

Use the factory service manual. Download it here: http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

Only use the factory manual

+1. Even if I have to pay for it I always have the factory manual for my bikes.

Getting the carbs off my 550 are going to be difficult enough without having to try to find a special tool.

Why would you need a special tool to take your carbs off?


Mark

[Hinermad]

Does this help? GS550 factory service manual:

http://zeus.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/gs/GS550_77-82_all.pdf

[Steve]

Haynes or Clymer?

I've never had both for the same vehicle to do a direct comparison, but the Haynes manuals just feel more useful to me.

There may be differences from one bike model to another as to which one might be better, but I have the pleasure of having all three for my 850s.

For the 850, there are a couple of items where one or the other might show a different angle on a photo or maybe explain how to make a special tool to do the job, but overall, the factory manual is the best and most accurate.

For the 850, I prefer, in order: Suzuki, Clymer, Haynes. Your bike's manuals might have a different order.

.

[allojohn]

For the 850, there are a couple of items where one or the other might show a different angle on a photo or maybe explain how to make a special tool to do the job, but overall, the factory manual is the best and most accurate.

For the 850, I prefer, in order: Suzuki, Clymer, Haynes. Your bike's manuals might have a different order..

+1 Factory manual rules but there's good information in both the Clymer and Haynes manuals which isn't in the others.

[JJ]

Get the factory service manual.

[bwringer]

All the above.

All the manuals suck, but they suck in slightly different ways. By using all the sources of information, you can often get a much better understanding of the project at hand.

The factory manuals are full of illuminating statements like "use Suzuki SST (special service tool) GRZ7865544341111-009 to remove the flimmert from the gubbin" with absolutely no explanation or photo of what this tool does. And the blurry blobs that pass for photos in the various pirated PDFs aren't much help -- it's well worth getting an actual legal printed manual if it's available.

Haynes or Clymer (Haynes, on average, usually sucks a little less, but it's close) will often have some way to make or adapt a tool or some workaround. And sometimes they'll have photos from different angles that help you sort out what the hell is happening (I swear, some of the photographers had a genius for capturing the exact wrong angle...). Sometimes the aftermarket manuals have information on workarounds that can save a lot of time and trouble.

One caution is that all the manuals, including the factory manuals, are shot through with random errors, both subtle and obvious. Suspect everything. This can really get you in trouble with torque values. Don't just read the torque value and start cranking -- do a sanity check. Does the torque value make sense for the fastener size, grade, and materials? Did they do the conversion from Newton-Meters to Foot-pounds correctly? Do the other manuals have the same value? Understand that bolts are sized by the threads, not the wrench size (a bolt that takes a 10mm wrench is most likely a 6mm bolt), and memorize the likely ranges you'll encounter.

One good source for manuals:

http://www.repairmanual.com/product-category/atv-motorcycle-manuals/suzuki-motorcycle-manuals/

[Hinermad]

I swear, some of the photographers had a genius for capturing the exact wrong angle...

And then there's the ever popular rusty bracket mounted with rusty bolts to a rusty frame photographed in front of a rusty background. You can see the mechanic's wrench, but he might as well be digging in the desert with it for all the detail you can see.