Is it possible to ride these bikes too hard...?

[bwringer]

Grip It and Rip It! Spin to Win!

Yes, you can ride these things very, very hard. These engines love to spin, and the happy zone is 6,000 - 9,000 RPM. And they will happily spin hard day after day after day.

My 850 loves to spin and sees redline often.

It's not a good idea to exceed redline by a lot, though. It is possible to float the valves and spit a shim if you really zing it too far. There's no rev limiter as in a modern bike, although there are high-end aftermarket ignition units with this function.


With a few simple upgrades, they also handle and stop phenomenally well.

If you know what you're doing, you can proceed on public roads as rapidly as any modern motorcycle.

I'd also strongly recommend signing up for "software upgrades" in the form of riding classes. I can highly recommend Lee Parks' "Total Control Riding", for example.

There are also many here who have taken their GS to track days with excellent results and no problems.


When I first started attending GS rallies, I was astonished at the number of riders who putt-putted around below 3,000 rpm like little old ladies, terrified their bikes would break somehow if they actually twisted the throttle or leaned a bit.

Aluminum and steel don't give a hoot whether they're brand new or 40 years old. The parts are just as strong today as they were in 1983 or 1978 or whatever. They are extremely well-designed engines manufactured to a very high quality standard, and they were designed and intended to spin and handle.

[Buffalo Bill]

Have to agree with Brian. I been very bad since overhauling my 1100G head.
Tested 10,000 a few times, looking for the ideal shift point RPM.
9,000 RPM shift point may be ideal, 7,000 is very safe.

[greg78gs750]

wind it out, they like it.

[alke46]

Have you not heard of the old saying "ride it like you stole it"? From what I am reading here by the OP, you sure as hell are not going to hurt that bike. As mentioned previously, these may be old classics, but they still like to put many smiles on the faces of the riders.

[rphillips]

My first GS1100E, 1980, after the first 1,000 mi brake in, was abused every day, both on the street & on the local drag strips till I got rid of it with something over 50,000 mi. Still in great shape. 2 big repairs were a busted clutch hub, normal for the GS1100's, replaced with heavy duty after mkt. hub & never another clutch problem, & a loose rotor, also normal for the early GS1100's., repaired by tightening as tight as possible then welding the nut to both the rotor & the crankshaft, never a problem for me as I never needed to remove the rotor again. I have often wondered if that thing had been ridden normally, ie. from 2,000 to 6,000 & never wide open throttle w/ regular maintenance, I think it could have ran forever, nothing wears out on these things.

[Rob S.]

Factory went ahead and welded your '83 for you. I keep imagining a pic of your Suzi and Honda 11's next to each other on a sunny sidewalk.

There was a corner bagel store near where I got off the bus from Wall Street every afternoon. Frequently there was a Kaw H1 parked next to a Kaw Z1 on the sidewalk in front of the store. I think the two guys worked there (flour on the Grab-Ons ).

They were lightlyly modified, pods, clamp ons and 4-into-1s. Completely of the day (1980).

It's more than just the metal. I would imagine the two guys coming and leaving together. There's a certain way you ride after a long shift. Not necessarily even very fast. Just with a certain amount of...camaraderie.

I know I'm babbling, but can anyone relate?

[storm 64]

I can kind of relate with you Rob. I don't ride to work to much now, but I use to. When leaving work I'd often jam 1st, 2ed, and 3ed gear. Kind of my way of saying nice to see ya, hate to be ya! I'm out of here! 🙂

[850 Combat]

I can relate that the more I use something, the less I beat on it. Doesn't matter if its a sports car or a motorcycle. If i don't get much chance to run it, I get more thrills from each chance, more or less.

I think stock 2 valve GS motorcycles will pretty much run out of breath before they can hurt themselves. That explains the super high survival rate.

[Buffalo Bill]

I can relate that the more I use something, the less I beat on it. Doesn't matter if its a sports car or a motorcycle. If i don't get much chance to run it, I get more thrills from each chance, more or less.

I think stock 2 valve GS motorcycles will pretty much run out of breath before they can hurt themselves. That explains the super high survival rate.

Yeah, no problems with my G, even though I have missed a few upshifts recently. Not that I wanna keep testing 10,000+ RPM. Just testing where it's gonna actually find it's power limit.

[scratch]

buried the needle on my old 550 all day, every day...Just couldn't bother the thing no matter how mean I was to her... my current 550 I've been more gentle with, she wants more but, I'm more timid on wire wheels... (sorry girl, it's not you, it's me)
My daily is and 850G, it see's 5k on the regular but, generally not more than 7-8K... not cause she can't take it, just don't ever need to...

[93Bandit]

I'm a little late to the game, but as most others have said, you won't hurt it as long as you stay out of the red. I redline my 850 at least once every time I ride it, but I always wait until it's warmed up.

A few weeks ago, I missed a shift and when I looked down my tach said 12,000 rpms Scared me for sure, but it continued running fine and I haven't noticed any ill effects yet... I don't think any damage was done, but I will definitely be kicking the shifter harder in the future, I don't want to blow it up.

[Rob S.]

I redline...at least once every time I ride it, but I always wait until it's warmed up.

YES! All it takes is a little sense.

[jrdatrackstar]

Well, low and behold I guess I did end up riding the bike too hard. I went for a ride yesterday and pushed a bit around town (never redlining but up there in the 8-9000 range sometimes, mostly in the 5-7) and developed a loud rod knock. Turns out the bike was low on oil so I think I did some irreversible damage. The knock is extremely loud and sounds like a piece of metal is clanging in the engine.

Never done teardowns or anything of the sort and don’t know how to. My brother (who is a mechanic) said it sounded like it had no oil in it and to empty the oil and check for metal; if there was no metal in the oil, fill it up with 20W-50 and see if it goes away. I’ve added 2 full cans of Lucas Oil 20W-50 and it still has the loud clanging.

Video link:

https://share.icloud.com/photos/043s9t_62xownWPsjzmeApwuA

[posplayr]

Oil in crankcase; "don't leave home without it!"

[jrdatrackstar]

Oil in crankcase; "don't leave home without it!"

Thanks for the reply. So does that mean the engine is done? Is there anything I can do without a teardown?