GS650E Questions

[Anonymous]

Hey guys, I'm in the midst of getting a 1981 GS650E into running shape. I bought the bike for 100 dollars. Anyways, tomorrow the carb rack goes off to be cleaned and all that jazz. I have a couple of questions about the bike though as I can't find a specs list anywhere for the bike. I pulled the airbox out after I took the carb rack out and discovered what had once been an air filter was now a pile of goop in the bottom of the airbox. I just finished bringing my fathers GS1100L back to life and I was assuming the two bikes would have the same type of air filter. The 650 seems to have some kind of wire cage with what I think was once one of those filters you need to oil(kind of like a sponge type deal.) Does anyone know if that's the original filter for the bike or is it some kind of oddball aftermarket setup? Also, the bikes clutch is extrememly hard. I'm fairly certain that it is the clutch cable as the bike looks like it sat outside for a long while. (The gas tank had a friggin nest in it.) I put a new battery in and tried to crank it over and it cranks over with no problems and compression seems very good. There are a few small rust spots on the frame, but I took care of that with a little sandpaper and black paint. The engine cases however, look like complete hell. Anyone know of a good way to clean them up? I tried using steel wool on it (Very fine 0000 stuff) but it didn't help much. Would sandblasting the cases be advisible? (I have a sandblaster.) I guess that's about it for now....I'm sure I'll have more questions for you guys. Sorry to be such a pest with questions but I'm enthusiastic, what can I say?

[gspaul]

Air filter is oiled foam as standard, you can stll get them.
Sound's ok for a hundred buck's.

[Anonymous]

I've done some case clean ups. Originally they are covered with a clear lacquer. It holds up pretty well, at least for a decade or two. It's not easy to get all of it off in order to make a consistant looking finish. Anyway, I used a rotary brush that has bristles coated with an abrasive that is about 400 grit. I used that until I got all the aluminum to shine with a fresh surface. Then I worked it down with a rotary brush (high rpm) with a grinding/surfacing compound called tripoly (not hard to find). Used a dremel tool with the same types of abrasives and polish for the tight spots. It came out very nice (I give it a 9.5 out of 10). Pretty time consuming. Once it was finished I mixed up a batch of epoxy, painted the cover with the epoxy. I then heated the cover with a heat gun which caused the epoxy to flow smoothly and evenly over the cover. It looked perfect, especially since I put on new emblems. The epoxy did not hold over time though. It started to peel off.

schu
1980 GS 850

[duaneage]

start with 220 to clean off everything, a Dremel is a grat tool for this.

320 then 600 grit.

Use 0000 steel wool to get a satin finish.

Degrease with Lacquer thinner ( removes the clear coat too)

I used clear engine paint, good to 500 degrees. Two or three coats and you would swear it's factory

see this site

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/5896/SatinLook.htm

[Anonymous]

I really like the clear engine paint idea.