clymer manuals which is best

[tconroy]

I have an 83 gs 650L shaft drive and there are 2 manuals to choose from.The 650 four repair manual or the m364 manual.Does anybody have one that covers this bike best?

[daveo]

try to find a Haynes manual, or better yet, the factory service manual, Clymer generally sucks

[pasteurized]

That's interesting, I thought the general consensus on the forum is that the Clymer is the way to go.

[daveo]

That's interesting, I thought the general consensus on the forum is that the Clymer is the way to go.

My apologies, I don't know about the general consensus...that is my opinion, I suppose they're better than nothing

[Anonymous]

You have the same bike as I do, and you are in the same boat as me. Haynes does not make a manual for this bike, so you are left with the Clymer manual, which I have.

For most basic work, it's adequate

[tconroy]

clymer manuals

wow! What a disscusion!Clymer has 2 manuals for this bike which one do you have?

[gspaul]

I have both the Clymer ( m364 ) & the Suzuki manual, Suzuki is better but the Clymer is good enough.
The M364 cover's 81-82, but the 83 was the same apart from paint and plastic.

[Anonymous]

Re: clymer manuals

wow! What a disscusion!Clymer has 2 manuals for this bike which one do you have?

I have the manual that covers all GS650 fours from 1981 to 1983.

Seriously lacking in detail on some things

the 83 was the same apart from paint and plastic

not quite true. Some of the mechanical bits were changed between the years - Rear shocks on the '81 are 12.5" long while the '82 had 13" shocks.

The '83 apparently has 12.5" shocks, but that's just going off my own measurement - most aftermarket parts catalogs don't have a listing for the '83 GS650GL for a lot of components - they will have a listing for '81-'82, but no '83. Makes it a real pain to try to find parts. local dealership might show that some components for my bike are discontinued, while an earlier year of the same bike will still have them available.

[gspaul]

Try to find a manual for a 650Kat , they don't exist!

[Anonymous]

The Clymer manual that I have covers all the GS650 fours from 81 to 83, including the Kat.

Part of the reason why it is so lacking in detail though, is because it has to cover all the vagaries of the different bikes. It's really annoying looking through 6 photos that cover one procedure, and only two of the photos are relevant to my bike.

[snark]

I have the Clymer, the Haynes, AND the Factory Suzuki Manual. They all have mistakes so I read the section I'm working on in all three and compare them. Then I get disgusted, and just dive in. A little bit of whiskey helps clear things up when all else fails.

[gspaul]

I think a bit of common sence, and a bit of experience see's you through most of the work we have to do on our bike's.
I use the manual's as a guide only, I have a bit of an advantage messing around with bike's for 30 year's.
Heard to many bad report's to ever trust someone to work on my bike's.
And with the wealth of knowledge on this site, why would you!

[mcycle-nut]

I have the Clymer, the Haynes, AND the Factory Suzuki Manual. They all have mistakes so I read the section I'm working on in all three and compare them. Then I get disgusted, and just dive in. A little bit of whiskey helps clear things up when all else fails.

Same for me. I forgo the whiskey, as the beer fridge is closer.

Seriously, I have bought Clymers for years, and I find them the easiest to use. Sometimes the Haynes are just downright goofy! For my GT it tells me to use "Castrol GTX." Yeah, ok, what viscosity? :roll:

Although, have you not heard? Gentlemen prefer Haynes.

I have to agree with snark though, they all have their mistakes. Something tells me though, that more people say "Clymers suck" because that's the most common one out there! 8)

[snark]

I think that the Clymer is the easiest to use and the best for a newbie. I would say that for what they cost (around $30) that disappointing is a good word for them. I know I would be disappointed if it wasn't for the fact that I got my Clymer thrown in with the bike. As a matter of fact, I'd like to thank the publisher of the Clymer manual for helping me get my bike. The previous owner got disgusted with the bike after trying to fix it using the Clymer manual and gave up. Fortunately, he didn't know about this web site!