New GS850 owner could use some advice...

[supa_brotha]

Hey out there.

Well, to make a long story short, I picked myself up an '81 GS850 bike a couple months back, and now actually have time to work on it. I got it running (was just a matter of crossed wires), and have cleaned the carbs decently enough for now (plan to rebuild soon), so I was just wondering... Is there any problem areas common among these bikes I should take a look at? It runs well, but I haven't been able to take it out on the road yet, just trying to get the ol heads up as it were.

Also, I'm having trouble finding a decent set of mufflers that will fit on the bike, and I could use a set, any help is appreciated.

Thanks for your time!

[mark]

There's a nice article on your question called "what to watch for" that you can click on. Its right on the home page of GSResources.

Check Bikebandit.com and DennisKirk.com for exhausts. Or you can type in "GS 850 Exhaust" on Google which will point you in the right direction.

[supa_brotha]

I can't believe I missed that... heh.


Well it seems to me this bad boy is like a rock, although yeah, I have electric woes to worry about. That's not really a problem though. (just a pain in the rear..) haha.

Thanks a bunch.

[mark]

As far as exhaust goes, the general view I've discovered on this forum is that you should try to keep your exhaust and airbox stock if at all possible for best overall performance. The 850 airbox specifically needs to be sealed well and not leaking air. Lots of people however have made the switch out of necessity. If you get a new exhaust you might have to do some carb re-jetting and adjustment to get the best performance. You don't want your bike running too lean. Lots of people can help you with that here.

Having said that, my '79 850 exhaust is so lousy that I'm in the process of finding and ordering a new one too, so I'll have to figure it all out as well. Good luck.