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Waking up an old GS450

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    Waking up an old GS450

    My friend just bought a 1980 GS450L off of Ebay that has been sitting in a shed for about 3 years. We are in the process of waking her up but my question is...is there anything special we should do to it before starting the motor. The motor is not locked up and she basically just needs a good carb cleaning and some other little things. And yes, before anything else, the O rings for the carb boots are being replaced. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
    1981 GS 450L

    2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom

    The good we do no one remembers.
    The bad we do no one forgets.

    Mark 5:36 -- Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe".

    #2
    You could get some oil in to head to lubricate the cam's, pull the spark plugs out and let a bit of penertrating oil free up the ring's,clean out the gas tank,filter and the carby's,clean the air filter, if it's foam.
    Best of luck!

    Comment


      #3
      Thanks, I gave him a to do list as long as your arm. This should be fun.
      1981 GS 450L

      2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom

      The good we do no one remembers.
      The bad we do no one forgets.

      Mark 5:36 -- Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe".

      Comment


        #4
        And we can sell you the magic reawakening chant...$19.95!

        Or we can send a "displaced" witch doctor to perform the ritual for... $1995!

        Of course we take PayPal!

        Good Luck!

        Comment


          #5
          I'll see if he can work the witch doctor into the budget. In the meantime...I'll take 2 chants. Do you have any of the Liquid Swartz? It worked on Spaceballs.
          1981 GS 450L

          2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom

          The good we do no one remembers.
          The bad we do no one forgets.

          Mark 5:36 -- Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe".

          Comment


            #6
            Update and advise time...
            We cleaned the carbs
            Changed the O rings
            Replaced the igniter and starter silenoid
            Changed the oil and filter
            New air filter
            New spark plugs
            New battery
            She fired right up and ran great.
            The next day she wouldn't start. The lights would work but she would not crank with the starter button and just a hint of a burning smell came from under the left side of the gas tank. I jumped the silinoid and it cranked. I ran a jump wire from the yellow/green wire at the silinoid to the orange/white wire it meets through the connector in the headlight bucket. She turned right over then no problem. Am I over simplifying this or does it sound like all I need to do is bypass that section of wire in the main harness. I'm leaning toward a short in that wire causing the problem. Any thoughts?
            1981 GS 450L

            2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom

            The good we do no one remembers.
            The bad we do no one forgets.

            Mark 5:36 -- Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe".

            Comment


              #7
              It has been my expereince that after pulling the carbs an airbox out of a GS an enless number of wires have been pulled loose and the activity of going through wiring with a good cleaner is a worthwhile step.

              R

              Comment


                #8
                Believe it or not we didn't have to diturb the wiring pulling the carbs. We just pulled the air box enough to get the carbs out. I'm still wondering, though, why it ran fine the first time we started it and now nothing. Does my bypass idea sound reasonable or is there a better way?
                1981 GS 450L

                2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom

                The good we do no one remembers.
                The bad we do no one forgets.

                Mark 5:36 -- Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe".

                Comment


                  #9
                  Is your handlebar switch in the "run" position? Has a fuse blown?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Fuse is fine and the handlebar switch is on.
                    1981 GS 450L

                    2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom

                    The good we do no one remembers.
                    The bad we do no one forgets.

                    Mark 5:36 -- Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe".

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Broken/shorted wires in those old harnesses are not unheard of. It happened to me on the road in Montana. I'm not quite sure I understand you here tho'. Is the starter switch and clutch lock out switch still operable with your jumper wire in place? If all you are doing is adding an outboard wire to replace a similar connection in the harness...well I'd do it. If you're bypassing the main fuse and other switches I'd look around for a burned wire and try to fix it.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I've checked all of the switches and they are operating properly. The fuse is fine. I don't like bypassing fuses and switches because I assume that they were put there for a reason. What my plan is is to bypass that one bad section...without skipping any harness junctions, switches, or fuses.
                        1981 GS 450L

                        2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom

                        The good we do no one remembers.
                        The bad we do no one forgets.

                        Mark 5:36 -- Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe".

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Very Good!

                          You have my blessing!

                          But, I ain't the Pope!

                          8O

                          Comment


                            #14
                            And for my next trick...let's see how hard it is to get the lights to work. Where would I be without my wiring diagrams?!?!?!?
                            1981 GS 450L

                            2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom

                            The good we do no one remembers.
                            The bad we do no one forgets.

                            Mark 5:36 -- Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe".

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Where did you get a wiring diagram? I need one badly because my bike looks like some kid had some fun with some wire cutters
                              The wiring on these bikes should all be pretty much the same right?
                              I know I need to buy a service manual, but I havent gotten around to it yet.
                              Thanks

                              Gavin

                              Comment

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