"new" GS850l and firts ride for years!!!!

[Anonymous]

Hi all. I live in Quebec, CANADA and just bought a GS-850l 1982 that looks new. I just made a good ride with it after 18 years without siting on a bike so i'm very very excited about all this!!! But there is some bad news about my GS and i NEED some tips to COOL down; here we go:

1- The seller said he don't know if the bike have 28K Km or 128k Km (you know the gauge miss a number with modern standard) : Can you give me some tips to know the true about the bike?

2- When i start it cold, it misfired for about 5 minutes at about 4K RPM but run good on idle: What is the cause of that?

3- It lost as LOT of oil from the valve cover near the rear round chromed cover; what can i do? Is is easy to change the gasket and do i need to use silicone when reinsalling a gasket? Is is a common problem with the GS? The gasket that is there don't seem to be very old, what could be the fault of the last jobber? Is there enought space under the gaz tank to do the job without removing the engine?

4- I always had a chain bike and i don't know if it's normal to hear noise when the bike is going slower (compressing, decelering, doing downhil and braking etc...)

5- With engine off and key on the bike consumes about 5 AMPS (light on); is it normal?

6- I think the bike didn't ride for years; what should i look for now (this winter i will do a good job on it...)

7- It is written on the oil cap to use 10W-40; after 23 years is it better to use motorcycle 20W-50 oil?

8- NGK site tell me 32 of gap and i read elsewhere that it is 28.. who is right??? I prefer Champion plus for my bikes, wht is the equivalent plug?

8.5- With the cluch full depress the bike seems to be a little engage ( i feel a light driving force); should i unscrew the cable screw in order to depress more the clutch ( but engage it less when full release)?

8.75- i forgot this one : the speed position indicator is not working reliably on the first, 2 and 3 position. When cold it's ok but hot it stop working on 1, 2, 3; how does this thing works?. refress : i open the thing and the bulb on the 2 is no more there is there a replacement for that. And for the 1st and 3rd the bulb are or but no voltage on them when hot... HELP!

And don't laught to me with these :

9- What is the purpose of the tiny plastic wheel on the top of the rear shock; it make 90 degrees and clic but what it adjust?

10- What about automatic turn; i realize that my flasher stop after i forget it on on the road but sometime no... What is the trick with it; it seems to be 2 positions on each side.. well...

11- I weight 200 pounds and i'm unable to put on the center stand. I tried to put it when i'm on the bike , on the left side, etc... What is the trick???

12- Is this bike pointless or electronics?

13- Where is the kick start? Well i presume the is none... but that's the first bike i have without one... when does this happens - i'm only 35...


And to make you laught this time : when i just arrived home with my "NEW" bike and take the bike off my trailer, i need to put it on neutral; i tried and tried without result. i thought the transmission was broken during "shipping" so i call... well... they told me that the neutral is not the lower position but between the first and second... oufff.... I WAS VERY SHY of the situation and disconnect very fast...

[NICK!]

No problem my friend, here's my answers

1. Since the bike looks new I would think that 28K km would be right as 128K km is about 80K miles and the bike would certainly look worn with that kind of mileage. Give it a compression test to be sure.

2. Not sure, is it on choke when it doing the 4K RPM or are you revving it?

3. Sounds like a cam end plug, get a new valve cover gasket and 4 new cam end plugs and you should be good to go. Adjust the valves while your in there.

4. Not sure what you mean, the drive shaft is making noise? I seem to recall a whine perhaps but shaft drives are pretty quiet.

5. Yeah, that sounds about right if I recall correctly.

6. Carbs might be dirty and the gas tank could be rusted, drain the carbs into a white container and see if theres any crud in the gas, take a flash light and look inside the tank for rust and also smell the gas tank for that rotten gas odor. In any event change all fluids like engine oil and filter and the gear oil and perhaps the brake fluid too. Also be sure to look inside the air box to see if a mouse has built himself a condo in there.

7. 10W-40 is fine, its what I use in my bike. If its like a hundred degrees out you could go to the heavier oil if you want to, I do.

8. I like NGK plugs, Champions never gave me anything but heart ache, I would gap the plugs at 0.028" for your bike, factory spec is probably 0.026" to 0.030".

8.5 Sounds like you need a clutch adjustment, you should have about 5 mm of free play at the lever, this free play is measured at the gap created between the lever and the holder when you lightly pull the lever to take up this free play.

8.75 If you mean the gear indicator then it could be the bulbs like you have discovered or the rotary switch on the side of the transmission can also go bad. No big deal though, almost no other brand of motorcycle had this and you can just count the gears as you go through them.

9. Probably rebound dampening, just make sure that both shocks are on the same number. If this is what I think it is you are you are changing the orifice size inside the shock that dictates how quickly the shock returns after hitting a bump.

10. Holy crap, it still works at all? Mine works sometimes too, I think there is a little black box that makes this work, some had a mercury switch ( I think this was Kaw, really big clyinder sticking down below the handlebar switch) but almost no one even asked me to fix one so I'm not sure. Again, this is some thing easily lived without as most bikes don't have it as all.

12. Electronic ignition, no points

13. The factories took the kick start off in around 1980, too heavy and too expensive.


Neutral is almost always in between 1st and 2nd in a Japanese bike, the one exception that comes to mind is the triple 2 stroke Kaws where neutral is all the way down.

[bjrehill]

11. You need to use a little momentum and shoulder strength to get these bikes on teh center stand. Roll it backwards a littel while sitting on the back of the bike. Maybe 6 inches (10 CM) or so. Then press the center stand down while pulling the handlebars back and down then back and up. It's like rowing a boat upside down. It's not about strength, but technique and momentum. I weigh about 220 and have a 1980 850 L.

If all else fails get someone to steady the bike while you pull from behind to bring it up.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your answers! I'll try all of these tips...

Thanks for your answers! I'll try all of these tips...

[Poot]

11. You need to use a little momentum and shoulder strength to get these bikes on teh center stand. Roll it backwards a littel while sitting on the back of the bike. Maybe 6 inches (10 CM) or so. Then press the center stand down while pulling the handlebars back and down then back and up. It's like rowing a boat upside down. It's not about strength, but technique and momentum. I weigh about 220 and have a 1980 850 L.

If all else fails get someone to steady the bike while you pull from behind to bring it up.

I weigh 150lbs..... when I first got my 850, I couldn't get it up!

[Anonymous]

I weight 215 and have issues with my gs1000 trying to get it on the center stand

[SqDancerLynn1]

I have trouble too. I use a small piece of 2x4 --roll the back tire up on it & then put the stand down

[flyingace]

I'm about 230. I've found the trick to be off the bike and grab the rearmost part of the frame you can find. Then rock forward then back with all you've got while holding the stand with your foot. The important thing to remember is too use all your strength to pull BACK, not UP. The stand is designed to lift the weight up if you can force it back. Lifting up will kill your back - I know.

Ace.