New purchase - need technical advice

[Rob Pick]

Hi all

I have just purchased a GS550E, not sure of the year. The motor is running fine and the bike is in acceptable condition but I have a few concerns:

There is a rattling noise coming from the top of the engine, could this be a worn camchain or valve timing??
The engine has been resprayed but peeling, can I apply paint stripper to remove the old paint and is there anyway to polish the engine to original finish and not have to respray it?
The seat pan is badly rusted, are replacement seats still available or are there other bikes which seat fits?
Noticed the ignition still has points, are there any electronic ignitions available.

So much to do, so little time, appreciate any feedback

[braindead0]

Doesn't the title list the year?

Rattling could be a lot of things, cam chain, something loose..etc..

As far as painting, it's possible the original finish was paint anyway (I know it was aluminum paint on the '77 GS-550). Stripping and painting is probably best done during a complete tear down (I think)..

Not sure about the seat pan, I'd try a motorcycle wrecking yard or the like.

Yes, electronic ignition is available from Dyna, I think it runs around $130USD

Sounds like you've got a lot to do, if you can't local anything loose that would account for rattling, you'll probably need to start by pulling the cam cover and checking valves, the cam-chain and tensioner at least..

[mark]

Greetings,

First thing is, you need to know the year of your bike.

Rattling could be worn cam chain, if valve timing was off it wouldn't run very well. Cam chain tensioner could need to be looked at. Rattling could also be that valve clearances need to be adjusted. Some "noise" is normal. Rattling, or "ticking" could also be at the spark plugs due to bad connections.

Clutch covers, stator covers and cam covers can be polished. Clear coat needs to be removed, and it involves sanding etc. Do a search on "polishing" on this site, there is a lot of information on this and web sites. Most folks repaint the cooling fins.

Non- points "electronic" ignitions are available for a lot of bikes, but you'll need to know the year. Most people use Dyna S ignitions. Same with the seat. Seats can also be re-covered in many ways.

You need to know the year! Also at least get a Cylmer or Haynes manual on your bike.

Good luck.

[cloudbreakmd]

Look at the steering neck (the part of the frame where the triple trees mount) ... On there should be a manufacturer plate with a year and VIN.

[cmroche]

From my experience getting replacement seat parts is possible through eBay.com, but they are fairly expensive and difficult to locate the exact parts that you probably need.

I have been looking for a good seat for my GS 1000 now for almost a month and I think I finally found one in which I will win the bid for on eBay... but only because at this point I am very determined and don't mind paying the cash involved to get the seat (and pan).

I know the seat I have will pretty much fit any GS1000 and GS850, from the information I have gathered... it does seem that a couple of models will work with others, but I can not tell you which ones, you will want to do your homework on this before making a purchase.

[SqDancerLynn1]

The GS 850 & GS 1000 seats are different