Basic maintenance upon new purchase?

[Guest]

I bought my bike about 3 weeks ago. I've since been riding it all over. Feels just fine. I even had it inspected. However, now I 'm ready to do the basic new purchase fluid, etc, overhaul. Can someone please help me with a list of basics things I should check and change if need be.

So far:
I am ordering a new rear tire (having a mechanic put this on)
I just bought a new oil filter and look forward to changing the oil tonight!!
I am ordered a new clutch cable. Mine is really stiff and it was recommended to just change it. 20 bucks... no biggie


so... what else?

thanks

[catfishk]

congratulations! i'd recommend picking up a Clymer, Haynes, or Suzuki manual at some point. it will certainly help you out and well worth the money. they are around $20-25 usually

please don't cheap on tires, brakes, or a good helmet. be safe!

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. maro,

Some of the most important stuff:

Change not only the crankcase oil and filter, but also the secondary gear oil and the rear differential oil. The latter two use 90wt hypoid gear oil (or similar). Check the air filter and clean (or replace) and re-oil (lightly!) as necessary.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[mark]

Valve clearances. Check them right away. As the valves wear the clearances get smaller, so you can't hear if they're out of adjustment.

[maro]

Hey guys,

Well I have an Clymers book on it's way via UPS.. Should be hear tomorrow. Already a few of you have suggested things I have no idea how to do, like rear gear oil replacement and valve checking. Can I assume this will all be covered in the manual? If not, can you also post a brief explanation on how to check these things. IF they are faulty, etc I could then search or start a new thread on ways to fix.

Thanks so much!!

[BassCliff]

hi Mr. Maro,

Your manual will have the procedures. You can search the forum for supplemental help. For example, try these valve checking references:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/search.php?searchid=296655

Your bike should be pretty similar to mine. The crankcase fill plug is on the right side of the motor and the drain plug is underneath the motor, pretty much in the middle. The secondary gear oil has its fill plug on the top of the crankcase area, on the left side of the motor behind cylinder #1. The drain plug is behind the cover on the left side under the fill plug, to the rear of the motor. The rear differential fill plug is on the top of the rear differential and the drain plug is on the bottom of the rear differential. Here's a picture of my bike with arrows pointing to the general vicinity:



I hope this helps. I'm having fun learning how to work on my bike. The folks here are great at lending a hand.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[waterman]

Maro,
Basscliff has great intentions but the 650 uses engine oil to lubricate secondary. He is correct in that there is a drain plug under the secondary area as he has "pointed" out (Basscliff, keep up the good work on diagrams, I love it). Likewise, there is no fill plug on the top side of motor, just put oil in the regular fill on clutch cover.

One other note, with the replacement of the clutch cable, check the rotating cable adjuster at clutch lever perch for wear. My brother's gs1000 was eating cables due to a worn adjuster that was making his clutch difficult to operate.

[jpaul]

If you don't already have some, get dielectric grease. I bought some at either Murray's or Autozone (CRS is acting up today). Whenever you're working on some part of the bike, disconnect, clean, apply the dielectric grease to the connectors, and reassemble the plugs in the area you're working in. I would specifically check the fusebox connections, and the regulator/rectifier connections to be sure they are corrosion-free. You can save yourself a lot of irritating minor electrical gremlins, and some major hassles by being proactive in this.

[andrewclaycomb]

Just change your petcock now, unless its been done recently. Also check the voltage your getting at the battery in different rpms up to around 3500. If its below 12 volts its bad, if its above 15 volts something is bad. the charging system and petcock are the 2 biggest problems people have on this board.

[maro]

Great advice from all. Much appreciated. I didn't get the chance to change the oil yesterday. Hopefully tonight though. I will also look into the clutch, petcock and battery.

thanks!

[bwringer]

Change the front tire, too.

Front tires wear differently than rears -- they may not wear out the stripe in the center, but they do indeed wear out at about the same rate as rears. Look closely, and you'll see how the tread is scalloped, worn, and quite thin in spots.

Opinions vary, but I absolutely hate the way a bike with a used front and a new rear handles, so I always replace both tires as a set.

If all you do is putt around, then you may never know the difference. There are many here who claim to wear out two rears for every front.

[BassCliff]

Maro,
Basscliff has great intentions but the 650 uses engine oil to lubricate secondary. He is correct in that there is a drain plug under the secondary area as he has "pointed" out (Basscliff, keep up the good work on diagrams, I love it). Likewise, there is no fill plug on the top side of motor, just put oil in the regular fill on clutch cover.

Mr. waterman,

That's what I get for assuming that the GS650G was set up the same as the 850, using separate oils for crankcase and secondary gears. I did not know the 650 uses the same oil for crankcase and secondary. Thanks for setting me straight. My apologies to Mr. maro.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[maro]

no need to applogize. your diagram is Great!! If I had actaully inspected my cycle last night, I would have posted that I could not find the fill, etc.

thanks though, hopefully your diagram will help a 850 users