1981 GS850G Idle

[Farmer]

I've had my 1981 850G for about two years. Don't drive it much. Runs like hell, but never has idled right...the choke helps. She has 16K miles, and seems solid. Have had the carbs off several times, bench synced, no vacuum sync to date, but I have the tool and will use it when I get her back together.

So why is she apart? After reading this forum, it seems the place to start is with the valve clearance...so the valve cover is off, the carbs are off. Had to order special feeler gauges for the small cam/valve clearances, but I can tell you that a piece of aluminum foil will not slide under any of the cam lobes...may be a little tight. Yes, they are in the right position.

What I am hoping for is once I get the shim removal tool and get all the valve suff out of the way, she will run and idle great. Shims could cost me a small fortune )

Having said all of that, what I want in the end is a smooth running bike...it already has plenty of power...but I would like those Vance and Hines 4 to 1 exhaust set ups...with the current stock airbox. When I was younger I had a friend who had a Ducati with a megaphone muffler. It was the sweetest sounding bike I have ever heard...sorry Harley's. What do you folks say about the V & H? I can stand some additional noise for safety, but don't need to irritate the neighbors either. More to follow...and yes, I hope I have not burnt any valves. Parts and tools are on the way. I will also be posting some pics of the evolution.

[Nessism]

Z1 Enterprises sells shims for fairly cheap.

Noisey exhaust will not increase safety since it points out the back of the bike - away from direction of travel. Most accidents occur when a car pulls out in front of a bike. Exhaust mods also cause carb mixture issues so unless you like to sort out this sort of thing (change jetting) stay away.

Just a guess here but I'd say that about 75% of running issues on a bike like yours relate to the carbs being gummed up with dried out and leaking O-rings. Do yourself a favor and go through them while they are off and clean them up and change the rubber parts. Also, change the intake pipe O-rings and maybe even the pipes themselves if they are hard and cracked.

[Farmer]

Z1 Enterprises sells shims for fairly cheap.

Noisey exhaust will not increase safety since it points out the back of the bike - away from direction of travel. Most accidents occur when a car pulls out in front of a bike. Exhaust mods also cause carb mixture issues so unless you like to sort out this sort of thing (change jetting) stay away.

Just a guess here but I'd say that about 75% of running issues on a bike like yours relate to the carbs being gummed up with dried out and leaking O-rings. Do yourself a favor and go through them while they are off and clean them up and change the rubber parts. Also, change the intake pipe O-rings and maybe even the pipes themselves if they are hard and cracked.

Nessism, I'm just hoping the bike sounds cool with the Vance and Hines..I just ordered them so doing all of this at once before the wife finds out. I've replace all the rubber in the carbs in the first two trys...other than the o rings between the carbs.. Will do that this time...but I'm betting the valves having no gap are a big part of the problem..the other 25%. Thanks for the tip on the shims. The local Suzuki parts store won't answer the phone...it is becoming a mail order world.

[Nessism]

The O-rings connecting the carbs to one another on one of my bikes crumbled in my hands when I took them off. You are on the right track by replacing them now. Did you replace the large O-rings under the intake pipes? This is the number one problem with GS bikes so do if you have not already.

With the pipe you are likely going to have to rejet. This is not definite though and results vary. You might want to just consider going to pod filters as the same time as the pipe and order a Dynojet stage 3 kit. You have a better chance of success this way.

good luck.

[mark]

Is your stock exhaust in good condition? Just be aware of what piece a of gold that is........many of us, myself included would far prefer the stock exhaust to our 4-1's. My stock exhaust was just rotting off.

Obviously you'll have to do some carb adjusting for the new pipe. When I put on my 4-1 with stock airbox my 850 immediately went lean and started popping pretty badly......had to raise the needles a notch. We have different carbs, but you'll encounter the same issue I'm sure.

Whatever you do, keep your stock exhaust cleaned up in a box somewhere, don't sell it. I'll wager the day will come that you'll be glad you have it.

[Farmer]

Is your stock exhaust in good condition? Just be aware of what piece a of gold that is........many of us, myself included would far prefer the stock exhaust to our 4-1's. My stock exhaust was just rotting off.

Obviously you'll have to do some carb adjusting for the new pipe. When I put on my 4-1 with stock airbox my 850 immediately went lean and started popping pretty badly......had to raise the needles a notch. We have different carbs, but you'll encounter the same issue I'm sure.

Whatever you do, keep your stock exhaust cleaned up in a box somewhere, don't sell it. I'll wager the day will come that you'll be glad you have it.

Thanks for that tip on taking care of the old pipes. The stock exhaust is in excellent shape. I will be careful taking them off. They do look nice and are quiet. I am hoping that since I am keeping the stock airbox, I may not have to rejet...

Now a Carb question. Why does it matter if the airbox leaks on the sides? Mine don't, but there are holes in the bottom? The air has got to get in there somwhere? Any small air leakage on the sides would be minimual compared to the bottom holes. The air filter does not leak. And come on...a special Air Filter Oil...what next? The owner's manual I have says use motor oil?

[tconroy]

My thoughts on the special air filter oil for foam air filters....DONT USE IT!!!! I started using bely-ray foam air filter oil and the stuff is sticky as spray adhesive!! I cant even wash it off so I bought a new filter and just use the engine oil on it.The suzuki dealer by me said the same thing,It's good stuff but very sticky.Im going to try to clean it up with gas as use it as a spare.Also i can no longer buy just the filter.It now comes with the cage it fits around and cost 34 bucks instead of just 15 for the foam alone.

[Farmer]

My thoughts on the special air filter oil for foam air filters....DONT USE IT!!!! I started using bely-ray foam air filter oil and the stuff is sticky as spray adhesive!! I cant even wash it off so I bought a new filter and just use the engine oil on it.The suzuki dealer by me said the same thing,It's good stuff but very sticky.Im going to try to clean it up with gas as use it as a spare.Also i can no longer buy just the filter.It now comes with the cage it fits around and cost 34 bucks instead of just 15 for the foam alone.

tconroy, Thanks for your input. I would have to agree with you, clean em, soak em in some light weigh oil, compress...dont' twist. Get most of the oil out by squeezing or pressing on a paper towel...and don't forget to adjust the valves. I did order the Vance and Hines 4 in 1 today from http://www.motorcycleproshop.com/det...duct_id=v12009 All for less than $300 with shipping. I hope the sound is what I expect or there will be a good buy on ebay in about a month. I wonder what the factory valve shims were? Around .027? Too many questions.