New Old Stock OK?

[GooberPea]

It's winter in Wisconsin. I was smart though. Before I put my bike away for the winter I removed the carbs and the gas tank so I could do a little work before spring. I'm getting itchy and want to start buying some parts. My question is this. Is there even any such thing as a "new" part for a bike made in 1981?

If I'm looking to buy a "new" petcock, does it matter if it's advertised as "new" or "NOS"? I'm thinking Suzuki isn't still making petcocks for these bikes. I'm guessing either one I get is going to be new in the sense that it is unused, but not new in the sense that it is probably 20 years old.

Then again, maybe I'm wrong. It seems like the airbox and carb boots I bought are truly new. Maybe Suzuki does still make parts for these bikes. Can anyone set me straight?

[rkubik]

not rare

bikebandit.com, for one supplier, lists a new one for the GS850G for $76.86, and from what others say that does appear to be new-new. At the link, go to the Fuel & Air tab.

http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/suzuki-motorcycle-gs850gx-1981/o/m6123

[Zooks]

NOS usually just refers to the fact that the manufacturer (or original supplier) no longer carries / manufactures the part. This is usually because the vehicle is no longer in production (as in the case of our GS's)
As long as it is unused and not some kind of perishable item (such as rubber) it will be 'new' indefinitely (in theory).

NOS is fine for (most) vehicle parts but dangerous if you are buying eggs. LOL

[tkent02]

Rubber parts sealed in plastic stay new a long time, plastic keeps the ozone out, which harms rubber or vinyl parts.

[mriddle]

Not sure if the same applies to motorcycle parts .. but the company that I work for is paid well to produce brandy new parts for older vehicles.

We manufacture exterior body components such as grilles for vehicles and some of our contracts go out for longer than 10 years after vehicle production ended.

Assume (yea .. I know) a similar situation, a parts warehouse could have pieces for a 25 year old vehicle that was actually only built a few years ago.


Mike

[TheCafeKid]

However, do be careful, especially when on sites such as ebay. Some people think they can list something as NOS when what they really mean is OEM.

[twr1776]

Here is another place for the petcock. If the one you have is the original to the bike it needs to be replaced even if it "seems" OK. It is 26 years old. I have not heard very many good things here about the aftermarket petcocks or rebuild kits.

http://www.worldofcycles.com/fiche_section_detail.asp

[Commodus]

Suzuki definitely still makes lots of parts. Including petcocks. NOS is fine, in nearly every case.

[bwringer]

You also want to watch it on eBay -- there are a lot of goobers selling NOS parts as if they were rare treasures, when they're still available from Suzuki.

My favorite example is the buttmunch who's had a battery hold-down band listed for $12 for the last several months. Plus shipping.

These things are $1.58 each from Suzuki...


There are also a lot of sellers who think NOS means a part was only used for ten years and left out in a cornfield for the last 15.


I've also received a few "NOS" parts that turned out to be used -- some dealer replaced a part long ago, then put the old one back in the box and stuck it on a shelf in case he needed it again. The parts were clean and looked pretty decent, so it can be an honest mistake.

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. GooberPea,

Let it be known that on this day you are cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Further let it be known that your good standing can be improved with pictures (not you, your bike)! :grin:

You may have seen some of this already, but I like to remind all the new members. In addition to the carb rebuild series, I recommend visiting the garage section via the GSR Hompage and check out the Stator Papers. There's also a lot of great information in the Old Q&A section. I have some documentation on my little BikeCliff website to help you get familiar with doing routine maintenance tasks (note that it is 850G-specific but many tasks are common to all GS bikes). Other "user contributed" informational sites include those of Mr. bwringer, Mr. tfb and Mr. robertbarr.

I think you have acquired one of the finest all-around classic motorcycles in the world (but I may be a little biased). Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed of your progress. There's lots of good folk with good experience here.

Speaking of folks with good experience, here is a list of online vendors compiled by our beloved Mr. bwringer, along with his comments. I've used most of these resources and trust his opinions.

***********Quoted from Mr. bwringer***************
http://denniskirk.com
Put in your bike model and see what they have.

I would definitely double and triple the recommendations to use Cycle Recycle II and Z1 Enterprises as much as possible. These guys are priceless resources. Z1 tends to have slightly better prices, CRC2 has a wider range of goodies available. If you're near Indy and can bring in an old part to match, CRC2 has a vast inventory of used parts.

http://oldbikebarn.com seems to be slowly regaining a decent reputation, but it's still caveat emptor. They don't have anything you can't get elsewhere at a better price anyway.

OEM Parts/Online Fiches:

http://www.babbittsonline.com/

Decent parts prices. Spendy shipping. Don't give you part numbers at all. Useful cross-reference if you obtain a part number elsewhere. Efficient service.

http://bikebandit.com
Fastest. Middlin' prices. Uses their own parts numbering system to obfuscate price comparisons -- can be very confusing for large orders. Cheapest shipping, so total cost usually isn't too bad.

http://flatoutmotorcycles.com
Slow. Cheapest parts prices, crazy shipping costs. Don't expect progress updates or much communication. Real Suzuki part numbers.

http://alpha-sports.com
Exorbitant parts prices. Different type of fiche interface that's quite useful at times, especially with superceded part numbers. Real parts numbers. Shipping cost and speed unknown due to insane, unholy pricing.


Stainless Bolts, Viton o-rings, metric taps, dies, assorted hard-to-find supplies and materials, etc.:
http://mcmaster.com
Fast, cheap shipping, good prices. No order minimum, but many items like bolts come in packs of 25 or 50. Excellent resource.


http://motorcycleseatcovers.com
Great quality, perfect fit (on original seat foam), and available for pretty much every bike ever made. Avoid the textured vinyl -- it's perforated.


http://newenough.com
You DO have riding gear, don't you? Great clearances, always outstanding prices and impeccable service.
***************End Quote**********************

Here's the links for a couple of the sources mentioned above:

Cycle-Re-Cycle Part 2

http://crc2onlinecatalog.com/

The ever popular Z1 Enterprises
http://www.z1enterprises.com

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)

[Zooks]

Hey BC,

We should start a thread with nothing but recommended dealers / weblinks in it. You've got some pretty cool ones up there ^ ^ ^.
We could get a list happening of GS suppliers from all over the world.

[GooberPea]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. It is much appreciated.