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**psyguy** · 02-06-2008, 03:31 AM

if you compare a '77 bike to a '01 bike, yea you'll find things have changed a bit...
but to get the answer to your question i think you best compare your gs to other bikes of similar age

**OLJOCLARK** · 02-08-2008, 09:40 PM

stiff clutch

hello. from alabama, we may have a lot to talk about later!i purchased a 1978 gs 550e that has been setting who knows how long.i was able to free up the brakes with nutcracker,,similar to wd40,bleeding the brakes and constant working them.i got lucky i know.the clutch on mine is stiff compared to newer ones also,but not too bad to endure.i'm gonna take the cable loose and spray down it every chance i get and see if this will help.i hear it will.mine's not road worthy yet .gotta have patience with these old bikes. it gets a little closer every day.if i cant work on it that day ,i try to learn something about it.good luck with yours. if i can help let me know.i try to check the forum every 2 to 3days. oljo

**bwringer** · 02-09-2008, 04:24 PM

It's very common (like, every GS I've ever worked on) for the clutch cable to be dirty and sticky. Sounds like you're on the right track there. There's a little widget called a cable luber, available in any motorcycle shoppe, that makes this chore very easy.

The brakes will definitely take more of a squeeze than modern brakes, but they get the job done.

You'll probably get a very nice improvement in brake feel simply by installing new brake pads. The originals and most replacements available in the '80s weren't that great, but modern compounds are much better. I'm partial to the Vesrah pads, but any decent brand will work fine.

**BassCliff** · 02-09-2008, 09:22 PM

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. mavpsa,

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:

Perhaps you've already seen these, 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 get you 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 see you've already met one of our dear beloved gurus, Mr. bwringer. Here are more nuggets of his wisdom on basic maintenance needs (depending on initial condition), parts, and accessories.

***********Quoted from Mr. bwringer************
Carburetor maintenance:

Replace the intake boot o-rings, and possibly the intake boots. Here's the procedure:
http://bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html

Here's an overview of what happens with this particular problem:
http://cycleorings.com/intake.html

You'll also want to examine the boots between the carbs and the airbox. There's a good chance these are OK, but check them over.

And finally, if things still aren't exactly right, you'll want to order a set of o-rings for BS carbs from the GS owner's best friend, Robert Barr:
http://cycleorings.com

Once you receive these rare rings of delight, then you'll want to thoroughly clean and rebuild your carburetors. Here are step-by-step instructions that make this simple:
http://thegsresources.com/gs_carbrebuild.htm
*************End Quote*************
**********<quote Mr. bwringer>**********
Every GS850 has (or had) a set of well-known issues that MUST be addressed before you have a solid baseline for further troubleshooting.

It's a vintage bike, and it's quite common (as in, every single GS850 I have had contact with) that there are multiple problems that have crept up and slowly gotten worse over the years.

It's not like a newer vehicle, where there's generally one problem at a time.

These common issues are:

Intake O-rings (install NEW OEM or Viton only - common nitrile o-rings will quickly deteriorate from heat)

Intake Boots (install NEW -- these cannot be repaired)

Valve clearances (more important than most people think)

Carb/airbox boots

Airbox sealing

Air filter sealing

Petcock (install a NEW one)

On '79 models, install new points or Dyna electronic ignition (or at least verify that the old points are working correctly)

On all models, it's fairly common to have problems with the spark plug caps. These are $3 or $4 each, and often worth replacing if you're keeping the stock coils/wires.

Stock exhaust with NO leaks or holes -- good seals at the head and at the junctions underneath.
**********<end quote>**********
***********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 are a few extra links:

Cycle-Re-Cycle Part 2
http://crc2onlinecatalog.com/

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

The Rice Paddy (salvage/used)
http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com

Ron Ayers Motorsports
http://www.ronayers.com

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed of your progress. There's lots of good folk with good experience here.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)

**jimfj** · 02-09-2008, 10:32 PM

I have a GS425 and the clutch was sticky and hard to work as well.

I unhooked the cable at the hadgrip and tied a string to the metal ferrule on the end and hooked the string to a rafter in my garage. Made a "funnel" out of duct tape around it and poured some synthetic 10-30 I had laying around into the funnel. Left this on for about a day and would go and pull the inner cable a little every once in a while. After a day I cleaned the end off and put it back together. HUUUUGE difference. Very easy and cheap way to get the cable back to working order.

No muss no fuss

Jim

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