Hello ,everyone!

[REBRIDER]

My first post here ,wish I would have known of this great site a year ago when I first got my GS850L. Maybe I wouldn't be in my current mess. A couple months ago I had some petcock problems.Rebuilt it ,seemed ok. Then some carb problems which seemed to be solved by changing inline filter and pulling drain plugs and squirting some carb cleaner in them and blowing out with low pressure air. Then a couple weeks ago I had trouble starting the bike. Unbelievably (and probably unfortunately) the bike fired up. Gas dripping and squirting everywhere.Ahh shut it off and run!
Ok ,changed the oil and filter ,lots of gas in the crankcase Let everything dry then started bike. Badly backfiring on the left side. Using the very helpful pictorial how too on this site I removed the carbs for a overhaul. When finished I found it impossible to get the air box boots back on correctly. (I see that new one are available and will replace them.) Anyway got them on the best I could just so to try to start the bike. Starts but hardly runs at all now . I know the carbs need syncing but a couple of questions first. I hear no clinking clanking or banging from the engine,so have I likely escaped serious damage. Also , is the carb float level height measured from the surface where the bowl gasket lies or th rim that runs around it? Thanks in advance ,Rebrider

[8trackmind]

Greetings, Reb. Welcome to the GSR. :-D

If I understand your float level question, you would measure from the flat part, not the ridge.

[TheCafeKid]

My first post here ,wish I would have known of this great site a year ago when I first got my GS850L. Maybe I wouldn't be in my current mess. A couple months ago I had some petcock problems.Rebuilt it ,seemed ok. Then some carb problems which seemed to be solved by changing inline filter and pulling drain plugs and squirting some carb cleaner in them and blowing out with low pressure air. Then a couple weeks ago I had trouble starting the bike. Unbelievably (and probably unfortunately) the bike fired up. Gas dripping and squirting everywhere.Ahh shut it off and run!
Ok ,changed the oil and filter ,lots of gas in the crankcase Let everything dry then started bike. Badly backfiring on the left side. Using the very helpful pictorial how too on this site I removed the carbs for a overhaul. When finished I found it impossible to get the air box boots back on correctly. (I see that new one are available and will replace them.) Anyway got them on the best I could just so to try to start the bike. Starts but hardly runs at all now . I know the carbs need syncing but a couple of questions first. I hear no clinking clanking or banging from the engine,so have I likely escaped serious damage. Also , is the carb float level height measured from the surface where the bowl gasket lies or th rim that runs around it? Thanks in advance ,Rebrider

Welcome aboard Float levels are measured from the gasket mating surface, minus the gasket (if its good and you really dont want to replace the gasket, subtract 1mm from your total measurement ) Hope it helps, and again, welcome!! BassCliff should be 'long shortly with the official unofficial greeting.

TCK

[REBRIDER]

Thanks for the quick replies ,guys. I thought the gasket contact surface would be right . The pic in my Clymer manual is pretty fuzzy. Oh yeah I have a G , not an L,,,,brainfart!

[Nessism]

This is a test so see if you are going to be a happy GS owner or one that ditches the bike in a few months...

Many, many GS owners come to have the bikes because they are cheap. Soon after purchasing they experience problems and come here.

Said new owners typically don't have a love for wrenching and try to do the bare minimum to get their bike back on the road.

The carbs are the first thing to need work so Joe New Owner pulls the carbs and trys to short cut the cleaning/rebuild process by doing the bare minimum.

Of course, this DOES NOT fix the problem and they have to redo the job a second...or third time, thus wasting far more time than just doing the job right the first time.

So the test is, are you one of these people or are you going to listen to the wisdom of people that have seen this situation play out so many times before.

You decide.

Good luck.


PS: sorry to sound harsh, you are welcome to gleen info from the site. Just don't expect a 25 year-old motorcycle to work properly without some tender loving care. Carb rebuild series is available on the GSR homepage.

[catbed]

just curious, but what year is it?

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. REBRIDER,

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.

And here are some quotes from one of our dear beloved gurus, Mr. bwringer, with ideas 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

Lots of good info/pictures here:
http://www.suzukicycles.org

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)

[TheCafeKid]

This is a test so see if you are going to be a happy GS owner or one that ditches the bike in a few months...

Many, many GS owners come to have the bikes because they are cheap. Soon after purchasing they experience problems and come here.

Said new owners typically don't have a love for wrenching and try to do the bare minimum to get their bike back on the road.

The carbs are the first thing to need work so Joe New Owner pulls the carbs and trys to short cut the cleaning/rebuild process by doing the bare minimum.

Of course, this DOES NOT fix the problem and they have to redo the job a second...or third time, thus wasting far more time than just doing the job right the first time.

So the test is, are you one of these people or are you going to listen to the wisdom of people that have seen this situation play out so many times before.

You decide.

Good luck.


PS: sorry to sound harsh, you are welcome to gleen info from the site. Just don't expect a 25 year-old motorcycle to work properly without some tender loving care. Carb rebuild series is available on the GSR homepage.

Too True Nessim. Though i have faith in this one He's taken the time to read thru alot of the valuable info on the site apparently, and he seems to know a little bit of his way around the motor (knowing that gas getting into the crankcase was something, admittedly, i had to learn) And he doesnt seem in a hurry to take shortcuts, or disinclined to spend the necessary money to repair her. So, i have a good feeling that Mr Rebrider will soon be a very proud GS owner/operator/repair master... Lets hope for once in my life im right lol

[chef1366]

Get a new petcock and follow the carb cleaning series completely including the o-rings from Mr. Barr.

[Zooks]

Rebrider, welcome aboard.

Hey TCK, how do you know that Rebrider is male?

And Basscliff, man you are going to need extra bandwidth soon if your intro gets any longer. LOL

[BassCliff]

Helpful jokester?

Rebrider, welcome aboard.

Hey TCK, how do you know that Rebrider is male?

And Basscliff, man you are going to need extra bandwidth soon if your intro gets any longer. LOL

Mr Zooks,

REBRIDER? Depending on how you read it, I suppose it could be someone who is a bride again. :-D Mr. REBRIDER, please take no offense. I'm just being silly. I'm a kidder.

Lately I have expanded my welcome message, using collected wisdom from other generous members, to include most everything a new member needs, for their convenience. If you can think of anything else I should add, please let me know. I'm just trying to help. 8-[

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Dave8338]

And Basscliff, man you are going to need extra bandwidth soon if your intro gets any longer. LOL

Give the man the room he needs...his welcome posts save tons of needless questions and roll out the Red Carpet, for those just joining! \\/

[REBRIDER]

Ok,Ok ,with a little thought I would have made that Reb Rider,(civil war reenacting is one of my hobby's). Anyway thanks for the welcome and the list of links and list of common problems. One to scratch off ,I had the valves adjusted 1,000 mi. ago ,and as stated I am trying to work on the carbs. Will continue to go through the list as it is not that much money and work. My big worry still is if I did any damage when I cranked it up with all that gas in the crankcase. It will start and does not make any nasty noise. Wish some one would give me an encouraging opinion on that. Thanks again Mr. Bass Cliff

[Dave8338]

I think you'll be fine. There is still some lubricant in oil that has been tainted with fuel and if you hear no noises and see no signs of ring blow-by, I think you're in the clear. Just don't " fix it till ya break it". :-D

[BassCliff]

What's in a name?

Mr. REBRIDER,

Yes, I agree with Mr. Dave8338. It's not like your rode the snot out of it with diluted oil. I'm sure you'll be fine. Just don't let it happen again, OK?

And, since you've just joined us, you could join again with the handle Reb_Rider (or similar). Eventually your old handle will be deleted due to inactivity. I'll be sure to add 3 to your post count in my head every time I see you online. :-D

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff