GS 850GL questions

[cranemonkey]

I have a 1983 GS 850 GL I have owned for 5 years. The speedo has been replaced due to dump (Not ME!) so I don't know how many actual miles are on it (MAYBE 25K). She runs (Ran) great until last fall. I was going around the counrty block for the final ride of the year when the rpm's went all up and there was no drive. Did I wreck the final drive or has the clutch become damaged? I have experienced the clutch slipping out of gear for years, but this was catastrophic. In gear, I can push it around with minimal effort. Additionally, I have started tearing down the motor to repair various leaks and work through the carbs. Couple of Q's: is there a product out there to remove hardened gasket material (and maybe sealant) from the engine mating faces? Or is it necessary to machine them to a flat state again? Do any of you GSers out there know of a reputable repair shop in NW Ohio I can patronize. I can't bring myself to use the dealer in Toledo because they won't allow the mechanics to talk to customers. Where's the love??
I have been reading this forum for years, but a fist time poster. I love the site and will be around for years to come. Any NW Ohio GSers want to get together this season, give me a shout.

[mark]

My guess on the rpm raise is that the splines that mate your rear tire to your drive shaft assembly went out. Not an uncommon event, if you don't keep them well lubricated with high pressure grease. Pull off your rear tire and have a look. The new part runs about $100 or so and is a pretty easy fix.

Permatex gasket remover is about the best for removing gaskets. Spray it on there, wait until it bubbles up and go for it. It takes time and patience to get the old junk off. Make sure its all off though.

Good luck.

[Steve]

Pull off your rear tire and have a look.

Keep in mind that simply pulling the rear wheel off the bike is not quite enough. You have to also remove the driven assembly from inside the hub to fully inspect the splines.

When you get your new parts, before you put them together, go to your local Honda shop and get a tube of Moly 60 paste. It's the size of a small grease cartridge, or about 1 1/2" diameter and 6" long. It is the best stuff out there for lubing driveshaft and wheel splines and is only about $10 fo the tube. It does not take much to do the job, either. That one tube will pretty much be a lifetime supply for several bikes.


.

[psyguy]

Or is it necessary to machine them to a flat state again?

well, while you're at it i would machine the surfaces
i would also replace the rings and do the valves as a minimum
and do the inspection of all parts for wear
(it's not every day that you have the engine apart)

[psyguy]

Did I wreck the final drive or has the clutch become damaged? I have experienced the clutch slipping out of gear for years, but this was catastrophic. In gear, I can push it around with minimal effort.

remove that rubber at the shaft drive/ engine junction and see if the shaft rotates or not as you push the bike in gear
if it does it's the splines
if it doesn't it's the clutch

(or maybe there's also something else i can't think of...?)

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. cranemonkey,

Even though you've been lurking for years, you are entitled to the full "official" unofficial welcome now that you've made your presence known. (I thought I felt someone watching me.) :shock: :-D

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>**********
GS850 Basics:

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>***************
Parts and Accessories:

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

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)

[cranemonkey]

Thanks for the greeting!

Bass-you look kinda' familiar...good-looking face, though. Thanks for the links and I have read the carb rebuilding piece over so many times I do it in my sleep. See ya' around...