A few questions...

[huvik]

Okay so I have what I think is a 1985 GS550EF. In fixing it up I have run into a few issues. First off I went for a ride a couple of days ago and when i got back i found that my side fairing had broken at the mounting point, to me it looks like my seat is flexing under my weight and pressing against the fairing, is there any way to fix this.
NOw for question two, I broke the cable on my thumb oppereated choke and was hopping there might be some way to rig up a frame mounted choke lever that can stay on without me standing around like a dumb ass waiting for my bike to warm up.
I was also looking for some way to lower my handle barslike 3-4 inches, they just feel a little to long
And to finish up if I was to get a factory replacement K&N filter would i have to re jet?
Oh and are progressive rate springs worth it?
Thanks for putting up with my long winded post, as you might have guessed this is my first motorcycle so please bear with me.

Thanks again

[p_s]

For your seat, you could be missing some rubber buffers. The edge of the seat should go over the plastic side covers, but there shouldn't be any weight on them. I might have some on my parts bike I could sell you for cheap.

The thumb operated choke will stay in place, but the screw holding the whole thing together has to be quite tight. Unfortunately the choke cable splits into two and is therefore quite expensive.

Progressive springs are worth it. Used GSXR shocks are, too.

Don't know about k&n filters or lowering the bars. The GSXR monoshock will raise the seat height a couple inches FWIW.

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. huvic,

Your first post wasn't that long. I know what a long post is. You might want to look into some superbike bars for your bike. And now here is my long-winded, amazing Technicolor, totally verbose mega-welcome! \\/

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)! 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 In The Garage section via the GSR Homepage 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 edited quotes from one of our dear beloved gurus, Mr. bwringer, with ideas on basic 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

***********************************
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:

1. Intake O-rings (install NEW OEM or Viton only - common nitrile O-rings will quickly deteriorate from heat)
2. Intake Boots (install NEW -- these cannot be repaired)
3. Valve clearances (more important than most people think)
4. Carb/airbox boots
5. Airbox sealing
6. Air filter sealing
7. Petcock (install a NEW one)
8. On '79 models, install new points or Dyna electronic ignition (or at least verify that the old points are working correctly)
9. 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.
10. Stock exhaust with NO leaks or holes -- good seals at the head and at the junctions underneath.
***************************************
OEM Parts/Online Fiches:

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://denniskirk.com - Put in your bike model and see what they have.
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.
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 some extra links:

GSR Forum member Mr. duaneage has great used upgraded Honda regulator/rectifiers for our bikes. Send him a PM.
New electrical parts:
http://stores.ebay.com/RMSTATOR or http://www.rmstator.com/

http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/index.php

http://www.electrosport.com/

The Rice Paddy (salvage/used)
http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com
Ron Ayers Motorsports
http://www.ronayers.com
MR Cycles
http://www.mrcycles.com
If all else fails, try this:
http://www.used-motorcycle-parts.org/
Lots of good info/pictures here:
http://www.suzukicycles.org
http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Motorcycle_Wiki

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)

[huvik]

Well it looks like I have all of the little rubber stoppers on the bottom of the seat, could it just be that the seat has come to the end of its life?
And what type of used GSXR shocks can I use?
Thanks again

[p_s]

Well it looks like I have all of the little rubber stoppers on the bottom of the seat, could it just be that the seat has come to the end of its life?
And what type of used GSXR shocks can I use?

I don't think the seat pan should wear out ever. Some photos might help. You're sure the plastic is on all the way? The edge of the seat should fit just over the top of the side covers. Is the pan cracked or bent?

I used a '99 GSXR shock. If you search for GS550 GSXR shock here you'll find some threads on it. A lot of people say you can't use it with the center stand if you mount it one way or the rear tire if you mount it the other way, but I found that mine didn't interfere with either. I am not really sure which model years are better than others. Maybe I should have bought a newer one, but the one I found was very cheap and has worked well, but I have nothing better to compare it to.

People say with the K&N filter in the airbox you have to tune the carb but not rejet.

[huvik]

Here are a few pics of my seat and handle bar situation....
as you can see i have the rubber stoppers, and I cant just change my bars.....so once again, PLEASE SOME HELP
by the way thanks for the suspention and K&N filter help

[huvik]

[huvik]

[huvik]

Does anybody have any information that might be able to help me, I ant to re install my repaired side fairing but I need to fix the cause of the problem first......I jst need to find out what that is....
thanks

[p_s]

Does anybody have any information that might be able to help me, I ant to re install my repaired side fairing but I need to fix the cause of the problem first......I jst need to find out what that is....
thanks

Is it possible you have the wrong seat? If you take the covers off and put on the seat does it flex anywhere if you sit on it? It should be supported on every side by the rubber buffers. Maybe take a pic with the seat on and the covers off, and the covers on and the seat off, and then the seat on and the covers on. I might be able to tell if something is off. And take them zoomed out a bit so we can see the whole thing.