Need Carb Diaphrams for '82 GS850L

[LoessHillsRuss]

I was having my '82 GS850L tuned and the mechanic says the Julia needs new carb diaphrams. She is just getting broke in with only 17K on her - definitely not ready for the boneyard but the old man is broke.:-(
Looked at a couple sites and called local dealer priced from$97 to $131 EACH :shock: If anyone has any suggestions or knows of a source that is a little more reasonable, I'd sure appreciate any help I can get.
Please help me....I am afoot!![-o<

[doctorgonzo]

Not surprised at the price. I'd keep an eye out on ebay (though taking chance with used of course), but you'll see whole sets of carbs and carb grab bags on there for a decent price from time to time.

[chef1366]

Go to the shop and ask to see the diaphragms. Look through the rubber into a bright light or the sun and see if you see any pin holes. If not the guy is full of it.

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Hi Mr. LeossHillsRuss,

I'm sorry to hear of your carb troubles. Let's hope your wrench is not trying to pull a fast one on you. I'll look around in my junk drawer when I get home to see what I've got that I'm not using. In the meantime, here is your very own, vitamin packed, fiber filled, beta carotene balanced, protein rich, but tasteless 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/
Used bike buying checklists:

http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadride/Riderresc/checklist.asp

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html
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)

[doctorgonzo]

I hereby resolve to get a bike pic this weekend. I am without digital camera, but I'll buy a disposable, get i developed and scan them if required! I HATE I don't have a "before" pic.

[bwringer]

EVERY set of carbs I have encountered that have been "rebuilt" by a "professional" have been screwed up in some way.

Every.
Last.
One.

Get your bike back from that idiot pronto, and hope he didn't melt holes in the rubber with carb cleaner. Maybe I'm a bit too cynical these days, but I'm about 99% certain he's full of crap, and/or he damaged the diaphragms himself.

Take a look yourself, post up some good photos and we'll go from there.

Any GS850G/GL carbs from any 1980-83 model are the same, so keep an eye on eBay if you really do need new diaphragms. You can usually score a decent rebuildable set for around $100-$150 depending on condition.

But if you do this, don't believe whatever line the seller feeds you, or you're right back where you started -- you MUST disassemble the carbs and clean and set them YOURSELF. Anyone can do it with the help of the carb cleaning series.

[LarryA_Texas]

old carbs

I may not be able to help, but I have an unusual situation here. I bought a junker and a box of parts from a guy a few months ago. Included in that box was extra carburettors. It wasn't 'till I got home and went through the mess that I counted...

12 extra carbs.

Many are not from GS850s, but most have rubber diaphragms which may or may not be usable. Actually, I don't know what most of them came off of.

If you're interested, let me know. You can send a message here or use my email at FlyAA767@aol.com

[Bill C.]

carb parts

If you do need the diaphragms I should have a set of four off an 850. Drop me a PM if you need them.

[themess]

A couple years back I priced diaphragms, and believe that they were about $60 each. But today Alpha Sports wants $131.31 each. Freaking absurd.