GS1100GLD'83, dark oil, eng noise

[GS1100GLD'83]

Hi all,

I have a GS1100GLD 1983 with 30k. Previous owners do not took care well of the bike. It was given to me.
1- Engine oil become dark pretty fast (almost black) after oil change (less than 800 miles)
2- At idle, sometimes, warm or cold, there is an engine noise like a ''tonk'' only at idle. The noise can be repeated but never in a continuous way or at same pace.
Any clue????
Tks for the help

[Nessism]

If it were my bike I'd change the oil at 1000 mile intervals for the next 5000 miles or so to get some of the sludge out of it. Diesel engine oil is a good choice for motorcycles and reasonably priced.

Hard to say about the "tonk" noise. Some clutch noise is normal at idle; it has a shuffling tone ot it. You might want to listen close to the right side of the engine to see if you can pinpoint the noise better.

Oh, and considering the bikes past history, do a valve adjustment ASAP. Very likely the valves have been neglected.

Good luck.

[Clone]

Hello, new guy, where are you from?
Ok, first thing, change the oil and filter, put in some cheap 15-40 diesel engine oil Rotella is fine. Drive it around for a while, probably a tank or two of gas, change the oil and filter, put in some Mobil 1 20-50.
The diesel oil should have cleaned out the deposits from the engine. So it should be cleaner now and the oil should stay cleaner. Could be the PO didn't change the oil ever or used a low or non detergent oil.
Does the noise originate from the bottom of the engine or from the top of the engine? What type of noise is it? Knock (low sound), Click (high noise), Grind (rough gear type sound), Squeal (high pitched metal on metal sound). This type of information will help the guys out with your problem.

[GS1100GLD'83]

Hi guys,

Tks very much for the reply. I'm from Montréal, Québec, Canada.
I will do change oil for diesel 15-40.
About the noise, I suspect (maybe wrongly) a loose cam chain. Is this possible? When engine is not at idle, no noise. I hope this noise is not a piston against the wall. Power is also poor for a 1100cc. I dont feel I can stretch my arms with this bike....
Tks again for the help and support

The noise is more like a ''knock'' (low sound)

Valve adjustment: for sure, in the next week.

[Clone]

It is relatively easy to trace, take a long screwdriver and put the blade against different parts of the engine and the handle against your ear or temple, you will get good conduction of the various sounds from the engine. It will also allow you to pin down where the sound is coming from, you can then have the throttle varied and get the sounds at different rpm levels. You will be able to check the chain when you do the valves, and you will be able to check to see if it is a noisy valve.

[GS1100GLD'83]

Hi Clone and Nessism,

Oil changed and already flush after 300miles. Look better.

Noise: I find out this is more a ''miss'' than a noise. The engine ''miss'' at acceleration, I can turn the throttle but acceleration is almost dead. The bike sit for the last 3 weeks under rain. Was not like this 3 weeks ago. Can be water/humidity in the gas tank? Humidity on the coil/wiring?
Engine start very well, just need to slightly touch the start button.
Any clue?
Valves will be adjust next week, for sure.

Tks again for the help and the support.

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. GS1100GLD'83,

I'm just going to get right to it and give you my mega-welcome! \\/

(Study quickly, there is a test on Friday!)

Dear fellow GS rider,

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 if your bike uses shims for valve adjustments, send an email to Mr. Steve requesting a copy of his Excel spreadsheet that helps you keep track of clearances, shim sizes and other service work.

These 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**********************
Additional parts/info 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/

For valve cover and breather cover gaskets, I recommend Real Gaskets (reusable silicon):
http://www.realgaskets.com
The Rice Paddy (salvage/used)
http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com
Carolina Cycle
http://www.carolinacycle.com
Ron Ayers Motorsports
http://www.ronayers.com
MR Cycles
http://www.mrcycles.com
Moto Grid
http://www.motogrid.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)

[flyingace]

Don't be too frustrated if you can't find the noise. I've had a similar noise at idle now for about 11K miles. Try raising the idle a little - does it go away?

[GS1100GLD'83]

Hi Flyingace,

What I tough to be a ''noise'' is in reality a ''miss''. Weeks ago, on the start, there was the sometime, not regular, ''miss'' only at idle, on the start. Today, after 3 weeks of sitting, the engine ''miss'' when at highway speed. Engine is almost out of power, I turn the throttle but no power is coming. Then, become normal, I have acceleration. Is it possible 3 weeks in humid weather, humidity in gas tank and/or humidity on wiring/coil???????
Tks very much for the help and support.
With best regards

[GS1100GLD'83]

Thank you very much BassCliff for the ''mega-welcome'', very much appreciate.
Best regards

[GS1100GLD'83]

Hi guys,

I finally get the ''miss'' problem; no.2 carburator bowl had a loose bolt under!!!!! So, I tight ALL bowl screws. One thing done.

About eng noise: this come from the cylinder/block. I will continue to ''ear'' and let you know.

Tks a lot again for the support.
Enjoy the ride.