help with buying

[Guest]

I am going to look at a 1983 GS100E friday morn. \\/ with cash in hand, $1995. tax tags title and out the door. Being sold by a dealer. 14k miles red looks pretty online as do all things. Could you please give some ideas as to what to look for if you have time. My first bike was a GS750ES black and silver, sa'weeeeeeeeeeta. No side plates, Needs one mirror and clutch handle, broke off. Think it fell over. I would really appreciate any assistance you could give. God Bless ya'll

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. sachsaca,

I think nearly $2K for that bike would be a decent price if it were in perfect running condition with a couple of minor cosmetic glitches. Has the dealer gone through the carbs and electrical/charging system? How old are the tires? Are the carb boots and O-rings new? What shape are the chain and sprockets in? When was the last time the valves were adjusted? How well does it run?

As you describe it, I think the price is a bit high. But that's typical for a dealership. There are some more tips in your very own 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 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)

[doctorgonzo]

I'd agree with BC that for that price it should run really well, only have minor cosmetic issues. Look at his mega welcome, check the intake boots, check the chain, use a voltmeter and check the charging system, etc...

[seuadr]

i agree with the above.. sounds like a 1200 dollar bike with a 2000 dollar pricetag.
don't take for granted what the dealer claims to have checked, check it out for yourself. if they have nothing to hide, they won't care that you look it over. if they get irate or try to pressure you when you want to test it, personally, i'd walk. they probably aren't being upfront with you. unfortunatly, it's a pretty common occurence.

for 2 grand, they should be locating you a pair of side covers, even if not the right colour, or hell, at least stuffing a mirror and clutch paddle on there. both those parts are cheap, and in my opinion, says they really don't give a crap.. or that the bike is so amazing that they don't feel it's needed. and for that price, i highly doubt it's the latter.

could be a great find, could be a basket case waiting to fall apart. as they said above, take a volt meter and test it. start it, run it, let it get warm and make sure all the pipes are warm and firing. test all the lights, test all the functions. look at the rubber, is it cracked, or well worn? that should be 150-200 dollars out of your pocket. does it idle smooth, does it rev up quick and easy? if not, they probably did a poor job of cleaning the carbs, or didn't bother to clean them at all. i'm not trying to talk you out of it, mind you, i just want you to go in there a skeptic. make them convince you to buy it with logic, not with shiny waxed up paint

[SqDancerLynn1]

Look close at the intake boots THEIR will be evidance that they were removed. !!!, tire date code ? lots of tell tell signs. Is it a GS1100E ? clean, ready to ride it would be worth the $2K but deduct $200 for missing side coversUnless it has NEW tires thats another $300 to have them replaced

[sachsaca]

newby here Thanks

The guy that has it is a comsignment sales shop. He had a guy drive it in trade it foa another and sais I'm welcome to do what ever in looking at it. It appears very clean, paint is nice. On the phone he said only issues were, R mirrorgone, Clutch handle broken off and the front tire needs replacing. I have been looking for a decent bike of this style and size[-o< and hope it is good. i do have a voltmeter and will check that and look over the rubber. In lloking for a decent bike like these it is hard to find and if you hit craigslist.com or ebay your sell your first born with the price they fetch. I only hope... Gary Smith \\/GS1100E Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[jadesystem]

Pay no more than $1k if very clean. Suzuki made many of these second and last generation GS1100e models from 82-83. Bikes are dime a dozen
locally on Craigslist. The GS1100 is no different.

This all depends how bad you want it, how much it is worth to you, and how urgent your needs are. Don't get emotional on any materialistic bike, as emotions are expensive !! If you are a good negotiator, and know
exactly what you are buying, then this may be the bike for you.

\\/

[PAULYBOY]

Basically, what everyone seems to be saying is one of the principles of successful negotiations. No matter how bad you want something, leave emotion out of the picture and be FULLY PREPARED to walk away. As I've found on the other end of things, the asking price is just for suckers, unless you are like me, and sell stuff knowibg full well you're probably losing money.