New (to me at least) GS450 help!

[Draketh]

sorry, you've stumped me. sounds like a stupid mod that the PO did. i'd seal the holes and not worry about it.

I'm home now, will post pictures before the carbs go back on the bike.

[Draketh]

I'm having some trouble getting the carbs back on....to get them off I kind of just pinched the air box boots together and pulled them out, but now I can't get the carbs and boots back on, the clearances are just too small. What the best way to get the carbs back on do I have to remove the airbox or something?

How did you get the carbs back on easily?

[Draketh]

Anyone with any ideas on how to easily get these carbs back on my bike?

[robertbarr]

If you have the carbs off and you didn't change the intake O-rings, then you're pretty much wasting your time.

As for the carbs -- the extra components you are talking about must be particular to the 'A' model of that bike, or else they're not the original carbs for that bike; I have the carbs from an '81 450 torn apart here, down to the tiniest screw, and there's nothing even close to what you describe. Really not sure what to suggest, except to try to replicate the clip you mention.

I don't have a 450 kit yet -- I'm developing one as we type -- but when you mention that the carbs were very clean but "One carb did have a little more brown residue than the other. " and "It was pretty clean inside save for one pilot jet being 100% blocked." leads me to believe that it's time to shell out for a gallon of Berryman's and do the job thoroughly.

Unless you're going to be thorough about establishing a baseline of clean carbs (including the internal passages), an intact intake path and correct valve clearances, you're going to frustrate yourself until the riding season is over.

[Draketh]

Thanks for the extra info robert. I'd like to see how the bike runs after clearing the jet and cleaning all the screws, passages, and whatnot. Whats the easiest way for me to get the carbs back on? I've tried putting the boots on the carbs first, putting the boots on the airbox first, and I just can't get this darn things back on. Do I have to take the air box off, or unmount it and move it back? I spent two hours last night trying to get the carbs back on and got to the point where I want to throw them across the driveway before I put everything away for the night.

[mcloud]

Pics are worth a thousand words

Post pics please, as there's 391 ways of describing pilots, jets etc...
Somebody with same carb will pick it up, specially if you don't have original carbs.:-D

[Draketh]

Post pics please, as there's 391 ways of describing pilots, jets etc...
Somebody with same carb will pick it up, specially if you don't have original carbs.:-D

Well I got my carb problems worked out, thats done. All I'm asking now is how other people got their carbs back on their bike. I'm sick of wrestling with the carbs do I have to move the airbox or something to get it on?

[buster]

Wrestling with the boots and the carb IS the best way to put them back on. If they are new boots they are usually soft enough to make the job somewhat easy, but still not east. Patience is the best way. I like to put the boots back into the airbox first as my hand are really big. If you can loosen the airbox and move it back than yes that would certainly help. It sounds like you only have two carbs...great place to start. Try 4 8O

[Draketh]

Wrestling with the boots and the carb IS the best way to put them back on. If they are new boots they are usually soft enough to make the job somewhat easy, but still not east. Patience is the best way. I like to put the boots back into the airbox first as my hand are really big. If you can loosen the airbox and move it back than yes that would certainly help. It sounds like you only have two carbs...great place to start. Try 4 8O

Thanks buster!

[buster]

I don't know how much room your airbox will give you but on the Honda CB that I rebuilt, I could hold the airbox back far enough that you could put the front in first and bring the back up into place...the 1100 GS so far has been a big pain. Even the battery on mine is below the airbox so I will be searching out a maintenance free battery option if one exists.

[Draketh]

I don't know how much room your airbox will give you but on the Honda CB that I rebuilt, I could hold the airbox back far enough that you could put the front in first and bring the back up into place...the 1100 GS so far has been a big pain. Even the battery on mine is below the airbox so I will be searching out a maintenance free battery option if one exists.

I've heard alot of people talking about "Pods". I did some research using google on the subject last night and it seems to be little individual air filters that go on each port from the airbox to the carbs and replace the airbox all together making life easier. The only thing that makes me go "ugh" when I read about them is it said that most carbs will need rejetting. If I were to get these pods for my bike where would the air return hose from the top of the engine running into the airbox go to, or is that something I could just leave unconnected?

[SgtRauksauff]

I'm kind of in the process of doing the same thing (rebuilding my carbs) on my '81 450L. Seeing that Mr. Barr is working on a 450 o-ring set is a very good thing!! I ordered one of the regular sets last fall, thinking that it would work well enough, and I'd have an extra set of O-rings if I messed something up, but now that I've actually got the time to start working on the bike, I realize that there are enough differences to halt my rebuild for now. I odn't even know if any of my existing O-rings will even fit. Kinda sucks, since I've got one carb dipped and cleaned, and I was going to assemble it as I disassembled the other one, just to reinforce my re-assembly memory.

On a mostly-related question regarding the fuel inlet T for these two carbs: the o-rings look to be built-in to the rubberized coating of the 'T'. Should this entire piece be replaced? The carb-clean/rebuild guide didn't really mention this at all, unless I missed it.

--sarge

[robertbarr]

Seeing that Mr. Barr is working on a 450 o-ring set is a very good thing!!

It should be ready in about ten days -- perhaps the 25th or so. Depends on shipping time from one vendor.

Now that I have a guinea pig to play with, I compared my existing CV kit with the sizes I need, and there's nothing that really works. I suppose the adjustment screw O-ring could stretch and seal, but it's really too small in ID. So the new kit will be all new sizes.

That rubbery 'T' can be re-used, provided it's still halfway supple. They're really expensive -- don't recall how much, but it's up there. I have no idea why they last so long, when the O-rings in the same set of carbs will be crumbly and crunchy.

[SgtRauksauff]

Well, consider me on the list to buy a new kit!

the T's are about 25 bucks each (bikebandit prices), but I'm not 100% sure how to tell if my existing one is "supple". it's not squishy in any way, but it does seem to fit into the carbs in a snug manner. upon close inspection though, things are cracked, almost separating the "O-rings" from the rest of the rubber. I think I'll probably get one.

Bikebandit does have the O-ring for the main jet, at 83 cents, but they don't seem to have the gasket for the choke plunger assembly, or the O-ring for the pilot air screw. Fortunately, my gaskets (float bowl and choke) are both still flexible and undamaged.

Is your kit going to be O-rings only again, or will it include any of the orange-ish gaskets (needle valve seat, choke plunger) ?

I'm looking forward to actually getting this bike up, running, and on the road! Hopefully, getting around 60mpg too (47-70 was what I read somewhere that the manual specified).

--sarge

[Draketh]

Heres some pics of the bike, waiting for new airbox boots to come in, then I'm gonna clean it up and post some good pics, enjoy. The windshield came off about ten seconds after these pics were taken.