My Old GS450 (HELP) 1982

[ansonfehr]

Well interestingly coming across this site is actually great, it in a way is backing me up with what i am about to undertake !
Having recently received GS450 from my uncle because my cousin who owned the bike passed away, i have been cursed with indecission...
Restore and Repair?
Or sell it off?
my older brother who has the GS1000 1983 is convinced that the 450 is a death trap and was poorly designed.
I am 16 and have only really taken apart one engine being that of my Yamaha DT50.. (very simple) But i dont know wether to take this one on ? i love it, but its alot of work...

Any advice on the following?? 4 the 450?
Front forks bent...
Electrics giving trouble (fires only on one cylinder occasionally)

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. ansonfehr,

How much time, money, and skill do you have to invest? While you're thinking that over, here's your mega-welcome! \\/

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)

[ansonfehr]

hmm

I have a Haynes manual and my brain quite unlike my left fork is not leaking fluid overall the bike is mechanically quite sound ... what currency are we talking?? anything up too 6thousand rand ... 500 quid?? and with that i want to get front forks straightened, seals replaced and such...
Solder all old corroded points in the electrix and make sure all grounded (electrics are quite finiky)
Replace clutch and throttle cable ...
Time... I can make time

[seuadr]

my older brother who has the GS1000 1983 is convinced that the 450 is a death trap and was poorly designed.
I am 16

if the forks are not kinked, you can straighten them,. and if you have the paitence to go through the wiring harness, i say, restore it.

as far as it being a death trap.. well, don't take this the wrong way, but it'd be ( in my opinion ) alot safer for you at that age than the 1000. 400 is a great size to learn to ride and really get comfortable with what you can and can not do on a bike before you move up to a larger displacement bike.

my vote is do it to it, mate.

[Calvin Blackmore]

why would the 450 be considered a deathtrap??
itd be a sweet commuter bike

post pics
and await the sage advice of the many 450 drivers in here

ignore the ramblings of the 850 and up behemoth owners lovers if they disrespect the bikes smaller capacity. It seems many here are compensating at times \\/


and hell anyone can buy a bike theres no fun in that
save your money to buy beer and love

[Killer2600]

Who are we kidding? All motorcycles are death traps, we just elude death every time we make it home \\/

[KnightRider]

Hey Hey , Ride Hard But Ride Safe=) . Its a Keeper! I had a GN Single 400 1981 Suzuki and If that Car Hadnt Hit me head on I would STILL have It.The GS Community Has Everything YOU Need just suply the patient and Presto ! YOU will have a Great Ride. Just Watch Out for the Other Nutts on the Road an YOU will do Fine =) and TY for the Post =)

[robertbarr]

Who are we kidding? All motorcycles are death traps, we just elude death every time we make it home \\/

Ya beat me to it.

[ansonfehr]

Is it a big job?

I want to unmount the engine, and respray the frame red ...
I guess that comes with cosmetics, but eventually...
And any senior insight into colour schemes??

[ansonfehr]

pics

[carlos020465]

Hi ansonfehr:
I have got one, my bike is an GS 450 EX of 1981, made in U.S.A, I am repair it.
Your bike in the pic is beautiful.
Hasta la vista..!

carlos.