New Guy Question.

[OdeToBob]

Hey everyone. I just traded teams. I've cancelled my membership over at the Yamaha Maxim Forum, and started one here. I hope you guys are as nice to me (and my beginner questions) as they were.

I just traded my Maxim for a 1979 GS550(E?). Already I LOVE it. In general it runs well, but there's a dead spot at somewhere between 1/2-3/4 throttle and when coasting...there's a light surging. The guy I bought it from (A member here i think) told me that it needed the points set and that he was no good at points. He also said that it would do better with electronic something or other. Which he gave me along with the bike.

Here are the questions:
1. What are points? (i searched a little here on the forums and couldn't find much) Is there another word I should search for?
2.The electronic peice (i don't know what it's called, but it fires the spark i believe) Is that something I should install? Is it a simple installation? Will it help the surge/no power issue?



Anyway, Thanks for any help and I'm looking forward to reading everything else here on the site. Go GS!

-Wayne

[KiwiGS]

Welcome mate.
The points very basically make the the coils work which make the voltage to make the spark.
As the crankshaft rotates it opens and closes the *points* which causes the coils etc to do their thing. So they need to be both timed and gapped correctly ( and in good nick).
Electronic is good because for the most part you put it in and and set forget it.
Cheers

[Nessism]

You can download the factory service manual for your bike for free from repairmanualclub.com It will explain everything you need to know about points.

I assume you were given an electronic ignition. What brand and model? If it's a Dyna S, install it now and forget about points forever.

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. OdeToBob,

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)

[OdeToBob]

Wow.

Thanks for the info. It's going to take a day or two to get through it all, but i'm convinced that i've come to the right place for all my GS needs.

I'm going to check on the state of that electronic ignition today and probably download a manual. I'll keep everyone posted.

Thanks again everyone,
Wayne

[8trackmind]

Greetings, OTB. :-D

Nashville? Never heard of it.

[Steve]

Nashville? Never heard of it.

Hold on just a minute there, 8track. Just because you live near a town called "Nashville" doesn't mean it's the only one.

No, sir. There are NINETEEN other towns called "Nashville". :shock:

Arkansas
California
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Michigan
Missouri (two of them)
Nebraska
New York (two of them)
North Carolina
oHIo (two of them)
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Vermont
Wisconsin

8-[

.

[BassCliff]

One more quick thing

Hi Me. OdeToBob,

There are many good informational sites on the internet that will give you an overall "primer" on fixing your own motorcycle. Here's one:

http://www.dansmc.com/MC_repaircourse.htm

It's just good general information to help get you familiar with all the components on your bike. Enjoy!


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[OdeToBob]

Steve's right about the multitude of Nashvilles, 8Track.
Although, you guessed the right one.
I'm actually from Memphis originally, so if you run into my mom, don't tell her I bought a Motorcycle.
She cried enough when I bought the Vespa.

Thanks for the website leads BassCliff.

Ok, So the picture here is the electronic ignition that the PO gave me.
(is this all of it?...it doesn't say Dyna S...is it worth installing?)

Thanks guys,
Wayne

[OdeToBob]

p.and s.
Is there a member in the Nashville area that you guys know of that might want a free case of beer or a pizza in exchange for walking me through tuning this bike up to speed?

I'm much better at learning from watching and doing than reading.

Just a thought.

-Wayne

[doctorgonzo]

p.and s.
Is there a member in the Nashville area that you guys know of that might want a free case of beer or a pizza in exchange for walking me through tuning this bike up to speed?

I'm much better at learning from watching and doing than reading.

Just a thought.

-Wayne

Hey Bob, I'm in Murfreesboro, half hour away. I'm not the mechanic some of these guys are, but I've been through a lot of these procedures with my bike.

[Nessism]

Ok, So the picture here is the electronic ignition that the PO gave me.
(is this all of it?...it doesn't say Dyna S...is it worth installing?)

Thanks guys,
Wayne

That looks to be only 1/2 of the stock electronic ignition, the signal generators. You still need an ignitor and to fabricate the harness. You'd be much better off just using the points at this point. They are very reliable and fairly cheap to maintain.

Good luck.

[OdeToBob]

Fair enough. Maybe this guy already half installed the electronic ignition. Is that a possibility?
Anyway, I'm waiting to be able to download the service manual from some website. I'm just as happy to learn how to work with the points.

Also, DoctorGonzo...if you know how to tune/clean carbs and set points...i'll take you up on a pizza/beer for mechanical help trade.

-Wayne

[Suzuki mad]

Just a small point to note.

PO sell bikes because they either are borred with them as they aren't fast enough or they have a problem that was unfixable or they couldn't be bother to fix.

Don't expect this to be any different having found out he's done you a favour with the electronic ignition that was only part there. He couldn't get it working.....

Stay here, lots of knowledge and good advice on these old GS's here.

Suzuki mad.

1980 GS1000SN
1981 GS1000ET
1983 GS(X)1100ESD
2002 GSF1200K1

[OdeToBob]

Your words are true.
After all...i traded my yamaha to him because I couldn't get it running.
-Wayne