Stubborn Alternator cover

[Barneycanoe]

Wow! Am replacing the Stator and R/R on my 1982 GS850GLZ. Read Cliff's extremely helpful guide with pics. I get all the bolts out and no way can I get the cover off.

I am really tempted to use screwdriver in between on gasket, and in fact do try a little tiny bit with a chisel, but no go.

I'm wondering exactly how much magnetic force there should be. Finally run to Canadian Tire 15 mins before close and grab a rubber hammer. Come back and beat on cover/bike for 10 mins before finally gasket lets go and I can get cover off.

I was just surprised at how much banging I had to do to loosen the cover, being very mindful of the soft aluminum.

Interestingly, the stator inside looks mint, but was only giving 20 volts AC on all three wires.

[lurch12_2000]

Wow! Am replacing the Stator and R/R on my 1982 GS850GLZ. Read Cliff's extremely helpful guide with pics. I get all the bolts out and no way can I get the cover off.

I am really tempted to use screwdriver in between on gasket, and in fact do try a little tiny bit with a chisel, but no go.

I'm wondering exactly how much magnetic force there should be. Finally run to Canadian Tire 15 mins before close and grab a rubber hammer. Come back and beat on cover/bike for 10 mins before finally gasket lets go and I can get cover off.

I was just surprised at how much banging I had to do to loosen the cover, being very mindful of the soft aluminum.

Interestingly, the stator inside looks mint, but was only giving 20 volts AC on all three wires.

I use a good 2" putty knife (it flexes some) to carefully break the gasket seal all around first without gouging the surface, then use a rubber mallet and a clean, strong flat wooden stick(s) to help pry the cover away against the magnetic force. Once it gets an inch or so away then it usually let's go quickly.

[Dogma]

Wow! Am replacing the Stator and R/R on my 1982 GS850GLZ. Read Cliff's extremely helpful guide with pics. I get all the bolts out and no way can I get the cover off.

I am really tempted to use screwdriver in between on gasket, and in fact do try a little tiny bit with a chisel, but no go.

I'm wondering exactly how much magnetic force there should be. Finally run to Canadian Tire 15 mins before close and grab a rubber hammer. Come back and beat on cover/bike for 10 mins before finally gasket lets go and I can get cover off.

I was just surprised at how much banging I had to do to loosen the cover, being very mindful of the soft aluminum.

Interestingly, the stator inside looks mint, but was only giving 20 volts AC on all three wires.

I just pulled one out of my parts bike a couple weeks ago. The magnetic force holding it on will not require superhuman strength to overcome.

I like Lurch's suggestion to use a putty knife to break the gasket. I didn't need it on either bike, so I guess I was lucky.

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. Barneycanoe,

I see you've found my little BikeCliff website already. Thanks for visiting. But I'm still duty-bound to give you my mega-welcome! (Are everybody's smileys broken too?)

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 (and most other models) 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

Basic motorcycle maintenance/repair:

http://www.dansmc.com/

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)

[rapidray]

You will find, AFTER you get it apart, that the issue is with the dowel pins, NOT the magnetism of the stator you are fighting. The dowel pins corrode due to the steel & aluminum & they make it hard to remove the cover. After you get if off make sure you clean the dowels, & dowel holes really well before you reassemble. Ray.

[seuadr]

You will find, AFTER you get it apart, that the issue is with the dowel pins, NOT the magnetism of the stator you are fighting. The dowel pins corrode due to the steel & aluminum & they make it hard to remove the cover. After you get if off make sure you clean the dowels, & dowel holes really well before you reassemble. Ray.

seconded! might even want to put some anti seize on'em

[Barneycanoe]

Thanks BassCliff!

I actually posted mainly so I could get the welcome message as I was feeling jealous!

I know what you mean about the dowels, they were a bit scrungy - but I think my problem was mainly the gasket - half was left on the bike, half on the cover that came off. Much looked like it was toffee.

Now I'm just waiting on electrosport to get me the alternator in time for this weekend - California to Toronto - will it get here in time?

[geewiz]

Now I'm just waiting on electrosport to get me the alternator in time for this weekend - California to Toronto - will it get here in time?

There is an Electrosport distributor in Quebec. Mine arrived in under 2 days. My box says Motovan, part number 321-1471. If you have already ordered this info is too late, but might be good for next time (hopefully there won't be a next time :grin

[lurch12_2000]

You will find, AFTER you get it apart, that the issue is with the dowel pins, NOT the magnetism of the stator you are fighting. The dowel pins corrode due to the steel & aluminum & they make it hard to remove the cover. After you get if off make sure you clean the dowels, & dowel holes really well before you reassemble. Ray.

Maybe...but I didn't have to clean those, and still had to work at getting it off. When I lined the cover back up the magnetic force sucked that baby right out of my hands!

[80GS750]

same here...

mine comes on and off easily, but when i put it back on, she sucks right to the engine!

always pulls it out of my hands the last inch or two