1980 gs450L, few questions

[NetBSD]

well i got myself a decent gs450L for $350, runs and only has 4,100 original miles but it has some rust that a brillopad just isnt getting out.


whats a good way to restore chrome?
i
s there any way the rear shocks come apart so i could send the coils off to be powdercoated instead of chrome?

anyone happen to have a manual laying around for setting the carbs up? right now it seems the left is running rich and the right is lean but i dunno how many turns to bring the screws out after turning them in.

anyone know of any company that makes a set of pipes to give it a little better sound and hair flow or a easy mod to the stock pipes?

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. NetBSD,

I don't have a lot specific to the 450, but here is your mega-welcome anyway. There's still lots of stuff you can use here.

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
http://www.bikepics.com
Basic motorcycle maintenance/repair:

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

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)

[NetBSD]

ok ive been to all those links before i even signed up for the site, some real good info but i didnt see anything on restoring chrome or any aftermarket exhaust pipes or a way to make the stock ones flow better. main reson for the pipes is the PO put on POD filters and rejet it but left the exhaust alone so i wanna open her up so she can breath but i dont want it to sound like **** going down the highway.

i do not expect a deep and lound rumble like a harley, i do not want that but id like a little bit more sound from the pipes, right now it sounds like a sewing machine going down the highway

[chef1366]

Chrome can be rechromed. OR keep an eye on Ebay for parts in better shape.
I think the shocks will come apart of you want to powder coat the springs. Just need a spring compressor.

[Steve]

Unfortunately, you have the L pipes. Even with a larger bike (850) they sound rather crappy. I have not seen anything lately for a 450, but when my son had one, we cut off a set of mufflers that were rather well-crunched and installed some that we got from JC Whitney. They were OK, but still sounded a bit "blatty" for me.

.

[chef1366]

Blatty! I like that. That's what a Mac sounds like to me.

[Steve]

I have found that 4-cylinder Suzukis have their distinctive exhaust sound because of their uniqe corssover pipe that is only between cylinders 2 and 3. That give the exhaust sound a syncopation (uneven beat) which is fine, but when coupled with the shorter L mufflers, I find it mildly objectionable. Until I can find something better, my wife's bike is stuck with them. I am anxious to hear my son's bike fire up to see what that header sounds like.

A picture of that header is the first picture in this thread: What is wrong with this picture?, but the third picture is a bit more interesting.

[chef1366]

Magma red. That wasn't in my Crayola collection.

[NetBSD]

ok just to give an idea, i made a drag quad outof a 1990 suzuki quadsport LT250S frame and a 1974 honda CL360 engine and i made straight pipes for it, i liked it at first but its way WAY to lound for street use.


heres a video of when i first dropped the engine in and got it fired up

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4403253715459330995

[chef1366]

ok just to give an idea, i made a drag quad outof a 1990 suzuki quadsport LT250S frame and a 1974 honda CL360 engine and i made straight pipes for it, i liked it at first but its way WAY to lound for street use.


heres a video of when i first dropped the engine in and got it fired up

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...53715459330995

DUDE! Welders gone wild.
Good stuff!