Getting an old bike on the street again

[formula]

I just bought an 82 GS1100e with around 12k miles. I bought it from my friends uncle who has owned it since 88. He parked it in 98 and it has sit since. What things do I need to do or check before I hit the road? Here is my list.

-Rebuilt carbs and petcock (done, not back on yet)
-acid washed tank out, flushed added some gas and bottle of heat.(done)
-New tires (110/90/19 and 130/90/17 or 140/80?)
-New battery (what size)
-Oil and filter change (weight and how much?)


I think thats my whole list. Any thing to add?

[hampshirehog]

I'd check the valve clearances as well.

[C.V.]

I'd make sure the charging system is working before you go to far, since they rarely seem to work right. I did quite a bit of research on the 140 tire size, but it was hard to find any definitive info on the matter. There are some issues to consider with altering the contact patch, as the rims are a little narrow (the squeeze can make contact patch smaller and distorted, possibly causing handling issues, although i have none). A 140 may also rub on the swingarm, but it doesn't on my '79 850. I went with the 140 because it was available at the time, and after reading it seemed like it was safe and worth a try, and i have no complaints or issues. That being said, I will probably go back to the stock size next time around, just cuz thats whats right!

Good luck!

[bleeble]

Most members say not to go over 120 for the rear tire. Bigger tires may fit, but the rim is skinny enough to cause them to change shape. Actually, I was just reading a thread about this yesterday... can't find it now...

[formula]

How does a 140 rub the swingarm when I thought I read you can fit a 160 by doing the gsxr wheel swap?

[bleeble]

How does a 140 rub the swingarm when I thought I read you can fit a 160 by doing the gsxr wheel swap?

The 140 won't rub, it's just that the stock wheels are too narrow for the tire. I don't know about doing wheel swaps though.

[Big T]

New brake fluid and possible caliper/master cylinder rebuild.

A 140 is way too big. You'll end up with smaller contact patch, less traction and worse handling than a 120.

[Fast Doc]

The batterry IIRC is a YB 14L A2. How I remember that I don't know, I've not had a GS 1100 for 14 years.

Rear tire size is 130. That's what I ran, and it was plenty close. Also, the rim width is too narrow for a wider tire as it alters the profile and will not put any more rubber on the road.

Good luck with the project, looks like fun!

Bill

[Nessism]

Most popular tires sizes with big bore GS riders here at the GSR are 100/90-19 front and 130/90-17 in back.

110/140 are too wide for the narrow GS rims and pinch the sidewalls in too much.

In addition to valve adjustment already mentioned, I'd add a brake system tear down followed by new teflon/stainless brake lines. Flushing the system does not get all the crud out unless the bike has seen regular fluid changes through out it's lifetime, and the lines get soft and gather scale on the inside. Better to change them - Suzuki calls for changing them every two years (which while silly, illustrates my point).

Have fun.

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. forumla,

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)

[Mark M]

-Oil and filter change (weight and how much?)


I think thats my whole list. Any thing to add?

Great score! I love my 82 1100E and they are great street bikes.

You realize the oil question is remarkably similar to religion and politics? :-0

Suzuki's weight is 10W40, which is fine. You can also run 10W30, 15W50, probably 5W30 as well, either conventional or synthetic. The one big (make that HUGE) detail to note is that most car oils these days are labelled as "Energy Conserving" and they contain friction modifiers that will cause your clutch to slip. So you need to use oil that is not labelled as such.

Personally, I have used Castrol synthetic, Mobil 1 red cap 15W50 (no longer made, my personal favorite of all time though) and a number of other conventional oils. The Mobil 1 red cap is now gold cap 5W50 and I have a jug of that in my garage for when my GSXR needs a change. My YZ250F gets Wal Mart Supertech 15W40 diesel oil (yes, Wal Mart oil in the race bike), it has tested as having the highest levels of zinc and copper (good for anti-wear) among a fair range of name brand oils and with changes every 5 hours, longevity is no issue.

Mark

[Nessism]

Suzuki's weight is 10W40, which is fine. You can also run 10W30, 15W50, probably 5W30 as well, either conventional or synthetic. The one big (make that HUGE) detail to note is that most car oils these days are labelled as "Energy Conserving" and they contain friction modifiers that will cause your clutch to slip. So you need to use oil that is not labelled as such.

Personally, I have used Castrol synthetic, Mobil 1 red cap 15W50 (no longer made, my personal favorite of all time though) and a number of other conventional oils. The Mobil 1 red cap is now gold cap 5W50 and I have a jug of that in my garage for when my GSXR needs a change. My YZ250F gets Wal Mart Supertech 15W40 diesel oil (yes, Wal Mart oil in the race bike), it has tested as having the highest levels of zinc and copper (good for anti-wear) among a fair range of name brand oils and with changes every 5 hours, longevity is no issue.

Mark

I'd stay away from 5W-30, or 10W-30, it's too thin to protect the engine in the heat of summer.

I agree that diesel oil (typically comes in 15W-40) and is good stuff for motorcycles. Synthetic is even better.

Good luck.