82 gs300l= many questions to come.

[jonmorehouse]

hello all. i just brought home a 82 gs300l with 1850 miles on it, got a great deal. as i don't have a motorcycle license, or permit for that matter, this thing won't be leaving my driveway for a few weeks, while i try and get it in running condition. this is a bit of an introduction, and a warning. im gonna ask a lot of questions. i've never worked on a motorcycle before, and although i am mechanically inclined, my experience with these things is minimal. for a start i removed the carbs and cleaned the jets... i had intended on replacing them, but that brings me to my first problem... parts are hard to find for this bike? do i have the red headed step child of the GS's? did they not make/sell many of these? im a big guy, 6'1 210lbs, and im thinking this is a decent size for a starter bike, but it seems the 500cc+ bikes are a million times more popular.

after reinstalling the carbs the problem ive run into now i believe is fuel delivery to the carbs, but thats a project for the morning. i think a easily kinked fuel line or a leaky vacuum line is the culprit. this is my first post, but everyone's already answered a ton of my questions before i had a chance to ask them, so thanks for this huge forum of info. if anyone else has a 300, tell me what you think of it. but anyways, hello.

[jonmorehouse]

heres a quick one to get warmed up- everyone seems to suggest replacing petcocks on bikes that sat a long time. this one sat a really long time. but i already pulled the back of the petcock off, and the diaphram seemed fine. is it really neccessary to replace it? also- there's some crap in the fuel tank. not much that i can see, but enough i can hear when the tank is off the bike. best way to get it out? remove petcock and drain through petcock hole? rinse with some fuel? there's no or very little visible rust in the tank, i can just hear metal flakes or something of the sort sloshing around. does the petcock have a filter on the pickup? i m not hoping for anything too exciting here, just a screen so big stuff doesn't get stuck in my carbs?

[Nessism]

Petcock has a screen but the mesh is coarse enough that foreign particles can get through and foul the float needles. Best to clean the tank using the method you mentioned.

My opinion on the petcock is to use it as long as it works properly and the diaphragm is in good shape as you commented.

Good luck.

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. jonmorehouse,

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)

[omnicore]

Thanks for the post BassCliff. I'm in the exact situation the OP is in. I just got myself a GS300L for a fairly low price with the intent to teach myself first motorcycle repair followed by learning to ride. I can't wait to get my hands dirty.

[mriddle]

Welcome to the board. .. there are not many GS300L owners in the group that we know of ..

They are fun little bikes .. rode one this weekend.

Let us know how we can help ..

How about some pics ??

[omnicore]

I put a couple of pictures in my album under the User CP, is there anywhere else I should upload them?

[mriddle]

Bike looks nice and original!

I put a couple of pictures in my album under the User CP, is there anywhere else I should upload them?