knock noise in 1st+2nd gr.GS1100e 1980

[nukldrgr]

Hi guys,my name is Mike and this is my first post.Just bought an 1980 GS-1100E from a friend,the bike needed some attn..I was adjusting the carbs on a hot day,about half way through I realized the motor was really hot so I put a fan on it and finished the job(my first carb. adjst.) The bike ran much better but then I noticed a knocking sound coming from bottom left of eng.only while accelerating in first and second gear(to much noise after that to tell if knock was still there).Eng. sounds great,no knocks..Started tearing it apart,found a loose nut on primary sprocket(lock tab was securing the nut)maybe missing a washer behind sprocket .Should have just tried tightening the nut but NO! I pulled the stator cover to check it out,oil started leaking so I drained the oil;stripped the drain plug putting it in did a FINE job of it to(forgot my friend told me that thread was on the way out).SO;I'm using it as an excuse to hop-up the eng..1150 head and cylinders,340 web cam,1230 pist.kit and 36mm mic.flat slides.If any one is still reading this,I have two quest.,any idea as to what the knock is and what do I do for a Tach??? Thanks very much,Mike...

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Saluatations!

Hi Mr. nukldrgr,

I'll get you started with your mega-welcome!

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************
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.

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

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 gaskets, I recommend Real Gaskets (reusable silicon):

http://www.realgaskets.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

Salvage/Used

http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com

http://www.ozpowersports.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
Online Clymer manuals:
http://search.ebscohost.com/ Click on "Small Engine Repair" then "Motorcycles". User=library, password=library. Note: This link may not work if you are on a school campus.


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)

Click here to visit BikeCliff's website.

[NICK!]

I can't be sure what your knock is, you have to tear the motor down and inspect it. As the crank is all roller bearings I'm really not sure what to even suggest. I might venture that if you got it super hot at an idle you may have damaged the cam bearing surfaces but then again I'm assuming the knock is coming from the bottom end? Sure you just didn't foul a plug and are dragging a dead cylinder? Frankly, I could guess all day but without hearing the motor I'm just fishing. Give it a compression test and go from there.

I do have some info for your 1100/1150 project your about to put together, I had one in my 1100ESD but I used an 1100 head.

As the 1230 (1229) Wisco kit is for the 1150, the wrist pins in the 1150 are bigger so you need an 1150 crank. The left end is bigger so you need an 1150 or a 1983 1100 rotor. The primary gears are different on the 1150 so you also need an 1150 clutch basket or have the primary gear(s) changed. When you go to put that 1150 cylinder on your 1100 cases you'll have to grind inside the case here and there to get the cylinder all the way down.

Good luck, my 1229cc 1100/1150 motor ran great! I still miss that bike.

[nukldrgr]

Hey neighbor,(I'm in Phily)..The knock was there only when it was in gear i.e.1st+2nd.Think it's drive line.The pri. sprok.didn't seem loose enough to cause the knk.As for 1229cc kit I'm gonna try to get pistons w/18mm pins.That still leaves me without a tach..Thanks bud..

[NICK!]

OK, the knock in 1st and 2nd gear doesn't ring a bell. I'd have to hear the knock to be able to start to guess. First thing I'd do is what you've already done, check the front sprocket and chain adjustment and condition of the chain. I'd take a look at the rear sprocket too just to be through. Next I might check the clutch basket and the nut. After all of that checked out I figure it would be time to take the trans out and check the bearings etc.

Well, you could use your 1100 head, that would let you stay with the tach set up you already have. Next, if I remember correctly the boss for a tach drive is cast into an 1150 head but its not drilled? I'm sure I've seen guys have them drilled out and put a normal tach drive in. That or I guess you could use a 1150 or an 1100 ESD instrument cluster and the wiring harness etc to get an electronic tach.

If you have the 1150 head take a look and see if the boss is there and let me know if I remember correctly. I haven't had an 1150 head in front of me for twenty years, they all went drag racing pretty early on.

[nukldrgr]

I'm baaack;sorry it took me so long to reply,way too much work not enough time in the day,week,month......Any way;finally got it apart.It turned out to be a blown head gasket(you were right about the dead cylinder)it only knocked under load,thats why I thought it was a drive train problem i.e.first and second gear..As for the 1150 valve cover having a boss for a tach. drive,I'll let you know as soon as I find one(still scavenging parts). Thanks for the help Nick......... Mike.

[chef1366]

Rapidray on this site has some 77mm pistons with 18mm wrist pins. (1229) You'll need an 1150 cylinder and have the crankcase machined to fit the cylinders.
You can have the 1100 head ported, polished and put in oversized valves. Or get an 1150 head (getting rare). I like the .340 Webcams I'm running. Heck of a powerband with them degreed in 110 110.
I would contact Rapidray. He can help you alot more than I can.