Identifying my GS

[foxxx85]

I bought (was i am told and what the side panels on the bike say) a 1981 gs1000L for $400. 2 issues here
1.) everything i have seen says that the GS1000L is chain driven... my machine is shaft driven. Is there any way to verify the model...i.e. Vin number or something.

2.) when i look online for parts. (Just to look) I am only given the options GS1000G and GS1000GL for 1981. Which of these two is compatible for me. If my machine is, in fact, a 1000L.

Small issues for only $400

Thanks guys.

[TheCafeKid]

Your bike IS a GS1000GL.

[tas850g]

Do a search on this site for vin number decoder. I found a thread a few weeks ago that worked well. I can not find the paper i wrote the website on it.

[hikermikem]

If it's a shaftie, then it's a "G".

The "L" models are characterized by the following: lower, smaller rear wheel (16" I believe), stepped seat, tear-drop shaped tank, and assorted other quirks depending on the model & year. Not uncommon to have different brakes, suspension, front forks, & carb set-ups, as compared to other non-"L" bikes of the same year & size.

Like The Cafe Kid sez... your sounds like a "GL"

Good luck,

[GSexpress]

They are all right.....BUT!

GS1000G = standard style shaft drive
GS1000GL = cruiser style shaft drive
GS1000L = cruiser style chain drive

Just to be clear on the details.

edit: the side covers on the GS1000GL and the GS1000L are interchangeble....could be whats happend here.

[rphillips]

It's been a long time, but I don't remember a 1000 chain model in "81". The Model review on this site shows a 1000L nor a 1000S in "81". Did we have them here in the U.S. or were they for the other folks?

[GSexpress]

It's been a long time, but I don't remember a 1000 chain model in "81". The Model review on this site shows a 1000L nor a 1000S in "81". Did we have them here in the U.S. or were they for the other folks?

Ya know it's hard to keep up with some of that. Suzuki did a lot of different things between the US, Canada, Europe, and asia.

www.suzukicycles.org/All-Suzuki/all_suzuki_models.html

This site has most of the bikes but as you may note from the paint and stripe sceems the are the European models. A lot of it was due to differing laws and insurance requirements. They would develop the bike as a 1000cc for one market and change it to an 850, 750, or 650 for other markets. They did have both a chain drive and shaft drive 850 L in 1980. I know cause I was a Suzuki Tech then.

There can also be confusion as to year models because of the ID tags. Just cause it says manufactured in 1981 doesn't make it and 81. If it was made before March or April (I think) It would be an 81, If it was manufactured after that, it's most likely an 82. They stop making (back then anyway) one year model once sales projections are met and tool up to make the next year model somewhere around May. BUT...they would also sell early 82's as 81's if sales exceded production and visa versa. Most notably the RE5 all of them were made in 1975. The 76 year model were leftover 75's that were reworked (new paint and instruments and turn signals) and sold as 76's.

So to clarify.....there is no clear answer....

[foxxx85]

I used that Vin decoder and found that it is an '81 GL. A previous owner must have just used L side panels. Does anyone have a good walkthrough reference to clean these carbs by chance? Preferrably with photo's as this will be my first carb dissasembly.

Thanks all

[lucabond]

I bought what I was told was an "82"Gs1100gk turns out it was a "83"Gs1100gk so I was a little confused too. I guess we can't take anything for granted with our old bikes. Enjoy.

[BassCliff]

Gretings and Salutations!

Hi Mr. foxxx85,

I don't believe I've given you the mega-welcome! Here is is!

(Check out the links in the "info/pictures" section to help identify your bike.)

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.

[Larry D]

Does anyone have a good walkthrough reference to clean these carbs by chance? Preferrably with photo's as this will be my first carb dissasembly.

Thanks all

On the main page of this site there is a carb cleanup series. Lower left of the page.

[hikermikem]

Ya know it's hard to keep up with some of that. Suzuki did a lot of different things between the US, Canada, Europe, and asia.

www.suzukicycles.org/All-Suzuki/all_suzuki_models.html

This site has most of the bikes but as you may note from the paint and stripe sceems the are the European models. A lot of it was due to differing laws and insurance requirements. They would develop the bike as a 1000cc for one market and change it to an 850, 750, or 650 for other markets. They did have both a chain drive and shaft drive 850 L in 1980. I know cause I was a Suzuki Tech then.

Cool little site - lots of nice info. I didn't see any GS850's listed for '82 or '82 though??

[highmileage]

They are all right.....BUT!

GS1000G = standard style shaft drive
GS1000GL = cruiser style shaft drive
GS1000L = cruiser style chain drive

Just to be clear on the details.

edit: the side covers on the GS1000GL and the GS1000L are interchangeble....could be whats happend here.

No, the side covers on the GS1000GL alway say GS1000L. This has been a source of confusion for many.

I too have an '81 GS1000GL (and I paid $200 for mine, it was not running and had been stored for some 24 years with a tank and carbs full of some crap that may have been gasoline some decades ago).

While it took a bit of effort to make the bike rideable, I've put 30K miles on it since then - it had just 11K on it when I got it.

They did make chain drive GS1000L's in '79, but not in '81. I also had an '80 GS1000L many years ago, and it was also a GL shaftie.

BTW, I recommend that you consider putting a set of Dunlop Elite 3's on your bike. They look great, handle and feel great, and last almost forever!

I've changed the handlebars on my bike and added a seat cover and storage bag on the back, but other than these changes, I'd guess that your bike looks like this:

[hikermikem]

I've changed the handlebars on my bike

Do you remember the size & style of the handlebars you used?? I have a similar bike & those "L" bars gotta go!!!

Thanks,
Mike

[hikermikem]

BTY - Beautiful bike !! You did a great job bringin' her back .

Not sure about that "fuzzy" seat cover though .