Winterizing and repairs/paint

[prpldude]

I'm getting ready to work on my '80 GS850GL this winter and I want to know what I should and shouldn't do as far as winter goes.
I'm going to be painting the bike so I will be taking off the tank. I"m going to be replacing valve cover gaskets and doing valve job. I'm going to be replacing front brake fluid resevior so I"ll be bleeding and adjusting front and back brakes. I will be doing this over the winter not all at one time.

so Should I run carbs dry after removing tank?

Should I leave oil in motor as is until I am ready to do valve job?
or should I drain oil now?

As far as the brakes go I was thinking I would do them first so there would be nice fresh fluid in it during the winter. (front resevior broke on me so I need to replace it as there is no fluid in it)

Any and all advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Marc

[spyug]

Lots to do but plenty of time to do it.

Leave the oil in the engine unless you know there is gas in it. Gas in engine oil is fairly common with older bikes as sometimes the petcocks leak and the pressure of the gas can push past the float valves in the carbs and down into the cylinders. Gas and oil becomes corrosive and will do damage if left for any length of time.

If you are going to change out the master cyclinder you should pull and rebuild the calipers too. It is likely they have not been done in awhile if ever.They are notorious for getting gunged up and having pistons stick in the bores. Easy enough to do but be thorough. Buy rebuild kits (seals) and if the pistons have any corrosion or cracks ( in the area that sits in the bore)replace them too.

Braided stainless steel lines are best and you will find the performance exceptional. Spendy but well worth it.

If you have the time and interest, you could also pull the wheels and check the bearings. If you detect any slopiness or stiffness/grinding change them out. Again easy enough and inexpensive enough for peace of mind. While you are at it, test your steering head bearings for slopiness (refer to your manual)

There is always lots to do but if you make a list and check things off, you'll get it done in time for next season.

Good luck with it.

Cheers,
Spyug

[skidMarkNZ]

You dont have to drain the engine oil to do the valves.

[prpldude]

I wasn't going to rebuild master cylinder. But when I started to take stuff apart today I saw that the brake fluid that was in the resevior was "rusty" and very dirty at the bottom.

I had forgotten about gas maybe in the oil. I had a coil issue a month ago and two of the cylinders wern't firing for a day... ok will change out oil.

Braided brake lines? that would look sharp.. wonder if I can talk the wife into spending more money on it LOL.

Thanks for your suggestions and input.

[prpldude]

Ok, so I decided to start winter repairs today. I guess you start with dismantling the bike. I think I'm doing good at this. if you want even bigger views click on the pictures.

[prpldude]

more..





That is as far as I got today. Tomorrow I will start on the rear end and shaft drive.

[prpldude]

as I take the bike apart I'm trying to figure out what and what not to paint. I'm goint paint the tank and plastic side covers "DupliColor, Metal Cast Purple"

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/metalcast.html

Not sure what else on the bike I should paint and what color. I'm pretty sure I will put the emblems back on. They are the gold ones and would look good with the purple. I'm going to paint the calipers too. again not sure what color will look good.

Any suggestions or mock ups would be cool.

Thanks,
Marc

[prpldude]

what I did Sunday.



Next is to remove engine. Anyone have cheap engine stand/holder advice or suggestions.

[Steve]

Looks like you're making good progress.

Next is to remove engine. Anyone have cheap engine stand/holder advice or suggestions.

My favorite engine holder is a good friend named "Bubba", but you might not have one of those handy.
From what I have gathered in previous posts, many here use an old tire to place the engine on. Whether that is on the floor or on a bench/table would be up to you.

In your first post you mentioned doing "a valve job". Are you merely doing to check the clearances or are you going to pull the head and have the valves reconditioned? If you are pulling the head, what has led you believe that it is necessary? Many times, poor running can be due to mis-adjusted valves and there is no need to pull the head. If you actually need to pull the head, go for it, but there is no need to do unnecessary work.

.

[prpldude]

thanks Steve for the advice on the tire engine stand. I'm going to just check the clearance. I agree with the "don't do more then you have to" method

I am going to enlist a friend to help remove the engine... I want to clean the frame and other parts real good.

[spyug]

The problem with these little projects is that they quickly become big projects

I'm just going to paint the bike. Well if I'm going to paint the tank and side covers I might as well paint the frame. Well if i'm pulling the engine to paint the frame I might as well paint the block as well. Well I can't put rusty pipes back on my newly painted engine so I'll need to get them rechromed. If I'm putting a nice newly painted engine back in a nicely painted frame I might as well.........you get the picture. Trust me it is easy to get on this slippery slope

Mind you, if you go to all that trouble you are going to put value back in your ride and there is nothing more satisfying than improving your investment. Besides its cool to ride a sharp old bike

Go for it dude....we're all pulling for ya.

Cheers,
Spyug

[duaneage]

I've done two tear downs and rebuilds (not suzuki bikes but that is on tap for this winter) and both times I left the engine intact and focused on repainting and restoring the chassis.

I blasted all the steel parts down and repainted. Lots of shades of black paint. It's surprising what can be done by detailing out this way. The bike looks generally better but not because of one thing, like a tank respray. Control levers, swing arm, battery boxes, etc all poke out and if they are clean and repainted it makes the bike look better. The overall opinion at first glance is" wowo that bike is in good shape" without even painting the tank.

I've done reprays on the tank and side covers myself with limited success. If you do it yourself be prepared to prep and buy decent equipment. Otherwise you are better off turning it over to a professional that knows what he is doing. Not cheap, but having painted a Honda tank 4 times to get it right I can tell you it may be worth it.

Ebay is your best friend here as you can replace parts easily. Sometimes you can sell your old parts too. They may not be pretty but could be better than what someone else has. It helps to have a budget but usually that gets blown. I stayed withing budget on my first project, went a little over on the Yamaha because parts seem to cost more for Yamahas. I like the Yamaha more than my Hondamatic I sold so I don't mind spending money on it.

If you plan to keep the bike for years don't be afraid to spend on this. The 850 is a fine machine and Don Pepe has over 100K on one of his.

[prpldude]

SPYUG "The problem with these little projects is that they quickly become big projects"

* no kidding, as I was taking the bike apart I kept thinking this would be easy to repaint, oh this would look nice if I did it too, next thing I know... whole bike is apart LOL

DUANEAGE "If you do it yourself be prepared to prep and buy decent equipment. Otherwise you are better off turning it over to a professional that knows what he is doing. "

* this year I don't have the money to "do it right" so I"m going to prep the heck out of it (I have all winter) and try my hand at rattle-can job. There is always next winter if I don't like how it came out LOL

my hardest decisions are what should I paint, should I leave some chrome, what color should this or that be. LOL

Thanks for the replys they are encouraging
Marc

[duaneage]

Remember, dis-assembly is the easy part and fastest. Many running machines end up in plastic boxes for years and years. Budget time to work on this. Find a day or two of the week where you can spend 2-3 hours on it. If family or work doesn't permit it you're going to run into problems. I gave it a few weekends and evenings to get 'er done and each project took 2-3 months.

I think time is the one commodity that costs the most.

[spyug]

Duaneage is right about time on these projects. While you think you have all winter to work on it, you really don't. With work and family commitments time gets eaten up. If you don't have a fully heated workshop or garage there will be days when it is too cold to work and or paint.

When I took on the XS project three winters back I was thinking the same thing. Got everything off the bike and engine out in one weekend and spent the next year and a bit putting it all back together. I had planned on 6 months max.

Its never really finished either and I have been working off and on ( sorting little but irritating issues..like leaking petcocks, lack of charging, less than acceptable paint...etc.etc.) ever since. I think I've turned it into an art piece as I don't ride it (bummed leg) and can't seem to part with it. all I do is tinker, polish and admire. It does make me feel good as I know I did it all myself.


Spray bomb paint jobs can be quite good if you prep really well and take your time shooting the paint but as mentioned, you can't beat a pro job if you can afford it.

If you can get a few hours in here and there and stick with it even when you get fed up it will get done. One word of caution, don't try and budget the project as you will surely go over and that can get you ( and the boss) ****ed and put you right off.

We're pulling for you. Keep us informed of how its going.

cheers,
spyug