First Timer Guidance

[Nessism]

I strongly suggest you focus on getting the bike road worthy and keeping everything stock for now. Repairing the harness is much easier than building a new one and rejetting the carbs for a car air filter is going to be a time toilet with virtually no upside.

[maparker]

Thanks for the input. I kinda figured I should tear the carbs down and rebuild them and ditto on the o-rings. The fuel line help is much appreciated. I think since they go to open air I'll get a small filter and run both the vent lines into it and hide it under the seat somewhere where it won't feed the intake.

Do NOT restrict these lines! They are vents for your float bowls which help equalize the pressure in the bowls to atmospheric pressure. If they are restricted the bike will starve at the most inappropriate times...like passing a semi on the interstate at 80 mph (ask me how I know) I even pulled the lines off and just left the nipples exposed on the carbs as this seems to give the best results. Some people have actually found that having too long of a vent line or having the vent lines get tangled will cause the bike to lean out at high RPMs.

Like everyone has said disassemble the carbs and soak them in Berryman's ChemDip. I know you don't want to but believe me you need to (again ask me how I know!). These are great little bikes if you take the time to do the things recommended here (don't forget the intake O-rings, get them from Robert Barr, search this site).

I rode mine ~100 mile round trip commute almost year round when I was doing my post-doctoral fellowship and it was great at it.

Best of luck bringing it back!

[SgtRauksauff]

There is another thread on here about this same bike with the same question...

As *I* understand them, and ive never played with a GS450, but a Yammie 400 uses the same carbs, and pretty close to the same set up...

The Bottom "T" between the two carbs is where your ONE and ONLY Fuel line attaches. The hose port on the top of the one carb is where the vacuum line to the petcock attaches. The TOP "T" hoses attach to nothing I do believe, as they are vents to air. Again, if someone knows this bike better than I, please point out if im incorrect. But, that seems to be whats going on based on the diagram i looked at...

You are correct, sir. </phil hartman voice>

Here's a picture of the carbs from my '81 450, with the hoses still attached:


--sarge

[crash-harris]

I will def. be soaking the carbs and freshing them up. As for the intake, I had to destroy the old one to get it out. I know that there are smaller filters that I can get that aren't much bigger than the K&N ones that are sold for it if the same size. Do you have to rejet for the bike-specific K&N's too?

With those vent lines I'll just get some vacuum tubing and run a short length from each vent and I'll make sure they point down so there's less chance of water getting into things.

Going to have to check and see if the boneyard is still open this weekend an maybe I'll be able to get a tank and some body parts.

[maparker]

While you are at the bone yard I'd look very hard for an airbox...they are a PITA to get in and out, but you won't have to spend weeks trying to sort out your jetting. Believe it or not the original engineers put a lot of effort into getting these things set up right in the first place and they will run like a top with the stock jets and airbox...just do a search for "pods" and see how many people have suffered trying to get their bikes to run right after ditching their aribox.

Just my $0.02 but I much prefer riding to wrenching!

[crash-harris]

Is the problem with the open element pods that it allows the carbs too much air? I also have straight pipes, I believe the mufflers rusted off so my brother cut them clean and bolted on chrome tips. I found some info on one of the sites that was in the mega-welcome links that stated that you need to rejet for straight pipes as well. I figured I can get a single narrow (maybe 2" or 3" opening?) open element filter and y-pipe the carbs to use that same filter so the amount of air coming in is as close to the amount it would be stock.

Those links on the mega-welcome page are helpful indeed. Without stock exhaust I'm going to have to rejet anyway so I'm going to try my hand at it since I'll have the time, but I'm not ruling out using the stock airbox in the end either. Going to see if I can't pick one up just in case.

I much prefer riding to wrenching!

Only motorcycle I've ever rode on has been a Kawasaki KX60 long ago before it was stolen, but I'm sure I'm going to be addicted to riding this thing on the street a lot more! With Bruiser I always prefer wheeling over wrenching! But I have to build stuff so it doesn't break

[maparker]

Yeah, the pipes will require some re-jet as well IIRC. If you have the time and ambition turn it into whatever your imagination dictates. If you just want to get on the rode I'd pick up and airbox and find a passable 450 exhaust at the wreckers. I love to see the things people come up with for these little twins, there are even some great build in appearance mods. Poke around there for some ideas...here is a particulaly cool one: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...&highlight=450

I think he rejetted for pods and pipes too so may be able to get you close with that as well. Either way have fun!

[crash-harris]

Thanks for the link! I'm seriously thinking about making it a nice little long wheelbase bobber, but that's later on for sure. I may try to pick up stock pipes/mufflers as well and toy with the ones that are on it now and put them back on later.

***OFF TOPIC***
What does IIRC mean? I've never figured it out as of yet...

**Back on topic**

[maparker]

IIRC = If I Recall Correctly

[crash-harris]

Thank you.

Going to pick the key up from my brother tomorrow (and maybe the title if he can find it). Going to hook the charger up to it see which rear turn signal is which and see what all need looked at electric-wise. Also going to start tomorrow by removing the pipes so they can be cleaned and I think I'm going to prep the engine for removal so I can strip the junk off of it.

I'm also thinking about going to Lowe's sometime and getting a decent sized sheet of diamond plate steel and cutting out side panels. Opinions?

[chef1366]

If you are running pods and an open pipe you'll need a Dynojet kit

http://www.dynojet.com/jetkits/motorcycle/suzuki.aspx

[crash-harris]

I'll put that on the list. When I took the pipes off the H-pipe was very poorly patched on one side and the other side was full of holes. I'm thinking (I seem to be diong a lot of that!) about just cutting out the H-pipe altogether and welding in a patch over the openings for it.

[Larry D]

Hey crash-harris. Where is there a bike yard near Chillocothe (sp?).
I'm from Hillsboro and live in Indy now. I get get home a couple times a summer and would like to check it out and see if there's anything there for me. For some odd reason, there's not many in the Indy area.

[crash-harris]

It's north or Waverly on 23, called Sharp's. I'm not really sure if it's still open or not but I'm going to check and see sometime this weekend.

[maparker]

I'll put that on the list. When I took the pipes off the H-pipe was very poorly patched on one side and the other side was full of holes. I'm thinking (I seem to be diong a lot of that!) about just cutting out the H-pipe altogether and welding in a patch over the openings for it.

Hopefully someone else will chime in on this one, but I believe that the cross pipe is important in helping maintain proper pressure equalization between cylinders? If so just eliminating the connection may not be the best choice?