Frankenbike?

[razooki]

I have a few questions about the 1980 Gs850 project I bought.
1. The tank seem to be too long. There is about 1.5 inches of space between the bolt hole on the chassis and the attachment on the tank. Is this normal?
2. The wiring diagram I downloaded (thanks BassCliff) indicates 4 wires on the ignition switch. I have 5 (Red, Blue, Brown, White, Yellow).
3. Did this model have a fuel guage? 'Cause I don't have one on the guages.
4. Should I worry if my wiring harness does not have a starter disconnect switch? I stripped the harness to the bare wires last night and I did not see one.
5. PO installed brand new clutch cable with cafe bars. however I cannot adjust the cable to shift gears. Is it possible that the stock cable is too long if I have cafe bars?

I suspect there will be alot more questions to come as I familiarize myself with the bike. I hope it is not too much of a basket case and I can actually get to ride it before the short canadian summer is over.

Thanks in advance,

Raz

[TheCafeKid]

I can answer a couple of your questions but im not SUPER familar with the wiring of the 850 so on those I cant really help...

as far as the tank bolt goes. The bolt should actually go thru a couple of rubber pieces as the tanks are isolated from the frame by rubber in multiple places, this being one of them. There should be a rubber sleeve, that comes thru the back of the mount on the tank, and then a donut around that on the front side. The bolt, and a washer, then go thru and over the donut...effectively isolating it for vibrations sake... This diagram might help you understand what im talking about...

http://www.bikebandit.com/suzuki-motorcycle-gs850gt-1980-fuel-tank-gs850gt/o/m6122sch281621

A LOT of the GS models had fuel gauges...However, its not an essential peice unless you are going for a full restore...It sounds like someone chopped the harness and or the bike up in an attempt to make a cafe racer out of it, and he probably took out the middle console between the gauges which i do believe on THAT model contained the fuel gauge....

As for the cable, YES, with the cafe bars on it, you're going to have a lot of excess cable left over. I would suggest looking for a shorter set of cables, perhaps off a smaller model of bike. They all pretty much used the same stuff as far as that goes. Hope this helps some...

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. razooki,

1. The tank seem to be too long. There is about 1.5 inches of space between the bolt hole on the chassis and the attachment on the tank. Is this normal?

There is a little space there to allow some "snugging" against the tank rubbers on the frame. There should be a special long, thick bolt with a rubber washer right there in front of the seat.

2. The wiring diagram I downloaded (thanks BassCliff) indicates 4 wires on the ignition switch. I have 5 (Red, Blue, Brown, White, Yellow).

Not sure what to say about this one. Aftermarket ignition switch? I see the same thing on the wiring diagram, but I haven't taken my ignition switch apart yet so I have no first-hand knowledge.

3. Did this model have a fuel guage? 'Cause I don't have one on the guages.

It does have a fuel gauge. Do you have aftermarket gauges? Here's mine.

4. Should I worry if my wiring harness does not have a starter disconnect switch? I stripped the harness to the bare wires last night and I did not see one.

You mean the kill switch on the right controls? I suppose it's not necessary for normal operation but it's very handy to have in emergencies.

5. PO installed brand new clutch cable with cafe bars. however I cannot adjust the cable to shift gears. Is it possible that the stock cable is too long if I have cafe bars?

The cable is probably longer than it has to be but it should still be usable and adjustable. Some creative routing may help. But a shorter cable would be an easy fix.

Can you post a picture? Is your bike an 'L' model?

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Zooks]

I agree with Cliff. Post some pics of the bike from various angles and we can dissect it for you - no probs.

[razooki]

Thank you gentlemen. Here are some pics.

[razooki]

Here's the ignition switch.

[razooki]

Ignition wires.

[Macmatic]

Is that bare wire on the blue lead coming out of the ignition?

Sorry I don't have any help for ya on these questions but keep at it, it'll be worth it in the end! My bike took me roughly two years of nights, weekends and GSR reading to build up out of four other bikes but its worth it every time I ride.

/\/\ac

[razooki]

Yes, the blue wire is bare just like alot of the other wires on the bike. There was alot of cutting and splicing by the looks of it and there are a few connectors that were eliminated. I'm almost sure that I can use the ignition switch because the bike ran when I got it I just did not pay attention to what wire went were when I disconnected.

Raz

[Big T]

Frankenbikes are a common problem.

1st, check BassCliff's website and learn how to post up large photos, like Cliff did

2nd, post up some more photos of the bike so we can tell if someone crossed a G with an L or some such thing

Your gauges look like 450 units

[rustybronco]

The gauges look just like the ones on my '80 850, except for the funny readings on the speedo.

[razooki]

Big T, anything in particular I should photograph? I think I'm going need alot of help getting this bike running.

[Zooks]

The tank looks normal. I don't have an 850 but my 1100GK has the same (similar) tank andthat is how it sits.

The ignition switch 'may' be from another bike, it's hard to say. It could be from just about anything. In vehicle wiring, white is often ground/earth (call it what you like). Does that seem right? What colour is the extra wire??

There's an enormous collective brain on this forum, we'll get there slowly.

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. razooki,

I agree with Mr. Zooks, the tank looks normal. But I just realized that your bike is Canadian, eh?

Did the Canadian version have an auxiliary power outlet for a cigarette lighter or anything? I'm wondering about that extra wire on the ignition switch.

The CMS Parts website has parts fiches for non-US models. It might help:
http://www.cmsnl.com/

There are probably several minor differences that will not show up in the US version documentation. It looks like the Canadian version did not get a fuel gauge, unless a previous owner has replaced the gauges. Do you have a fuel gauge send unit on the underside of the tank?



Is your front axle on the bottom of the forks or in front of the forks?

Sorry, I don't know where to go about finding docs for the Canadian model. But I'm sure we can help get it going. The differences won't be that great.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[razooki]

My front axle is on the bottom of the forks and the tank does not have a fuel sending unit (althought the wiring harness has the provisions for one but it does not look like they were ever connected). I also noticed last night as I was going through and identifying all the wires in the harness that I do not have a turn signal relay either. Furthermore I do not have a starter disconnect switch as per your wiring diagram (I only have the 'kill' switch and the starter buttons on the right handlebars).

Thanks again for all your support,

Raz