Ride an hour, repair an hour?

[Anonymous]

Does anybody else have a lot of problems with there bike? It seems that I have my bike apart every other day fixing something. So far I've had to replace the regulator, ignitor, signal system(to do, currently waving arms about to signal...), and the list goes on. I'm even burning oil since a 3 hour each way trip to Letchworth state park. It seems to be a never ending battle to keep my 1982 GS400EZ on the road.

Steve

[Anonymous]

Yeh! ain't these bikes great!

[Jay B]

You sure that ain't a Hardey you got there?

[SqDancerLynn1]

Here is posibility Reg bad, 17-18 volts to system, over heated Ign, overheated turnsignal system resulting in early failure

[argonsagas]

Steve:
You mentioned earlie that the R/R was giving correct voltage of 14.5, so the other electrical damage could have been caused by the previous one, or simply failed. Unfortunately, ALL electronics are subject to failure at any time. In older ignition systems, I have re-done them and found the condensor failed in minutes after installation.

Turn signals....first check the flasher unit. I believe it will be on the right side of the battery box (it is on my 1100G). It has 3 prongs for contact.
If it is shot you can get an electronic one at Cdn Tire or any auto or bike store.

Check the bulbs and sockets, as it will not flash if a bulb has gone out or if there is a poor contact inside the socket. Socket corrosion occurs on all vehicles, and after 20 years it is to be expected.

The switch is another thing....if you have to take it apart make certain you have space for tiny pieces to fall and be found. I suggest you put a dry cleaning bag around it when you first open it and do it slowly.

A dry cleaning bag is big enough that you may be able to put your hands inside and work inside the bag. That way nothing will get lost.

Before tackling the switch, you may wish to consider removing it from the bike. It would be alot easier in the end. I've done it on the bike in the driveway and would take it off if I were doing it again.

When you first open it watch very carefully where all the parts fit. Clean the contacts with very fine sandpaper, (240 grit or so then lube everything with a light oil or bulb grease and reassemble it carefullly. Be patient.... there are not a lot of parts, but the springs like to live up to their name, and ball bearings like to get lost. It's a sort of paradox....a switch for telling directions that loses its bearings.


If you are working outside the bag, put down a light-coloured cloth of some kind. That lets you see the small parts and it also lesse
ns bounce if they fall.

As to the waving.....It's a motorcyclist tradition! Be friendly...wave at everybody

[Anonymous]

Hey, just keep at it! As you fix the things that are wrong, you are that much closer to a great running bike. I am still working the bugs out of my 1100GZ. I have had to work on the carbs, petcock, vac lines, front tire shimmy and now a dead spot in my Vetter headlamp where it goes out for a split second between low and high beam. But hey, we saved a lot of money on these bikes so investing sweat equity is the price of not having a monthly motorcycle payment!
Polish that chrome, it makes all the other problems seem small :P
GY

[Anonymous]

Work an hour, ride an hour

Mine is more like ride an hour, fix a half-hour: Electrical connections; Electrex regulatror/rectifier; cylinder block base gasket; another base gasket; carb disassembly, clean & rebuild; several valve cover gaskets; new seat cover; throw self-cancelling turn signal unit away; battery problems before reg/rect.; horns (JC Whitney); replace flatted almost-new Avon back tire; new seat cover; oil filter cover studs; bought valve adjust tool, carb synch tool. Still, I think I love my $200 GS1000G more now than when I bought her two years ago.

[Anonymous]

Hey, I am happily riding the Koot Scoot with the guys for an evening ride, and all is well with the world. The Koot Scoot is humming along, and then we stopped for an ice cream. What a beautiful evening. Soon it was time to leave.

Turn on the ignition, pull in the clutch ----wow! how come the clutch lever doesn't have any resistance? answer because the sucker has broken at the lever!!!

Now I had to ride forty kilometers home with no clutch. Luckily they guys got me started with a push in third gear. Then using my heel I was able to kick the clutch lever on top of the clutch to change up to fifth for the, thank goodness didn't have to stop, ride home. Once back in town I was able to downshift easily without using the clutch, and finally first gear for the run up my drive into the garage.

Damn it, I oiled the clutch cable a few weeks agao. Ah well the old Koot Scoot does love attention. Ordered a new cable this morning and it will be here middle next week. Just enough time to repaint the hard bags.

[Anonymous]

Hey we have it much better than the HD crowd! for them it's something like, ride a half hour, pull over, wait for all their buddies to pull over, look at the bike a half hour, wrench on it for an hour and then ride for another half hour and di the same for one of the other guys who stopped for the first guy
GY

[Anonymous]

Had ablast today. As reported the Koot Scoot is sick, and today I had to do a long ride. I am a marriage commisioner, that is, I marry people in a civil ceremony. I had to do a wedding about a 100 kilometers away, (60 miles). What to do? My wife had the car so I took my Honda 110 trail bike. It has no protection at all,and I wore a white tuxedo jacket, dark slackes and white shirt.
I had to travel up the Kootenay Lake along the #1 rated riding road in Canada. Needless to say there were lots of other bikers riding along this road as well. They all waved, and then the hand paused and they took a second look at this mad guy screaming along on this tiny bike at 80 km/h, (50mph)..

I did the wedding, and then when I got home the jacket, pants, and white shirt, all ad to go to the cleaners. They were covered in bug carcasses!

What a wide ride!

[earlfor]

Hmmmm, the last 4500 miles on the 750, I've changed the oil, put air in the tires and lubed the chain and adjusted it. Oh yeah, I washed it too. Havent had anything that needed repair.

Earl

Hey, just keep at it! As you fix the things that are wrong, you are that much closer to a great running bike. I am still working the bugs out of my 1100GZ. I have had to work on the carbs, petcock, vac lines, front tire shimmy and now a dead spot in my Vetter headlamp where it goes out for a split second between low and high beam. But hey, we saved a lot of money on these bikes so investing sweat equity is the price of not having a monthly motorcycle payment!
Polish that chrome, it makes all the other problems seem small :P
GY

[Anonymous]

" But hey, we saved a lot of money on these bikes so investing sweat equity is the price of not having a monthly motorcycle payment!":P
GY

Whatcha talkin bout Gerryy?? I've been doing both!!

[Clone]

Maybe your bike is telling you it doesn't like to be ridden during the winter in Ottawhere? I don't believe they were initially designed for that kind of operation.

[Hap Call]

It's just getting tired. Remember, your bike is 21 years old. How many bikes (or cars for that matter) do you see on the road? Things wear out, get hot, break, etc. If you want a totally reliable GS400 you may want to make it a project and completely rebuild the bike. Is it cost effective? Well, depends on how you look at it. You could easily buy a used GS400 for about what it would cost for the rebuild but you would still have what you have now...a 20 year old bike in need of a rebuild. Or you can go out there and lay down $4100 for a new GS500 that is left over from last year and is still on the showroom floor. You could easily rebuild your bike for a lot less and gain intimate knowledge of how it is assembled. There is nothing more satisfying than rebuilding a piece of machinery from the ground up, making it better than new, then starting it and riding it. When you rebuild one it REALLY becomes YOUR BIKE!

Just remember, once you start tearing one down you need to keep the steam going or two years from now you will have a bunch of boxes full of parts and a frame laying around in the garage and no idea how to put it all together.

Hap

[Anonymous]

Very correct Hap. Also, have a plan and stick to it in a rebuild. It's easy to get sidetracked. I'm the worst at following this however, so forget what I just said. As my father said many times "Do as I say , not as I do"