Rake trail on 850 & 1000G -- need info

[williamclloyd]

I've just bought an '81 GS850G from a fellow who'd posted it here. I find that the upper parts of the steering are twisted a few degrees clockwise [as view from the saddle]. A fellow at a local repair shop looked at this and says its almost certainly a bent part within the lower triple tree---caused when someone drove into something with the front wheel and the wheel was slammed over to the left. The lower triple tree is a discontinued part. He has an old '80 [I think he said] GS-100-G as a parts bike and THINKS he can use ITS lower triple tree to replace mine, but he asked me to ask you folks if anyone knows whether the angle on that 1000 is the same as on my 850. I assume that if the rake is the same on both bikes that angle would be the same on both bikes. Does anyone out there have this information or know where I can get it? Thanks.

- Bill Lloyd williamclloyd@netzero.com

[bgk]

Bill,

I'm 99 and 44/100% sure that the front ends are interchangeable and the rake angle is the same for 1980/1981 GS850G and 1980/1981 GS1000G bikes.

However, the GL models (cruiser style bikes with leading axle front forks, smaller tank, pullback bars and king/queen step seat) are different from the "standard" G models.

The G and GL model front ends might interchange, but I'm pretty sure that the rake angles are different.

[SqDancerLynn1]

The GL has an extra 1 deg rake in the neck + the forward axel. Before you do anything Support the front of the bike under the engine and take everything looooooose. Then starting at the bottom torque all of the fasteners to specs Sometimes the fork tube will twist in the tripple tree. If that doesn't do it the tripple tree stem is probably twisted

[SqDancerLynn1]

For an 81 GS850 GLX & GX list different pn# for lower tripple

[Anonymous]

bent

I would do what Lynn says but when its loose put the wheel between your legs and grag the bars and tweak in the needed direction or put the front of wheel against some thing solid, most lower clamps will still be straight even after a moderate impact, I think you have a misalignment problem, and would be especialty true if the lower clamp bolts are loose to begin with