Newbie about to buy '82 gs1100e

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I found an '82 gs1100e with less than 15k on the odo. The bike is in great shape...cosmetically and mechanically...shifts well, has great power but the bike does have three problems....

1) Base head gasket is leaking a bit of oil toward the front of the engine. Owner got an estimate for repair at about $500....is this a good quote for that type of work?

2) Front brake lever doesn't activate the brake light. Owner says he dismantled the lever and lost a small part of the switch.

3) Battery light comes on and tends to flicker. The owner says the bike is equipped with a battery water level sensor hooked up to the battery that comes loose or doesn't always work correctly although he bought a new battery over the last year.

Other than that, it runs great....shifts great and is really quick...no strange noises, etc. The owner says he replaced the rectifier (regulator)? with an Electix model also.

Any advice on these items or others I should look out for?

Thanks for your input.
Larry

[daveo]

Re: Newbie about to buy '82 gs1100e

Hello,

I found an '82 gs1100e with less than 15k on the odo. The bike is in great shape...cosmetically and mechanically...shifts well, has great power but the bike does have three problems....

1) Base head gasket is leaking a bit of oil toward the front of the engine. Owner got an estimate for repair at about $500....is this a good quote for that type of work?

Most likely fair, if they fix it....the base gasket is a bunch of work especially the with engine installed.

2) Front brake lever doesn't activate the brake light. Owner says he dismantled the lever and lost a small part of the switch.

I believe it...they suck, the one on the clutch interlock is the same, if you still have one you can bypass the interlock and steal the parts for the brake, I just got a hydraulic line banjo bolt switch to replace the brake switch.

3) Battery light comes on and tends to flicker. The owner says the bike is equipped with a battery water level sensor hooked up to the battery that comes loose or doesn't always work correctly although he bought a new battery over the last year.

This is true about the sensor..check your battery water level and clean sensor connections

Other than that, it runs great....shifts great and is really quick...no strange noises, etc. The owner says he replaced the rectifier (regulator)? with an Electix model also.

Any advice on these items or others I should look out for?
Thanks for your input.
Larry

clean and use dielectric grease on all the connections you can find... maybe run an extra ground wire from the battery to the regulator/rectifier and frame of bike...Enjoy!

[earlfor]

Re: Newbie about to buy '82 gs1100e

I just did that repair on my 1150. Parts cost online was aprox $120. I replaced the head gasket, base gasket and the 8 "O" ring seals in the base gasket. You should ask them if that is what they are quoting to do. I do not feel it is reasonable to replace only the base gasket. If replacing the base gasket, the "O" ring seals must be replaced. Breaking the seal on the headgasket to remove the head and barrels means the headgasket should also be replaced. The exhaust system, tank and coils will need to be removed. The work is done with the engine in the bike. It is not complicated, but it does require attention to detail and precise timing of the valves on reassembly. If the shop is going to replace both gaskets and the "O" rings, then $500 is a fair quote. If they are only going to replace the base gasket (cost about $12), it is a waste of your money and the bike will still leak.

If you have done a little mechanical work and have metric sockets and a torque wrench. You could order the parts online as I did and do it yourself. There are quite a few mech's on the GSR that can give you step by step instructions if you need them. (I can also :-) )

New brake light switches are less than $10 at your local dealer and a bit less online. You can rob the one from your clutch lockout to replace it with. :-)

My 1150 has a battery sensor light and probe. The seller is right, they can be sort of fussy. I use a maintenance free battery that doesnt have the fitting for the sensor unit. I took the bulb out of the dash.

Earl



[quote="lbank8484"]Hello,

I found an '82 gs1100e with less than 15k on the odo. The bike is in great shape...cosmetically and mechanically...shifts well, has great power but the bike does have three problems....

1) Base head gasket is leaking a bit of oil toward the front of the engine. Owner got an estimate for repair at about $500....is this a good quote for that type of work?

[sv650]

Re: Newbie about to buy '82 gs1100e

.....

2) Front brake lever doesn't activate the brake light. Owner says he dismantled the lever and lost a small part of the switch.


.....Larry

The parts should be available from any dealer -- check out their "Tucker-Rocky" Catalog, and you should find the parts for a few dollars. They are commonly lost, so the aftermarket has filled the gap.

SV

[SqDancerLynn1]

I hope you have some riding experience That is a LOT of bike for a beginner. It does sound like a great deal

[KGB]

Just curious......you don't mention price.
So what would make this a great deal? Moneywise?


The problems you explain are fairly common.
Nothing to break a deal.

[Mr. Jiggles]

I hope you have some riding experience That is a LOT of bike for a beginner. It does sound like a great deal

That's good advice. The power delivery on the 1100E is pretty smooth so if your respectful with the throttle you shouldn't have too much trouble. The bike is pretty heavy and can be a handful in the turns until you get used to it. Be careful.

Jeff