New to bikes: bringing an 80 GS750 back to life?

[Anonymous]

Hello, I recently aquired an 80 GS750 E? L? for free. It hasn't been registered since 1998 and has 32K miles on it. The oil was drained for shipping and I have no keys!!

My question is, what do I need to do to bring it back from the dead... I know I'm either going to have it re-keyed or find a new ignition switch, seat lock and gas cap. Is it the same key for all 3? What kind of maintnance will I need to do? This is my first bike, really excited about getting it running!!

Thanks for the help!!
Sam

[Anonymous]

Cool i have the same bike and yes it is the same key for all three........You should first and foremost buy a repair manual and Read it ......Carbs will probably need to be cleaned as well as the gas tank....i would invest in an inline gas filter as well......You should also check out the electrical system as they have been know to fail.....Reg/Rect...Electrex makes good replacement stuff....But sounds like you are on ur way 8)

[Anonymous]

Might check this out on E-Bay for the key problem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1854927355

Good find on the bike, certainly can't beat the price.

[Anonymous]

for a few bucks more you can buy the whole new ignition sw. from dennis kirk

[moto_dan]

A dealer(expensive) or locksmith should be able to fix you up with a key. There should be a number on your ignition swith that identifies the key code. I think.

[Jethro]

Hey, welcome to the GS family! All 3 keys are alike and I believe that a Suzuki dealer can cut you a new key based on the VIN number (should find that on the headtube). The work you will need to do is all relative to what you want for a finished product. Do you want to restore it or just make it a dependable rider? With the mileage you have, here is what I recommend you do as a minimum:

1. Tear down the carbs for a full cleaning. You'll need to balance the carbs afterwards.
2. Do a valve adjustment. Make sure you replace the head gasket and tourque it down to specs.
3. Change the fork oil. Make sure the fork seals are not leaking.
4. Change oil and filter.
5. Clean or replace air filter.
6. Put some new plugs in. After a few hundred miles check the condition and color. Ideal color is a light brown- anything else is an indication of a problem with the air / fuel mix and possibly worse.
7. Make sure tires, chain and sprockets are in good shape.
8. Bleed brake fluid and check pads.

Try to figure out your gas mileage. This tells you wonders as to how well the bike is running (35-45 mpg. is about average for your bike I think?). Keep the chain lubed and the tire pressure at spec. (I check mine every week). Chances are good that you could run another 10K incindent free miles as it is, but the suggestions above will ensure many trouble free miles!

[earlfor]

Considering the bike has not been registered since 1998, then the tires are at least that old and who knows how much older. I would not consider riding on vintage "storage" tires.
The most important piece of safety equipment on the bike is the tires. The FIRST thing on the "get" list is new tires. You might be thinking, "well, I can at least test ride it on the old ones". Consider that blowing a tire and finding youself sliding face down on the asphalt isnt going to feel any better because it was only a test ride. :-) Its my understanding that you are new to riding and that makes it even more important that you have good tires. My opinion is that an experienced rider at speed on the highway has a good chance of keeping it upright in the event of tire failure, but a new rider doesnt.

Earl


[quote="Jethro"]
here is what I recommend you do as a minimum:

7. Make sure tires, chain and sprockets are in good shape.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the GS world!

I completely agree with Earl. I bought a 79 GS750L a while back, and after sitting for several years, the tires were cracked and as hard as hockey pucks. They were the first thing I replaced. I put Metzeler tires on my bike, but they tend to be pricey, but they come highly recommended, and have never dissapointed me. I've got an ME33 Laser on the front, and an ME88 Marathon on the back. The ME99 Perfect is an excellent choice as well, but will probalby only last you about 3,000 or 4,000 miles. The marathons will last twice that long.

I also highly recommend getting a shop manual and reading through it. Clymer makes excellent books that answer a lot of questions. It will probably only cost you about ten bucks.

Another victiim of age was the brakes. All three of my calipers were seized and had to be rebuilt.

I needed to replace my gas tank on that bike because the old one was extremely rusty and leaked pretty badly. The junkyard tank I bought had a cap, but no key. Using the three digit code on the lock, a locksmith cut me a new key, but charged me a premium because he had to look the code up in his book. That set me back $25 bucks. The replacement ignition switch is a great idea, but that doesn't help with the seat lock or the gas cap.

My bike was also not registerd for several years, and the previous owner lost the title. He knew it would be expensive to re-register the bike and get a replacement title, so he basically gave me the bike, with the understanding that I would cover the penalties and licensing fees. This ended up costing me about $275 (in California).

Hope that isn't too much to digest all at once. Good luck with everything!

[Anonymous]

Great!! Thanks for all the suggestions!! I'll check out that key idea, may be cheaper than replaceing all the locks. Oh yea, the bike came with a Clymer repair manual, been reading up on maint.

The tires look pretty good, but as suggested, I will replace em. Can I find these maint. items (ie plugs, brake pads) at the dealer? Is there a cheaper place to find em? My expirience with auto dealers has shown they are way overpriced on stuff.

Thanks for the help!!

Sam

[Anonymous]

We have a motorcycle shop called "Road Rider" in San Jose, CA that has better prices than the dealer on aftermarket items like tires, brake pads, and spark plugs.

Try "www.denniskirk.com" and "www.mawonline.com". In my experience, they are usually better than the dealer on price, but there are three drawbacks: 1. You will pay for shipping and/or handling, 2. You have to wait for UPS or Snail Mail to deliver the parts, 3. They probably can't answer bike-specific questions like a dealer can.

In fact, I just got an e-mail from Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse, saying that for all tires purchased on September 12, shipping is only $5 per tire. I've heard they have the best tire prices around, but I haven't really checked into them.

Also, the dealer sometimes surprises me. Sometimes a part that I think will cost a fortune, is quite reasonable. I just bought new chrome bolts for the handlebar clamps. They were a discontinuted item, and the dealer gave me his entire stock (5 parts) for twenty-five cents.

I'm not sure if your bike has alloy wheels or spokes, but both will probably require tubes. My 79 GS750L has alloy wheels, and it requires tubes. My understanding is that the alloy is too porous to hold air pressure.

And I would recommend having somone else mount the tires. I did the first set on my first bike, and it cost me a whole Saturday afternoon, and a lot of sweat. My local shop will mount tires for $15 each, in about 10 or 15 minutes.

[Anonymous]

hey jc whitney has those ching foo young tires for about 30 to 60 for each

[Anonymous]

Once you get the bike going, you'll need it regstered and insured. GO to your local DMV and ask what paperwork you'll need. if you don have a title, you might need to get a salvage/repair registration document. Remember as with everything else in the world it seems, it over until the paper work is done!
GY

[Anonymous]

well, I don't think there's much I could add that hasn't already been said, but just like alwyn, I do have the same bike, if yours is the E model. If I'm not mistaken, the E had mag wheels and the square headlight, where the L model had spoked wheels and the round lamp. Bought mine much like you, my first bike, had been sitting for a while. First thing I did was the tires, Next, get the stator and reg/rect checked out. There are some great articles on this site about the r/r for our bikes, and this might keep you from being stranded somewhere. Good luck, and congrats on a great bike. Dominick.........

[Anonymous]

Well I went out and looked at the ignition switch for a number... Didn't find it there but have a number on all the other locks that is the same. I think I'll get one of those key sets from ebay and try it out.

Title is no prob. It came with the bike. You guys are a great help!!

Hmmm now I need a motorcycle license......