Good Motor Guy?

[BigDaddyD]

Would anyone happen to know of a good motor guy in the L.A.-Long Beach Area?

I'm looking rebuild my engine and perhaps add a little muscle to her. Preferably I'd like to find someone that's into building racing engines, but as long as they're professional and know what they're doing, that's good enough for me.
I'd take the time and do it myself but right now I don't have the space or tools and if I don't get the engine worked over soon I'm worried I might break something. :-)

Thanks!

[Nessism]

What kind of bike are we talking about and what's wrong with the engine now? I can help you if you just need the top end done but there are better qualified people if you want a race engine built.

Good luck.

[BigDaddyD]

It's a '77 GS750. I've put some pods on her and she's got about 35,000 miles on her.

I'm not sure what all is possibly wrong w/the engine, but I know for sure she's in need of some new gaskets. I've been getting a little oil-seepage where the top cylinder gasket is and also around the valve and camshaft cover after long rides which, at this point, I know aren't too bad but I know they'll get worse down the road.

Also, I get some loud knocking from the bottom of the engine. It comes and goes as the bike heats up. I've been told it's either the Main Bearing or something to do with the Clutch or Tranny. I also get alot of clatter from the top of the engine. I'm assuming it's the valve-train. It's not a specific sound, no knocking or pinging or rattling, it just sounds loud and dry around the 4,000rpm range. Anywhere below that and she sounds nice and smooth.

Plus the carbs are fairly outa whack. I don't know what was done to get the bike running, they're up and working at the moment but my spark plugs keep fouling up. I've got the air-screws backed out about all the way trying to keep the mixture lean enough to not burn thru plugs. Where the airscrews are set right now I get a little bit of backfiring when she's warming up at idle. Nothing too loud, just a few putts. But they go away if I screw them in just a 1/4 turn. Plus the #1 and 2 carb bowls leak round the bottom of the carbs and I've already tried replacing the gaskets once.

So with all these little things I'm just thinking I'd like to just take her somewhere, get everything taken care of and perhaps throw in whatever goodies might be available to get a little more power out of her. Cams or maybe some piston work if possible??(might as well do it while everything's getting opened up anyways)
And like I said, I know it's not so much I can't do it myself. But I just don't have anywhere to work on her or enough tools and time at the moment. I'd rather just get it done right the first time and save myself the worry of having to open something back up again right away.
Trust me, I've had my share of strange looks from people while tearing her apart on the sidewalk in front of my apartment ;-)

[rapidray]

Hi Big! I build engines & race GSs also. Call me at 714-356-7845. I am 3 blocks from Disneyland & will be glad to help you. Ray.

[BigDaddyD]

Hey Ray,
Thanks! I'll give you a buzz tuesday. Don't wanna bother anyone over the weekend.
What's a good time to catch ya?

[rapidray]

Call me today! I'm out in the garage playing with motors & if you want to take a ride come on over! If you care to have a refreshment I've got COLD Newcastles! Ray.

[lecroy]

Just make sure you know who your dealing with before you open your wallet. Try running a search on this site.

My last few posts with Ray were a little rib poke but now I wonder. This was one members post:

"I'm sorry but I can't sit back and be silent anymore, I too have been deceived by rapidray. On 9/25/07 I posted for a 85 1150 cylinder, rr replied on 9/30/07, after a few PM's I mailed him a check on 10/5/07 coast to coast for $125.00 for the cylinder. This check was cashed 10/11/07 the day it arrived. Now to make a very long story short after almost two months and many PM's and phone calls with absolutely no reply I finally left him a voice message saying that by his nonresponse I could only assume that I had been ripped and would expose him to others in hopes I would get his attention and he would finally return a call. Indeed this worked, he called and left me a very angry voicemail stating he had never ripped anyone in his life and that he had come home from church the night before I called and found the cylinder returned on his front porch. So I called him back immediately and he would not answer his phone once again. So I left him a voicemail going through the facts stating that I mailed him a check on 10/5 that was immediately cashed and had never received the cylinder and had sent many many PM's and left many many voice-mails on his phone and was totally ignored, and it was now 11/28 almost two months later and what would he expect me to think. Now rr said in his voicemail to me that he had been to church and from this I hoped that he is a man of conscience so I finished my voicemail stating if you are in bad need of money keep the money and the cylinder and Merry Christmas if not, please sent me the cylinder and maybe we could do business in the future. I never heard from Ray again. Now rr states in his reply to you that he is an honest person, I find this hard to beleive being I gave him every chance in my situation to let his conscience be his guide. Katman maybe I should not have replied to this but if it saves someone from going through what I have, it's worth it. I have always been tauhgt that at the end of the day that the only thing that can stand tall is the truth. I will send you a PM with my number to discuss."

[rapidray]

Ok Mark, WTF? This issue was cleared up a LONG time ago & you want to drag it up again?! Talk to Glenn Fahs yourself! He called me yesterday, in fact & we probably talk once or twice a week! If you have a problem with me, have enough respect to PM me. If not, what's the deal? Are you buddies with Tank now or some crap? If you want to know about him talk to Fred Camarena or Adam Konopacki. They've both met him & know the real deal about him. Have I EVER done anything to you or bad mouthed you or screwed you in ANY way? NO! So what's your excuse? Ray.

[lecroy]

Ok Mark, WTF? This issue was cleared up a LONG time ago & you want to drag it up again?! Talk to Glenn Fahs yourself! He called me yesterday, in fact & we probably talk once or twice a week! If you have a problem with me, have enough respect to PM me. If not, what's the deal? Are you buddies with Tank now or some crap? If you want to know about him talk to Fred Camarena or Adam Konopacki. They've both met him & know the real deal about him. Have I EVER done anything to you or bad mouthed you or screwed you in ANY way? NO! So what's your excuse? Ray.

If you have a problem with what people have wrote about their deals with you, that's your problem. I have read where both you and Tank have been called out for bad deals. People post their stories to try and prevent the next person from falling into the same trap is all. People are free to do their own searches to decide if they want to work with someone or not.

Again, I have never met Don in person.

[BigDaddyD]

Sounds like there's some interesting back-story here...
;-)

[lecroy]

Try the search engine. Ray had more than one person call him out over a bad deal. You need to decide for yourself if its worth the risk. That would go for anyone you take your bike to. Good luck.

[sark]

subscribed

[Glenn Fahs]

Just a quick note, Ray and I took our problem offline and to a phone line and worked things out. I did get my part and now myself and some of my GS buddies have purchased GS parts from Ray with no problems. Just thought I should put this out there. God bless you all.
Fahsmos

[lecroy]

To bad so many had to bring it to the net to get resolution. Glad yours was resolved.