gs1000 engine into a gs850?

[Guest]

There is a 1980 GS1000 engine for sale locally. Is there anything I can do with it for my 1980 GS850? Engine swap, cylinder swap? Just curious.

[Dogma]

Steve was just telling me Monday evening that the 80-81 850 and 1000 all 4 use the same frame. As in, same part number. Double-check my memory on that, but it should be a bolt in swap. I have one of each in my garage, and I can tell you the cases are not identical. The mount points may be identical, or you might need some mount brackets with the motor. You might be able to check part numbers of the brackets to be sure.

[razooki]

That's what I thought but one is a chain the other is a shaft...? Would the bottom end not be different?

[Dogma]

OH! I thought you meant a 1000G. I should have asked. No, that won't bolt in. I don't know about using the cylinders and whatnot on the 850 cases. Someone else will have to weigh in on that.

[razooki]

I just checked on BikeBandit. they list 4 models for that year - 2 shafties (GT & GLT) and 2 chain drive ones (ET & ST).

[bomber737]

I was wondering the same thing. I have a gs850GS and a friend has a gs1000 shafty. I would like to put the 1000 shafty engine in my gs850 frame. They are both 81, is this possible?

[Nessism]

I was wondering the same thing. I have a gs850GS and a friend has a gs1000 shafty. I would like to put the 1000 shafty engine in my gs850 frame. They are both 81, is this possible?

Yes. A number of people here have made the swap.

[razooki]

The 1000 engines seem to be scarcer than chicken milk around here. I missed on an engine for $100 a couple of years ago and have been looking ever since.

[bomber737]

ok thanks for the information. Ill have to see if i can talk the guy out of that engine then. And the gs850 parts bike I am picking up also comes with a title so maby I have a gs850 in my future. These things are so much easier to get back on the road than old Yamaha's. Any body want a Seca?

[bomber737]

I had another thought, can I use the gs850 carbs on a 1000 engine? I would put the 1000 carb kits in them.

[86turbodsl]

I read an article not too long ago, where they discussed the development of the 1000G, and they specifically mentioned that the 850 clutch wasn't strong enough for the move to 1000. It had to be beefed up. Just keep that in mind with cylinder swaps.

[bomber737]

Ok I get that. I was thinking of swaping the whole engine out of the 850 for the 1000. I suppose if you just do the cylinder swap you can also swap the clutch basket to the 1000 one. I am going to assume that is a beefed up part. But thanks for the info.

[7981GS]

You cannot use the 1000 cylinder and pistons on/in the 850.
The 850 engine uses 16 mm piston pins and the 1000 uses 18 mm piston pins.
As for using the 32 mm CV carbs from the 850 on the 1000 engine,
these are some Kawasaki 32CV's that I pulled from my spares and cleaned up to use on my '78 1000E...



Eric

[bomber737]

Thanks for the information. Really I just wanted to see if the 1000 engine would transfer to the 850 frame. It looks like it will. And I will not be trying to put 1000 cylinders on a 850 bottom end. Is there any chance the mechanical carbs from a 79 gs750 will work on a 850 or 1000? rejetted of course. Wow you really did clean those carbs up. They look beautiful, you even got them to be shinny. What do you use to remove the oxidation on them?

[7981GS]

If those engines have the earlier small-port heads, they also came stock with similar carbs.
Jet accordingly, and they will work.

Eric