Help Tuning A Stock '83 GS1100GL

[gustovh]

Inspect em, see if the steels are burnt and measure them as well as the fibers, you will probably be Ok on those items.

V

[carusoat]

So I sent my dad to pick up the carb holders when they came in and he asked about the clutch springs and the guy there basically talked him out of ordering some. Now, I just put the carb boots on and took it around the block. It idles waaaay better now, but def still has that slippage. If I give it maybe 1/8 - 1/4 throttle it doesn't really slip, but if i go any more than 1/4 the rpm shoots up and it doesn't wanna move. From what you've said that's the definition of the clutch springs needing replacement right? I don't know if I'll be able to find any locally stocked so I'll have to wait for them to come in...

I never would have thought of the clutch spring thing, thank you very much!

[gustovh]

Your welcome, still check the steels and fibers before ordering the springs, they may be bad as well and there is only one way to tell.

V

[carusoat]

Results from the garage:

The springs all measured about 1.53", which according to the service manual is the limit. So I guess I'll order some springs.

Measuring the fibers and steels, they were all within tolerance. The steels all at .078". According to the service manual the range is .078" - .082". The fibers all measured about .615", service manual says .61" - .62" so those are perfect. They look brand new too.

The last steel plate that is behind the piano string measures about .076" and has a little more marking on it than the rest. Should I replace this one? I can tell getting that piano string back on is gonna be annoying. And I'll need a new gasket for the housing.

[gustovh]

Pretty hard to advise on getting new without laying eyes on. So you get lucky and only need springs and gasket. Make sure you get everything back in proper order. How do your valves look?

V

[carusoat]

New parts came on Saturday and put them all in. I couldn't get the piano wire clip back on, but after some digging around here it seems some people leave it off. The new springs measured around 1.06 which is a pretty big difference from the old ones at 1.53. Definitely had an improvement. It's so much faster than I thought. Still have some work to do, syncing and adjusting the carbs a little and it still feels like it slips a little, i might rough up the steels with some sandpaper. I'm glad it's driveable now though. Haven't looked at the valves, might take a look when I sync the carbs.

[kingofvenus]

You really should check the valve clearances before the carb sync cause it might mess it up, and then you'd have to redo it. Anyone here (myself included) would trade you valve shims. Leave the steels alone and buy some new oem fibres. What kind of oil did the P.O. have in it. Synthetic oil could make a clutch slip...

[carusoat]

Alright I'll check the valves first. The fibers in there looked brand new. I think the oil thing is a debate. I've had people recommend either way. That being said it does have 10w-40 mobil high mileage in there. I've always used that on my bikes and never had an issue.

[JTGS850GL]

It's not synthetic v/s conventional oil that's the concern. It's automotive v/s motorcycle rated oils. Many of the higher quality automotive oils contain additives that are designed to help reduce friction. Those same additives will cause slippage on a wet clutch. Motor cycle and diesel engine motor oils don't have these and do have the good additives that our bikes were designed for.

[gs11ezrydr]

Check your clutch cable for free movement and proper free play.. If steel plates,Fibers, and springs are all within specs, Ck. in the 1150 Service manual about shimming the clutch you hay have a problem with the shimming, Usually the bike will creep while the clutch is in but the later can happen also. If not fully releasing. Inspect the inner and clutch outer basket for any grooving.

[gustovh]

Clutch adjustment issue if it slips a little. Easy to check the valves, I used the ziptie method for the first time and it worked really well to keep the valve open. Make sure that the shim is well seated after replacing if needed. .0015 to .004 I believe is the clearance.

V

[carusoat]

I finally got back in the garage. Measured my valves. My feeler gauge only goes down to .04 MM, but the range from the service manual is .03 MM - .08 MM. I couldn't get the .04 MM in any of them, so I guess I can assume they are all .04 MM. Except the #2 exhaust cylinder accepted the .04 MM and rejected the .05MM, so I'll assume it's .05MM. I know these are on the low end of the tolerance, but is that alright? I'd rather not have to deal with the shims if I didn't have to.

thanks

[eil]

I couldn't get the .04 MM in any of them, so I guess I can assume they are all .04 MM.

Nope! That means they are all less than 0.04 mm, which could mean anything between 0.00 mm and 0.03 mm. Chances are the valves have not been checked in decades, if ever. It's highly unlikely that all eight are exactly 0.03, so you're almost certainly looking at getting some new shims. Unless you want to buy a new engine in the near term.

If you want a more precise feeler gauge (recommended), head over to eBay and look for the ones that have 0.03 - 0.10 feelers in 0.01 mm increments.

Then see Steve's signature (in this thread) and ask him for the shim spreadsheet and measure what you have.

Swap around the ones you can and then search the forum for the post about the GS Shim Club or get your new shims from an OEM parts vendor like Parts Outlaw.

[carusoat]

Thanks Charles. I PM'd Ray about the shim club and emailed Steve about the spreadsheet. My feeler gauge goes in increments of .01MM, just only goes down to .04MM. Would you recommend getting some special tools to get the shims out? They seem like they might be a little rough to get out and the pdf on Bike Cliff's website looks like he used some special tools.

[eil]

There is tool you can buy to depress the shim buckets so you can get the shims out with hemostats or small needlenose pliers. Looks like this: http://www.z1enterprises.com/ItemDet...item=TU15-0430

There is also something called the "zip tie method", search the forum for it. Involves opening the valve and jamming a zip tie in it to keep it open while you rotate the cam away from the shim.

Each method has its own fan club. I have had no issues using the shim tool. No experience with the zip tie method, it probably works fine too.