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A friend has a '79 GS750 that hasn't run in over twenty years. He's offered it to me, essentially for free, and I'm debating whether to take it on as a project. I don't really need another project (I have a '98 BMW K1200RS torn apart in the garage at the moment, waiting for me to order clutch parts - big job on a K12 with its longitudinal engine and dry clutch!) but I'm still awfully tempted. I have some history with this bike - I owned it in 1990 and 1991, and it's one of the bikes that I've always regretted selling. If I take it on as a project, it'll be to keep it and ride it. I'm not a stickler for trying to make everything "correct" on it - mostly all I want out of it is a good running, reasonably reliable bike within the limits of 1970s technology, though I do want something that's cosmetically decent. I'm a bit concerned about the time and money it'll take to get it to that state. One problem with working on a bike that I used to own is that if there's sketchy work that was done by a previous owner, I was probably the one who did it - I was young and still learning to fix things when I owned this bike, and some of my choices at the time may have been a little questionable.
Since this is my first post, a bit about me: I'm Dave, and I've been riding since '89 when I bought an '82 GS450 (which is another bike I wish I hadn't sold). I live in Albuquerque and work about 45 miles south, and commute year-round on an '04 BMW K1200GT. I work as a mechanical and controls engineer at a factory that manufactures desiccant (the "do not eat" packets you find in all sorts of products), so I've got a pretty decent set of mechanical skills, at least to the extent of knowing which end of the crescent wrench to use as a hammer and things like that.
The bike is obviously very rough at the moment. It was last registered in 1996, and sometime around then it had quit running because of dirty carbs, likely from sitting too long with gas in them. My friend had pulled the carbs and bought rebuild kits, but never put them in. It was stored outside for a couple of years, then moved into a garage where it's sat unmoved and unloved for over twenty years. The carbs are off, the tank is off, the side covers are off, but most of the parts are present and accounted for - we didn't look extensively for a few missing pieces, but they'll likely turn up in the garage.
The first problem it has is that it's very dirty. The intakes weren't blocked off when the carbs were removed, so it's anybody's guess how much crud has gotten into the cylinders. I turned it over enough to make sure it wasn't seized, but I likely need to pull the plugs and make sure the cylinders are clear (and put some oil in there) before I try to crank it any more than that. I'll probably give it a quick wash to see what's under all the grime, then clean the intakes and carbs and make sure it'll start before I get too far into it.
Very dirty. Mufflers are rusted and have been (badly) painted black. Seat cover is non-original but may be useable; foam appears to be OK underneath, and the seat pan has only a small amount of surface rust on the underside. Seat lock is missing. I think the headlight ears are from a later GS - when I bought it in '90 it had a badly cracked Vetter fairing on it, and I sourced parts from a local salvage yard to return it to unfaired condition, so it got whatever I could find.
The gas tank is there, just not mounted; there's some surface rust inside, but I don't see any rusted-through areas. The locking cover is likely knocking around the garage somewhere. Registration sticker expired in 1996. Bars are not stock.
Carb boots appear to be serviceable, though I'm sure their O-rings need to be replaced. Wish my friend had blocked off the intakes. Wiring appears to be in reasonably good shape. The airbox is removed but present.
I'm not sure what these instruments came off of - I'm guessing an '80 to '82 GS judging from the 85 mph speedometer. The bracket obviously doesn't fit right, though I could slot it and make it work. Probably better to find a set of instruments that fit right, and ditch the 85 mph speedo. No idea what the actual mileage is, though my somewhat fuzzy recollection from years ago suggests that it's not too far off from what the odometer reads.
Rear footpeg bracket is tweaked and has a cracked weld that'll have to be repaired.
I think the brake lines are original.
Valve cover gasket is leaking. That's probably why the exhaust camshaft end cover is off; the cover is there, just not in place.
Since this is my first post, a bit about me: I'm Dave, and I've been riding since '89 when I bought an '82 GS450 (which is another bike I wish I hadn't sold). I live in Albuquerque and work about 45 miles south, and commute year-round on an '04 BMW K1200GT. I work as a mechanical and controls engineer at a factory that manufactures desiccant (the "do not eat" packets you find in all sorts of products), so I've got a pretty decent set of mechanical skills, at least to the extent of knowing which end of the crescent wrench to use as a hammer and things like that.
The bike is obviously very rough at the moment. It was last registered in 1996, and sometime around then it had quit running because of dirty carbs, likely from sitting too long with gas in them. My friend had pulled the carbs and bought rebuild kits, but never put them in. It was stored outside for a couple of years, then moved into a garage where it's sat unmoved and unloved for over twenty years. The carbs are off, the tank is off, the side covers are off, but most of the parts are present and accounted for - we didn't look extensively for a few missing pieces, but they'll likely turn up in the garage.
The first problem it has is that it's very dirty. The intakes weren't blocked off when the carbs were removed, so it's anybody's guess how much crud has gotten into the cylinders. I turned it over enough to make sure it wasn't seized, but I likely need to pull the plugs and make sure the cylinders are clear (and put some oil in there) before I try to crank it any more than that. I'll probably give it a quick wash to see what's under all the grime, then clean the intakes and carbs and make sure it'll start before I get too far into it.
Very dirty. Mufflers are rusted and have been (badly) painted black. Seat cover is non-original but may be useable; foam appears to be OK underneath, and the seat pan has only a small amount of surface rust on the underside. Seat lock is missing. I think the headlight ears are from a later GS - when I bought it in '90 it had a badly cracked Vetter fairing on it, and I sourced parts from a local salvage yard to return it to unfaired condition, so it got whatever I could find.
The gas tank is there, just not mounted; there's some surface rust inside, but I don't see any rusted-through areas. The locking cover is likely knocking around the garage somewhere. Registration sticker expired in 1996. Bars are not stock.
Carb boots appear to be serviceable, though I'm sure their O-rings need to be replaced. Wish my friend had blocked off the intakes. Wiring appears to be in reasonably good shape. The airbox is removed but present.
I'm not sure what these instruments came off of - I'm guessing an '80 to '82 GS judging from the 85 mph speedometer. The bracket obviously doesn't fit right, though I could slot it and make it work. Probably better to find a set of instruments that fit right, and ditch the 85 mph speedo. No idea what the actual mileage is, though my somewhat fuzzy recollection from years ago suggests that it's not too far off from what the odometer reads.
Rear footpeg bracket is tweaked and has a cracked weld that'll have to be repaired.
I think the brake lines are original.
Valve cover gasket is leaking. That's probably why the exhaust camshaft end cover is off; the cover is there, just not in place.
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