Jdub goes there 1981 650e rebuild

[jdub6092]

Fresh out of the easy bake light bulb oven. Test pieces to determine whether I should continue with the rest of the engine or hand it off to a professional.
Gonna give it a shot.
One issue I'm having is that the temps here in the Phoenix area this time of year are already 100+ by 10am. Trying to do painting early, but having trouble determining how long to wait between coats. Obviously flashing very quickly. Had some orange peel on the Valve cover and a small area of paint peeled away from the primer while removing masking tape several hours after painting.
20240623_091046.jpg

[jdub6092]

Intake view. Definitely pleased with the outcome. The machinist included the bead blasting as part of the service. He said he could do all four of my carbs for $30 total.
Valve lapping next. 20240613_062226.jpg

[jdub6092]

Got my head,, cylinder and valve cover back from the machine shop.
Valve cover threads on the head repaired.
All pieces were bead blasted and all surfaces decked.
Cylinders honed and piston rings fitted.

Parts look like brand new with a stunning satin finish using only super fine, dry bead blasting at 90 psi. If it wasn't for knowing that they will eventually oxidize, I would probably not paint them.

20240613_062050.jpg

[jdub6092]

Project is looking great, when I was restoring my GS650E I found a NOS center idiot light box (Pilot Box) on line for $45.00 but didn't buy it, as I was trying to get it finished without blowing the budget too much, it was one of the things that I wish I had done.

I see used ones popping semi-regularly with text intact for $30-$40 on ebay and recently my finger just froze up attempting to purchase one. I already have a spare box that's in good condition other than the missing text. I think I've decided that further cosmetic improvements will come after I see how well it's going to run.

The other item I should have done was replace the rear shocks, Ikon sells a good replacement shock but not inexpensive.

They can be purchased in the US I believe, but you would need to reach out to them, I saw them at the Vancouver Motorcycle show a few years ago so they should have distribution in N/A.

https://www.ikonsuspension.com.au/

This will be another deferred decision. Even though theyve been sitting for nearly 30 years, I didnt have a lot of miles on my replaced shocks which were in the softest setting. Just got done dipping the ends in Metal Rescue to remove most of the surface rust. Looks like I'll be doing some touch up painting and giving them an audition.
20240611_062936.jpg

Just a heads up in case you have any issues when running the bike, not sure if I went into detail on my rebuild but it took me weeks to figure this issue out.
I had trouble getting my bike running well and getting it to run on all 4 cylinders, turned out to be 2 main issues, the jetting was all messed up, I bought all new OEM Mikuni jets (pilot and mains) and put them back to stock sizes and replaced the spark plug caps? I found NOS caps from Suzuki and replaced them as the bike would not run well in the high rev range until I switched them out.

I did recently go back and see this on your rebuild. I previously rebuilt the carbs and had the bike running fairly well other than hard start, poor choke response, hanging throttle and high revs after a ride. I guess that's not great, but the throttle did respond quite nicely. I found an extra o-ring in the air mixture screw that didn't dislodge after multiple rounds of chemical and ultrasonic cleaning. I also bought what I now know is a junk rebuild kit with mismatched jets and gaskets, but did replace some parts that looked similar. I eventually purchased a full K&L set and replaced the diaphragms and will make sure that everything matches when I get back to it.
Havent been able to source new or NOS plug caps yet. I will test the reistance, but I do expect to eventually replace them.

I know it's hard when you break or damage something but it's all learning and that builds character and knowledge,

Good luck and keep posting, love your rebuild.

David.

Thanks for the encouragement and kind words David. I started this as a garage clean up project by trying to give it away to finding a scrap yard that would pick it up at no cost with no luck. Feeling a bit incredulous at the lack of interest, I challenged myself to get it cleaned up a bit and running. Then I joined this forum and was really impressed by the enthusiasm for GS bikes and recalled how much I enjoyed my daily commutes and weekend adventures on this bike before I became domesticated. Then I was directed to your rebuild which was my inspiration to go down this road. The level of detail you shared along with other projects I've read through, gave me the confidence I needed to go forward.
I noticed that you went through periods where you weren't getting a lot of feedback, but little did you know that seven years later, all the knowledge, skill and fine detail you shared would be invaluable and inspirational.

Cheers,

John

[Kiwi Canuck]

Project is looking great, when I was restoring my GS650E I found a NOS center idiot light box (Pilot Box) on line for $45.00 but didn't buy it, as I was trying to get it finished without blowing the budget too much, it was one of the things that I wish I had done.

The other item I should have done was replace the rear shocks, Ikon sells a good replacement shock but not inexpensive.

They can be purchased in the US I believe, but you would need to reach out to them, I saw them at the Vancouver Motorcycle show a few years ago so they should have distribution in N/A.

https://www.ikonsuspension.com.au/

Just a heads up in case you have any issues when running the bike, not sure if I went into detail on my rebuild but it took me weeks to figure this issue out.
I had trouble getting my bike running well and getting it to run on all 4 cylinders, turned out to be 2 main issues, the jetting was all messed up, I bought all new OEM Mikuni jets (pilot and mains) and put them back to stock sizes and replaced the spark plug caps? I found NOS caps from Suzuki and replaced them as the bike would not run well in the high rev range until I switched them out.

I know it's hard when you break or damage something but it's all learning and that builds character and knowledge,

Good luck and keep posting, love your rebuild.

David.

[jdub6092]

As this project drags on, and my patience has taken a hit, I'm starting to settle for good enough.
Wish there was a way to restore the washed out text on the pilot box without creating my own stencil. Haven't found any good suggestions yet other than another $40 spent at ebay.
20240609_075013.jpg

[jdub6092]

Prep work almost done. Fill in a couple of nicks on the fender and will be ready for paint.
Was able to source perfect decal replicas as well.

20240609_074209.jpg

[jdub6092]

Cant believe I just scored an NOS fuel tank of the same color on ebay for much less than the cost of a paint job.
Seller says it's in pristine condition and been in the original box.
My current tank only has one ding on the decal and a few scratches on the top, but otherwise pretty good and no leaks. We'll see if there is a market for it.

[jdub6092]

I have a heavy finger when it comes to painting with rattle cans. Even using satin black, most everything I paint looks rather glossy.
These Instrument bezels look a bit too shiny. Aside from repainting and using all light coats, is there a way to flatten this finish?

20240518_225526.jpg Needles and flourescent orange paint on the way.

[jdub6092]

Take this for what it's worth, but unless you can get the exact master kit you need, OEM, not aftermarket, and the bore inside the master is clean and free of pits, then I'd dump and run and install a different master.

I've got one of these on my bike and it's been great...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204594824265

Hey Ed,

I finally resigned myself to the fact that I won't likely find the front MC rebuild kit. It is pretty rare and only used on a few bikes, so not worth it for K&L, All Balls, etc. to offer it. Another mistake - I didn't remove the piston prior to powder coat and the boot got trashed. Rest is probably OK.
So I grabbed this off of ebay.

20240516_162909.jpg

[jdub6092]

Another Pic of my new rear Venhill brake line/rebuilt caliper painted with VHT Satin Caliper paint already being infested with dust.

20240516_161709.jpg

[jdub6092]

I had luck using an EX300 master cylinder on the rear. Needed a bit of work to get it to fit but not too much..... Cheap and should be able to get parts for many more years. Thread on here somewhere!

My rear master cylinder was in pretty good shape. I serviced it and put it back together.
Then I ordered, what looked like the elusive front master cylinder rebuild kit, but it ended up being the rear kit. So I decided to install it.
Could not find the front kit, so I did purchase a new front MC assembly along with the clutch lever. I really only needed the dust boot.
There are a few used front MC assemblies on EBAY that have my same piston assy, but all look worse than mine did and the boot is llikely just as torn up.

20240516_160310.jpg Rear master with new Venhill line.

[Nessism]

Take this for what it's worth, but unless you can get the exact master kit you need, OEM, not aftermarket, and the bore inside the master is clean and free of pits, then I'd dump and run and install a different master.

I've got one of these on my bike and it's been great...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204594824265

[salty_monk]

I had luck using an EX300 master cylinder on the rear. Needed a bit of work to get it to fit but not too much..... Cheap and should be able to get parts for many more years. Thread on here somewhere!

[jdub6092]

Decided to farm out engine work. Having the cylinders honed, rings fitted and head surfaces decked.
I already had three valve cover bolts that were absolutely welded to the threads and had to get help with that.
Will also be getting all but crank bead blasted which will save a ton of additional prep time for painting.
I've already made enough mistakes with this rebuild due to either not knowing or paying enough attention to fine details. Thankfully, Ive been able to correct all screwups so far. Not willing to risk it on my powerplant though.
Maybe next time.
Project is really starting to take shape. Pics coming soon.