Just acquired

[Dogma]

The finish is the least of my worries though. The seal clips were rusty, and there was a bunch of sludge in the bottom of the lowers. It looked like mud, even though the oil that came out of the forks looked like it had just been changed. One of the seals (the less leaky one) had been cut by some debris. This is what the lower tube looked like:


"My god, it's full of scars!" Appologies to Mr. Clarke. Not really.

I don't think these will really impact performance of the forks, and the fork legs themselves show no evidence of this damage. There are some deepish rub marks at the bottom of both legs though. I smoothed those over on the buffer. What really worries me is that both legs have a scratch about 25° around the circumference of the tube, at about the height of the seal when the fork is fully extended. I wonder how they both got identical scratches. I'll check the location of the scratches more carefully when I put it back together. If it's above the seal, I'll probably have to add forks to my shopping list. First, I'll see how long these seals last. Maybe they'll just weep a little oil. If it's below the seal, I'd like to fill the scratch with something before I slide the leg through an installed seal, and risk cutting it. Any ideas? I was thinking of using car wax.

The more leaky seal really pumped it out. Just taking the bike off the center stand made a small puddle. Once I got it out, I saw that the OD had been damaged during installation. The rubber had been scraped up off of the metal can, as if the seal had been driven in one side, then the other, instead of driving it down evenly.

That's all for now. I forgot to check the valve shims. I wonder how tight they are.

[Steve]

Somebody had access to a buffing wheel, and liked to use it more than Steve:...

Hey, WAIT A MINUTE.

I resemble, er ... resent that remark.

Even if it is true.

.

[Dogma]

I believe only the dreaded '80 petcock requires a bit of vacuum to get it going on PRIME. Once you get it going, you can release the vacuum and it will continue to flow. As I understand this, if you need to use the PRIME function, you move the petcock, then bump the starter to get the vacuum, then wait for the carbs to fill.

With virtually any other petcock, you should see fuel flow as soon as you move the petcock lever.

.

But it IS an '80. You describe my 850GL perfectly. I guess further testing of the other functions is in order.

[Dogma]

White with Red trace is a stator wire no? That would explain the melted connector.

EEeeeww. I like my too-close-to-the-head theory better. I won't be able to test the charging system until after I get done rebuilding the carbs and resurrecting the air box. It's first on my list after that.

[Dogma]

I've been slowly researching and building a list of everything I'll be needing to get this thing ready. In the process of doing that, I discovered that Z1 has multi-pin connectors similar to what's used in the wiring harness. Even a dealer I tried didn't have these when I wanted one for my 850.

Z1 also has individual fasteners, costing only somewhat more than the per piece cost at McMaster Carr. McMaster doesn't offer individual pieces, but if you need more than a few they're the better deal. Either is far better than the places that want a buck each.

Fasteners brings me to a short rant. In removing the cam cover to check valve clearances, I noticed that some of the screws were difficult to back out. One was merely full of black silicone. Another had the first two threads mashed together as if someone had used it as a drift pin. Another was just the wrong screw. Wrong head, too short, and stripped, leaving it's threads in the head. Most of the rest were of two lengths, even though the cover only needs one length. It's so irritating to see people risk damaging the head for the lack of a $0.25 screw. I know why people do it. I have to resist the same laziness in myself. It's just annoying to find someone else has done it to something I'm trying to set right, knowing from myself that it's done out of laziness or at best ignorance.

I think I'm going to like that I don't have to remove the breather cover separately to check the valves. After I replace the anemic stock horns, they won't be in the way either.

I finished cleaning up and reassembling the forks. Not perfect, but they look pretty good:

It's hard to get a really good photo of shiny things using a flash.

I ended up sanding them with 1000 grit, then waxing them. I wonder how long the wax will last.

I also took a few minutes to begin experimenting with the bed liner on the tank:

Trouble with the flash again. It really shows the sanding dust.

It sands pretty easily with 400 grit. It turns out the red ruloc (sp?) wheel can move the material around pretty easily. I think that's going to be the best way to flatten the material, then sand it to finish. You can see the swirling from the wheel at the front, while the rearward part of the tank's bevel has been sanded with 400. I think I'll try a finer grit to see how smooth I can make it. I need to get the thing out into the sunlight and clean it to see how it will really look.

There happens to be an '80 1000G parted out on eBay right now. I picked up a few things I'll need pretty cheaply. I saw TCK's 1000G with square '81 turn signals, and liked that better than the round '80 signals I didn't have anyway. So I have those either here already or on the way.

I also got some case guards for about $35 delivered. That sounds like a steal until you see them. Still not a bad deal, but the chrome is peeled and rusted in a few large patches. I plan to paint them black, so I need to learn how to go about that. Any advice welcome. I think the black case guards will frame the bottom of the silver engine nicely.

I also have a line on another bike being parted out (thanks to Duanage), including a very nice exhaust that I can't afford just now. It's not far from my family's place in NY, so maybe I won't need to pay shipping if something works out.

I think I'll start breaking down the carbs while watching "The National Parks" this evening.

[Charlie G]

Dogma,

Inretesting watching you go through the bike's flaws one by one. I'm sure I'll learn quite a bit following this thread. My bike's haven't needed much more than carb rebuild and valve adjust to get them going, although fork rebuild an charging system check are on my list of to do's. Good luck and thanks for the pictures, ect.

cg

[msdosp1mp]

Have you tried aircraft stripper on that bedliner material?

[Dogma]

Dogma,

Inretesting watching you go through the bike's flaws one by one. I'm sure I'll learn quite a bit following this thread. My bike's haven't needed much more than carb rebuild and valve adjust to get them going, although fork rebuild an charging system check are on my list of to do's. Good luck and thanks for the pictures, ect.

cg

Thanks. For your amusement and education. And sometimes mine.

[Dogma]

Have you tried aircraft stripper on that bedliner material?

Not yet. As a strictly cosmetic issue, it's the last thing I'm going to spend money on. Anyhow, the bed liner, as an idea, appeals to me. If I can't make it look the way I want, I'll eventually get a proper paint job. In fact, after I get this bike mechanically reliable, I have other money projects I want to get to before any cosmetic work that costs more than a few bucks. So, the bed liner is going to be on there for probably a year or two at least.

[mighty13d]

I love rebuild stories that go piece by piece like this. Keep it going!!! and great job so far. I also wouldn't worry too much about the tank. If it's going to be a hassle, smooth it out, slap some paint on it and call it good until you find a nice one on e-bay or something.

[Dogma]

Well, I got the #1 carb almost ready to dip. I just need one or two things. First, I need a wooden dowel or some other non-marring-type thing to drive the needle jet out. Second, I need suggestions on how to remove a stuck pilot air screw (or fuel flow screw, if that's the correct name).

Here I am, just getting started. No complaints from Wendy, so maybe she likes the smell of gasoline too. I chose well.

Those are the tools I thought I would need. Not exactly. Three pound driving hammer not pictured.

If you look closely at the gang plate, you can see the next picture coming.



The basis for a new demotivator poster on incompetence. I'm not going to bother making one, because I haven't seen enough of the super-inspiring motivational posters.

Seriously noobs, get an impact driver, and be an advanced noob like me. That's how I loosened all the other screws. These two came out by clamping vise grips onto the screw heads. I was thinking about not getting stainless screws for the carbs, but now I see that decision has been made for me, in the slightly more expensive direction.

Lastly,

It would be beneath me to suggest humor in poor taste here. Oh wait...

Is this par for the course, or cause for concern? The cloth embedded in the diaphragm is not torn, and the rubber on the other side is intact. OK for now, I think, but will this be trouble later?

So, to sum up:

1. How to remove stuck pilot air screw?
2. Is this diaphragm going to be a problem in the forseeable future?

[mighty13d]

can you turn the screw at all or is it totally froze right in place? you might have to dip it first or spray it with carb cleaner and let it soak before trying again. those would be your best two bets.

and +5 million on the impact driver. I did also use vice grips in removing those small bolts though. works pretty good if you're not planning on re-using them

[four_shot]

Just got a new impact driver for my birthday! now I dont have to cart the one I keep at work home every time i need it.

[Dogma]

can you turn the screw at all or is it totally froze right in place? you might have to dip it first or spray it with carb cleaner and let it soak before trying again. those would be your best two bets.

and +5 million on the impact driver. I did also use vice grips in removing those small bolts though. works pretty good if you're not planning on re-using them

Thanks. I was thinking along those lines, but I wasn't sure there wasn't something irreplaceable under it for the dip to destroy. If chemicals doesn't loosen it, I guess I can try warming up the carb body.

[rustybronco]

let me check and see if the bs32's use the same slide diaphragm and if I have a good one to send to you...

***edit*** rats... they're not the same.