GS450T Restoration

[daj12192]

My dad has had a GS450T sitting in the garage for the last 20 years. Now that I am old enough to ride one I would like to get it running again. The bike is in pretty good shape, it's been inside for its whole sitting period. I'll be coming back here from time to time to ask for help as I'm a newbie. And hopefully I'll be able to post final restoration pics. I've been researching quite a bit and have a good idea of what I need to do just to see if I can get the engine running for now. At this point I have taken the carbs off as the throttle was stuck. After looking at it for awhile, it seems like I can't do anything to get the throttle and butterfly valves to move. Also, the float bowl is stuck to the gasket underneath it and I am afraid to damage it trying to pry it off. I have trying spraying both parts with WD-40. Is the carburetor shot? If not, what should I do to get these two parts unstuck?

[Redneck]

Well at least you are starting out young..I am starting at 38 but anyway have you checked out bikecliff.com? He has compiled a huge amount of data and how-to's with these bikes. It is an invaluable resource. I have also been reading from http://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm this guy has a lot of good info also. He is more generic where Basscliff is more oriented to the Suzuki Gs series bike. Good luck and the search feature is your friend ....though sometimes I don't think it likes me too much. Once again welcome and enjoy your new found journey.

[pete]

Cool, another 450! These seem to be popping out of the woodwork lately and it's great to see

I'm not full of helpful advice I'm afraid and I'm just tackling rebuilding my '81 450E at the moment, which I believe will be 1 year younger than your T.

As Redneck says, Basscliff's site is great as is the tech threads in these forums, you will more than likely find all your answers here and, if not, someone will be willing to help out.

If you want to see how mine's going, the thread is here...

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=158670

I think your sounds in better shape

[Nessism]

Remove the screws from the floatbowl and then bang on it with a plastic hammer, or large screwdriver handle. Don't hit it too hard obviously, but it needs to come off.

Before even attempting to start the bike you will need to go though the carbs and fully break them down. Replace all the O-rings inside and the ones on the intake pipe boots as well. Cycleorings.com sells the O-rings you will need. You should also plan on performing a valve adjustment, change the brake fluid, change the oil and filter, replace the tires, replace the air filter foam, etc. Do all the work up front so you can enjoy the bike properly instead of fixing stuff when the bike breaks down all the time like so many people do.

EDIT: to unstick the carb, break it down all the way and soak the body in carb dip for 24 hours or so. If the butterfly is still stuck, try a heat gun. You can go straight to the heat gun if the piston doesn't move, just go easy since the heat could cook the diaphragm.

Lastly, know right now that about 80% of the newbies do a rush carb rebuild and then they scratch their head when the bike runs like $hit afterwards. Do a full tear down using the procedure linked on the GSR homepage (that tutorial is for a larger gang of carbs but the idea is identical to yours). See if you can be in the top 20% that do the carb rebuild right the first time.

[daj12192]

My T is actually a 1981 just like yours. It's cool to see someone going through nearly the same process as me. And yeah for the most part the bike is in pretty decent shape. Everything electrical works and the engine has spark and compression (I think). The transmission shifts through the gears. Very little rust as well. I'm pretty sure I just got lucky. Everything was going smoothly until I got to the carbs. I've been to those sites before and I am sure I'm going to be using them a lot during the process. They have a ton of information. However I can't find anything about how to unstick a seized carb.

[duaneage]

make sure that safety is number one. Replace the tires and the rubber brake lines. New brake fluid and make sure the mastercylinder and caliper is not seeping fluid.

Open the steering tube up and grease or replace the steering head bearings. If water got in they will be rusty and should be replaced. Inspect the swing arm bearings and the same rules apply,

New fork seals are not expensive and the forks should be serviced. This is also a safety issue as the bike will handle properly and a seal failure can be a big surprise.

Dont be tempted to buy the cheapest tires. They greatly affect the way the bike handles, especially in wet weather.

Use a torque wrench for important bolts, like the oil drain plug. It's only supposed to be torqued to 7 ft/lbs. The axles and brake parts are critical and need the correct torque. A good wrench will last a lifetime and prevent many problems. I've worked on bikes with missing shock mount nuts because the mechanix at a shop didn't care enough to torque them properly.

The 450 is a great bike, I had one for a while. Good for learning on and economical to own.

[daj12192]

Thanks for the help. I have a lot of that on my list. Right now I'm getting the motor running before I invest in that kind of stuff. I got the float bowl off and everything inside is pretty rusty.

[terrylee]

Getting close to finishing my wife's 81 450T which was a rusted $80. swap meet buy. Waiting for some brake parts, new clutch cable, tires, and putting in new oil seals and oil in the forks. And of course paint. But hope to have it on the road by the end of the month! I agree, great to hear of another 450! Let me know if I can help with anything. terrylee

[daj12192]

I got a little bit of work done on it this weekend. The gas tank is good to go, and the carbs are getting there. I had a couple questions for you guys on here. First, the seal on the air filter just falls apart when you touch it. Seen in the picture at the top part of the air filter cap. What should I put in there to replace that? And second, the bike has been sitting for 20 years. Do you guys think any kind of special work would need to be done on the engine?

Edit: sorry for the giant image, tips on how to make that smaller would be appreciated

[Charlie G]

This is what I did to my 450e. I used 1/8"x1/4", closed cell foam weather stripping tape, purchased from the local ace hardware. I cleaned the plastic lid with mineral spirits and carefully placed the weather strip into the groove. I placed an additional piece at the front on the air box as there is a slight recess/dip there. I would have liked to have found 1/4"x3/16"thick, but this does seem to seal it. Good luck.

Charlie G

[pete]

Nice idea Charlie.

I'm hoping to end up with pods on mine so won't need that, but it's good to know just in case...

[daj12192]

Thanks for taking the time to post that pic, I'll get around to doing that soon. What do you have to do to get the air box out of the frame? I think it would be a good idea to put new intake boots on both that and the carb. I can't tell if #26 on that web page would be the intake boots for the engine side? I've already found the the ones for the air box side and the o-rings. Thanks.

[daj12192]

Is there anyway to get the airbox out of the frame without taking the cylinder head off?

Have some pictures of the bike:


Right after I removed the gas tank, seat, and carbs.


Tires off.


Does anyone know why those red things (not sure what they are) in the inside are at different heights?


Any ideas on to what I should do to the exhaust and the flaky white stuff on the engine?


What would you do to the chain?

[Charlie G]

daj,

I've never had the air box out of the frame, but I would doubt that you have to pull the head.

cg

[daj12192]

Yeah that's what me and my dad don't understand. With its shape it just doesn't fit out anyway but forward, where it runs into the cylinder head. I have to be missing something