so a trade and a trade and another trade for...

[jdobrosky]

Hey, my name is John and im from a little tiny town about 45 minutes east of Pittsburgh. here we go...


Backstory: So i had an old buddy a few years ago who had an acoustic guitar and i kinda liked it so i asked him about selling it to me. he said give me a case a beer and you can have it. so now i have a guitar, and fast forward to present times. I have another buddy who had this s-10 pickup that he said was a "wrencher" or project. and he asked if i would trade the guitar and a 50 bucks for the truck. so i said, to put it politely, "F'n 'a right i will!" so after a little tinkering (it just needed a battery, if you were wondering) i found a guy on craigslist looking to trade his project bikes for a work truck. so i contacted him and about a week later i became the proud owner of a 79 GS850 and what i believe is an 80 or 81 GS850.

And so Project "insert-catchy-nick-name-here" Begins....


So here are a few pictures. sorry for quality, these were taken on an ipod.
the 79:




The 80/81:




So where to start huh? on the tow home, the bikes kinda fell one on top of each other, the ball on the end of the kickstand made a bullseye. right to the looking glass on the clutch cover. is that replaceable or do i need a new cover? when i got the bikes into my "garage" i looked at the wiring harness and it is CUT TO **** AND BACK. but, nevertheless, it has spark. so i rigged up a lawnmower gas tank (haha, i know right?) and the damn thing fired right up. seriously, 2 cranks and then VROOM. gotta say, im used to harley's, but this thing has a tune to it that is just so unique i fell in love with in the first 2 seconds this thing was running. which is about how long i ran it because i didnt really expect it to fire after sitting like this for 5 or 6 years, and i didnt give it a full look over. so i took the battery over to the 80 and all the electronics work. lights, signals brake lights, gear indicators, everything. so far, im impressed. let a harley sit for 5 years and see what happens. so, even tho there is no carbs on it, i wanted to see if it would at least spin the motor, and the starter just spins. it doesnt engage to the motor. i dont know if the bendix just isnt moving out to engage or if something else is wrong. so i have yet to inspect that. any ideas? another problem is that there are 2 studs broken off with about 4-5 threads sticking out :facepalm: im not afraid to get a little dirty with these bikes. ive worked on bikes in the past and ive been an auto mechanic professionally for about 5 years now. so most, if not, all work will be done by me, my dad, and my brother in law

another problem is that the 80/81 model doesnt have a title. thats why its a "parts bike". but it is in way better condition. i would like to find a way to get a title for it tho. does anyone know how to do this/ if it can be done?

if i cant do that, how much of the parts of the 80/81 are interchangeable with the 79?

any and all feedback is welcome/appreciated. but if you hate, i will hate back. and you wouldnt like me when im hating

[brslk]

There is very little hate here and a ton of help coming your way.

I belong to a ton of forums and this one is the friendliest of all.

Don't be an a-hole and you will not be treated as such.

Welcome.

Bruce.

[DanTheMan]

The more complete bike with the seat on it is an 850 GL (cruiser style, small tank). The other one is an 850G (not cruiser, 5.8 gal tank, slightly longer frame). Just for your info and ID purposes.
Welcome to the forum by the way.
As has been said already, if you're not a troll, trying to stir up a trouble pot, nobody will give you grief.
Put a howdy do in the GS owner's thread as well, so our resident non-official greeter (BassCliff) can give you his non-official welcome with loads of information on our favorite bikes. It'll take about a week to read and digest all the good stuff he has for you.
Looks like you've got a bit of work cut out there, and I really can't answer your question on the oil sight glass, but you could look it up on either AlphaSports or the Bike Bandit websites where they have parts fiche breakdowns.
There is no bendix drive on these starters, there is a starter clutch under the left side cover where the stator (not to be confused with the starter) resides. that's your charging system in there as well. What two studs are broken off?
Oh another FYI. The '79 is in a class almost entirely by itself. You'll notice it still has a kick starter and the '80/81 doesn't. Not a whole lot of parts are interchangeable between the two, some are, most aren't, and there's also the fact that the '79 is G and the '80 is a GL.
Have fun!

[Mista M]

Welcome to the forums. A lot of valuable info here that will get your bikes running well. I recommend you take a trip down to your DMV and inquire about titling the bike your dear departed uncle left you in his will.

[7981GS]

I like the old school after market fork brace on the '79 along with the after market coils/wires.
Perhaps it has already been converted to points-less ignition also?
If you have the carbs for the '80-81, the head from that bike, with the carbs, would be an improvement on the '79 if you were thinking about rebuilding the engine anyway.
You would also need the airbox from an '80-82 850G or go with pods though.
Great to here that it runs!!!
That makes it worth the effort alone.
The GL model, would be much less comfortable to ride and have a smaller riding range limited by the tiny fuel tank.(probably installed due to the lack of comfort anyway.)
Besides, the kicker on the '79 is just much cooler anyway IMHO.

Daniel

[Redneck]

Welcome to the forums. A lot of valuable info here that will get your bikes running well. I recommend you take a trip down to your DMV and inquire about titling the bike your dear departed uncle left you in his will.

Agreed. You will find each state is different in some states because the bike is over 30 years old that it does not require a title, in others you will just have to apply for it, then in some states you have to sign over your first born child, your big toe on your left foot, the pinky toe on your right foot, and your right eye, then they will start the paper work. Welcome to the forum take some time and read through Basscliff's info, you will find that his site will answer most of your questions. Good luck

Paul

[jdobrosky]

thanks or all the info guys. dont worry, i wont be an a hole. im one of the nicest and friendliest people you will talk to. its just the way i was brought up i guess. definatly going to go to the DMV sometime in the up coming week. really the only thing the 80's model is carbs and the studs removed from the head, and it would be a complete bike. and i know the 79 needs a good bit of work. so i think i might get the studs out and put the carbs from the 79 on the 80's model. then continue to restore the 79 over the next couple months/years. and i see what you mean with the tank. i have both tanks (the blue one on the floor behind the 80's model is the one for the 79) and it is a world of difference. but as i do work on these 2 bikes i will keep this thread updated. thanks again for all the info. now its time to post in the owners thread and then go to work. then when i get home 2 service manuals will be ordered from basscliff.

[DanTheMan]

Hey John, the carbs from the '79 will not fit on the '80. They are completely different carbs. the '79 has these carbs:http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...rb_rebuild.pdf and the '80 has these:http://www.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/...ing_Series.pdf

Th bolt spacing and the hook ups/intake boots are all different for the models.

[jdobrosky]

thanks for the info about the carbs dantheman. its a good thing i didnt start tearing down to start the swap. i have a guy i need to call. i heard about him through a buddy of a buddy of a buddy, etc. im told he has about 3-5 acres of land, with about half of it full of old metric bikes. hondas and suzuki's and stuff. so i might try to find and 80 motor/driveline combo and just swap it in. then work on getting the bolts out of the head, put carbs on that motor and sell it.

to the person who asked which bolts are broken off. there is this one and the same one on the cylinder beside it:

[tkent02]

Those bolts actually look fairly easy. Do you have welding equipment? Drill a hole in a piece of flat steel, put it over the broken off bolt, weld it to the bolt. Now it's a handle. Then while it's hot, put some PB Blaster, or I have even heard of using candle wax on the threads, and turn the steel handle out. Make sure the handle is shaped OK to turn all the way around until the bolt is out. Anyway when you get them out, use studs and nuts next time.

[Steve]

, nice to see another couple of 850s join the ranks.

Click on the links in my sig, you will see that I have a few of them, too.

If you need some help determining whether your L is an '80 or '81, take a look at the serial number plate on the steering stem. If it is still legible, look for the production date and the very end of the serial number. If the production date is 7/80 or later, it is likely an '81. If you can read the end of the serial number, look for a T or an X. T is '80, X is '81.

One more test that will be easier, but not quite as definitive: what size is the rear wheel? The '80 850L came with a 17" wheel, later years had a 16".

.

[jdobrosky]

wow. thats a great idea. first time ive ever heard that one. i was gonna weld a stud on the end, that way there was more to grab, but i like the hole in a chunk of metal idea better. should i put anything inbetween the metal and the head so the heat doesnt screw anything up?

[tkent02]

wow. thats a great idea. first time ive ever heard that one. i was gonna weld a stud on the end, that way there was more to grab, but i like the hole in a chunk of metal idea better. should i put anything inbetween the metal and the head so the heat doesnt screw anything up?

No, the heat is actually what loosens the bolt, the hotter the better. The aluminum expands more than the steel and loosen it's grip or something, the wax or PB Blaster is drawn all the way down into the threads, out it comes. Or something like that.

A guy named Normk was really good at explaining how all works, but he got his teats all in a tizzy and left the forum.
You might find his old post about it.

Oh, yeah, wiggle the handle back and forth until the bolt gets loose, don't just twist it one way.

[jdobrosky]

sweet. i know what im doing this weekend. haha

[tkent02]

sweet. i know what im doing this weekend. haha

Let us know how it turns out. There are a lot of guys with broken off bolts.