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I recently purchased my first bike on June 2, 2012. For $500, I am now the proud owner of a 1982 GS750TZ. When I first got this bike it was missing a few things altogether:
Gas Tank, Seat, Airbox assembly, Side Covers, Chain guard, Tail-light, Grips, battery
aside from all of that I still fell in love with this bike and the possibility of what it COULD be. I was looking for a project, I am turning 40 this year and have never owned a motorcycle and I wanted something inexpensive that I could work on myself and really learn about the bike while also learning to ride and enjoying the whole experience.
In the last 3 months I have managed to replace ALL the missing parts listed above, for no small expense though! and I have really enjoyed bringing this vintage GS back to life.
The bike is still not running yet, I have recently been working on removing and thouroughly cleaning the Carbs, having to replace some worn parts along the way. The latest trouble I am having is that the bike starts but idles VERY high, like 5k RPM... the previous owner had removed the airbox system and installed Pods, and everything I have read about these says that this Mod changes the way the engine was designed to run, so I decided to buy a stock airbox sytem and put it back to the factory design. I do not regret this choice, it looks way better as stock in my opinion and I am hoping it will run better. I have found that reinstalling the carbs with the airbox, after cleaning the carbs is no small job, everything is very tightly squeexed in there.
I now am trying to tune my carbs to get this bike running like she should and trying to get the airbox installed, but the intake boots seem to be too small to attach to the carbs. The are also hardened, so I bought new boots and hopefully they will fit correctly so I can complete the install of the airbox and get the whole air intake system sealed up tight so the bike doesnt suck to much air and keep runing so lean, which is why I think the RPM are so high at Idle. Hopefully will be off and riding soon.
I will post some pics of the before and after pics so far. I still have a lot of work ahead, but I really enjoy this bike and hope that the perfromance and riding experience is as good as I expect.
Here are some of the difficulties I experienced during my restore:
1) Finding a replacement Seat.
What a mojor challenge this proved to be... I know this was a common bike and that there ARE more of these out there, but finding these major parts that are still in good shape was almost impossible, I got lucky and found a good seat pan for $40, and I was able to use my original foam. I bought a Saddleman replacement seat cover for $60, and it looks like new now, with a solid and freshly paint seat pan! I also had to buy the seat lock.
2) Finding a replacement Gas tank.
Again, a major challenge to find a tank that fits this particular bike that was not full of rust and/or dents. I scored one on E-Bay for $155, with minor rust inside and no dents, but lots of scratches on the outside... it will need a makeover (Fresh paint job) at some point. What I didnt realize when needing a tank, was all the other "small" parts that going along with it.. I had to buy a new Petcock valve and new Fuel sending unit and all the nuts/bolts/gaskets, hoses that go with them, as well as all the rubber cushions and bolts required to mount the tank to the frame... not cheap, but DONE!
3) Electrical problems
I admit that I was initially ignorant about how to troubleshoot electrical problems, until after much frustration I broke down and bought a Clymers Manual and reviewed a wiring diagram, as well as consulting my brother, the master mechanic. I had replaced the fuse block (and fuses) as well as the starter relay, only to realize that I had not grounded the electrical panel/plate, that everything was bolted onto, to the bike frame. after doing this, the bike lit up as expected when the key turned and the starter button turned the engine over just fine. Lesson learned. I also ended up replacing the ignition, because I bought a new set of locks that all used the same key for the Ignition, seat lock, gas cap and helmet lock. more $$$ on all of these items, but necessary in my opinion, I only want 1 key for everything.
4) Side Covers
Okay, NOBODY has the side covers for this bike... I ended finding 1 right side cover on ebay for $50 that had the GS750T emblem, but it was beat up and one tab was broken. I bought the Left Side cover new for $50, with no emblem. Grrrrrrr
5) Installing the Airbox and Cleaning Carbs
What a task! very rewarding learning how to remove, dismantle and clean the carbs, but getting them reinstalled was a real chore though. the area is so tight that I had a really hard time getting them back in place with the Airbox installed, but I finally got them on. make sure to do as much adjustments as possible before reinstalling, and certainly make sure all hoses are installed before putting the carbs back on... Unless you are a smurf, you wont be able to get in there after the carbs are back in place.
6) Lights
I had to purchase and install a new Tailight Assembly as well as a new Headlight, mine was burned out. Neither was very expensive or difficult to replace.
7) General maintenance
Not knowing the history of the bike or how well the previous owner took care of it, I thought it wise to replace the Spark plugs Air Filter and oil Filter and gave her fresh oil. I am using NGK spark plugs, cant remember the oil i chose, but I went with the more expensive oil as well. Stock cylindrical Air filter to go inside the Airbox.
That is what I have done so far... like I mentioned she is not fully up and running yet, but getting closer. I would love to hear any comments that people have if they have done a similar restore or just want to comment on what I have done...
Once I get her running right, here is a list of what I plan to work on this winter:
1) Painting the Tank
2) Take the whole thing apart, remove engine, and have the frame powder coated (Black)
3) Replace the tires with Stock sizes ( Recommendations for tires??)
4) Replace the Chain with a new o-ring chain
5) Replace or repair the entire wiring harness
Wish me luck,
I love my GS!
Gas Tank, Seat, Airbox assembly, Side Covers, Chain guard, Tail-light, Grips, battery
aside from all of that I still fell in love with this bike and the possibility of what it COULD be. I was looking for a project, I am turning 40 this year and have never owned a motorcycle and I wanted something inexpensive that I could work on myself and really learn about the bike while also learning to ride and enjoying the whole experience.
In the last 3 months I have managed to replace ALL the missing parts listed above, for no small expense though! and I have really enjoyed bringing this vintage GS back to life.
The bike is still not running yet, I have recently been working on removing and thouroughly cleaning the Carbs, having to replace some worn parts along the way. The latest trouble I am having is that the bike starts but idles VERY high, like 5k RPM... the previous owner had removed the airbox system and installed Pods, and everything I have read about these says that this Mod changes the way the engine was designed to run, so I decided to buy a stock airbox sytem and put it back to the factory design. I do not regret this choice, it looks way better as stock in my opinion and I am hoping it will run better. I have found that reinstalling the carbs with the airbox, after cleaning the carbs is no small job, everything is very tightly squeexed in there.
I now am trying to tune my carbs to get this bike running like she should and trying to get the airbox installed, but the intake boots seem to be too small to attach to the carbs. The are also hardened, so I bought new boots and hopefully they will fit correctly so I can complete the install of the airbox and get the whole air intake system sealed up tight so the bike doesnt suck to much air and keep runing so lean, which is why I think the RPM are so high at Idle. Hopefully will be off and riding soon.
I will post some pics of the before and after pics so far. I still have a lot of work ahead, but I really enjoy this bike and hope that the perfromance and riding experience is as good as I expect.
Here are some of the difficulties I experienced during my restore:
1) Finding a replacement Seat.
What a mojor challenge this proved to be... I know this was a common bike and that there ARE more of these out there, but finding these major parts that are still in good shape was almost impossible, I got lucky and found a good seat pan for $40, and I was able to use my original foam. I bought a Saddleman replacement seat cover for $60, and it looks like new now, with a solid and freshly paint seat pan! I also had to buy the seat lock.
2) Finding a replacement Gas tank.
Again, a major challenge to find a tank that fits this particular bike that was not full of rust and/or dents. I scored one on E-Bay for $155, with minor rust inside and no dents, but lots of scratches on the outside... it will need a makeover (Fresh paint job) at some point. What I didnt realize when needing a tank, was all the other "small" parts that going along with it.. I had to buy a new Petcock valve and new Fuel sending unit and all the nuts/bolts/gaskets, hoses that go with them, as well as all the rubber cushions and bolts required to mount the tank to the frame... not cheap, but DONE!
3) Electrical problems
I admit that I was initially ignorant about how to troubleshoot electrical problems, until after much frustration I broke down and bought a Clymers Manual and reviewed a wiring diagram, as well as consulting my brother, the master mechanic. I had replaced the fuse block (and fuses) as well as the starter relay, only to realize that I had not grounded the electrical panel/plate, that everything was bolted onto, to the bike frame. after doing this, the bike lit up as expected when the key turned and the starter button turned the engine over just fine. Lesson learned. I also ended up replacing the ignition, because I bought a new set of locks that all used the same key for the Ignition, seat lock, gas cap and helmet lock. more $$$ on all of these items, but necessary in my opinion, I only want 1 key for everything.
4) Side Covers
Okay, NOBODY has the side covers for this bike... I ended finding 1 right side cover on ebay for $50 that had the GS750T emblem, but it was beat up and one tab was broken. I bought the Left Side cover new for $50, with no emblem. Grrrrrrr
5) Installing the Airbox and Cleaning Carbs
What a task! very rewarding learning how to remove, dismantle and clean the carbs, but getting them reinstalled was a real chore though. the area is so tight that I had a really hard time getting them back in place with the Airbox installed, but I finally got them on. make sure to do as much adjustments as possible before reinstalling, and certainly make sure all hoses are installed before putting the carbs back on... Unless you are a smurf, you wont be able to get in there after the carbs are back in place.
6) Lights
I had to purchase and install a new Tailight Assembly as well as a new Headlight, mine was burned out. Neither was very expensive or difficult to replace.
7) General maintenance
Not knowing the history of the bike or how well the previous owner took care of it, I thought it wise to replace the Spark plugs Air Filter and oil Filter and gave her fresh oil. I am using NGK spark plugs, cant remember the oil i chose, but I went with the more expensive oil as well. Stock cylindrical Air filter to go inside the Airbox.
That is what I have done so far... like I mentioned she is not fully up and running yet, but getting closer. I would love to hear any comments that people have if they have done a similar restore or just want to comment on what I have done...
Once I get her running right, here is a list of what I plan to work on this winter:
1) Painting the Tank
2) Take the whole thing apart, remove engine, and have the frame powder coated (Black)
3) Replace the tires with Stock sizes ( Recommendations for tires??)
4) Replace the Chain with a new o-ring chain
5) Replace or repair the entire wiring harness
Wish me luck,
I love my GS!
Check your wheels for "Tubeless Tire Applicable" embossed on the rim. '82 was a transition year where the '83's should only have tubeless rims. The front on mine is tubeless, the rear is not. The IRC's don't care about that either 
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