1983 Suzukimatic Rebuild and Upgrade

[AngeloBj]

I'm a new motorcycle rider, long time scooter pusher, and wrecked an ATV or two.

Bought my first bike about 2 months ago.





A 1983 Suzuki GS450A "Suzukimatic"

I know...what was I thinking...my first bike and it's almost 30 years old...

Well the size was right, it felt good, it was CHEAP ($500) and it RUNS. I really wanted to find a bike I could really get into and learn. I love cars, engines, building things, and breaking things. :P I'm a self taught shade tree mechanic, but I have a degree in electronics and have been fixing things since I was 6...breaking them since I was 2. So I figure this is a GREAT thing for me to get into and worse case scenario, I can always part it out. Apparently there is a decent market for this bike since it doesn't resemble it's cousins the GS450 or the GS450T AT ALL! (I could be wrong)

So....This will be a SLOW project. I don't know which direction It's going to go...my primary goals are to have a nice bike I can learn to maneuver on and upgrade to something a little larger when I'm comfortable. So I wont be making any HUGE changes overnight. Money and Time are limiting factors but I really want to RIDE IT! Then I can break it!

I'm going to keep things "somewhat" organized. I'll start with gathering information as well as listing problems, cosmetic, and mechanical I "discover" along the way. Maybe my screw-ups and information hunting can help others out there who might get their hands on one of these.

So....here we go!

[AngeloBj]

So I had some issues getting it registered here in Nevada, being that I still have Texas insurance and a Texas DL. So until I get all that taken care of, I have a while before I can LEGALLY ride it on the road. So I decided to dig a little deeper.

I pulled the speedo, that didn't work anyway, and found there was no cable at all...Took the instrument panel off and apart do find it full of burnt out bulbs and broken needles. So I decided to look into just replacing the whole thing with something a little more modern, maybe make something myself. We shall see.

Today (8/2)I got out and decided I was going to do a little cleaning, spider webs, dust, things like that...and ended up removing the air filter. It's contained in this HUGE ass box that I swear they built the entire bike around it.



Finally wrestled it out. I think I'm going to replace it with something a little....smaller, with more airflow. Maybe a nice K&N Pod fiters...We'll see if I can get something to fit.

In the process I had to remove this electrical panel:



That contains some things I need to identify and see if they are worth upgrading. The electrical wiring looks 30 years old...and may get replaced. It looked scary at first, but when I started tracing things and looking at how they were wired...it actually looks simple. (minus that panel that I still need to identify)

Finally I decided that I have a few weeks so why not tackle the carbs now. Funny thing...they were pretty easy to remove...they almost fell right out. Almost.

So From here...I need to:

• Replace the spedo and instrument panel
• Clean the carbs
• Find a new air filter solution

More soon!

[AngeloBj]

8/3-4:

Carbs made it to the bench. Got them apart, cleaned and looking nice and put back in the bike. When I went to fire it back up I was having some issues with fuel to the carbs. Played with the vacuum line a bit, I could suck on it and get fuel to flow, but I had to (no homo) suck pretty hard, so I am thinking the petcock is hosed. I bypassed it by pulling the diaphragm out and replacing it with a flat gasket (homemade) and plugged the vacuum line from the carb.

(NOTE: I found out later that this was because I had the air box off and the carbs wont generate as much of a vacuum without more fuel. I've been thinking about looking at an electronic replacement anyway. I've read that these petcocks were great for their time but they are just a pain in the ass now days.


VROOOM!

Love that sound!

Sounds great! It will actually idle now, where it wouldn't before, which is nice and I didn't have to choke it at all to get it started up. Of course its like 112 here in LV. But anyway. Looking to replace the fuel petcock and replace a couple fuel lines. Still searching for a good fit for air filters.

Learned a lot about ignition modules, coils, and rectifiers (the things on the junction panel) Looking at replacing those later, they work fine for now...why spend the $

I detected a small rattle inside the drive train when I was throttling up the bike on the center stand today. I noticed it was moving the back tire at the same time. I think it might be trying to slip into gear. So I guess I need to take a look at the "transmission" and see if there is an issue there.

I did find a service manual on ebay for 45 bucks, kinda looking for something digital, but this might be my only option. I tell you what though....don't think I wont scan it and put it on line :P

Anyway. Current list of items to tackle:

-Instrument Panel
-Air Filter
-Fuel Lines
-Fuel Petcock
-Look At Drive Gear
-Inspect Brakes
-Shocks

See you guys soon!

[AngeloBj]

8/6

Started prepping the engine for removal. It's the only way to get to the transmission. Removed the torque converter, and drained the fluids. Going to remove the exhaust tomorrow and most of the chrome. Then I can polish it too.

After talking to a friend of mine, it may be the shifting fork. We will see when it comes out. I'm shooting for the weekend since I'm off and will have a couple days to get it out and on the bench.

8/7

I've decided not to work on the upper half of the engine. As tempting as it is. It runs great, no signs of burning oil, plugs look good, why jack with it. I'm going to want to pull the engine anyway to chop on the frame in the next 6-8 months anyway (Been thinking about bob'ing it out after I get bike #2), so maybe I'll look at it then.

[AngeloBj]

After lots of turning, torquing, lifting and twisting...I pulled the motor. Separated the crank bottom and low and behold...found one WORN OUT ASS shift fork.

(Left fork is the one that was on the bike. The right fork was the one I bought on ebay)



I replaced it and reassembled the engine and got it back on the bike, got the carbs back in and cables all hooked up. But in the process, I broke the coil wires which apparently do NOT come off the stock Suzuki coils. So....time to find new 3 ohm coils. Any suggestions?

Also I'm thinking about upgrading the ignition while I'm at it. Maybe a Dyna S but I don't know about Dyna coils...I hear they don't work well for daily drivers. I have also considered getting one of the Accel Super Coils, if I can tastefully mount it...







As far as the petcock is concerned...as I mentioned before...when the airbox is off, the carb doesn't generate enough vacuum to open it up. I don't really like the idea in general so I'm thinking about something like this guy did on his Valkyrie:

http://www.horseapple.com/Valkyrie/Tech_Tips/Fuel_Shutoff/fuel_shutoff.html

Seems like a sound idea and only 30 bucks. Cheaper than replacing the petcock.

http://www.dan-marc.com/79-afc11112.html

It simply goes inline with the fuel hose and connects to the accessory on the ignition switch. Seems simple enough.




Work left to do:
-Coils
-Ignition (Maybe)
-Instrument Panel
-Air Filter
-Fuel Petcock
-Inspect Brakes
-Shocks

[pete]

Welcome mate, looks like you're on your way to a nice little 450 there!

As for the Dyna S, I have one on my 450, but I'm pretty sure the 450A's like yours run electronic advance, so the same kit won't work.

I believe the later GS500 ignitions may be a swap in as they have electronic advance, but I'm not 100% sure on that.

I haven't seen a fuel shut off used on one of our GS' like that, but seems like a neat idea... have definitely seen plenty of people with leaky taps though!

[AngeloBj]

Ordered a few things this week. I decided on a Accel Supercoil. It's gonna require a little creative mounting, but I trust the brand and that's enough for me.

Decided to pull the carbs again and rejet (jets from Jets-R-Us) them because I ordered a set of pods for the intake. I got a little worried when I got them in, because they are shaped a little differently. But they fit properly, so I decided to roll with it.

I also ordered in parts to convert the vacuum petcock to an electrical valve. See above link.


I'm hoping this week I can get the carbs finished (Waiting on pilot jet plugs) mount the coil, and get the intake bolted on. If it comes in, I plan on finishing the tank and petcock as well....Then I think it MIGHT be ready to start!?!?! :P

[AngeloBj]

Bad news.....

So I live in a condo. I've been working on this from an open space near the parking lot for 6 months. Last week I left for vacation and thought I'd pull it under the covered parking in a guest spot. So I put the tank and seat back on. Made it look like a nice clean WORKING bike, and left for the week.

When I came back...it had been towed because it didn't have a license plate on it.

So I go to the tow lot...and after 4 days of storage, towing, and a lien fee, they wanted 425 bucks to get it back. Keep in mind that's almost as much as I paid for the bike. But I was going to pay it...

So I give them my title my license, all that jazz, things look like they are going well, they were going to tow it back for 35 bucks...not bad...then all the sudden this lady comes from the back and sais they cant release it to me.

Apparently the owner 2 sales ago, didn't sign over the title properly and they said I'd need a bill of sale....from a guy who bought and sold the bike 10 years ago....

Tomorrow the bike gets a second lien fee on it and it will be well over 600 bucks with the additional storage fees. And as much as I love that bike and cherish the hard work and time I put into it...its just not worth it. So I'm letting it go, with some hard lessons learned, and some invaluable knowledge as well. And I got on their mailing list, maybe I can pick it up when it goes to auction...who knows...

I want to thank all of you who helped me and who help many others make their GS's do amazing things.

Now I'm off to Craigslist to find my next project....

[BigD_83]

Dude...that really bites. Sorry to hear of it. Loads of good project bikes in your area. Are you going to try sticking with GSes?

[Steel Toed Tank]

Holy crap dude that sucks!

I hope you have better luck with the next one.



Tank

[AngeloBj]

Dude...that really bites. Sorry to hear of it. Loads of good project bikes in your area. Are you going to try sticking with GSes?

Since it was my first, and I have some parts for them I'm gonna try to find another GS450. I have a bit of a working knowledge of them now. HAHA!

Thanks for the support guys

[steve murdoch]

Sorry to hear about them taking your bike.
Good news to hear they take your passion for bikes.

[duaneage]

So I live in a condo. I've been working on this from an open space near the parking lot for 6 months. Last week I left for vacation and thought I'd pull it under the covered parking in a guest spot. So I put the tank and seat back on. Made it look like a nice clean WORKING bike, and left for the week.

When I came back...it had been towed because it didn't have a license plate on it.

So I go to the tow lot...and after 4 days of storage, towing, and a lien fee, they wanted 425 bucks to get it back. Keep in mind that's almost as much as I paid for the bike. But I was going to pay it...

So I give them my title my license, all that jazz, things look like they are going well, they were going to tow it back for 35 bucks...not bad...then all the sudden this lady comes from the back and sais they cant release it to me.

Apparently the owner 2 sales ago, didn't sign over the title properly and they said I'd need a bill of sale....from a guy who bought and sold the bike 10 years ago....

Tomorrow the bike gets a second lien fee on it and it will be well over 600 bucks with the additional storage fees. And as much as I love that bike and cherish the hard work and time I put into it...its just not worth it. So I'm letting it go, with some hard lessons learned, and some invaluable knowledge as well. And I got on their mailing list, maybe I can pick it up when it goes to auction...who knows...

I want to thank all of you who helped me and who help many others make their GS's do amazing things.

Now I'm off to Craigslist to find my next project....

So basically they stole the bike. Consider a u-Lock and a concrete mounted pole for your next bike,

[pete]

So basically they stole the bike. Consider a u-Lock and a concrete mounted pole for your next bike,

Sounds that way to me too, such a shame! I'm not sure how a Condo works over there... over here we have body corporates in apartment and town house complexes etc. and I would imagine there'd be some recourse if they allowed your property to be taken from the complex without your express permission...

Anyway, sorry to hear about that happening... here's hoping you can get yourself another 450 and dig in again

[AngeloBj]

Got my eye on a GSX:

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/mcy/3407764222.html