81 650E Refurb

[BigD_83]

Here are the pictures. Sorry for the bad focus. Must have had the camera set wrong.

Wow. Those look great! I wish I had access to relatively inexpensive powder coating here. It, like everything else in this city, will cost a small fortune.

[MAJikMARCer]

Wow. Those look great! I wish I had access to relatively inexpensive powder coating here. It, like everything else in this city, will cost a small fortune.

These cost me about $60 total. It would have been cheaper to rattle can them, but I'm glad I did this.

[BigD_83]

The nice thing about powder coat, in general, is that it is normally priced on a per run basis rather than per piece, or at least that is what I have seen in the US. The guys in the Lakes area seem to get better pricing than other areas (CA is brutal), probably due to greater demand/more providers.

I'll have to look in our shop at work to see if the guys have the ability to powder coat. At worst, I can always use the spray booth and lights to paint when it comes time for it

[MAJikMARCer]

The nice thing about powder coat, in general, is that it is normally priced on a per run basis rather than per piece, or at least that is what I have seen in the US. The guys in the Lakes area seem to get better pricing than other areas (CA is brutal), probably due to greater demand/more providers.

I'll have to look in our shop at work to see if the guys have the ability to powder coat. At worst, I can always use the spray booth and lights to paint when it comes time for it

My guy does a lot of little jobs, but that's not all bad. He really seems to take a lot of pride in his work. He even does stencil work so I can have powder coated lettering if I want...I have some ideas swimming in my head.

[BigD_83]

I've been searching for the black 1983 case covers with the TDCC logo on them for over a year. You just gave me an idea for an alternative if the search proves fruitless.

Thanks Marc!

[MAJikMARCer]

I've been searching for the black 1983 case covers with the TDCC logo on them for over a year. You just gave me an idea for an alternative if the search proves fruitless.

Thanks Marc!

Oh yea, that'd look great! I'm thinking about the cross bar on the forks, that hides the brake-line T. It looks ok, but the sticker that goes on the front is missing. Can't find it OEM, but if I could powder it on, that'd look great, plus easier to clean off when bug guts get splattered on it.

[GS650E_81]

I am going to replace the gasket here soon.

After removing the old liquid gasket, did you use a liquid gasket when applying the new one?

The hardest part is getting the old gasket material off. I used Permatex Low-VOC Gasket Remover. No particular reason for that brand, it's just what they had at the store.

I had to let it sit over night and I still had little bits clinging. It did do a good job on the liquid gasket the previous over had used.

This is actually my second gasket. I changed mine in the summer because of the same leak you are dealing with. I foolishly didn't adjust the valves while I was in there. I highly recommend doing it at the same time.

This time I put just a little bit of liquid gasket (Permatex Blue) on the 'nose' of the head where the leaking has been problematic. Not sure if it'll help or not and I'll probably have to replace the gasket again when I open it next time, but hopefully it'll be awhile before I have to do that.

I bought my gasket from my local Suzuki dealer. As others have suggested Boulevard is great. Their prices are the lowest I've seen online. The only reason I deal locally is the shipping costs. But it's pretty close. Sometimes Boulevard even has the parts cheaper with shipping so I always check both.

[MAJikMARCer]

I am going to replace the gasket here soon.

After removing the old liquid gasket, did you use a liquid gasket when applying the new one?

I only applied a bit at the 'nose' of the cover where there was a problem before. I used a new OEM gasket also, in case that wasn't clear.


I was sure to keep it minimal and cleaned up the excess that squeezed out, to keep things neat and clean. Unlike the PO.

[GS650E_81]

How about the moons? Did you put any sealant on them?

I have never changed out a gasket before, so lot's of questions

I will use RTV black, that seems to be decent product after doing some searching on here.

[MAJikMARCer]

Yup, just on the underside (curved) of the half-moons. Nothing on the gasket side. I know a lot of guys here like the Ultra Black. It's supposed to have the best oil resistance and adhesion, so if the surface isn't completely clean it'll still stick.

You don't have to use a lot, just a thin layer. It'll squeeze out a bit when you tighten the cover back on, wipe away any excess.

In the future, assuming you didn't get any on the top of your half-moons, the gasket should lift off of them without pulling them loose. In other words the half-moons should stay in place.

Some guys like to turn the moons around so the little lip is on the inside and engine pressure doesn't push them out, but I did mine by the book and I've not had any issues. Mine were pretty bad before too. Leaking oil.


You can see all the mess I had to clean up too...ugh.

[GS650E_81]

Great, nice picture.

Where did you get the replacement screws for the cover? It looks like you used allen head.

[MAJikMARCer]

Great, nice picture.

Where did you get the replacement screws for the cover? It looks like you used allen head.

Z1 Enterprises. Part #: NGSS-667

[cowboyup3371]

Either Z1, Cycleorings.com, or even Ace Hardware.

[GS650E_81]

Valve cover gasket just came in the mail. Going to have a go at it tonight. Was the tach cable hard to get out?

[MAJikMARCer]

Valve cover gasket just came in the mail. Going to have a go at it tonight. Was the tach cable hard to get out?

No not really. Mine was bad, so I replaced mine with a new cable. If you do that be sure to get new O-rings for it.