Gs 250 restoring to riding condition

[mike_of_bbg]

Pretty much any master cylinder meant for a single-disc GS model should work great. The master cylinders for single-disc models used either 13 or 14mm bores IIRC, but the dual-disc models used 16mm bores. You don't want to go to a bigger bore than 14mm. The most important thing - particularly with a used master cylinder - is to KNOW what you have so it's a lot easier to find rebuild parts!

The 12.7mm-bore Chinese one would likely be fine. It's a 7/8" clamp, has the 10mm threads for the mirror, and is a fine bore size. I have a generic Chinese master cylinder on my bike - that's how I know what a few of the gotchas are. The biggest being, when/if this one starts to go bad on me I'm going to have to replace it because there are no rebuild kits. It works fine and even looks quite nice though!

[1980Gs250]

I'm inclined to keep the bike as stock as possible for the nostalgia look. I have many many people comment when i was bringing it home because people love these old bikes. I am gonna bid on that one that he found and rebuild it if necessary. I also noticed from pics that I am missing a chain cover I will need to find. I wish it would stop snowing and warm up sigh.

[1980Gs250]

There is some surface rust on them frame near the back that I don't like the look of. Its not structurally bothering the bike but i would like to sand it off and paint it. Is there an easy way to paint the frame without stripping the bike?

[Flatline_Racing]

Lots of newspaper and tape

[1980Gs250]

Ok so tape off areas that dont need paint. what about getting rid of the surface rust? just sandpaper the crap out of it?

[isu2014]

I use this stuff called "Naval Jelly". It's a thick liquid that takes rust off really well. I would only use it on painted parts though, it might dull chrome.

[1980Gs250]

so do you scrub it in or what?

[isu2014]

No just pick up a bottle at lowes and read the directions. I smear it on with a small brush since its literally like jelly, then let it sit for a while. Rinse it off and the rust is gone. Might take a couple rounds.

[1980Gs250]

whoa thats very cool... will have to try this

[mike_of_bbg]

Naval Jelly works well for cleaning up corroded brass wiring connectors, too. I take a baby food jar and just dip a few connectors at a time in it. After about 15-20 minutes in the stuff, remove and wash vigorously in a water bath until all the Naval Jelly is gone, then spray with WD40, then brake cleaner. They come out looking like new. Coat with dielectric silicone compound before re-assembly.

[oldpara]

The 250 is a great little bike, light, forgiving and a blast to ride !
Just perfect for around town.

[1980Gs250]

hey guys sorry for the lack of updates.... been slammed with mid terms... i have been trying the naval jelly that crap is awesome.... i also managed to fix the starter button and i think i got the ignition working correctly.... it still hasnt started so i think that i need to be cleaning some more connections.... when i get my camera going i will have more pics.... oldpara that is a beautiful bike btw

[1980Gs250]

Hey guys sorry that I havent updated this in a while. I am having some real issues as of late. So far what I am noticing is that I am getting no spark at all to the plugs. I have tried some rewiring to no avail. The horn works, warning lights on dash, and the left turn signal but so far thats all I have been able to get working. I can get the bike to turn over and has gas but no fire still.

[1980Gs250]

Ok so I pulled some more of the wiring and was cleaning connections... pulled the headlight out and the bulbs are good but still no light... also still no light for the gauges or the tail light either..... I got the right signal to turn on finally but no blinking... still have no fire to the spark plugs either... the wiring was a bigger mess than i thought i guess sigh...

[eil]

Troubleshooting electrics is all about being methodical. Look for the most likely cause, check it, then move onto the next. Was all of this working before? The first two things I would check are the fuses (and the wires going into the fuse box) and ground connections.

Don't forget the standard advice of cleaning _all_ connectors on the bike. After hooking the turn signals back up on my bike, I couldn't get them to flash either. After an hour of troubleshooting and getting nowhere, I just started cleaning all of the electrical connectors I could find and checking the lights every so often. Eventually they just started working. (Which was a big relief as I was convinced that I was going to have to buy a new turn signal control unit!)