1980 GS1100LT Cleanup

[LOTO]

Getting closer....installed all the SS allen bolts and finishing up a couple of other loose ends. I wanted to finish everything except the carb install so I could place one last order from Parts Outlaw for any last minute parts...need a few clamps and minor things and I ordered OEM fuel line and OEM vent line so when that comes in I'll be ready to slip on the carbs.
I do plan on removing the fairing and side covers when installing the carbs.
Hopefully my next addition to this thread will be when carbs are on.


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[Tom R]

Something’s gotta give when you hit the first bump with that fork bag...

[LOTO]

Something’s gotta give when you hit the first bump with that fork bag...

The fairing is mounted finger tight and tipped downward an inch or more and the bag is just sitting on the fender and the ratchet straps are compressing the forks slightly as well....I’m hoping that when fairing and bag are final mounted I’ll have a couple of inches between bag and fender...not a lot of clearance though.

[Uncamitzi]

The fairing is mounted finger tight and tipped downward an inch or more and the bag is just sitting on the fender and the ratchet straps are compressing the forks slightly as well....I’m hoping that when fairing and bag are final mounted I’ll have a couple of inches between bag and fender...not a lot of clearance though.

Also will affect the cooling of the bike, to some degree (no pun intended).

[Nessism]

Also will affect the cooling of the bike, to some degree (no pun intended).

Agree. I'd move or ditch that bag. The engine needs all the cooling it can get.

[LOTO]

Still waiting on a few parts to come in from Parts Outlaw which were ordered on 05/28 and still not shipped....they seem to have the best prices of OEM parts but don't keep much in stock so shipping is usually pretty slow....need the OEM fuel and vent lines on order for "real" assembly...new battery and spark plugs were purchased on Amazon....old plugs had less than 500 miles on them but were probably over 10 years old.


I've had the carbs on and off several times and have been trying to find the easiest way (for me at least) to install carbs and air box. My boots are original from 1980 and are still in good condition and fairly flexible so I decided to use them....I'm sure if I would have purchased new boots the install would have been easier. I have read many of the install techniques and they were a big help and I did try most of them and had success but I'm just going to describe what I considered my easiest install method.


1.) Install airbox and attach to frame with at least one of the mounting bolts/screws.


2.) Sneak the wifes hair dryer out of the house and heat up the airbox boots. Make sure you have the airbox boot clamps on the airbox and facing the right direction then slide the carbs in at an angle and then slip them up and into place. I placed several shop towels under the carbs to hold them kind of level and then make sure the carbs are fully seated in airbox and tighten all clamps. I initially used a little oil on the mouth of the airbox boots and no heat and the carbs tended to pop out of the boots during install.


3.) Remove bolt/screw holding airbox to frame and slide airbox and attached carbs as far back towards the battery as you can..I once used a small ratchet strap to do this but found it was not necessary by using the install without boot method. If you can get the airbox to slide under the mounting tab that is used for attaching airbox to frame you will gain a bit more space.

4.) Put a very light layer of oil on the carb boots and heat them up with the hair dryer. Start with the inside carbs and slip the boots into place, rotate to the right direction and they will pop into place. With the boots heated up and a light coat of oil I was amazed at how easy the boots were to slip on after the carbs were in place.


5.) Install clamps and then attach airbox to frame with the 2 bolts/screws.


I'll try to take a few photos of the carb install when I am doing the final (hopefully) install.




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[LOTO]

Agree. I'd move or ditch that bag. The engine needs all the cooling it can get.

The bag is larger than I expected and I do have concerns about cooling so I'm on the fence with it....if I keep may just use in cooler weather.

[LOTO]

The 1100L manual says D8EA plugs and .024 to .028 Gap..I have new D8EA plugs and they are all gapped at .027.....I checked the gap on my old/existing plugs and they are gapped at .034. The last time plugs were changed was about 10+ years ago (but maybe 500 miles ago) and a bike shop did the service at that time.


Should I leave at .027? The plugs are black but no buildup.


IMG_2272 (800x600)

[ColoradoGS850L]

Loto, this project has been a lot of fun to follow and I love the look of your bike with the high back seat etc! If the new plugs are in spec, personally I'd say leave them be at .027 and install them.

[LOTO]

Loto, this project has been a lot of fun to follow and I love the look of your bike with the high back seat etc! If the new plugs are in spec, personally I'd say leave them be at .027 and install them.

thanks and I have definitely learned a lot since first starting this thread. My wrenching/mechanical skills are pretty limited and I’ve did very little of that type work in the last 40+ years.
The remaining parts I need should be here on Saturday so with any luck I’ll get the carbs finished up and ready to start next week.

[LOTO]

I stumbled across this video of carb install....the fun starts around 20 minutes in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPKH4VGBkd4

[LOTO]

Remaining parts I needed came in and I installed carbs yesterday but could not get my GS to start. I had an "IV" aux full tank set up with the tank slightly higher than what my gas tank would be.
1.) GS was running prior to working on it but was running roughly.
2.) Disassembled carbs, dipped in ultrasonic, simple green, and cleaned per the GS tutorials.
3.) I think the only thing I did not do from the tutorials was to check/reset float height.
4.) Installed new o rings and reassembled.
5.) Bench sync with a small wire and pilot screws were set to 2 1/2 turns (360 degrees) from lightly seated.
6.) Installed new spark plugs.
7.) Installed airbox and carbs. I did use my old boots which were still fairly soft. I'm certain that the carb/intake boots are sealed with no leaks and certain that the 2 outside carb to airbox boots are sealed with no air leaks....I think the 2 inside boots are sealing OK but not 100% sure.
8.) Air cleaner was installed prior to testing.
9.) Engine turns over fine but other than a backfire from exhaust the engine has not even fired/tried to start. I have OEM gas and vent hose and the vent is plugged...I checked it when turning over engine and there is good suction.
10.) After trying to start for some time I pulled the plugs and they were clean and dry. I checked the full level in aux tank and the level had dropped slightly.
11.) Tried several different pilot screw settings and didn't seem to make any changes and still got the loud backfire through exhaust.
12. Checked carb bowls by opening the carb drain slightly and they have gas.
13.) Pulled plugs again and they are still clean and dry so I added a small amount of gas into each cylinder but still will not even try to run. I pulled the plugs again and checked each one to make sure the are firing and yes they all spark. Plug wires should be correct with left coil going to 1-4 and right to 2-3.

I took a break and searched GS forum and saw that the popping when trying to start could be an exhaust leak. I have new donuts/seals in the exhaust and they looked good going into the engine but I did find a loose clamp on the exhaust pipe to muffler and tightened it up and the backfiring/popping pretty much stopped. The engine will just crank and crank with no hint of trying to start...as much as I hated to try, I even shot a little starting fluid in the airbox and still would not try to start. The choke and throttle cables seem to be functioning properly and pretty sure I have them set within recommended specs.

My plan for today was to do a little more research here and then work on my GS a little more this morning but like a dumba$$ I left the aux fuel tank hooked up to the carbs and looks like it drained about a quart of gas through the carbs and into the crank so looks like I'll be changing 3 day old Castrol oil first.

Any suggestions? I've had the carbs on and off enough times that I don't mind pulling them to check floats or any other parts.

[posplayr]

Congrats on getting this far. Check the timing (timing light or test light).
check coil voltage it needs to be over 11.0 v when cranking.
my gs1100ed would not start with only 10.5v till I did the coil relay mod even with new harness.
i know people will jump on this but shoot just a little starter fluid in a carb to make sure it is firing so you can rule out electrical. Do not do this repeatedly.

[LOTO]

As a last resort I did try a shot of starting fluid and still would not fire or even hint that it was going to try and start. The plugs are all sparking when checked but the spark doesn’t seem real bright...daytime out though.

i am a novice mechanic but this just feels like some kind of electrical issue....is there any way that the kill switch can be stopping the engine from starting when it is in the run position?

[Nessism]

Bummer. You might want to check if the coils are hooked up right. Maybe 1-4 feed is switched with 2-3?