GS1100ES project just getting started in Upstate NY

[fastfrank]

Also drop the oil pan and inspect the pick-up pipe strainer. These get looked at once in a blue moon and my current engine would have terminally destructed if I hadn't checked that.

Thanks - I wouldn’t have thought of the oil pickup. I’ll check it. Great advice.

[azr]

Thanks - I didn’t know about Kijiji, but I can’t seem to find it there with searches - would you have a link?

The guy gave some weird replies to some questions and took the ad down. If you are in need of a dash though I might have a connection, PM me if you need one.

[fastfrank]

I'm happy to see that someone is still making windshields for these - just ordered a replacement for the smoke one that I cracked while it was sitting in the garage.

[fastfrank]

I may not swap the instrument cluster right away (more interested in getting it running again first), but I'd be real curious to find out how much it would run me, and maybe, who knows. There isn't anything wrong with the current instruments, I guess, but it always struck me as overly big and always in my sight. Those Katana clusters look pretty good, too. I'm going toward more original than not on this bike, like especially getting it raised back up and more comfortable (I don't drag race), getting the Corbin seat recovered, etc. Hoping that the carbs aren't too gummed up, since I've never played with VM33 before - they sure ran sweet before it started sitting in the garage.

[fastfrank]

A little progress today -

Got the VM33 carbs off, and took the caps & float bowls off. 2 looked great, 2 looked reasonably bad, with the floats not moving right, and #2 was pretty gunked up. Got the #2 main jet cleaned out, the others weren't bad. Then I realized that the throttle shaft wasn't moving, its frozen. Got some cleaner, penetrating oil going, and we'll see it starts moving. These VM carbs seem pretty easy to work on, looks like you can swap jets through the bottom plugs pretty easily. Anyway, more work to come on the carbs.

I sprayed some penetrating oil into the cylinders today (made sure there was oil) and turned the motor over by hand a half dozen times, and it started feeling pretty encouraging. I still need to drop the pan and check the oil strainer and have a look around, and I still need to get going on my electrical problems - finish installing the stator, and I'm reworking the electrics a bit with a new fuse box and some terminal strips and relays, and a good star ground. You guys had some great ideas in the papers on the relay mods, btw.

At least I know better what I'm up against now, and making slow progress.

[greg78gs750]

fwiw, I put an early-ish gsxr cluster on my es, mech speedo and elec. tach, looks like it belongs there. Took a little massaging to get it to work (bracketry and wiring) but....

[fastfrank]

fwiw, I put an early-ish gsxr cluster on my es, mech speedo and elec. tach, looks like it belongs there. Took a little massaging to get it to work (bracketry and wiring) but....

You have a picture?

[fastfrank]

I was glad these carbs came out of the boots so easily... I’ve been fighting with the ones on my ZRX.

[greg78gs750]

I will try to get a pic and post it for ya....

[fastfrank]

I appreciated the warning about the oil pickup - I did drop the oil pan and clean it out. Surprised me, but it wasn't too bad, actually. I'm planning on running a flush through it when I get it going again. I'll be ready to re-install the VM33 carbs again in a few days, hopefully. The big hurdle right now seems to be my tank - way, way worse than I'd imagined. I'm running rust stuff through it with a chain just now, but looks like it is pretty caked in there. Hopefully, I'll get it all down to bare metal OK, and won't have to resort to buying another tank, since I have such a pretty gloss black paint on it :-) At least it doesn't have any leaks showing yet. As it stands, I'll likely have to get the bike running with my aux fuel tank / IV setup before I get the tank finished.

The other hurdle may well be the electrical system, since I'm planning on doing some re-wiring.

This'll make a couple members happy, but I broke down and bought a used SH775 RR, instead of risking dealing with another stator problem down the road.

Does anyone know definitively whether or not the SH775 is OK with lithium batteries? I suspect there is a topic on this already, but if you can point me there, I'd appreciate it.

I have to keep myself in check about what to mod on this bike - I really need to just get it running again first, but there is a Jekyll/Hyde conversation going on regarding turning it into a street tracker type thing. It is already lowered and extended, anyway.
I know I should really just re-install the original swingarm, which I have, and get it back to "normal" geometry. But then, I already have a few "normal" bikes...

Cheers

[fastfrank]

Getting there...

Been riding my resurrected ZRX with reworked stock carbs, etc.
I still need to sync the carbs, and adjust the valves, and apparently richen my pilot jets (or take a few discs out of my Supertrapp), since it is popping at idle and decel. Above the pilot range, however, it is dialed in and pulling hard, with no flat spots. Getting there. But I’m already thinking about swapping in my CVK40 carbs (36 is stock), and I’m definitely dropping in my ZX11 cams when I do the valve shims.

I broke down and ordered new VM34 carbs for my KZ750. I just don’t get along with the weird BS38 stock carbs that install jets in the float bowls. I know most of my issues are probably due to a deteriorating “Kreem” treatment of the tank before I bought it... with the ethanol in the gas, and an occasional dose of fuel treatment, it is not in great shape. I’m actually running two inline filters in series, but they don’t seem to catch the emulsified gooey gunk that will clog the pilot jets and probably other orifices. If I keep a high idle, it actually runs pretty well, though (for now).

Been trying to install a new +1 front sprocket on the GW250 (Inazuma), but I couldn’t break loose the 30mm nut, even with a long breaker bar... probably have to heat it.

Just got the VM33 smoothbore carbs back together for the GS1100ESD. Waiting to put them back in until I get the new stator installed (had the wrong gasket), and get a new oil filter and spring. The oil filter cover, which was plumbed for an oil cooler, I just managed to lose the nuts for. I do have some wingnuts that size, though... may as well. I also have a lost Progressive shock. Driving me nuts.
Still deciding whether to switch back from the extended swingarm to the stock one. Then I have a big rewiring project for it planned. Lots of work.

Getting there.

[fastfrank]

Still getting my GS1100ESD back together, but I've had quite a time with my ZRX rebuild - I managed to gunk up my stock, just rebuilt, CVK36 carbs with some sort of white silt, and one kept flooding. The silty stuff was in the float bowls and lots in the inline filter. I'm still in the process of re-doing my tank, with a Bill Hirsch kit (great rep).

Just today, though, I managed to get the bike back up and running on the stand with an aux fuel IV, with freshly reworked CVK40 carbs from a ZX11 and with ZX11 cams that I've been holding onto for years. I'm happy to say that, after only one initial run to sync carbs, it is running and idling great. I made a few dumb errors while swapping cams, but I re-installed enough times to probably be able to do it in my sleep. Got the valves adjusted (shims), and I'm now just waiting for the tank to be lined.

I'm loving it,
ff

[fastfrank]

Finally got a reluctant screw in my stator cover out, so I could reroute the wires properly. Don't have the cover back on quite yet, but should get it done tomorrow. Managed to finish prepping my ZRX tank today, has to cure for a couple days. Put velocity stacks from a Concours 14 on the new (to me) 40mm carbs.

As soon as the stator cover is done, it's time to reinstall my smoothies, get oil back in, and see if I can start 'er up. Looking forward to that - been a long time coming.
ff

[fastfrank]

Found a couple of motor mount bolts missing on the GS - not a good thing. I'll get some replacements in there tomorrow, torqued and loctite'd.

[fastfrank]

I guess I need some words of wisdom, or at least encouragement (if I'm on the right path)...

I'm trying to get the stator cover back on (with a fresh stator), and I'm confused how to handle the starter reduction gears. I know that the cover will hold the pin through them in place, but they are currently completely loose in there, and won't even stay where they mate with the other gears. Do I just trust that they'll line up properly if/when the pin goes through and the cover is on? I'm worried that I'll just grind the gears up when I try to start, if they don't mesh properly. I'm guessing that that pin is the only thing keeping them in place. I'm just not used to gears flopping around before reassembly, and it makes me nervous... should I just carry on? This has become my critical path in getting the old girl going again.

Cheers,
ff