1980 GS850 - Purchase or Not?

[Guest]

Hi There,

I have an opportunity to purchase a 1980 GS850 for pretty cheap but not sure if I should invest in it or not based on it's condition. I'm attaching a few pics to show you how it looks cosmetically. At first glance, it's not bad however there is no battery so I haven't fired it up yet. The current owner states that it has been sitting for 3 years but swears it should fire up if the existing Gas/Oil/Break lines are flushed and replaced, it should fire up.

When I actually went to go see it, it of course had other issues. Front oli leak which looks to be from the cylinder head cover, a piece of the cylinder head cover that is missing altogether where 12x235 bolt goes through. Calipers were done recently. Brand news tires. Clutch seems to respond properly. I do understand that there is much more to review and check out and for sure some unforeseen surprises on a 40 year old bike. However, I'd like to resurrect it if it makes sense.

Any opinions or thoughts would be appreciate it.

Btw, this person only $600 for it!

Thanks.

[Techybeemer]

More pics...IMG_2500.jpg

[tom203]

I don't get a warm fuzzy feeling from your description.....it looks beat up. I'd wait a few months for better choices as sellers get desperate. That's a lot for a non runner with visible defects.

[Techybeemer]

Here's a link to more pics.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ji90ziwljn1grho/AACWzCe7IrMoA7SrcuDh8Syqa?dl=0

[Techybeemer]

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep looking for sure.

[robertbarr]

Front fender, master cylinder and signals are not original for an '80, but not a huge problem. RH side case saver looks bent rearward a bit. Really hard to get much out of those photos, but the seat looks pretty sound. My main concern would be the condition of the inside of the fuel tank. New tires? I'd believe the date codes rather than the owner. Again, not a deal-breaker. If the thing runs with no glaring mechanical horror noises, it might be worth a go. Again, nicer photos would help.

Upon further review with better photos -- forks have been off for some reason. Might be related to non-original parts mentioned. Again, not a huge problem, but it does raise the question of why the forks were messed with.

Again, inside of fuel tank = big question mark. If you like 850's and don't mind some effort, they are still, to this day, venerable machines. Of all the GS's, the 1980 GS850 is probably my preference.

[Redman]

Along the lines of what Robert Barr said: THe solid brake rotor to me says 1979 or prior. (at least in US).

THe headlight mounting is aftermarket.

THe carbs defiantly say 1980 or after.

Well, if you are going to get a 40 year old bike: THis web site is a good reason to get a Suzuki GS.

Non-running : Ah, see if you can get for 4 or 5 hundred bucks. SOme folks migh say 300.
But overall doesnt look bad. Original paint and such, alothough missmatched paint schemes from diferent years.



No kickstart, so 1980 or after.

Ahh, modified exhaust. You will have to decide if you want that.

[Grimly]

I'd not be surprised if it had a front-end replaced because of a shunt, which also took out the front engine casing bolt-through part. Possibly severe enough to bend the frame, and I'd not touch it with a barge-pole unless it was conditional on it being checked for straightness.
The donor bike also surrendered its rear wheel, which makes me wonder how much of a bang it had.
Old bike, old accident damage, unknown history.
It takes a helluva bang to bend the forks back on a GS850, as I found.

[alke46]

I think what the guys are telling you is this: if it doesn't run, then it's a parts bike. Parts bikes are worth less than $400 usually.
Also, if you want to make it rideable in good condition, count on putting another $500--$800 dollars into it minimally.
Do take a look at the date code on the tires, as they may look good but too old is not good for you the buyer.

[rphillips]

I've not seen pipes like that before, Have the ends been modded, if so ,looks good, or are they aft. mkt. or what?

[Steve]

As an '80 850 owner, I'll toss in my two cents.

Others have mentioned some details that are not original, like the front fender, master cylinder and turn signals, but the whole instrument cluster is changed, too. Speculation is that it hit something hard enough to require replacement of everything that attaches to the steering neck, so I would question frame damage, too.

Looking through the dropbox pictures, I see the modified exhaust. The shape of the outer pipe looks close, not sure what has happened to the tips. Also noticed a rather severe mis-match between the back of the seat and the tail piece. Could be a bent frame, could just be a bent seat.

One last item: the striping on all the bodywork is wrong for '80. Those were the '79 colors, so I am wondering if that is simply an '80 engine in a '79 bike. The instrument cluster is still wrong for a '79, though.

I do like the handgrips. They are the same ones I have on my bikes. (GS and Wing.)

.

[alke46]

One more thing, is that right side engine guard (crash bar) pushed towards the rear?

[Burque73]

RH side case saver looks bent rearward a bit.

One more thing, is that right side engine guard (crash bar) pushed towards the rear?

I think what the guys are telling you is this: if it doesn't run, then it's a parts bike.

Just for reference, I parted one of thee out. Paid $500 for it and it took months, maybe a year to make that back. I did eventually recoup the funds, but I wouldn't do it again if it were just for the money. Taking the bike apart was fun though, and I learned a lot from it.

I looked at another 850 that had a bad "cafe" hack job done to it. It was running, but the tank was full of rust colored gas and it hemorrhaged oil from every gasket and seal. I could have owned it for $300 but after the challenge of parting the first one out decided to walk away.

Fortunately, there are several decent looking GS bikes per year that show up in for sale ads around here. Just looking at Toronto Craigslist it shows only a dozen or so bikes, none of them GS's. Even the parts section is pretty minimal.

[Spyder]

I would say it was in a wreck, and they used a '79 for a parts bike to make the '80 whole again. That crash bar was definitely crashed. that weld looks way to boogery to be factory to me. I would not consider that bike, unless I already HAD an 850 that needed a crapload of parts...

[GSXR7ED]

Oh geeze,

That's the price I was given for purchasing my "T" ($600).

Eventually, we agreed to $475 and the only damage to my bike was the crack on the end of the seat frame area...that's why the "L" seat looked weird on it and the rear fender looked a little off.

I've since spent over $1500 in upgrades/spare parts to my bike and rode the heck out of her while I was in Alamogordo, New Mexico. I've also acquired a second "T" for parts needed.

It all depends on what you wanna do...spend money to upgrade or part it out. I was fortunate that the seller wasn't lying when he said it runs and he was just replacing the clutch plates and had the carbs removed.

Oh, I forgot to mention the proprietor of the Bike shop I took it to said it was a $200 bike! All this is history now and I'm that much wiser in purchasing vintage bikes.

Good luck in your Decision.

Ed