82 GS1100E Mr Turbo Rebuild

[oldGSfan]

OK here is the startup video. I was pretty tired after working on the bike a few hours, mainly prepping the tank to ensure no rust, and I lamely said 34 years not 24 since it has run. It fired right up and I may take for a short ride tomorrow, but really need to get it to the tuner. It sure seems good at first impression, no funky sounds and no dramas except the prime function on the petcock decided not to work, which is odd since I had it working not an hour prior. I used my hand vacuum pump to get it flowing, the electric pump grabbed some juice and it was all set for liftoff.

The front fork is not holding air and seems to be very mushy. I used 15w and should have used 10w, I think. It has progressive springs but nowhere near firm enough for my taste, so a bit of air would help, for a quick fix, but I'll address it properly soon enough.

[oldGSfan]

Haha funny, just say yes, dear, I was talking about you!

I fired it up tonight, it needs a fair bit of choke but it sounds fine, no weird stuff going on, revs freely and sounds mean. I am putting the chain on now, just got my rivet master link for the new DID O ring chain that came with it.

I will post the video after it's done 'processing' which is taking ages. I was a bit light headed from the fumes I think, but happy. I shot a bit of starter fluid in the very first time, just to give an extra boost, and it fired after about two spins - after 24 years. Man these bikes are cool.

I've always gotten a kick out of the Brits!

Thanks for sharing.

Your bike takes beautiful pics by the way...

I said, "Beautiful" out loud just now and my wife thought I was talking to her...lol.

Ed

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[GSXR7ED]

I'll find one, no huge rush. In the words of James May from 'Unpimp my ride', it's "casual"

I've always gotten a kick out of the Brits!

Thanks for sharing.

Your bike takes beautiful pics by the way...

I said, "Beautiful" out loud just now and my wife thought I was talking to her...lol.

Ed

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[Rob S.]

'Unpimp my ride'...

Never heard of that show (podcast?) before, but I like it already. I hate these customizers who think they're going to improve upon a '68 Corvette or Camaro.

[oldGSfan]

I'll find one, no huge rush. In the words of James May from 'Unpimp my ride', it's "casual"

50 years ago they were called "personal massagers" in catalogs.

Sorry you're having difficulty getting a stock seat. So many custom seats, like yours, began as stock seats. Too bad we can't reverse engineer it (you know what I mean). Can we?

[Rob S.]

...vibrating muscle relaxer...

50 years ago they were called "personal massagers" in catalogs.

Sorry you're having difficulty getting a stock seat. So many custom seats, like yours, began as stock seats. Too bad we can't reverse engineer it (you know what I mean). Can we?

[oldGSfan]

Today I crossed off the next to last item on the list, the brake bleeding. I used the HF mityvac clone, which is cheaper and better IMO. Went easier than any bike or car I can remember, nice firm lever and pedal, and only took 15 minutes - goobered up top of the bleeder screws with grease like usual and had at it, and was done in no time. I used DOT4 because I had a fresh quart of it on the shelf. I read countless pros/cons of DOT3/4/5 and 5.1 and it's like oil threads, spinning in circles. I just make sure to cover everything nearby in rags and if any gets on the paint, I quickly hit it with my dollar store orange cleaner and a wet sponge.

Now all I have left (he says) is to drain the vinegar and salt solution from the tank, swish it out with distilled water and baking soda, and dry it out fill it with go juice. It didn't have visible rust but I wanted to be cautious. To even be more meticulous I buzzed the tank from underneath with a vibrating muscle relaxer - cue the jokes and yeah my wife dug it out of the closet LOL. I figured it might jiggle the rust free, ahem.

[steve murdoch]

Great looking hot rod!
Fingers crossed the dyno tune goes well.

[Grimly]

Antici...pation.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Looks great! Looking forward to the ride report.

[oldGSfan]

Well the wheels and tires are on. I went too large on the front 110/90-18, it looks chunky.

Could have gone 150 on rear too, so I'm a little disappointed but that's life. I got myself fixated (like I do sometimes) on filling the fender gap because the 3.50 slick had a big gap all the way around and it looked funky. Well, tires do wear out, especially the rear. I suppose braking may be a bit better, but handling worse. The EPM front is so light that it may help in the handling regard, will hopefully find out soon. Here is a pic, just have to bleed brakes fit air cleaner, and tighten all bolts, and clean the tank.

Thanks in advance to anyone who likes 'em chunky....

[oldGSfan]

Roger that!

You MUST video that and future steps. Video with sound, I might add. Take pity on an old crippled man stuck to his couch. A fellow 1100EZ owner, I might add.

[Rob S.]

I will just get it to idle and take to the dyno man to work his magic.

You MUST video that and future steps. Video with sound, I might add. Take pity on an old crippled man stuck to his couch. A fellow 1100EZ owner, I might add.

[oldGSfan]

Thanks Steve. Many hours sanding and filling, the front is done too, just have to put in the bearings and screw the discs on. I mounted the rear with sprocket and disc brake, 'final mounting' and the 140/70-18 fits nice but there is plenty of room for more, easily a 150. It looks fine though. Before that though I found a couple of blems, so with tire mounted I taped it and painted, then clear coated. There went my day.

I'm fabricating a replacement air filter, using a VW Empi part which is the same diameter as the original at 5.5" and a healthy 3 1/8 'thick' so it will breathe easy. To enable the side cover mount I have to do some Dremel work to make the offset even more offset, but that is no problem, just grinding and drilling.

Once the front is mounted all I have left to do is bleed the brakes and finish my tank cleanup chore, and it will be time to light it up. Can't wait. I will just get it to idle and take to the dyno man to work his magic.

I can see why you wouldn't want to use stick-on balancing weights.
The wheel looks great.

[steve murdoch]

I can see why you wouldn't want to use stick-on balancing weights.
The wheel looks great.