Pumps/Guages/Pics

[open1mind]

Per my recent intro email, I am back to owning a 79 GS 1000e after a 30 year hiatus (! really). I have seen some confusing info about the front fork adjustments in the service manual- specifically, use of a hand pump and guage. Before waiving good bye to my new/old bike on its way to winter storage, I recall seeing just the valves on the fork where you can connect some kind of pump. My OLD, old 79 GS (1980s owned one also) the prior owner had installed a balance tube and a small readout gauge of some kind. Questions- can I still buy the handpump that apparently came with the bike. Any collectors that might have one??? Did it have a guage built into it of some kind? Does anyone have the kit that my OLD, old bike had-ie it look like a small diameter air hose that connected the forks and a small PSI guage that stayed on the bike. Not sure if I would reinstall it, but I have a vivid memory of it. Does anyone have a pic of the factory pump- I didn't get one on either bike.

[azr]

I never knew there was a 'factory' pump for the bikes. Why wouldn't you just use a good old bike pump, or are you looking for all the stock bits and pieces?

[Big T]

Rob is correct

No pump came with the bike. It did have a nifty red air guage with the tool kit

The hot tool BITD was a Motion Pro hand pump, which was a fat syringe with a length of hose and a Schraeder coupler (I have one somewhere)(it's not on their page anymore)

Nowdays, most of upgrade the fork spring to Sonic or Progressive and don't use air pressure

Do not use an air compressor - you're talking about 8-16 PSI here

[bwringer]

The owner's and service manuals contain dangerous, badly outdated information.

Air pressure is an ineffective, unreliable (and therefore dangerous) way to stiffen the front end. It's also a great way to wear out your fork seals prematurely. Please disregard these sections of your manuals.


The correct solution is to replace the pitiful and sagged stock fork springs. Straight-rate fork springs of the proper spring rate for your weight and riding style are the best solution ( http://sonicsprings.com ).

If you're of light-to-average weight (about 175 pounds or lighter), second best would be the more "universal" progressive-wound springs available from Progressive.

Replace the fork oil with fresh 10 or 15W fork oil set to the proper level, and enjoy your transformed GS...

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Are you speaking of this air gauge?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUZUKI-FRONT-FORK-AIR-PRESSURE-GAUGE-09940-44110-NOS-/370557128648?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item5646ed0fc8

My bike came with an air gauge for the forks, but it wasn't like the one above. It's stashed in the garage somewhere. I don't use it any more since installing Progressive springs.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[sedelen]

No pump came with the bike.
But the air gauge that came with it is one like this, unfortunately it is now very hard to find.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280776451570?_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649&item=280776451570&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWNX:IT&vxp=mtr

[open1mind]

ask and ye shall...

all good info. that is just what I was asking. the manuals do describe the pump that appears below, and also the small gauge that came with the bike. Very cool that they still exist. I am a bit of a nostalgia guy- having bought the bike as a time portal back to my 1st GS in the 80s. I might just break down and overpay for the ones on ebay to enhance the "museum" experience. (note that I already have progressive springs going in- so it is not going to be truly "original"--- lets not get carried away here) many thanks

[Steve]

... the manuals do describe the pump that appears below, ...

How can the pump "appear below" when yours is the last post and there is no picture in it?

Oh, yeah, you probably have your post order in the default setting, which puts the newer posts on top.

Much easier to read a thread if you go to the User CP tab, select the "Edit Options" button and change your settings.
Scroll down to the Thread Display Options section, change the display mode to "Linear - Oldest first".
While you are there, go down to the next item and select "Show 40 Posts Per Page", it makes reading longer threads much easier.

Before anyone complains that, by setting the newest posts to the bottom of the page and will be hard to find, let me tell you that it's still very easy to go to the newest posts, or at least the ones that have been posted since you last saw that thread. In the forum index that shows all the threads, click on the little at the front of the title. That takes you to the posts you have not yet read.

.

[GateKeeper]

How can the pump "appear below" when yours is the last post and there is no picture in it?

Oh, yeah, you probably have your post order in the default setting, which puts the newer posts on top.

Much easier to read a thread if you go to the User CP tab, select the "Edit Options" button and change your settings.
Scroll down to the Thread Display Options section, change the display mode to "Linear - Oldest first".
While you are there, go down to the next item and select "Show 40 Posts Per Page", it makes reading longer threads much easier.

Before anyone complains that, by setting the newest posts to the bottom of the page and will be hard to find, let me tell you that it's still very easy to go to the newest posts, or at least the ones that have been posted since you last saw that thread. In the forum index that shows all the threads, click on the little at the front of the title. That takes you to the posts you have not yet read.

.

Should be the forum standard, if you ask me, most forums are set this way, well at least most of the ones I go to, or have maintained, or run

just my 2 cents worth....now back to your regular programming...