77 gs400 from my haircutter

brotus

brotus

Active Member
I recently picked up this great running little twin from craigslist only to find out my haircutter was the one selling it, the worlds too small. Anyway- doesnt seem to be a lot of GS love on the internet or in the world really but i like the lines of this bike and think its just as good a platform as any cb. The swooping, superman cape tail section has to go but I would like to keep the seat. Bought this bike for something to take the girl on rides with since she didnt care for the KTM 450 supermoto. Ill try to keep up better progress ppics than my CM400 project as I go.
 
Only really need fork seals and i believe the left carb float needs adjusted. Got some parts on order from dcc to freshen up the looks. Also if anybody has any experience with these bikes- I just realized there is a lcd/led(?) gear position indicator (red alarm clock number style) but only like 2 of the lines that make up the numbers are working. Cant find any evidence of these thru google :(
 
PM Big Rich here on DTT. He knows more about vintage Suzukis than Suzuki does. When his kid was born, Suzuki sent him a thank you card because they knew he'd pass his knowledge down to his boy. When Mr Suzuki was on his death bed, his last words were "until Rich arrived, we were nothing". He has a Suzuki tattoo. You cant see it normally, but I'll give ya a hint to its location... It's on his wang.

PM Big Rich. He knows all.
 
Ok thanks I sent out a PM, Not sure why theres no GS twin love on this website. Guess there not as popular as cb's and such. Great little bike though, rides like a dream.
 
It's not a lack of love, but a game of numbers. They made several hundred thousand CBs. As in, over 300,000 of the 350 twin alone. Suzuki didn't make a fraction of those numbers as far as the GS twins go. No hate. Just not as many out there.
 
VonYinzer said:
PM Big Rich here on DTT. He knows more about vintage Suzukis than Suzuki does. When his kid was born, Suzuki sent him a thank you card because they knew he'd pass his knowledge down to his boy. When Mr Suzuki was on his death bed, his last words were "until Rich arrived, we were nothing". He has a Suzuki tattoo. You cant see it normally, but I'll give ya a hint to its location... It's on his wang.

PM Big Rich. He knows all.
Click to expand...

HA!
 
thought that tattoo said "sue" ya think you know someone them pow your wrong

And plus 100000 on pmimg rich one time we were talking and I mentioned that a guy I know was going to hard tail a gs rich's left eye instantly went blood shot and he choked him self untill he passed out.
 
Haha good to know, growing up my dad had an old GS1100 and this bike reminds me of a baby version of that...

So It was rainy today so i decided to play around with the tail section. I ultimately want 3 things from it:
1: Keep the stock cushy 2 up seat
2: Something that allows a little storage under the seat
3: I dont want to chop the seat frame rails (so i have the option of returning it to stock

I will fiberglass the final product at the shop this week but here is a (VERY) rough mock up from cardboard

Better than this IMHO

Sidenote It will be more round than i could get the cardboard to bend
 
Haha..... you crazy kids......

Anyways, that is a super clean little 400. I wouldn't even mess around changing the tail section or anything like that just yet. Get some new tires, clean up the brake system, check the electrical systems health (seriously - check it), and I'd ride the hell out of that little kicker.

Post a pic of your gear indicator too. I've never seen one like what you're describing.
 
Yea I love this little thing- 7240 miles and brand new tires for the staggering price of $800... Im definitely goin thru everything and giving a good field day cleaning. The tail can definitely wait but something about that massive tail light just irritates me! At least thats all I dont like about the bike.

Heres the indicator- didnt even notice i had one for about a week..... BTW it should be reading 2
 
Ah, ok. I would think that could be fixed with a little research. The indicator itself may be a replaceable unit, so that's what I'd look at first.
 
Big Rich said:
Haha..... you crazy kids......

Anyways, that is a super clean little 400. I wouldn't even mess around changing the tail section or anything like that just yet. Get some new tires, clean up the brake system, check the electrical systems health (seriously - check it), and I'd ride the hell out of that little kicker.

Post a pic of your gear indicator too. I've never seen one like what you're describing.
Click to expand...

I'm with Rich, when you find a rare bike in this condition, clean it up and ride it. I'm a fan of the GS lines and have had many. Here's the real kicker, next time you pull up next to a CB somebody paid five times what you paid for that gem, the smile won't be contained by your helmet. You scored, that is a nice little ride....
 
Well i think you guys have talked some sense into me. Im gonna keep all the body work stock and just powder coat small bits piece by piece, maybe some bigger pieces over the winter. The tank really needs a repaint so I will eventually get the orange parts into the booth. I guess I just want it to come out looking like a stock modern Triumph Scrambler. Also a paint scheme that was more "vintage" and less "Disco"..... Maybe a matte olive drab or black/white two tone
 
brotus said:
Well i think you guys have talked some sense into me. Im gonna keep all the body work stock and just powder coat small bits piece by piece, maybe some bigger pieces over the winter. The tank really needs a repaint so I will eventually get the orange parts into the booth. I guess I just want it to come out looking like a stock modern Triumph Scrambler. Also a paint scheme that was more "vintage" and less "Disco"..... Maybe a matte olive drab or black/white two tone
Click to expand...

It's your bike and your $. I'm a big fan of the theory, get it running perfectly and mechanically sound and riding them. As you can obviously see, many guys on this site build amazing bikes. My opinion was my opinion. I like clean stock bikes and you found a gem. But never forget, it was your prowess, work and $ that found it. I think as you ride it, you'll be pretty happy with the way it is, but if you have a plan, my ramblings mean little.

I think most or us love seeing a pile of parts built into something nice. A few of us like to see a nice garage find cleaned up and ridden. This is not a big bike, if your going to ride two up, you'll probably need to up grade the old suspension, up grade with modern brake pads. Make sure all the cables and hoses are up to par, all the bearings are smooth. When that bike feels rock solid under the weight of both of you, when it doesn't dive or wallow under cornering or braking, then you can put your design thoughts into motion. I think you're really going to like this bike, the Suzuki's were always a favorite of mine.....
 
True words! I have some cables/fork seals/chain and sprockets on the way already. Any suggestions on rear shock replacements? Could I simply bolt in a set from a larger bike? Gs650? 850? So that it will handle the extra weight better. Im trying to stay away from expensive aftermarket performance shocks. As long as its safe im not looking for any real performance upgrades.
 
Shocks are definitely one of those things "you get what you pay for". And the spring rate from a larger bike might be too big of a difference (compare the weight of your bike to a larger model).

I'd call up Hagon and see about their entry level stuff at least. They will ask about your weight and riding style, and set you up from there.
 
Got the new plugs in the mail today! The old ones looked surprisingly good being that the prev owner ran the bike for god know how long with no air filter at all.............

Just a tad too lean lol
 
EDIT: sorry for the close up of that smashed thumb- almost gone...kinda gonna miss it....its been with me for so long...
 
Also i was getting some less than smooth action on my clutch so I ordered a cable straight away ($4) but unfortunately thats not the case... I opened the sprocket cover with the intention of changing the cable but discovered the clutch shaft cam(?) that pushes the clutch shaft was just covered in 30 years of grime so cleaning and lubrication helped a lot.

Anyways when i opened the cover a spring fell out and i cant for the life of me figure out where it goes or any diagrams online that show it.
Heres the culprit

Any help is appreciated...
 
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