78 GS1000

[rudy]

I found a 78 GS1000 for sale in the area yesterday while driving through some side streets. I called the guy and this is what he told me:

$1500 as is
43000km
needs rear tire and chain (i'd say new front tire and sprockets too while you're at it)
carbs will need to be cleaned, re-done and synced (no trouble for me)

Things I noticed when taking a quick look on the side of the road:
It's been sitting in the rain this season for a while (long grass growing around it)
everything is nasty dirty
seat is ripped (needs new cover, and likely new foam, possibly seat pan if it's all wet inside)
paint is alright, don't know if it's original, but it's yellow
inside of tank unknown
a 78 GS will have the 8 valve engine with roller and ball bearings, right?
looks like an aftermarket 4-1 exhaust, possibly the vance and hines unit that's around. it's been painted/originally came black
$1500 is a little much for a bike that will likely need another $1000 invested to get it going. 43000km is a getting up there, but isn't too bad for this bike.
on a scale of 1-10 for cosmetic shape, this thing is somewhere around a 5 or 6.

Approximated costs:
Tires - $300 (at least)
Carb kits - $100
Chain - $120
Sprockets - $80
Seat re-done - $60
Paint - $200
Valve shims - $40 ???

Could also go with electronic ignition, don't know how much this is.


I'm going to check it out tomorrow night after work. It apparently runs, so we'll see. Will post further thoughts tomorrow night. Possibly pictures and maybe video.

Rudy

 

[duncan]

a bit more info

http://www.suzukicycles.org/GS-series/GS1000.shtml

and a youtube cafe version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKg1AEvjKF4

 

[TonUpSoldier]

Rudy, depending on the work, its probably worth 1200 NOT RUNNING. That would be a Skunk, the rarest of all the 1000, and highly sought after by the GSR crowd. If you can score it, lemme know, I'll be happy to give you all the info you need on getting it running, but the motor is basicly the 8v 750 minus the kicker.

 

[rudy]

I've honestly been thinking about this bike ALL day!!! Took a picture yesterday when I stopped to take a look. For some reason it looks better in the pic than I remember. Stainless braided brake lines, paint looks original and seems to be in decent shape. Engine isn't painted black like I thought I remembered it being. Badges look REALLY nice shape. Gauges will need some work, but aren't too bad (speedo face is spun around about 35 degrees). Chrome looks decent on everything. Frame will need paint for sure.

Got looking on Z1 tonight and priced out the first bunch of things that came to mind. $600 before shipping. Not too bad. Plus tires. I was thinking of offering $1000, then he'll say $1200. Really depends what his "extra parts" are. If he has the mint original exhaust, or a spare engine, or who knows what.

There's the usual surface rust here and there on everything/dirt and grime build up, but nothing a little rubbing couldn't bring back the shine to. I really like the yellow colour too (must be the yammy lover in me ;D).

If I get this bike it will strictly be a restoration. No mods as it's beautiful enough as it is. My buddy wants his GS750 to be yellow, so I'm sure he'll have something to say about me having a yellow GS as well.

Decided today to sell all my earthly possessions to possibly buy this thing. Will sell my old car sound system from the last car, $450-500. Once I get the CB650 engines running, I have a buyer lined up, at least $600. Selling the MX250A dirt bike as I'll NEVER get around to rebuilding it, let alone find the time to ride it. Hope to get $600 for it (what I have into it). So, that should nicely fund the GS ;D. Anybody interested in an MX250A? Pretty much complete, but not running yet (haven't tried since I bought a new coil and wire). This bike IS a collectors item. Apparently pretty big in the vintage MX community. Would love to restore it like it deserves, but just don't have the time. Road bikes are MUCH more interesting for me.

 

[rudy]

Rudy, depending on the work, its probably worth 1200 NOT RUNNING. That would be a Skunk, the rarest of all the 1000, and highly sought after by the GSR crowd. If you can score it, lemme know, I'll be happy to give you all the info you need on getting it running, but the motor is basicly the 8v 750 minus the kicker.

Was reading up a little on the 1000 and apparently they redesigned the 750 to have a longer stroke, and a little bit changed in the bottom end, resulting in a lighter bottom end. So, this thing really weighs in at pretty much the same as my buddy's 77 GS750?

Really too bad it doesn't have a kicker. I'd still kick a 1000!! You'll be the first to know if I score it. I'm off work at 5 tomorrow, then heading down to check it out. About a 30 minute drive from work. Should be back by 7 or so, so check back around then.

I really don't know where I'm gonna put it if I get it....... might have to start stacking them.

 

[TonUpSoldier]

Hrmmm I cant tell. Is that black stripe recessed into the tank? If so...its a Skunk. If not, the tank is an NOS tank from a later model. The wheels however are NOT original unfortunately. Id double check the VIN mark to see if its perhaps a 79 and not a 78, but good score none the less. 1200-1500 is decent if its running.

 

[TonUpSoldier]

And yes, its essentially the same motor as your buddies 750. They ditched the kicker, and shortened the case, which in turn made it a lil lighter. Mean MEAN bike too

 

[rudy]

Ok, just got back.

The bike:
It's not a 78...... completely. It's got a 78 engine and gauges, tail and side covers. Front end, tank, wheels, frame and possibly the seat are 79. Has electronic ignition kit already from some race guy he knew (asked what brand, but he had no idea as he got it for free), reg/rec from a Honda as well, he's had that for almost 10 years. Pipe is a Kerker header with a cheezy ass, dented to hell, patched on the top midway down V&H muffler monkey welded on. That WILL come off and have something nicer put on. Exhaust has been enamel coated and baked at 1500. I have a feeling there are gonna be some "creative" parts in the electrics, but not a problem for me. Starts easy. He pumped the throttle a few times before starting, are these carbs pumpers???? Front tire is alright, don't know how old it is, but I think it may last one more season. Looks like a Dunlop. He had the whole thing painted Nissan 2003 Yellow a few years ago. Has another ignition switch, as the original was destroyed when a couple punks tried to steal the bike. Seat is CRAP, wouldn't be caught dead riding that bike on that seat. Everything sounds good when he started it up, smoothed out fairly quickly, but I would say one or two carbs are running a little rich. Better than lean I guess. Forgot to check inside the tank. He rode it all the time up until last fall when he parked it for the winter. Still has March 08 tags on it. He says it also needs a new speedo cable.

Extras:
Has 2 sets of spoked wheels. Spokes are rusty, but aluminum rims will shine up real nice.
Has another side cover painted yellow same as the rest of the bike.
Has another "complete" engine, I'm guessing from the 79 he used the frame from. He said the valves leak. Likely someone didn't pay attention to their valve shims.

The Verdict:
I think I'm gonna go for it. He was asking $1500 for the bike. I talked to him about vintage bikes for a while, then offered $1200. He just about shit a chicken, and said $1500 again. I said $1300. He said $1400. I said $1300. He said $1400. I said $1400 with the wheels. He said OK, then said $1500 with the spare engine as well. I told him I don't even really have room for the bike, let alone another engine. Anyone??? $150 for an engine and I'll pick it up and hold it for ya.

The thing is, he's a divorced old dude, says the 1000 is too much bike for him now (he's about 150 pounds and about 5 feet, so, yeah), and is looking for a 4-5 year old 750 Shadow with a shaft drive for something to retire on. He's in no hurry to sell it, so it's kinda hard to jew him down. He hasn't advertised it at all yet, but seems to think that if he did, he'd have guys busting down his door with wads of cash. It's not a BAD bike, but it's not perfect either. It needs a little work.

$1400 isn't bad, as I can build and sell the extra set of spokies once they look damn nice. Might even fit on my buddy's GS750. Can sell the set of cast wheels as well. Oh, and the spoked wheels come with another set of discs. Maybe I could go to a dual disc on the front. Find another set of calipers.

So, there ya go. I suppose I have a little time to wait around, but if I'm gonna go for it, it should be this week yet. He already kinda knows that I want it.

Rudy - prospective litre club member.

 

[TonUpSoldier]

Dude find out what it would cost to ship that motor to me, and I might have to take it off your hands man! Ive been looking for a 1000 motor for the cafe. They'll nearly bolt right in to my 77 frame. Almost. I had suspicion about that tank. And if you wanna sell that pipe, lemme know. It may look junky to you, but I have been looking for a black pipe for the cafe. Lemme know if you're interested.

The spokies WILL fit your buddies 750. The bearings will have to be changed as the 1000 had bigger axles. I have a set of 1000 spokies im working on polishing for the cafe. Right now i have the black spokes on it. They look cool too. Dual disc is an easy swap. You'll need a set of 79 or 80 forks. Swap to tapper head bearings while you're at it too. I think those have ball bearings in them originally. the 79 and up forks have the mount for the other caliper, and the wheel will accept the other disc. Better yet, i have a mod for you to run DUAL piston sliders from an early Zixxer, and i have the brackets already made to do it with. SImple mod, UBER much more stopping power. Im talking stoppies bro. Two finger style. You could EASILY turn that bike into a Cooley Replica. GS1000S. MEAN MACHINE bro. Get ready to crap yourself when you get that thing running right. the STOCK carbs were VM26SS for that model. Its conceiveable hes put or someones put VM28SS Pumpers on it, but not likely. He probably doesnt know how to operate his vaccum petcock. If it DOES have 28 Pumpers on it, you may consider getting rid of them, they are a BLOODY BITCH to tune to begin with, and ESPECIALLY on these bikes. They dont like oversized carbs much. Welcome to GS land my friend. You will find that, compared to other bikes of the era, they ARE the creme of the crop. Nothing handles better, nor is faster when tuned. Lemme know if you need any help. I can rip the top end of that bike apart, rebuild, revalve, and rering that thing and have it running in less than five hours now

 

[rudy]

Dude, you're getting me all excited now. Like a kid that just found out he's going to the freakin circus!!! Dancing bears...... ring toss....... ferris wheels..... elephants..... clowns in ridiculously tiny cars.......bearded ladies. Wait, scratch those last two, they just freak me out.

I was thinking, once I have the bike all loaded up and ready to go, offer him another $50 for the engine. Isn't worth a whole lot without a bike to go with it. Especially if it needs some work to get it right again. I really don't know what comes with it, whether there's carbs or not, or an ignition system or charging system. I'd imagine it's just the basic engine, though I could find out.

You're out in Dayton, Ohio, right? I dunno what it would cost to ship this hassie out to you from here. How much does one weigh? I would imagine something close to 250 pounds, likely more if the whole bike weighs over 500. I could likely ship it from work through their account. I'd crate it all up for ya real nice so nothing bad happens to it. I would imagine it would cost around the $100 mark, possibly more, to ship it. Could get a quote for ya if you're really horny to get it.

Could also save the hassle of paperwork and customs and what not and drive it to the border. Detroit/Windsor is only about 3 hours from both of us. Could bring the XS400 carbies and handlebar mounts at the same time. I'm still holding on to them for ya. I may also have an XS650 engine to pick up in Windsor anyways. Lemme know my man.

If all goes according to plan, this will end up being a runner for next spring. Who knows, maybe I'll sell the 650 to get it done for this fall. Will have to start working out to be able to lift that engine out of the frame, and to be able to hold on when I twist that throttle!!

 

[TonUpSoldier]

Dood if you can get that motor, its worth the drive to D-town for me, or a Cnote or more in shipping! Those are kinda hard to come by around here cos they run for fuggin EVER and are easy to rebuild to boot. i'd LOVE to have it for my cafe, this thing is silly fast for the set up i have on it now, a 1000 motor would make it stand up. (it already did that before i removed the stupid huge 52 tooth 630 sprocket i had on the back...) That motor weighs actually probably UNDER 250lbs. Most of the weight in the GSs is in the frame and suspension and wheels. BTW, excellent BOLT ON mod for your 1000, is an 81-81 GS1100E Boxed aluminum swinger. Stronger, and about 7 lbs lighter than the stock tube one. You're going to love this thing man. I used to be a dyed in the wool Kaw person, grew up on Kaw dirt bikes, hell i even kinda liked my Hondas too. But when i found this 750, my first zook, and the power it had, even running rough, i was in LOVE. Plus they are SO fuggin easy to work on man. I really enjoy working on them.

Lemme know bout that motor, and thanks for holding on to those XS parts for me. I still want em, but i simply havent even touched the XS yet. Between FINALLY getting the GS cafe dialed in on the carbs (Yes! Its RUNNING! Pics soon ) and making my GS1100G run like the devil himself, plus ive rebuilt 2 750 motors, (not including the two of my own i rebuilt) an 81 850 motor, an 81 GS1100E motor and ANOTHER 750 motor for other people, i simply havent had time to touch it. I need to, so i can sell it before my NEWEST bike gets here (full tourer GS1100GK) I just installed a Yammaha R1 1/4 turn throttle on my Cafe and the 1100G. MAN those things make a HUGE difference! No more re-gripping for that next rip on the throttle. Its all in one flick of the wrist. Lil touchy at first, but once you get used to it, its time to dust some Hardley Ablesons And BTW, you'll have NO trouble making Jonnie Hardon and his Electraglide look like a fool when he revs his annoyingly loud pipes at you at a light on that 1000. Might even give him a head start to let him feel better about his 20,000 dollar lawn tractor.

 

[rudy]

I'll snag that engine for ya brutha. Anything to help out a DTT member! ;D

 

[Kuyarico]

Some exciting things happening in this thread. I hope it all works out for everyone.

 

[rudy]

Some exciting things happening in this thread. I hope it all works out for everyone.

Damn right it's exciting!! ;D Lining up the truck and trailer for tomorrow night. Hopefully it all works out. I don't see why it wouldn't. If I get it tomorrow, watch for hordes of pix and video. Gonna have to take this thing for a rip before tearing into it. You know, to empty the gas tank, so I don't have to drain it. Makes sense, right?

 

[rudy]

You think I should do this? Airtech sells repro fairings and chin spoilers. Sure would be hot!! Wes Cooley, here I come!!! Lol! We'll see.

 

[rudy]

Well, it's all set to go. Picking it up around 8, then gotta bring the truck back, then my usual bike loading helpers (I have my own crew that always comes when I pick up bikes), then get back here and snap some pics. Should be quite an exciting night!! Can you tell I'm excited yet??

 

[TonUpSoldier]

I have one of those fairings on my 1100G. They ACTUALLY WORK! And mine is an AirTech as well. GREAT quality. My 1100G will have that same paint job soon.

 

[TonUpSoldier]

a bit more info

http://www.suzukicycles.org/GS-series/GS1000.shtml

and a youtube cafe version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKg1AEvjKF4

That sounds like SHIT. He's done an awfull job tuning that bike for the pipes. Needs to clean his cam chain adjuster, or he has starter clutch issues too.

 

[rudy]

Ok, just got back in, it's now 12:15pm. Buddy was chatting up a storm for quite some time.

So, off loaded and just had to fire it up. After 11, but who cares, not me!! Payback for the neighbor's dog barking all night. So I got my GS to bark right back at him. And bark it did!!!

Took a little to get it to stay running, some playing with the choke, you know. First time running a 4 cylinder bike. Let it warm up for a bit, can't figure out the lights, but brake light works, signals work too, so, off I go. No helmet, no jacket, no headlight, gauges don't work, brake are sketchy, throttle is stiff as anything, no neutral light, carbs need cleaning and tuning BADLY, but I took it for a few passes over the little hump we live on. Got up to third gear somewhere in the rev range and sounded pretty good. Either these things are running way too rich, or the choke doesn't come off all the way. It's got a pretty nice bark to it for a ratty old pipe, and carbs that are running like crap. Still, it has some nice pull for the little bit I did ride it.

I think the cam chain needs adjusting too, as it rattles at low idle. Clutch is...... well, um..... sketchy. Definitely needs adjusting, but it's also kinda grabby and choppy (clutch plates?). Needs new cable for sure as it's just as stiff as the throttle. Front end is stiff as well, steering feels like a freakin Ford truck!! Definitely roller bearing kit going into it and a good cleaning. Brakes will get totally torn apart and cleaned, nothing is seized, but it's easy to do, and it'll make me feel better. Need new pads, and I'll likely change to rotor on the back to one of the spares as for some reason it's worn down and kinda groovy. Caliper bleeders are broke off the back caliper, didn't check the front, but I'll need a bunch of speed bleeders. I think they're in stock at Mike's now. I'll get them for my XS's as well. Gas tank isn't held on by anything but the seat. Will have to find a bolt that will fit. Back cam covers are missing on both sides and spare engine doesn't have any at all.

Despite all these little flaws, I was grinning like a jackass eating thistles!! ;D Ear to ear!! Maybe because I was so excited to finally have my muscle bike. Maybe because now I have another project. Can't really say. Probably a bit of both.

It came with a fair amount of extra junk. A bunch of stator covers, two of which are usable. Also 4 stators. Don't know if any of them are good. Original tool kit tools. Don't know if that's everything that was included in the original tool kit, but yeah, at least there IS one unlike my other two bikes. Two sets of stock coils. These are probably only worth holding down the garbage bag at the end of the driveway on garbage day. You know, so the wind doesn't blow it away. Another set of stock gauges from the original 78 engine. At least the faces don't spin around on these. Two side cover emblems, neither of which are much good. Will polish them up and put them on the tool box for a little extra bling. Bling adds at least 3HP to anything. Yes, even a tool box. An extra right side cover and ignition switch. Basically, most of the extra parts are useless crap that I'll never need. But who knows, maybe someday. And you guys already know about the spoked wheels.

He tried pretty hard to get me to buy some 33mm flatslides he has. He says they're off a Gixxer 1100. I didn't wanna touch them with a 10 foot pole as I'd spent too much already. He wants $400 for them if anyone is interested. He says they're worth $1200. I could pick them up and ship em out to ya.

Well, I think all my pix are loaded up right now. Sorry, no video yet. It was too dark tonight. Will try tomorrow or saturday morning.

At the Timmie's/Petro Canada just before getting on the 401 west. Had to make a fluid adjustment... three times. Twice on me, once on the truck. The truck was a LOT more thirsty that I was.

My usual bike moving helpers got to sit on it even before I did!

Lily joins her new family in the garage. Yes, I think that's what she's gonna be called.

Here's your engine Josh

And that's it for today! It's almost 1 now, so I'm off to bed, as a proud litre club member. ;D

 

[rudy]

Just remembered, while chatting, the guy mentioned that he had quite a number of young guys ask about the bike when it was sitting for sale. He turned them all down because they were all just a bunch of "punks" looking for some cheap go-fast. I guess it was a good thing that I started chatting about vintage bikes and all the different stuff I've done when I went to look at it the first time. He wanted his baby to go to a good home. Well, a good home it's in. Pretty darn sure it's getting the Wes Cooley treatment, except with some sexy spoke wheels. I'll drop by there when I'm all done just to show him how good a GS can look.