GS650 Cherry Poppin Build

[Homesick vagrant]

Count on at least 1 if not all the exhaust bolts breaking.

The bikes were rated at 73 hp from the factory. You're not going to gain much more than looks losing the factory air box and exhaust.

 

[hardline_42]

Count on at least 1 if not all the exhaust bolts breaking.

The bikes were rated at 73 hp from the factory. You're not going to gain much more than looks losing the factory air box and exhaust.

A big +1 to this.

 

[GodSilla650]

Thanks for the info, I will check the boots this weekend. Will there be visible cracks or do they just not seal properly anymore? I keep hearing the same thing about the pods and exhaust, I'm not doing the pods at least for right now. I really am just thinking mufflers because one of mine is crunched and rusted.

That bike looks great Homesick, did you just stretch one piece of vinyl or did you cut it up and sew it like I am planning on doing?

I heard about the O Rings, and usually I cheap out, but I just want to rebuild them 100% right so if I still have an issue I know it is something else and I don't have to tear them all apart again. Also I want to get riding this damn thing as soon as possible!!!

 

[hardline_42]

Thanks for the info, I will check the boots this weekend. Will there be visible cracks or do they just not seal properly anymore? I keep hearing the same thing about the pods and exhaust, I'm not doing the pods at least for right now. I really am just thinking mufflers because one of mine is crunched and rusted.
I heard about the O Rings, and usually I cheap out, but I just want to rebuild them 100% right so if I still have an issue I know it is something else and I don't have to tear them all apart again. Also I want to get riding this damn thing as soon as possible!!!

The boots will have cracks if they're in really bad shape, but they shrink and turn brittle with age even if they don't show any obvious signs of wear. If you can easily squish them in your hand, they should still be good. The o-rings that seal against the head should definitely be replaced, regardless, as well as the ones in the carbs. You can use the ones in your rebuild kit but the quality of the rubber is typically sub par. I wouldn't trust any of the non OEM brass parts, though. Honestly, I'd try to return the kit or sell it and use the funds to buy the boots from Z1 and the o-ring kit from cycleorings.

 

[Homesick vagrant]

The boots are a rubber tube bonded to an aluminum flange. The bond fails, the rubber gets brittle, etc. the bike will run and possibly idle even with split boots. Once the carbs are off, pull the boots and inspect them. Squish them nice and hard, if they are done, they'll start to seperate, or you'll see where they are separated.

New boots make the carbs 10 times easier to get on and off.

The seat has the foam reshaped some and a single piece of vinyl. Lots of gradual stretching. Lay felt under the vinyl and it'll smooth out imperfections.

These bikes aren't the easiest to work on, mainly undoing 30 years of neglect, but they will smoke anything of the same size from the time period. Larger bikes too.

I'm going to stock pile parts before they start being "bad ass".

Thanks for the info, I will check the boots this weekend. Will there be visible cracks or do they just not seal properly anymore? I keep hearing the same thing about the pods and exhaust, I'm not doing the pods at least for right now. I really am just thinking mufflers because one of mine is crunched and rusted.

That bike looks great Homesick, did you just stretch one piece of vinyl or did you cut it up and sew it like I am planning on doing?

I heard about the O Rings, and usually I cheap out, but I just want to rebuild them 100% right so if I still have an issue I know it is something else and I don't have to tear them all apart again. Also I want to get riding this damn thing as soon as possible!!!

 

[Homesick vagrant]

You are starting with a better canvas than I did

 

[GodSilla650]

hardline_42 I have the kits already and I have time this weekend, so I will probably just go forward with it. I will save all the brass to clean up and use on my next GS build though and give it a try with just the O rings. I got the kits off ebay so I would have to pay shipping to send them back so I don't think it's worth the hassle. More so than that I just want to get it up and running, I found my self making vroom noises while driving my car to work while day dreaming about riding my bike. Is Z1 the best place to buy the carb holders? Will I need the carb to air box boots as well? Thanks

Homesick vagrant I posted on your build thread, how is your bike coming along? I love that thing man, I can't wait until mine is done. Thanks for the tip about the felt, I was going to do some type of additional padding since the stock cover had padding sewn into it. I may do some reshaping as well, I want to keep it rideable for 2 people though. I have to look at the mounts on the bike and see if a 1 person seat will look ok on an unmodified frame so I can still switch back and forth.

 

[hardline_42]

hardline_42 I have the kits already and I have time this weekend, so I will probably just go forward with it. I will save all the brass to clean up and use on my next GS build though and give it a try with just the O rings. I got the kits off ebay so I would have to pay shipping to send them back so I don't think it's worth the hassle. More so than that I just want to get it up and running, I found my self making vroom noises while driving my car to work while day dreaming about riding my bike. Is Z1 the best place to buy the carb holders? Will I need the carb to air box boots as well? Thanks.

If you're dead set on using the brass parts from your kit, please check them against what you pull out of the carbs. Those aftermarket kits often have generic jets that don't match the stock sizes. That's why using them isn't recommended. You'd be miles ahead just cleaning what you've got instead of throwing parts at it. As far as Z1 Enterprises, they're your best bet if they have them in stock. Otherwise, I go with Parts Outlaw. You'd have to check your airbox boots to see if they need replacing.

 

[GodSilla650]

Alright, you twisted my arm!! I contacted the Ebay seller to return the kits. I will just have to eat the shipping, which shouldn't be too much.

Now do I need to piece together the O rings or do they have O ring kits?

Thanks again. I would rather go with OEM parts on most anything unless I am customizing anyway so this makes sense.

 

[GodSilla650]

OK I found the kit you were talking about, thanks for the link! Is there anything else you recommend ordering for the carb rebuild or anything in general? seems like these prices are really reasonable so I will most likely order more stuff from this guy. I am tearing the carbs apart tonight so I will have a little better idea of what I need. I will get the intake o rings as well as the carb holders if mine are in bad shape. I am just chomping at the bit to get my parts and start working on this pig.

 

[hardline_42]

Alright, you twisted my arm!! I contacted the Ebay seller to return the kits. I will just have to eat the shipping, which shouldn't be too much.

Now do I need to piece together the O rings or do they have O ring kits?

Thanks again. I would rather go with OEM parts on most anything unless I am customizing anyway so this makes sense.

Go to www.cycleorings.com and order an o-ring kit for CV carbs for $14.73. He (Robert Barr) will throw in float bowl drain o-rings for a penny if you need them. Also, order a set of intake o-rings ( should be 38mm but double check with him) for $3.91 and 16mm stainless bolts (again, double check) to replace the ones you'll mangle trying to remove for $4.85.

If you need them, get a set of these intake carb boots for $117.76:
http://www.z1enterprises.com/ItemDetails.aspx?itemDescription=Carb+Holders+GS550+GS650&item=13110-47010-K

They don't seem to have the airbox boots in stock but you can call and find out. The above list of parts (plus any miscellaneous carb top and bowl gaskets you can't reuse) should get you back to running condition.

 

[Homesick vagrant]

If you go slow, you can reuse the float bowl gaskets.

You probably don't need to rebuild the petcock, but it probably needs to be disassembled and cleaned. You can boil it on the stove.

 

[Homesick vagrant]

Once you figure in all the odds and ends, tires, registration, tag, spray paint, electrical connectors, etc. figure about a grand.

At first I was going to bob or cafe mine, but, most of it was there, and most of it worked, so I couldn't see tossing something just to buy something to replace it, BEFORE, it was even running 100%.

Flame suit on...... Cafe is a fad. Remember body kits and neon lights? For every 1 decent car built by someone that had a clue, there were 50 POS throw togethers running around.

 

[Homesick vagrant]

Big Rich, thanks for the tip. I was looking around and had found someone using cables off of another GS, they were shorter, but they were still having some issues. I was hoping there was a clear cut solution that others have done before, but it wouldn't be customization with out headaches!

I'm not planning on riding the bike for more than an hour at a time. Do you think the Clip On bars would be really uncomfortable? I know a lot of people run them, but is there a specific reason why they would be worse on the GS?

I found some bars in a junk yard and rerouted the stock cables. And the stock cables are long as hell with the goofy factory bars.

Do the clip on bars clear the tank?

 

[Homesick vagrant]

If the fork seals aren't leaking, don't replace them. Just replace the oil. GL series use 15wt oil, 239ml. You can go heavier on the oil and shim the springs.

 

[GodSilla650]

Thanks to both of you guys. I will order that stuff up tonight.

The clip-ons do hit the tank, the guy just tried to hack them on. I was going to clearance the tank, but I just bought clubman bars. I will just save the clip-ons for another project.

 

[hardline_42]

Thanks to both of you guys. I will order that stuff up tonight.

The clip-ons do hit the tank, the guy just tried to hack them on. I was going to clearance the tank, but I just bought clubman bars. I will just save the clip-ons for another project.

Just a warning, you might have trouble with the clubman's also. They often hit the tank as well and tend to have too narrow of a clamping area for most 4 cylinder handlebar clamps. Superbike bars tend to work much better on these bikes. Especially with stock foot pegs and controls.

 

[GodSilla650]

hardline_42 Thanks again, I got all that stuff ordered up from cycleorings. I will have to wait on the carb holders until I get my refund for the carb kits. At least I am making some progress.

 

[GodSilla650]

got some work done

So I got to work on the bike for a few hours yesterday, I got some stuff done, but not as much as I would have liked. I got sent the wrong choke cable (partially or all my fault I guess) instead of having a bare cable end that would fit into the thumb lever it had a pull out choke knob, so I will be sending that back and trying to get the right one.

I got my clip on bars off and my clubmans on although I still need to sort out some cable/wire routing. I really wish the guy I bought it from hadn't messed with it, he bent stuff, left stuff loose, left off hardware... just for a simple bar swap

I got my Carbs off. Everything was packed in really tight, I'm thinking putting them back on isn't going to be a whole lot of fun. To get them off I loosened all of the clamps on the carbs and airbox, wiggled stuff around and pulled the carbs out. There doesn't seem to be a way to take the air box out first.

Who is ready to say I told you so??? My Carb Holders were leaking, the rubber was separated from the metal on 2 of them (see pictures)

It was really killing my pulling stuff of the bike and not having the time to clean it up and paint it, but I keep telling myself I just want to get it on the road and make it pretty later.

Pictures are: Stock Bars compared to Clubmans, Picture with clip ons, bars off, can you tell me what is missing???, corrosion on the ignition switch, clubman bars just put on, Carb Holder rubber seperation (2), my buddy's CB750 project

 

[hardline_42]

I got my Carbs off. Everything was packed in really tight, I'm thinking putting them back on isn't going to be a whole lot of fun. To get them off I loosened all of the clamps on the carbs and airbox, wiggled stuff around and pulled the carbs out. There doesn't seem to be a way to take the air box out first.

Reinstalling carbs on four cylinders is one of the reasons I prefer twins! Try lubing the intake and airbox boots up with silicone, put them in place loosely on the intake side (push the airbox back as far as possible for clearance), connect the throttle cable, push them all the way into the intake boots (some people use a 2x4 across the throats to apply equal pressure) and then slide the airbox onto the carbs. It's gonna suck no matter how you go about it.