gs1100g puss bucket

[fridayflash]

my gs1100 is giving me grief..heres the outline, i bought it 6 months ago off a bloke who had parked it up
for three years (altho occasionally started it ) before selling it he registered it, fresh wof, oil, plugs etc
the day i picked it up it had a full tank already and although it was 3 year old petrol the bike started and ran
ok so i used that fuel to ride home on (waikanae to napier) so the bike went ok..but pretty flat on power
i assumed it'd be the dull fuel, at home i found the air filter was heavily clogged so replaced that...next was
carbs out, generally clean condition, but was some gunk in the pilots as i expected due to the flat power
below 3-4000rpm. this marginally improved things, but still runs a bit flat and fluffy (...er?) up to 3000rpm ish
overall power is about 80% of what it should be, other symptoms to note are..if i take it out and give it a
hard caning (redlines) itll start to starve of fuel...fuel cap and breather are all ok, as is fuel line and petcock
ive had to pull over and put the tap onto prime to refill the carbs a few times when this has happened.
secondly when hot it now idles high and erratic...intake boots could be frucked but i cant detect any air leaks
by spraying wd-40 at them (should i try something more suitable?). also the bike has a bit of oil coming outa the
airbox breather..? that could be from blow by..or a buggered petcock overfilling my sump with fuel i know
but petcock seems faultless, and oil level isnt high at all.as for blow by, compression reading were all 125psi.
so i dont know if the oil thing is related to the other issues.

so, any ides comrades? your advice is welcomed

eddie

[Grumph]

You don't say what pipe is on it - those old buggers are surprisingly pipe sensitive.

Do the shims - and be generous with clearances, .004inlet, .006 ex won't be noisy but will run cleaner.
Do a vacuum synch - and check the carb diaphragms are intact and seated properly.
Put a change of straight mineral oil through it - from the sounds of things it may be glazed and you'll never get it to reseat rings on synthetic or semi synth.

plenty of advice on the GSresources site - but they won't like your language...yanks.

[fridayflash]

a mate just looked up set of intake boots for me..$135.00 us
so if im facing a leak in my lot can i bodge them up to gauge the efficacy of buying a new set?
i thought black silicon was ok, although a mate recommends polyurethane based prods are the go...

[Grumph]

a mate just looked up set of intake boots for me..$135.00 us
so if im facing a leak in my lot can i bodge them up to gauge the efficacy of buying a new set?
i thought black silicon was ok, although a mate recommends polyurethane based prods are the go...

i seem to be in a minority here but i've never had a problem with old carb inlet rubbers.
Don't spend until you've proved they're the problem.IMO other things are more likely.

[fridayflash]

thanks, yeah im with you there...and theres a lot of other things going on that dont seem to be related to an air leak
ie; aparant fuel starvation etc

[Madness]

so, any ides comrades? your advice is welcomed

Try to not hit the return button after every 5 or 6 words you type.

:niceone:

[Akzle]

set your floats a mm higher.

[fridayflash]

You don't say what pipe is on it - those old buggers are surprisingly pipe sensitive.

Do the shims - and be generous with clearances, .004inlet, .006 ex won't be noisy but will run cleaner.
Do a vacuum synch - and check the carb diaphragms are intact and seated properly.
Put a change of straight mineral oil through it - from the sounds of things it may be glazed and you'll never get it to reseat rings on synthetic or semi synth.

plenty of advice on the GSresources site - but they won't like your language...yanks.

ah yes, pipe is a 4 into 1 which is definately a bit of a bug bear too...far to restricting so ive opened it up by drilling a heap if 12mm holes, it doesnt sound great but its free'd it up enough for now..when things are closer to sorted ill fit a cycleworks 4in1, the slash end one is my fave pipe for an old zuki four.
i havent looked at the valve clearances yet at all..although top end sounds ok.ill follow your advice on oil thanks, i dont know what the previous owner put in it....oh and carb diaphrams are all good

cheers

eddie

[fridayflash]

set your floats a mm higher.

funny you should say that akzle..after my initial carb cleanup etc i removed them again to do just that..no cigar:bash:

[Akzle]

funny you should say that akzle..after my initial carb cleanup etc i removed them again to do just that..no cigar:bash:

set them a mm HIGHER!!

[fridayflash]

im pretty sure i went at least two mm higher...i was half expecting to cop a bit of overflow

[Akzle]

ok then. Bigger jets? Clip the needles down?

[fridayflash]

yeah, good point..i kinda left everything as it was in the carbs and just cleaned them etc..if it comes down to tuning ill go through jet sizes and needle posi etc.....im just kinda sure something else is shitting it, like an air leak, a fucked petcock diaphramm and a crook HT lead all once:mellow:

[Crasherfromwayback]

...intake boots could be frucked but i cant detect any air leaks
by spraying wd-40 at them (should i try something more suitable?).

CRC engine start is a goodin for finding any air leaks mate.

[mossy1200]

If the bowl has a passage from top up though the bowl gasket check that's clear. Had a few sitter bikes run like they had the carb on all the time.

[Akzle]

yeah, good point..i kinda left everything as it was in the carbs and just cleaned them etc..if it comes down to tuning ill go through jet sizes and needle posi etc.....im just kinda sure something else is shitting it, like an air leak, a fucked petcock diaphramm and a crook HT lead all once:mellow:

plug chop.

Fuel starve is consternating. Is the vac hose to the petcobk good? (if you suck on it, does fuel flow)

[Akzle]

bikes run like they had the carb on all the time.

i should hope so, im not sure how good a bike goes with the carb off...

[fridayflash]

ill try crc start tmw...got a lazy week with work so good time to be faffing around with this bike. ...trying to think if i know anyone local with vaccum guages to sync up my carbs

[fridayflash]

plug chop.

Fuel starve is consternating. Is the vac hose to the petcobk good? (if you suck on it, does fuel flow)

yep, had the petcock apart and checked the sucky part works good as gold eh

[wickle]

Eddie wet weekend coming up , do what to bring the bike around to work on in garage , or are you allowed to put it in the lounge cause there's no other room at your place big enough.

[pete376403]

Ive got a Cycleworks 4-1 on my 1100G (GK actually but that's only extra Tupperware) and I've replaced the "muffler" with a CBR600 can which I think is probably more restrictive than the Cycleworks tube - definitely quieter - and it still runs really well right through the rev range. Its also got a K&N air filter.
Is the charging system working well on your bike? Breaking down in the upper revs sounds to me like a weak spark, and early 80s Suzuki electrics were not known for quality. Check the state of the connectors from the alternator to the regulator. When I repaired the connections I extended the cables to mount the regulator under the steering head so it gets a bit more cooling - the standard location under the battery box and behind the gearbox is pretty shrouded.

+1 for www.thegsresources.com

[fridayflash]

the lounge has mark on the carpet from last time i had a bike in there!!!!
this weekend sounds good mate, im dead set on removing the carbs to inspect those intakes...if your 1000 appears to be sporting old shabby ones with bits of tyre tube hanging off them, and mine myseriously gains a near new set, dont be suspicious...its how its always been! ;)

[fridayflash]

Ive got a Cycleworks 4-1 on my 1100G (GK actually but that's only extra Tupperware) and I've replaced the "muffler" with a CBR600 can which I think is probably more restrictive than the Cycleworks tube - definitely quieter - and it still runs really well right through the rev range. Its also got a K&N air filter.
Is the charging system working well on your bike? Breaking down in the upper revs sounds to me like a weak spark, and early 80s Suzuki electrics were not known for quality. Check the state of the connectors from the alternator to the regulator. When I repaired the connections I extended the cables to mount the regulator under the steering head so it gets a bit more cooling - the standard location under the battery box and behind the gearbox is pretty shrouded.

+1 for www.thegsresources.com

i have been a bit suss about the spark...whilst looking for causes i took off the plug leads, one at a time during idle, cylinder 2,3&4 all were affected in the usual way (about 25%) yet cylinder 1 only ebbed a fraction (5%) or so. have some alternative coils/leads to try this weekend.am certain ive got more that one issue at play with this bike. i recon my charging is ok....battery is always full and i ride with headlight on naturally. will check charging volts at the weekend

[nzspokes]

Have you sniffed the oil? I had a bike with dead float valves that had oil that smelt of petrol. It bogged a bit at just on throttle but was ok the rest of the time. New float valves and an oil change and it was a little rocket.

[fridayflash]

Have you sniffed the oil? I had a bike with dead float valves that had oil that smelt of petrol. It bogged a bit at just on throttle but was ok the rest of the time. New float valves and an oil change and it was a little rocket.

ill do that tmw...its a possibility although at this stage im pretty sure float valves are seating and sealing good but anythings worth a shot..cheers!

[T.W.R]

ah yes, pipe is a 4 into 1 which is definately a bit of a bug bear too...far to restricting so ive opened it up by drilling a heap if 12mm holes, it doesnt sound great but its free'd it up enough for now.

Pointless if it's running the standard airbox & filter and if the carbs haven't been adjusted to suit. can't free up the outlet if the inlet hasn't been freed up also...both have to work together.


CRC engine start is a goodin for finding any air leaks mate.

pretty sure wd40 & crc spray a similar atomisation..ok if you haven't got anything else on hand but still a heavy liquid. A water mist sprayer is the best and offers a much finer atomisation for detecting leaks.

plug chop.

Useless unless a fresh set of plugs are used and it isn't going show whats happening concerning a mid throttle issue.


i have been a bit suss about the spark...whilst looking for causes i took off the plug leads, one at a time during idle, cylinder 2,3&4 all were affected in the usual way (about 25%) yet cylinder 1 only ebbed a fraction (5%) or so. have some alternative coils/leads to try this weekend.

If your leads are stiff then you're better off replacing them. check the resistance of the coils & leads once with the leads connected to the coils & once without the leads...should be somewhere around 2.8~3.2 ohms

[fridayflash]

had a bit of a eureka moment today chaps, took carbs off to inspect intake boots, they were ok but the flat type o-ring seals that fit in the nice groove
and mate up against the ports were all flat, brittle and broken, bits missing etc so got a set of new roundie rubbers, fitted them up..also found a split in the vaccum hose near the petcock end which id never seen before (and may be the cause of even more airleak and a failure of the petcock diaphram to open sufficiently) which could be the cause of my fuel starvation. anyways, after reassembly, tank on etc..the bike instantly fired up and idled better than in ever has..revved hard n fast off the throttle and dropped revs nice n quickwhen the throttle was chopped..fantastic! was great to hear the bike idle and rev like a normal ujm should..the exhaust didnt even sound too bad, upon riding it i found it runs much more crisp although does have a slight boggy spot around 3.5k rpm, seeming a little rich, i had opened the mixture screws an extra half turn in the past so re-set them. next step would be to pull the carbs again and re-set float height down to spec, and check needle posi etc.
any othe advice for a boggy spot between 3&4000rpm? otherwise today was a VAST improvement, thanks to all who offered advice:2thumbsup

[F5 Dave]

Tape up the drilled airbox holes as experiment. Airfilter foam is surprisingly sensitive. Std & proper foam oil before you go much further tuning.

Does it have a fuel filter? They are totally neces on a Suzuki, but there is no room for one without kinking the fuel line on its tight curve. Been caught by this when I was convinced the line should be ok, but internally pinched.

Think I used a right angle one. Check if tank has been sealed with a torch. Breather at top lip & cap need to be checked.

I took my regulator off as soon as I got it going. It was working but it would have failed. Replaced it with a Yam (RZ350) finned one, but many will do, which has extra wire but can explain how to sort that (feedback to a switched power wire).

[fridayflash]

thanks dave, i havent drilled into the airbox...did to the tailpipe end tho....and added a new unifilter, oild with engine oil lol do you reckon i should run airbox with rear snorkel out? ill leave that little option out until i have it fairly closely tuned and re-address them when ive got a new 4n1. btw my bike has a finned reg/rec too, and mounted nicely behing a side cover where circulation wouldnt be too bad. much better than my old gsx750 which was waaay downunder airbox/battery area

[F5 Dave]

Try oiling with air filter oil. You can really screw up carburetion with airbox mods. Is the reg still the 5 wire Suzy one? They are finned, but will still fail.

[fridayflash]

at the moment my filter is almost drenched with oil..coming outa the engine breather and into the airbox....grrrrr, not sure why, compressions are fairly even at 125psi so shouldnt be blow by

[nzspokes]

at the moment my filter is almost drenched with oil..coming outa the engine breather and into the airbox....grrrrr, not sure why, compressions are fairly even at 125psi so shouldnt be blow by

If your inlets have had a vacum leak there can be all kinda odd stuff going on. I would clean it all up and see how it runs for a week before panicking about needing a rebuild.

[fridayflash]

my hopes exactly mate, i had the major air leak at manofolds/head and more at the vac hose so time will tell, give it a cleanup now and take it for a howl this arvo and see whats what.

btw hows your good lady sharon?

[F5 Dave]

at the moment my filter is almost drenched with oil..coming outa the engine breather and into the airbox....grrrrr, not sure why, compressions are fairly even at 125psi so shouldnt be blow by
Well it's never going to run well like that. May need to be thrashed for the. Rings to unstick.

[fridayflash]

ive done about 500 kms on it thrashing it...will drain oil and fill with fresh mineral, i dont know if previous owner did his oil change with semi..or full

[pete376403]

old-tech engine, roller bearing crank, etc. Probably pre-dates synthetic oil. Cheap oil changed often works best.

Also your oil in the airbox may be a result of bad valve guide seals - if the engine hasn't had a top end refresh then the seals are at least 30 years old and probably hard as glass.

suziparts.com.au can supply top end gasket and seal sets

OR.... maybe you should just give up on it and part it out. I bags the seat (if it not too rusted) :yes:

[F5 Dave]

Or over filled it.

[fridayflash]

oil level is ok, between F & L ...ill do a hundred or so kays ride this weekend and see if more oil comes up in the airbox...the problem only started after
id had the carbs out n muckd around a bit.

do you need a seat? a mate of mine has at least ten seats that ive seen (apart from ones on bikes still) to suit gs, gsx etc. ive been telling him to photograph them and put them up for sale

[pete376403]

oil level is ok, between F & L ...ill do a hundred or so kays ride this weekend and see if more oil comes up in the airbox...the problem only started after
id had the carbs out n muckd around a bit.

do you need a seat? a mate of mine has at least ten seats that ive seen (apart from ones on bikes still) to suit gs, gsx etc. ive been telling him to photograph them and put them up for sale

Sure do need at least a good seat pan. The GS1100G is was pretty unique, quite different to the GS1000, GS850 (afaik) hinged at the side.
Ebay has a seller that can supply brand new (including the steel pan) seats made in Vietnam but not for the GS1100G.

The GK has a stepped "king and queen" style seat but that's just different foam and cover.

Im in the process of trying to repair the existing pan with bog so I can make a mould and try making a fibreglass copy

[nzspokes]

btw hows your good lady sharon?

Shes all good. Just had a bionic hip fitted. Coming right slowly.

[fridayflash]

your right the 1100g is an oddball seat, ill look through what he has, as you say 1000 and 850 are hinged and have a fairly high foam. 1100g and later runout model 850's are the same..slide in like a gsx/et my 1100 is an '85 build and i owned a mint original 12 year ago or so and that was an '86 build, probably one of the last...but they really did the partsbin special to death!