Project '81's

Well I figured I better start a build thread of my '81 650 since I will be starting to work on it this weekend most likely. I am moving the bike to my brother-in-law's house since he has heat..and we live in North Dakota...while I am working on my '81, my brother will be working on his '81 GS750 at the same time. Our goal is to get both our bikes running and driving by the time riding season comes around. He has a bit more work to do, as his bike has most definitely seen its better days. His bike can be found on the GS resources website. www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=170055

Right now, I have the carbs rebuilt, but it will not transition from idle to throttle at all. I will take the carbs off and check the float heights and try adjusting the air screws. I want to be sure it runs before I do anything else to it. Well for now, here are some pictures to keep you entertained. Its not much, but its a start. Any suggestions, questions, etc. please feel free to post.

ShouterVW wrote:

... Any suggestions, questions, etc. please feel free to post.
...

Howdy. Yeah, get rid of those stupid handlebars. I did.
What an improvement. I moved the turn signals to the headlight bucket, installing stems in place of the big headlight bolts.

I would drain and clean the tank - whatever is necessary. Fresh fuel. Install new fuel line & an in-line mc fuel filter. New air filter. Make sure the airbox ducts are a good fit. Be sure to check the petcock. Just in case... it's vacuum actuated. For ON & RES fuel should only flow when the engine is running. PRI should allow fuel to flow -engine on or engine off.

Make sure the carb holders are a good fit too. And soft.

Mechanically synchronize the carbs if the slides seem to be adjusted all over the place: the gap should be about 0.8-1.0mm. There isn't a base setting for the air screws, so 1-3/4 to 2 turns out would be a good enough place to start. That's about where I have mine (same bike).

Service Fuel Level check to make sure the fuel level is correct in each carb: 3mm +/- 1mm below the carb body. I set mine to precisely 3mm. New spark plugs.

Redo the spark plug wire connections at all points from the coils to the spark plugs. The wires unscrew from the coils: unscrew the compression boot, then unscrew the wires. If there's a lot of the crusty oxidation, nip off the ends a tad: but not too much- you don't want to end up with wires too short. I solved an intermittent firing problem doing that stuff. The connections become poor from oxidation over time.

Check & lubricate the timing advancer.

There's a good chance the valve clearances have never been checked.
I would at least start by doing a compression check. It's handy to do when the carbs are off the bike since you won't have to fiddle with the throttle.

Edit: i have a Kaw manual for sale listed in the classifieds here - it in the mc parts section.

JMKZHI wrote:

ShouterVW wrote:

... Any suggestions, questions, etc. please feel free to post.
...

Howdy. Yeah, get rid of those stupid handlebars.

I like those bars . When I got my KZ750 some one remove them but I found a pare and put them on .

Mike

Really! gee. Man, I hated those bars, the way they cause the elbows to be jammed into my ribs. And the wrist angle was murder. New bars resulted in a vast improvement in the handling of the bike. More flexibility in the riding position too, depending upon speed. Oh, well, to each his own I guess.

I also found that those grips forced my wrists into an unnatural bend that caused my hands to go numb after like half an hour...superbike bars are where it's at

MuzzleMike wrote:

JMKZHI wrote:

ShouterVW wrote:

... Any suggestions, questions, etc. please feel free to post.
...

Howdy. Yeah, get rid of those stupid handlebars.

I like those bars . When I got my KZ750 some one remove them but I found a pare and put them on .

Mike

Wanna buy them?

Well I forgot the camera at home, but I got a little done on the bike last night. Mainly just a teardown. Tomorrow I will try to remember the camera and snap a few photos. On the agenda for tomorrow, get the carb boots back on and fire her up and see what happens.