gs7_11

Correct. It's either a 550 or a 650. Definitely not 89 also, unless late registered old stock.

Yeah, GS650.

The problem Hoppy will have is that there are 2 tap mounting hole spacings on Suzukis of this era, 44mm and 50mm. The taps with no lever have a 50mm spacing and so far, I've never seen a suitable replacement with a lever.

https://mc.grenasberg.no/2022/12/28/alternator-for-gt750-and-gt380/

The latter, so the plunger is free to move against cam chain tension under pressure of the spring.

Not according to the compatibility checker on CMS.

Oh, and just looked on CMS..... the GS450 rear brake plate is the same and there are several on Eblag.

Nearly. The GS400 is half a GS750. Same pistons, 65mm. The GS425 is the same but with 2mm bigger bore. The GS850 has 69mm bore. But yeah, it's a classic GS engine, lots of parts in common.

I love mine. Hope it's being done right.....no brown seat or hacked-off frame.

If you compare these 2 gaskets (Cometic fibre and Suzuki MLS) you can see the difference in the cam chain tunnel area, and why one needs an o-ring and one doesn't). It's stated on Fowlers website that the new genuine MLS gaskets don't need o-rings. Fibre gaskets still do. Basically, if the gasket has a space for the o-ring, fit one.

Isn't it the new (genuine Suzuki) MLS head gaskets that don't need the o-ring?

Doesn't sound right to me. Pretty sure mine's got an o-ring.

The OPs bike is already an 1100.

It's a lot of effort and trouble to do this on this bike, and being a shafty, maybe not the best starting point? Perhaps the lack of available tuning parts is a clue? Anything's possible of course.

I'm surprised there are a lot of options out there, assuming your bike is the 8 valve shafty (g model). Are you sure you're not looking at 16 valve pistons?

I've used lots of Cruzin Image stuff including piston kits, all top notch, arrives very fast. Recommended.

Standard setting for the GS1000 is 1¼ turns out for the air and ¾ turns out for the fuel.

I've never bothered with fine tuning with Colourtune or the like on VMs apart from careful balancing. If the carbs are spotless and rebuilt to factory spec, set the screws to the correct setting and forget about them. On BS Mikunis, I've sometimes opened the mixture screw a tad as they can be lean as standard, but I've always done that by feel.

The old Suzuki parts catalogues were on microfiche, so any paper copies tended to be a bit iffy. You're better off with the online versions anyway.

Pressure depends on the tyre brand. See the manufacturers website ideally. Some like higher pressures, e.g. Bridgestone BT45 used to be 36/41 like a modern radial. Others will be happy at the original lower pressures. You won't go too far wrong as a starting point at 28/32. Whether or not to use a tube Depends on the rim, not the tyre. Use a tube unless the rim states "tubeless tyre applicable". Most larger type tyres now only come as "tubeless", but still need a tube if the rim is intended for a tube.

No.

Google the part number and do some research. You'll find that Suzuki superceded this part with a two-piece item on later bikes which I believe fits. I had the same problem on my GS425 which uses the same pushrod. https://www.cmsnl.com/suzuki-gs550l-1985-f-usa-e03_model16036/partslist/BLCK0008.html I've been looking around and I've bought one of each part for future use. However, as an alternative, my bike has a piece of hardened and polished steel rod, same diameter, cut to length and the ends rounded. It has been fine for the last 4 years and 5000 miles. The bit I've got was intended for fitting to sliding doors, but you can find it in various places.

Carry spare fuses and/or join the AA.

Check that the springs aren't "heavy duty". Many people fit those thoughtlessly assuming they must be in some way better, or to compensate for worn plates. Also, don't assume that a cable that feels free and smooth will be OK under load. If it's old, just get a new one. I've often found pattern cables inferior to OEM as well.

I have a 79 GS425, which as you'll know is the same sort of engine, just half of one! One of the receipts I got with it when I bought it was for repair of a starting problem. The cause was that the shims hadn't been done for too long, so it must have been holding valves open. The fix was to reshim the valves. Since then, the bike's done maybe 10,000 miles with no problems and runs really well. I'm planning an engine strip to replace the valve guide oil seals, but wouldn't be bothering otherwise, as the compression is fine.