Apples

Thanks!

Awesome. Thank you!

The sticker on the head stock is totally unreadable and the guy I got this from is unsure of the year. He is going to apply for the lost title sometime soon (I hope). Is there anywhere else on the bike that might have a VIN? I looked at my 78 GS1000 and didn’t see anywhere else other than the sticker or the stamp on the head stock.

So I’ve added a GS850 to my collection. Another find, this time in someone’s yard. It has sat since 2014, or at least that’s the last time it had a plate. Anyway, trying to figure out what year it is. Attached are a few pictures along with the VIN. Can someone explain how to decode the VIN so I can know how they work? I know how the 17 digit ones work, just unsure on this one. VIN is GS850-101332

That's where it was moved to a month before I got it. It was stored in a garage at least. It has an 80-81 tank on it and some other odd parts it seems like. My students and I are tearing into it now and seeing what we can do. It does kind of run but not well. Going to be a fun project.

I've been wondering about that... I've seen it a lot looking for brake parts lately.

I’m just starting this journey with my 78 GS1000 I picked up for free. Been sitting in a garage since 1998.

Normally both of my shop hands are out helping me with something. She was just extra talkative and made it hard to concentrate that day. She likes taking all of my pictures and videos of my work though so its always cool to look though my phone of what new pictures I have. Helps me document my builds too.

I would guess there wouldn't be a difference as long as the vacuum line is plugged off. So far I have gotten mine to start with a straight fed line but it isn't running well enough to see if there is a major difference yet. The advantage I see with the vacuum is that it shuts the fuel off when the engine is off. Outside of that, I couldn't imagine there would be a difference in performance.

So, I took a gas tank off of an old riding lawnmower and fed it directly into the carbs that way. I can get it to run with the engine at full choke right now, but it does run, probably the first time in 20 years. So far, straight fed is working. Ill probably just rebuild mine but for right now the lawnmower tank is working.

Not that I have seen. These are getting rebuilt. I can buy four calipers for my F 350 for the price of a front caliper on this bike.

I’m glad that in my auto classes that I teach that you just replace calipers and not rebuild them. I kept a good core as an example that the piston just slides out by hand now to show the students.

That’s an awesome idea.

Awesome. Thanks for the advice. First time I took a caliper apart I launched a piston across the shop.

I’m in a no inspection area. Kind of nice really. If I go 30 miles east, all vehicles are inspected once a year.

Illinois is terrible when it comes to not having the original title so hopefully the photocopy will help some. I don’t have a problem with forgetting to turn them off, just forgetting to turn them on usually.

This bike was given to me from my brothers father in law. It got left in a rental property and all i have is a photocopy of the title. Still not sure how to make it legal but I’ll figure it out. Last time it had tags was 1998 so I’m guessing that’s the last time it ran. I got it to start but not through the tank... I don’t know if I don’t have enough vacuum to open the tap or what. So I improvised. Also, electrical tape does not hold up to gas well.

Same as my bike. Right now I’m just proving that it can run before I put too much money in it.

Personal record for a vacuum line?

My last bike worked well with the vacuum tap too. It worked well. This fuel system is just getting to me. It hasn't helped that my shop hand turns 5 this week and has been a little distracting as I've been working. With the few minutes I messed with it last night I couldn't get the prime position to work. I see that you have to turn it with a screwdriver a quarter turn and then turn it over to hold the valve open. I'll try again tonight and hopefully my shop hand is busy doing something else.

Yeah, it looks like its from a 1980-82ish bike and not the original tank for this bike. Whoever had this bike before me really tried hard to get it going without knowing what they were doing. Whoever designed a petcock without an off position is an idiot. I love it when gas slowly leaks into the carbs when the bike sits. I think I figured out the prime position finally but it doesn't seem to draw enough vacuum to open the petcock up.

I think I figured it out. Now what I really want is one that isn’t vacuum only and has an actual shut off on it. It looks like there is a key or something for this, but no matter how much I spin or push it, it doesn’t seem to do anything.

So, I have this 1978 GS1000 that I need a new petcock on. Problem is, none of them look like what I have. I ordered one that said it fits, but it doesn’t. I’m guessing I have a different tank? Any ideas on which petcock to get?

It can be pretty amazing what I see at times and what people say when I suggest a repair. Usually with brakes and really bad tires I let them know they are less than the legal limit and tell them it has to be towed from the shop if it’s not repaired. I can’t let something like that leave knowing it’s on the road after being in my shop.

I figured they would be about the same but just look a little different. I’m pretty sure and confident on my ability to rebuild them and they will be extensively tested before the bike actually hits the road. I lost brakes once on my first car the day after I bought it and never want that to happen again. It drives me nuts when people want to argue with me when I tell them they need brakes on their car and they think they don’t.