Curt365 Posted March 3 Posted March 3 Hey so I bought a 81 Gs850L motorcycle and everything looked amazing on it when purchased. When I started putting fluids in I noticed oil starting to show up just about everywhere possible. Should I try to rebuild or is there a newer engine that might fit this bike frame without major modifications? Secondary problem incase anyone has run into this the bike was cranking perfectly turn on off several times no problems got on the next day battery was dead so I went and bought a new battery because it’s a start of a new year anyways. Push comes to shove the new battery lasted a day and is drained as well. If anyone knows what might be best route to start would be great! Quote
DAZ Posted March 3 Posted March 3 Well no one else has answered so I'll throw my hat in the ring, firstly hello , your gs 850 is aircooled and shaft drive (at least UK versions are) it is possible to fit other engines and convert to chain drive but it's not a bolt in job and unless you have fabrication skills and experience I suggest you stick with the original engine and work through the leaks one at a time , they may just need a cover removing ,the gasket faces cleaning and a new gasket and retorquing correctly As for the battery issue, first port of call ,charge the battery up, reinstall it,start the bike and check the voltage at the battery when revving the bike a bit (2.5-3 thousand rpm) ideally it should be 14.5 ish volts if it's higher or lower next port of call is the regulator/rectifier ( Google it on how to check it properly) Good luck Quote
wraith Posted March 3 Posted March 3 Hat number 2 in the ring Engine, pictures would help to say if it's a strip down or just cover gaskets but the only engines that will swap without to much messing is a gs1000g or gs1100g (2v) but both of them you will need the shaft drive for them as the knuckle joint have a different hole spacing, you can use the 850 exhaust on both and 850 carbs carbs will fit (CV carbs) but you will need to do a little bit of jetting for the different size of engine. As to the battery, check your earths . 1 Quote
BillyR Posted March 3 Posted March 3 Rebuild the engine, much more rewarding as you will learn so much doing it. 1 Quote
Curt365 Posted March 4 Author Posted March 4 So being very honest extremely new to the bike world and this would be my first project. Is stripping the block for rebuild realistic for a newbie? After cleaning up engine from leaks I’m seeing signs of new oil around the gasket. Quote
Dezza Posted March 4 Posted March 4 In my experience, most oil leaks do not require a complete engine rebuild to rectify. Degrease the engine then run it, and you may increase your chances of pinpointing where the leak(s) is (are) coming from . Quote
DAZ Posted March 4 Posted March 4 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Dezza said: In my experience, most oil leaks do not require a complete engine rebuild to rectify. Degrease the engine then run it, and you may increase your chances of pinpointing where the leak(s) is (are) coming from . As @Dezza says clean it really well to see where the leak(s) is then tell us and we can advise you better ,a cam cover leak is a lot easier than a base gasket leak but just saying that Itleaks isn't much of a clue sometimes and a picture really helps too Edited March 4 by DAZ Fat fingers vs small phone Quote
Duckndive Posted March 4 Posted March 4 Or think out the box and put a Oil Boiler Shaftie in it............. Quote
TonyGee Posted March 4 Posted March 4 26 minutes ago, Duckndive said: Or think out the box and put a Oil Boiler Shaftie in it............. that would be a good upgrade for a GS850 but it would need some mechanical knowledge got me thinking now 1 Quote
R1guy Posted March 4 Posted March 4 7 hours ago, Duckndive said: Or think out the box and put an Oil Boiler Shaftie in it............. Chaps, let’s not beat around the bush- why not fit a regular oil boiler turbo’d motor. Quote
Gixer1460 Posted March 4 Posted March 4 1 hour ago, R1guy said: Chaps, let’s not beat around the bush- why not fit a regular oil boiler turbo’d motor. cos shaftie frames don't use 'normal' swing arms! Quote
R1guy Posted March 4 Posted March 4 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Gixer1460 said: cos shaftie frames don't use 'normal' swing arms! Amen! I think I’ve missed your point?! Edited March 4 by R1guy 1 Quote
TonyGee Posted March 4 Posted March 4 (edited) I used a shaftie frame on my 2nd Zed build, way more room for a wide swingarm and plenty of chain clearance at the pivot point Edited March 4 by TonyGee Quote
R1guy Posted March 4 Posted March 4 11 minutes ago, TonyGee said: I used a shaftie frame on my 2nd Zed build, way more room for a wide swingarm and plenty of chain clearance at the pivot point Amen again ! 1 Quote
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