How do I tell what year my bike is?  The guy I bought it from said it was a 94.  Yet the date stamped on the frame says it was made in early 93.  I would like to say that this info is for greater specificity in ordering parts, but it's really for my own curiosity.

El Noobo

Anything made the 5th month or after is considered the next year model.  So if your's was manufactured 5/93, or after, it's a 94 model.

Easiest way to tell is to look at your title to the bike

Anyone who uses "specificity" on GSTwin has a free pass to ask as many questions as s/he wants! 

Quote from: El Noobo on September 03, 2006, 10:30:40 AM
I would like to say that this info is for greater specificity in ordering parts, but it's really for my own curiosity.

El Noobo

Most parts are interchangable between the years with a few difference group by these years: 89-00, 01-02, 04+.
Someone had posted the specifics before. Bodywork has been the biggest change.

Thanks everyone,

The title says 94, but the date stamped on the bike is 4/93.  It's good to know that parts are interchangable.  The last owner dropped the bike a few times, so I've had to order parts to get things back to running order.

Are gaskets all the same brand-wise?  It looks like I could spend 50-150 bucks on a full set of gaskets for the bike.  Do they differ in quality?  A shop in Bremerton wants to charge more than $500 to replace the base gasket on my bike.  I'm figuring I can go through and replace all of the gaskets myself this winter for a fraction of the price.  Or would I save my sanity by having the shop do it?

El Noobo

You can get a full gasket set from www.partsnmore.com Something like $60-70, with free shipping. I have used several of those sets and never had a problem. The only thing is the gaskets are green (Suzuki's are black) and are a little over size (1-3mm) in a few areas. I will use an exacto knife to trim them back and sometimes use a sharpie marker to hide the rest. For reference, a base gasket is around $15 and a head gasket is $25 from most online suppliers.

$500 to replace a base gasket is really high. It can be done in as little as 1 hour, if experience and not adjusting valves. Inexperienced and valves, plan on 3-4 hours. Setting the cam/valve timing is the hardest part. But with a service manual, no problem. It is a good idea to hone the cylinders when removed.

Quote from: dgyver on September 03, 2006, 05:28:44 PM
You can get a full gasket set from www.partsnmore.com Something like $60-70, with free shipping. I have used several of those sets and never had a problem. The only thing is the gaskets are green (Suzuki's are black) and are a little over size (1-3mm) in a few areas. I will use an exacto knife to trim them back and sometimes use a sharpie marker to hide the rest. For reference, a base gasket is around $15 and a head gasket is $25 from most online suppliers.

$500 to replace a base gasket is really high. It can be done in as little as 1 hour, if experience and not adjusting valves. Inexperienced and valves, plan on 3-4 hours. Setting the cam/valve timing is the hardest part. But with a service manual, no problem. It is a good idea to hone the cylinders when removed.

^^^^^^^^   

Quote from: dgyver on September 03, 2006, 05:28:44 PM
It is a good idea to hone the cylinders when removed.

Thanks for the tips.  I thought over $500 seemed ridiculously high too.   I guess if they're the only shop in town, they get to set whatever prices they want.  For that amount though, I'm willing to risk  a busted knuckle or two doing it myself.

What does "honing" the cylinders mean?  Will I need a special tool for that?

El Noobo

Honing is not a noob job.

Not a me job either.

It is a shop job unless you are feeling very ambitious.

Quote from: CirclesCenter on September 04, 2006, 12:42:29 AM
Honing is not a noob job.

Not a me job either.

It is a shop job unless you are feeling very ambitious.

Thanks for the heads-up.  I'll see if I can find a local garage to do the work and not charge an arm and a leg.   What is the benefit of honing?

El Noobo

Honing basically makes the cylinder bore all happy and smooth again.

I don't think you need to go that far.

That means you'd have to pull the whole engine apart. Usually there's no reason for this.

500 for ALL the gaskets isn't HORRIBLE, but it isn't good either. It is a lot of work, not hard just a lot of work.

I dunno if I'm the only one, but I don't think you need to replace your gaskets unless:

A: you're riding cross country
B: something is leaking/damaged

Other than that AAA should handle it.

He must have smashed it up good to make the GS a non runner. This bike is tough. Really really tough. Users crash photos show you exactly how uber it is.

Quote from: CirclesCenter on September 04, 2006, 12:57:57 AM
Honing basically makes the cylinder bore all happy and smooth again.

I don't think you need to go that far.

That means you'd have to pull the whole engine apart. Usually there's no reason for this.

To replace the base gasket, the cylinder has to be removed. The whole engine does not need to be taken apart.

Quote from: CirclesCenter on September 04, 2006, 12:57:57 AM
500 for ALL the gaskets isn't HORRIBLE, but it isn't good either. It is a lot of work, not hard just a lot of work.

El Noobo stated he was quoted $500 to replace the BASE gasket not ALL of the gaskets.


If they are not leaking I would not bother replacing them. Also, there are no gaskets required between the cases, just sealant. There are not that many gaskets to deal with.

Hi all,

Thanks again for the replies.  The bike runs, just not street legally at first.  Many of the connectors were broken (rear brake light, horn, instrument panel).  I've fixed all of those, and now it's safe / legal to ride again.

The handle bars were ground up a bit on their ends and missing any sort of end-caps.  I filed the insides of the tubes for a while and now they'll accept end caps.  I also replaced the grips as they were held on with baling wire.  Once I did that, though, I discovered that the throttle tube was fairly shattered.  I've ordered that from the local shop and it should arrive after a week or two. 

The tach / speedometer case is fairly cracked up.  I've ordered a replacement.  The metal flange / instrument dash is bent and ground up too.  I've filed away the worst of it and will either try to flatten it myself or pass it on to one of my students who is taking auto shop.  I'll then re-paint it.  I'm replacing all of the instrument bulbs with LEDs (thanks for all of the tips!).

As far as the gasket work goes, it appears to be leaking a fair amount from the base gasket area.  However, the entire bottom of the engine (crank case) is covered in oil and crud.  I figure by replacing all of the gaskets, I'll eliminate all of the potential sources of leaks.  This will be my winter project.

Before tearing into all of this, I did take it out on some rides.  It was fun, but seemed to lack power.  For example, just to get up to highway speed, I had to put it into top gear.  All of the lower gears really shot the tachometer needle up.  Granted, I'm a heavy guy, but I was expecting a bit more "oomph" from the engine.  Perhaps re-jetting may help.  I'll keep you posted.

El Noobo

Quote from: El Noobo on September 04, 2006, 10:02:31 AM
--snip-- but seemed to lack power.  For example, just to get up to highway speed, I had to put it into top gear.  All of the lower gears really shot the tachometer needle up.  Granted, I'm a heavy guy, but I was expecting a bit more "oomph" from the engine.  --snip

What do you consider "really shot the tachometer needle up"? 

Power range is up around 7000 - 9000 on this bike in my experiance.  (Which isn't that much!) 

Quote from: Toledo Jim on September 06, 2006, 04:51:15 AM

Quote from: El Noobo on September 04, 2006, 10:02:31 AM
--snip-- but seemed to lack power.  For example, just to get up to highway speed, I had to put it into top gear.  All of the lower gears really shot the tachometer needle up.  Granted, I'm a heavy guy, but I was expecting a bit more "oomph" from the engine.  --snip

What do you consider "really shot the tachometer needle up"? 

Power range is up around 7000 - 9000 on this bike in my experiance.  (Which isn't that much!) 

Not even, for me anyway the powerband kicks in around 5k or so, maybe even slightly lower. Than again my bike is completly stock as far as i know, i doubt it was rejetted with #40 jets. I'm also 6ft and 180lbs.

Hey, might I ask what you paid for such a beat up GS? I'm beginning to wonder whether I should have paid what I did?

I paid $1400.  A bit high, but I bought it from a friend.  Always a mixed situation buying for friends.  I guess I was seeing 4-5 k as really high (based on my car experience), but that seems to be pretty normal.

4-5 K is low....   10-11K is high

I generally shift somewhere around 7-9K