Hi there, I'm new to this forum and motorcycling in general.  I'm getting my license at the end of the month and this is going to be my first bike.  I recently acquired a '89 GS500 for a small amount of money, the only problem is that it doesn't have keys and has been sitting for quite a while.  The previous owner claimed it as abandoned and I have a clean clear title, there is a little surface here and there but nothing that can't be cleaned easily.  Now on to my questions:
Besides emptying it of all fluids, cleaning the carbs and removing any rust what should I look to replace?
I know the drive chain and the sprockets need to be replaced, where is the best place to get these?
If I remove the ignition will they be able to remake the keys or should I look to remove all the locks on this bike and replace them?
What is the easiest way to remove the ignition, I've removed them on cars before but never on a bike.
Are there any good after market gauges for this bike?

Thanks for any help!

I cannot add too much but I believe that once you put in fresh oil, you should do a compression test and check the valve clearance.

You might contact a good local locksmith and ask if they can make you some keys (be sure to mention you have a clear title, etc.).  Pretty standard fare for a good locksmith.   As far as the bike, changing the fluids, a valve clearance check, new sprockets/chain,  general clean up, have a look at the brake pads/action of the brakes., tires not dry rotted/used up, aired up correctly.....if she starts up and runs it's pretty much get on her and go slow.

Oh yeah if you go to aftermarket gauges, give me a shout if you sell your old ones.   

If you go through the bike carefully you'll be way ahead of the learning curve knowing you've got something under you you can trust.

Quote from: commuterdude on June 21, 2009, 05:00:02 PM

Oh yeah if you go to aftermarket gauges, give me a shout if you sell your old ones.   

The only reason I'm looking to possibly replace them is that I'm not sure if the speedometer works.  It appears to me that the odometer might not, but I'm not sure I don't see anyway of actually reseting the trip meter other then to roll it over to zero.  If this is how it actually works well then thats cool. But if I do replace them I'll keep you in mind for sure.
Also how do I perform a clearance check?

yeah you just roll it back over to zero.   Good to go.   For a valve check Kerry on the site here has a great tutorial on youtube.   Definitely get a Clymer's or Haynes shop manual though.    Basically you just pull the valve cover and check clearance between the cam and valve shim w/ a feeler gauge.

I think you could replace the ignition without too much trouble, it probably just bolts on from underneith, and plugs in. Aside from that, you're only going to be able to go as far as you have gas for before you run out and have no way to refill.

Anyone have an idea what's the best way to get the gas cap off? or do GS gas caps not have the extra security bolt on the inside? If they do, my only guess would be to drain the tank by the hoses on the bottom, find out exactly where that bolt is placed on the inside of the cap, and drill a hole through the top so you can stick an hex key through the hole in undo the bolt that way. No need to worry about ruining the gas cap if you don't have the key anyway.

The gas cap will not come off without the key.   (It took me 3 hours and I had to go through the bottom!)   Locksmith is the way to go.   Ignition should match the tank.    A couple of things not mentioned earlier to check for:  Once you get the tank open, Check for erosion and rusting.   Also:   Fork seals have a tendency to harden and leak after long periods of rest....

I am halfway through a recronstruction on an 89 that sat for 10 years....Any questions feel free to ask!

Ignition switch had breakaway bolts holding it on. You will ahve to drill or cut their heads out.
Cool.
Buddha.

Yeah I discovered the ignition bolts didn't have heads after I took the headlamp apart, just like in a cars steering lock mechanism.  I took a long look at the bike yesterday and for what I've read and could ascertain without a key:
The engines not seized.
The transmission shifts through all the gears and goes into neutral.
The fork will have to have new dust caps at least, if not completely rebuilt (I expected this and since thats the case should I put in progressive springs?)
Almost all of the rubber parts (bushings etc) are almost all perfect nothing cracked or broken except the fork.
It may need a new exhaust, its pretty rusty and when I get around to cleaning it up, it may fall apart.
The sprockets and chain will have to go as one of the first things along with a new battery. 
Spark plugs were brown not black so I think that means when it was last run it was running pretty good. 
The tires are new looking (even though they're old) and still have a fair amount of tread. 
The frame is in phenomenal shape, it needs a tiny bit of surface rust removed but otherwise its good.
Engine mounts are also good.

All in all I think I picked up a steal on craigslist.  I was wondering though, could a locksmith come out and take a look at it to determine if they can make keys?
Last thing, are there any riders in Northern Virginia? 

Thanks a million!

call the locksmith and find out....they guy here in town can do it....you might need to order/get a couple of key blanks from Suzuki?   I bet the locksmith has keyed a couple of old bikes in his day.   My guy had it in like two minutes.   Name of Smiley O'Brian....great name for a locksmith....actually it's his son, Smiley the Elder passed to the great beyond a few years ago.   What would really hold your costs down is if you could get the bike to his locale.

Dennis Kirk sells a pattern ignition lock for the GS, I believe. But that still leaves the gas cap issue....sometimes a flat blade screwdriver applied gently can open those up.....I had to do it on mine once. Key blanks are out there on Ebay.

Any chance of some pictures of your new bike? We always like those.

I've talked to a few locksmiths and they seem to think they can make a key for me.  Now the question is wether I want to have them come out to where the bike is being stored, or if I want to rip the ignition out.  Right now I'm leaning towards just having them come out and do it.
As for pictures, those are definitely going up later this week when I get back to the bike.  While I was looking it over this past weekend I started to clean it up so its shiny right now.  Just for teasers sake its in beatuiful 80's colors of teal and white, perfect to stick out like a sore thumb

New question!:
Does the seat lock cylinder use the same key as the ignition?? If so can I just "manually" remove the seat and use that lock cylinder to get my keys made?

I can't remember where all that stuff is, if you pull off the side plastics, you might be able to unbolt the seat latch. Otherwise, if you can't get the ignition off, you could atleast pull off the top triple clamp and just take the whole thing with you. That might actually be less work than trying to get the seat latch off.

You know what everybody? I'm a moron.  These bolts are snapped off like I thought they were.  They're TORX socket bolts.  I just looked it up in the Haynes manual and when I really think about what I saw, thats what they are, it's simple to actually remove the ignition.  Just unplug and unbolt. 

Well hopefully by the end of today, I'll have new keys for my bike.

Today I finally got the ignition out of the bike, what used to be torx bolts where stripped smooth, so what did I have to end up doing? Taking the entire trees apart:
Here is the ignition still attached to the tree:


And here is one of the stripped torx bolt:

You can drill that torx head and use an extractor (ez out) I had to do mine trying to fix the fork lock. Unfortunately, I will have to get a new ignition just because what I have is no good however, I replaced the bolts with some allen head bolts that will allow me to remove it if necessary. (Yes, I know. Thieves can too but if they really want the bike that badly, they could simply hoist it into the back of a truck and haul off.)

Quote from: cboling on June 24, 2009, 05:05:38 PM
You can drill that torx head and use an extractor (ez out) I had to do mine trying to fix the fork lock. Unfortunately, I will have to get a new ignition just because what I have is no good however, I replaced the bolts with some allen head bolts that will allow me to remove it if necessary. (Yes, I know. Thieves can too but if they really want the bike that badly, they could simply hoist it into the back of a truck and haul off.)

If my ignition is bad (I don't think it is) I'm not going to even bother.  I'm just glad I was able to get all this apart without much trouble, now all I have to do is take it to a local locksmith and I hope they can cut me some keys. 
I agree with you if thieves want my old bike that bad, well they can have it at that point.

Stripped looking bolts are the anti-theft bolts  or they were already replaced ( the pic looks like the anti's,..). Drill the heads off and replace them- easy job not that you have the top triple clamp off....(assuming you are replacing the actual igntion and not just getting a key made)

Not sure if it was answered...but you asked about getting the key  cut from the seat lock.... No- have them do it from the ignition.
Have you checked on a price yet? Lots of guys are mobile almost exclusively now ( locksmiths) but it may be cheaper if you can take the bike to them ( or just your  gas tank and ignition now that you have it all off...).

You can usually buy a lockset on ebay or even on here.( there's one from an f on ebay now....a little pricey..but not ridiculous.... hey it's a whole set......The F one MIGHT work..( haven't had a newer set in my hands yet...but it will likely be the same as the 89- 00's...).

Good luck...

EDIT : There are two F sets...one is significantly cheaper but does not have the seat lock cylinder ( the original can be made to fit the new igniton/ gas cap key fairly easily tho...)

Quote from: Jared on June 24, 2009, 08:06:07 PM
Stripped looking bolts are the anti-theft bolts  or they were already replaced ( the pic looks like the anti's,..). Drill the heads off and replace them- easy job not that you have the top triple clamp off....(assuming you are replacing the actual igntion and not just getting a key made)

Not sure if it was answered...but you asked about getting the key  cut from the seat lock.... No- have them do it from the ignition.
Have you checked on a price yet? Lots of guys are mobile almost exclusively now ( locksmiths) but it may be cheaper if you can take the bike to them ( or just your  gas tank and ignition now that you have it all off...).

You can usually buy a lockset on ebay or even on here.( there's one from an f on ebay now....a little pricey..but not ridiculous.... hey it's a whole set......The F one MIGHT work..( haven't had a newer set in my hands yet...but it will likely be the same as the 89- 00's...).

Good luck...

EDIT : There are two F sets...one is significantly cheaper but does not have the seat lock cylinder ( the original can be made to fit the new igniton/ gas cap key fairly easily tho...)

Right now I'm looking to just have a key made.  The ignition and all the locks for that matter seem to be in good shape, and I don't think I'll have to replace them.  Does the gas tank use a different key then the ignition? I was under the impression that it was all the same key.
I'm having my wife (who's a teacher and off for the summer) take it over to the local locksmith, in Va there are still plenty who operate shops, and most have said they can make new keys if I bring them the ignition.
If I do have to remove the ignition I will definitely use an ez-out or grabit to remove the bolts and then replace them.