Hey Andy, Thank you so much for showing the process of installing the top end on this bike. My last experience working on a Jap bike was with a 82 GS1100 and that was way back in 1982. I forgot how much of a pain in the ass some of the assembly process can be. Again Thanks buddy - later
When fitting camshafts (for an engine that rotates clockwise), you always do the exhaust one first (which you did), but what's very important is to keep the chain tight when fitting the exhaust cam, and keep it tight all the way over to the sprocket for the inlet camshaft. All the slack in the chain should be where the tensioner and blades are. Depending on the type of tensioner, I find gently turning the motor back and forth to make the tensioner do its' job before turning the motor over a full revolution will help to prevent losing timing. With the age of the bike, I would definitely be replacing the chain as well, if you haven't already and it may be too late now... but just 5mm of stretch can result in none of your timing marks aligning properly.
Aah the old solid copper head gasket days. I had a lathe fixture just for Triumph 650 and 750 gaskets. Once you get to +0.080" (2mm) O/S bores, you've got stock gaskets masking the bore/chamber interface. So i used to bore the gasket to suit the piston size. Cor blimey guvnor...
Andy - FWIW: I've always used silicone spray on my rocker cover, side cover gaskets - this prevents any oil seepage. I've never likes cements or silastic type sealants but the silicone spray works wonders.
Thanks Andy, I can really appreciate your patients while working on that old GS engine. I've been going thru several in the past couple years. Beware of the supplemental information in the back of some manuals as it pertains to various models and year's!
I had to Helicoil all the cam cap bolt holes on my old Kwak GT550. As you have to remove the cams to change any shims (they're under the buckets!) it begs the question, Why not helicoil them in the factory because an Ali thread is going to wear out in no time at all when you have to continually loosen and tighten a steel bolt in an aluminium casting regularly during routine maintainence. especially as its under quite a bit of tension due to the valve springs. They all strip at some point on these bikes!
I agree, crap design. I have had to resort to drilling the cap bolt holes out and taking out the thread to 8mm and whacking in an m8 bolt when the thread stripped. Better than a snapped bolt though, that brought end of play instantly. That was almost 40 years ago. Rebuilding me gs1000 race motor the night before a club race.
Hi Andy. I'm just about to convert a 1980 GS1000G to a Cafe Racer. Just found this series of videos and there fantastic. I was a mechanic for 20 years then bought a pub which i've had for to years. These videos are a great refresher. I have a question (of course). During the complete strip down of the bike, when i rebuild the engine can i do the valve gaps/tappets while the cylinder head is off the engine . cheers. P.S. i've signed up for the Distinguished Gentleman's ride over here in the UK . Lets hope it can go ahead this year. Many thanks
You could have done the shimming with the head off (much easier) just install the cams/caps torque it down and have at it. Also its important that the shims are in place as the bucket will push on the spring retainer and pop the collets out instead off pushing on the vale stem directly.
Nice straight forward assembly 👍 hopefully not too much work on shim adjustment, in the past I have used a Google sheet or excel spreadsheet to track the shim clearances with data formatted as red font when clearance is too tight or loose and green when clearance is within spec, also gives a quick indication of shims that can be interchanged, looking forward to seeing it running and the happy owner riding off 👍
I've read on the GSResources that you're not supposed to use the rectangular rubber cam chain tunnel sealing ring when you use the newer MLS gasket. Notice that the cut-out on your pattern part gasket is larger than the MLS one, which is like the original. Suzuki actually made 3 different types over the years. I used a 2nd generation nos one which has the smaller cut-out, but made from the same material as the original. I installed it without the tunnel sealing ring, and it leaks. I now have an original nos one that I will install with the seal.
hello i see you always tha i can i have a susuki gs 850 g 1979 but my problem is the carburetor i can set up propoly mikuni vm26ss you do good job men.
Nice work as usual Andy. How long will you leave the initial run-in oil in the crankcase? I used engine assembly lube on cam journals and shim buckets and a generous amount of fogging oil on my GS and am concerned about those diluting into engine oil and contaminating my clutch plates. Any reason to be concerned? I was thinking I'd change out my first fill of oil very quickly after I start it to avoid much exposure to the clutch. Silly concern on my part you think?
The only reason you're mark was not level with the gasket is that you had not pulled the Cam caps down yet, I have always pulled my cams down like you did The only thing I have ever torqued is the cylinder head. My old journeyman when I was an apprentice told me don't I know how to tighten a bolt Materials have changed from the old cast iron days
Very precise n clean, think your missing out not having a Isaac to help/ hinder you, on the little jobs. You could see when replacing head the black tube, which needed lifting. Double checking the manual, cleaning up n making the Tea😂 Plus I do think the younger lads/lasses are missing out on your font of knowledge. What you are doing just is not entertained by them it’s straight round to a main dealership or not done. ATVB
If I recall correctly, when I did mine, I found out the hard way that there are two "T" marks on the crank. TDC for #1 & 4 and again for #2 & 3. Obviously, she won't start if the cams are 180° out.
Quick question. I noticed that you didn’t have a chain guide in on the exhaust side of the motor. Is there a reason for that? I’m doing the timing on my 80 gs1000 and I think my chain is stretched because I cannot get my exhaust cam time marks correct.
Greetings from Denmark .. I have seen almost all your videos about the GS 1000 with great interest .. It is very interesting .. The whole process, the mechanical, the electrical, would you think that if you are not a mechanic, but have some experience .. Could it be done with the help of a Haynes manual? .. I am considering buying a GS850 from 1982 and restoring it that winter.
interesting your video I have a zusuki gs 850 from 81 I have a question how many pounds do you give to the screws that hold the cams and another question when I put them on the right side they sit well but on the left they do not sit well that is normal
Good job mate. I cringed when you said you weren't going to use vice grips to hold the cams down against the valve springs. I had a cam bolt start to tear the threads out when I was doing my build. Felt like an idiot for not using the grips. You seem to have got it alright. Doesn't fighting the spring give you a false torque reading though?
Call me old fashioned. Even a confirmed Luddite. But isnt chain driven DOHC a right faff. A right kerfaffle. Since i've been earning money working on motorcycles (35 years), the cams are in the bottom, timing is dots and dashes, top ends with pushrods and rockers is a piece of piss, and clearances are locknut and adjuster. Call me old fashioned.... carry on the good work Andy...
I guess if you want higher RPMs reliably you have to struggle with this setup. And if you want higher RPMs you have to go shin under bucket, what a pain in the arse they are
I used to work for Rover Jag in Melb with the odd Roller and I swear by Hylaemar. Never have a prob once you chuck that in the heads. Don't get it in you skin its highly carsnagenic. I used it every day ans spread it around with my fingers, we all did it that way. Now they tell us.
Andy's Motorcycle Obsessions That would be awesome, bugger the engine we will go a ride round Europe...Still very undecided to tackle it myself or just go n drop it on someone's workbench who knows what they are doing and got all the correct tools, Grumpy 1260 performance here in the uk said he will do it, I think that's going to be my best and safest option to get it right for the turbo.
Bucket and shim valve adjustment and measurement are no longer a mystery to me , thanks Andy!!!
Brilliant, I was putting my gs1100 back together and your video made my job real easy . Great job and thanks
👍 Great video and nice work
I normally check and adjust the valve clearances on the bench before I put the head on
Hey Andy, Thank you so much for showing the process of installing the top end on this bike. My last experience working on a Jap bike was with a 82 GS1100 and that was way back in 1982. I forgot how much of a pain in the ass some of the assembly process can be. Again Thanks buddy - later
When fitting camshafts (for an engine that rotates clockwise), you always do the exhaust one first (which you did), but what's very important is to keep the chain tight when fitting the exhaust cam, and keep it tight all the way over to the sprocket for the inlet camshaft. All the slack in the chain should be where the tensioner and blades are. Depending on the type of tensioner, I find gently turning the motor back and forth to make the tensioner do its' job before turning the motor over a full revolution will help to prevent losing timing.
With the age of the bike, I would definitely be replacing the chain as well, if you haven't already and it may be too late now... but just 5mm of stretch can result in none of your timing marks aligning properly.
Good info mate 👍
Aah the old solid copper head gasket days. I had a lathe fixture just for Triumph 650 and 750 gaskets. Once you get to +0.080" (2mm) O/S bores, you've got stock gaskets masking the bore/chamber interface. So i used to bore the gasket to suit the piston size. Cor blimey guvnor...
Great video Andy. I always enjoy watching. Looking forward for the next one. Ride safe mate.
Nice one Andy , i remember bugering about with my cbx 550 cam chain tensioner as i believe it was made of goats cheese. Those were the days.
Goats cheese 😂
Andy - FWIW: I've always used silicone spray on my rocker cover, side cover gaskets - this prevents any oil seepage. I've never likes cements or silastic type sealants but the silicone spray works wonders.
Thanks Andy, I can really appreciate your patients while working on that old GS engine. I've been going thru several in the past couple years. Beware of the supplemental information in the back of some manuals as it pertains to various models and year's!
I love my xs 850 Yamaha. Also because the cam is very easy to get to because it's not underneath the frame. It's to the left side of the motor.
I'm getting excited to see the bike run.
Another very relaxing viewing. Much better therapy than paying for medical help!
Always make it look so easy lol. Great video to follow mate. Roll on till the next one 👍
Good job,,,I like the camera placements,,,
Another quality video mate, well done on the Ashes not.
Ashes? Just kidding, I don’t really follow the cricket very closely.
Another great video andy. Small engines is something I’ve had little experience with.
Very good video
Great video, thanks a lot
I had to Helicoil all the cam cap bolt holes on my old Kwak GT550.
As you have to remove the cams to change any shims (they're under the buckets!) it begs the question, Why not helicoil them in the factory because an Ali thread is going to wear out in no time at all when you have to continually loosen and tighten a steel bolt in an aluminium casting regularly during routine maintainence. especially as its under quite a bit of tension due to the valve springs. They all strip at some point on these bikes!
I agree, crap design. I have had to resort to drilling the cap bolt holes out and taking out the thread to 8mm and whacking in an m8 bolt when the thread stripped. Better than a snapped bolt though, that brought end of play instantly. That was almost 40 years ago. Rebuilding me gs1000 race motor the night before a club race.
I recall fitting helicoils to every thread I could on an XR500 I owned back in the ‘80’s. I guess it’s another process and added cost to manufacturing
Hi Andy. I'm just about to convert a 1980 GS1000G to a Cafe Racer. Just found this series of videos and there fantastic. I was a mechanic for 20 years then bought a pub which i've had for to years. These videos are a great refresher. I have a question (of course). During the complete strip down of the bike, when i rebuild the engine can i do the valve gaps/tappets while the cylinder head is off the engine . cheers. P.S. i've signed up for the Distinguished Gentleman's ride over here in the UK . Lets hope it can go ahead this year. Many thanks
You could have done the shimming with the head off (much easier) just install the cams/caps torque it down and have at it. Also its important that the shims are in place as the bucket will push on the spring retainer and pop the collets out instead off pushing on the vale stem directly.
Good work Andy
Good man Andy excellent day in de shead 😁☘☘☘
Nice attention to detail andy
Nice straight forward assembly 👍 hopefully not too much work on shim adjustment, in the past I have used a Google sheet or excel spreadsheet to track the shim clearances with data formatted as red font when clearance is too tight or loose and green when clearance is within spec, also gives a quick indication of shims that can be interchanged, looking forward to seeing it running and the happy owner riding off 👍
I’m in no way as professional as that 😂
Carl Richards
Can see what's wrong with pen, paper and some mental arithmetic,
@@ticthedog9413 nothing, but bits of paper get lost each to their own, nothing wrong with a spreadsheet either
Great interesting video and even better knowing work paid me to watch it lol
lol 😂
I've read on the GSResources that you're not supposed to use the rectangular rubber cam chain tunnel sealing ring when you use the newer MLS gasket. Notice that the cut-out on your pattern part gasket is larger than the MLS one, which is like the original. Suzuki actually made 3 different types over the years. I used a 2nd generation nos one which has the smaller cut-out, but made from the same material as the original. I installed it without the tunnel sealing ring, and it leaks. I now have an original nos one that I will install with the seal.
Thanks for sharing that mate. Oh well, it’s staying in there now
hello i see you always tha i can i have a susuki gs 850 g 1979 but my problem is the carburetor i can set up propoly mikuni vm26ss you do good job men.
Nice work as usual Andy. How long will you leave the initial run-in oil in the crankcase? I used engine assembly lube on cam journals and shim buckets and a generous amount of fogging oil on my GS and am concerned about those diluting into engine oil and contaminating my clutch plates. Any reason to be concerned? I was thinking I'd change out my first fill of oil very quickly after I start it to avoid much exposure to the clutch. Silly concern on my part you think?
About 100 kilometers mate
The only reason you're mark was not level with the gasket is that you had not pulled the Cam caps down yet, I have always pulled my cams down like you did
The only thing I have ever torqued is the cylinder head.
My old journeyman when I was an apprentice told me don't I know how to tighten a bolt
Materials have changed from the old cast iron days
Very precise n clean, think your missing out not having a Isaac to help/ hinder you, on the little jobs. You could see when replacing head the black tube, which needed lifting. Double checking the manual, cleaning up n making the Tea😂 Plus I do think the younger lads/lasses are missing out on your font of knowledge. What you are doing just is not entertained by them it’s straight round to a main dealership or not done. ATVB
Help? Or hinder?
If I recall correctly, when I did mine, I found out the hard way that there are two "T" marks on the crank. TDC for #1 & 4 and again for #2 & 3. Obviously, she won't start if the cams are 180° out.
I had exactly the same recently. Almost fainted, what the bike didn't start, checked this and it was 180° off. 🙈
Quick question. I noticed that you didn’t have a chain guide in on the exhaust side of the motor. Is there a reason for that? I’m doing the timing on my 80 gs1000 and I think my chain is stretched because I cannot get my exhaust cam time marks correct.
in the uk it used to say approved by rolls royce on the packet
Nice work mate, looks almost professional ;)
Greetings from Denmark .. I have seen almost all your videos about the GS 1000 with great interest .. It is very interesting .. The whole process, the mechanical, the electrical, would you think that if you are not a mechanic, but have some experience .. Could it be done with the help of a Haynes manual? .. I am considering buying a GS850 from 1982 and restoring it that winter.
I am not a mechanic. I can’t answer your question mate, only you know the answer to that.
interesting your video I have a zusuki gs 850 from 81 I have a question how many pounds do you give to the screws that hold the cams and another question when I put them on the right side they sit well but on the left they do not sit well that is normal
awesome video as usual (but the low quality zoom ins detract from the video quality)
Good job mate. I cringed when you said you weren't going to use vice grips to hold the cams down against the valve springs. I had a cam bolt start to tear the threads out when I was doing my build. Felt like an idiot for not using the grips. You seem to have got it alright. Doesn't fighting the spring give you a false torque reading though?
No because the bearing cap is flat against the head when the torque is applied, and it’s shared across four fasteners
Call me old fashioned. Even a confirmed Luddite. But isnt chain driven DOHC a right faff. A right kerfaffle. Since i've been earning money working on motorcycles (35 years), the cams are in the bottom, timing is dots and dashes, top ends with pushrods and rockers is a piece of piss, and clearances are locknut and adjuster. Call me old fashioned.... carry on the good work Andy...
I guess if you want higher RPMs reliably you have to struggle with this setup. And if you want higher RPMs you have to go shin under bucket, what a pain in the arse they are
you could of used Time serts instead of helicoils. much better , but very expensive for the kits
They wouldn’t fit down in there mate.
Arise sir cam-o-lot 😁
I used to work for Rover Jag in Melb with the odd Roller and I swear by Hylaemar. Never have a prob once you chuck that in the heads. Don't get it in you skin its highly carsnagenic. I used it every day ans spread it around with my fingers, we all did it that way. Now they tell us.
Excellent as always, wana pop round and do a GSX motor lol.
Launch a go fund me and I’ll be there in a heartbeat mate 😂
Andy's Motorcycle Obsessions That would be awesome, bugger the engine we will go a ride round Europe...Still very undecided to tackle it myself or just go n drop it on someone's workbench who knows what they are doing and got all the correct tools, Grumpy 1260 performance here in the uk said he will do it, I think that's going to be my best and safest option to get it right for the turbo.
@@cj5156 I thought Matt would've jumped at it, you did mention it twice during his visit!
Nightster I think Matt is far to busy to mess about with my rusty old rubbish lol.
Nightster I think Matt is far to busy to mess about with my rusty old rubbish lol.
you could use a HARD caliper to measure the shims