Old was a kind description of the GS450 DOHC twin. Alloy and chrome weren't so much faded as covered in several layers of crud and corrosion. That the engine still ran, with 68,750 miles on the clock, was testament to the basic strength of the unit that could trace its roots back to the 1976 GS400. It wasn't that old in years - seven, in fact - but in terms of abusive owners it was well and truly, er, knackered.
Or that was how it seemed at first glance. Always one on the lookout for a bargain, I didn't dismiss it out of hand. The tyres and chain were nearly new, the tax disc and MOT still valid, and the owner only wanted a hundred quid to get shot of it. True, there was some smoke out of the exhaust and a top end that rattled merrily, but I knew that the local breaker had a couple of GS450's in for spares, and could be talked into trading some of the junk in my garage for the bits I wanted.
Both GS's had extensive front end damage, probably something to do with the way the calipers liked to corrode up but I was pretty sure their engines were okay. Anyway, I went ahead with the deed and even rode the rotted GS the seven miles to my house. An exciting ride, but not in the sense of an overabundance of performance, more in the sense of waiting for the engine to seize as it gave every indication of being on its last legs.
The next move was to whip the motor out and take the top end down. Sounds easy enough but you have to take into account the seized in engine bolts and a cylinder that seemed welded into the crankcases. Nothing some work with a big hammer and chisel couldn't solve. That and an afternoon's swearing fit.
Dead camshaft bearings, oil rings way past their sell-by date and scored bores were the major damage. A trip down to the breaker with a stash of old Honda Benly bits produced a pile of appropriate engine parts. Putting the motor back together's always more fun... there was a day's delay whilst I waited for two of the cylinder studs to set in Araldite! Old Jap metal is crap.
A couple of new spark plugs were needed to persuade her into life, even then it took a good ten minutes for the idle to settle down. Or sort of, tickover varied between 1000 and 1500rpm, which was down to a couple of very worn carbs. Couldn't get their measure, in the end I gave up on them and left them to their own devices.
GS450's are the sort of vertical twins that are very reliable until they go wrong, when they are a constant pain in the butt. No end of minor hassles with my new toy but nothing that a bit of bodging couldn't fix. It went okay up to about 80mph when it just turned in a large burping noise and failed to achieve any greater velocities however furiously I played on the still slick gearbox and loose throttle.
The chassis was pretty loose and the braking desperate at times, but all of that was expected from its rotted appearance. Nothing that would actually cause it to fail an MOT (it came with six months worth) but had it still been capable of ton-plus speeds I would've been in trouble.
A reflection of its worn state was found in the 35-40mpg that was turned in and also in the need for constant infusions of lubricant - I used cheapo recycled stuff as there didn't seem any sense in buying the proper motorcycle oil if it was going to disappear before it had a chance to degrade. The same philosophy was used with regards to actual oil changes. Some of the oil was burnt, due to a mismatch between the replacement rings and cylinder bores, the rest of it leaked out due to the use of old gaskets.
The oil added to the general decayed state of the finish, which picked up all the debris in the air. It got so bad that there was a layer of grease left on my clothing! Two cans of Gunk and one jet-wash later, all was revealed. Most of the frame paint missing, deep alloy corrosion and a remarkable absence of chrome.
At this point I decided on a quick tidy up and sell on at a profit. Out with the silver and black paint, polish up the alloy with help from an attachment on the electric drill and tighten down all the engine bolts to stop the worst of the seepage. From ten yards away it didn't look half bad but up close you'd have to be blind to see that it wasn't anything other than a rat in disguise.
MCN did the honours, lots of people turned up for a look but no-one wanted to give me any serious dosh. At that point, a mate started up a despatch company and offered me the chance to pit my skills against London cagers. The GS450's vaguely popular with DR's, who usually destroy the motor in about 60,000 miles. Destroy as in wrecked crankshafts.
The bike surprised everyone by surviving for 20,000 miles! It only made it through the hell that is despatch riding because I never went mad on the throttle, kept the revs below seven grand. By the time the engine and chassis were on their last legs, I'd had enough of the DR game. Made a pretty profit, though.
Three hundred quid bought a running motor, some cycle parts and consumables. Threw all of that together, the bike had never run, handled or looked better. Of course, it went so fast, as in 90mph, that I had my first accident when the brakes couldn't cope. Smashed into the side of a VW, mashed the front end, not to mention the cage.
More bits from the breaker got me on the road again but by then I was kind of tired of the experience and longing for pastures new. Another advertising blitz, this time at a greatly reduced price in Bike Trader, soon off-loaded what could easily have become a liability.
Don't let any of this put you off. My experiences were in rat country, just served to show what you can get away with on a minimal budget. The GS450 ain't an inspiring bike but it is a useful workhorse that will do almost anything a sensible motorcyclist could ask of it - but little more. Prices and condition vary to a huge extent but they aren't exactly popular, possible to buy prime examples for silly money. Give 'em a look over.
Graham Fredricks