I worked on the Buffalo - GT750, same one in my sig line and same one you guys give me a hard time about :-P, installing the float valves. I have the stock air box back on which makes it a pain to work on the carbs. The spring on the float needle valves were shot. That in turn made the float level around 22mm were it should be at 27.6 mm. This should end what I believe caused the carbs to leak/overflow.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/GT750/DSCN2547.jpg)
Used the mic clamped for float measurement, precisely set at 27.6 mm ;-)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/GT750/DSCN8237.jpg)
I did the air jet mod on the 3 carbs also. That entails tapping and installing a smaller air jet in front of the current air jet. The purpose is to richen up the slow jet circuit to prevent bucking when you let off the throttle.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/GT750/DSCN8222.jpg)
I used the solder to measure how far the air jet was inside the carb, used a piece of tape to mark off the distance to tap minus 1 mm.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/GT750/DSCN8229.jpg)
A dap of locktite and screwed in the new smaller jets, drove it around a bit and it worked!!!! I will have to drive a little more for a better assessment. You had to do this upside or angled so cuttings from tapping would not get into the air jet further down. May not ever get the shavings out.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/GT750/DSCN8236.jpg)
Very nice looking good
WOW! I'm impressed Terry. looks like you did a real nice jobon that bike so far :)
Thanks Chad, this bike has not been restored as in a frame-off like the other ones but cleaned up a bit and lots of tuning. One day I will take this one apart for a frame-off cleaning, painting, etc., hoping that will be a while. Clear coating has been removed from most of the cases so polishing will follow at some point.
Have you decided what you will do with your Magna, keeping - selling? Have you changed your jetting any, how is that working?
Saw one of these on Houston CL the other day. Why are they called "water buffalo"?
Quote from: DG on December 31, 2008, 12:25:41 PM
Saw one of these on Houston CL the other day. Why are they called "water buffalo"?
Hmmm, I will have to take a look on Houston CL.
The official name is Le Mans GT750, Water Buffalo is a US term supposively from being the first production water cooled motorcycle brought into the US along with the look of the radiator and fuel tank of the time. At the time it was quite advanced with "water cooling", reliably, better handling and smoother than the Kawasaki 750s that were problem prone poor handling bikes. This was Suzuki's answer to the Honda CB750 and the Kawasaki 750's. At the time these were a sport touring bike.
In the Uk they were named "Kettles", Australia they were known as Waterbottles.
Yeah I havn't decided what to do yet.. the wife wants me to sell it so we can pay off some bills ( some of which are from the magna, lol) and she wants to start a family.. i'm not sure yet. i know i won't get close to what I have in it, but i figured about 4k to 5k tops. i don't think i'd let it go for anything under 4k. i plan to rejet in the spring, i am going to go one bigger in the mains, up to 115 (from 112's), 2 shims(instead of 3), and turn the 45 pilots in to about 2 to 2.5 turns(from about 3 turns out now). if I still had the 42's i'd put them in, i think they would be sufficient, but since you can just 'trim' the pilots, that's what i'll do. I know I am too rich on the low end after warm up, midrange seems to be just perfect, top end is best when the pilots are turned out to 3.25 to 3.5 turns out, but is a little boggy after warm up, and throttle isn't as crisp. i'd change them out now, but the weather is super cold out here, and i don't have a garage heater. i started it up the last few days, and started right up with a little choke, and throttle response was nice and crisp just after about 1 minute of idle with half choke. I noticed i had more top end power at full throttle with the pilots out further. the bike with me on it (300 lbs) and the hondaline sheild and the front sprocket was a 15 tooth (i think-one size smaller than stock) the top end speed was unbelieveable. i was hitting 125 no problem. if i turn down the pilots to where it was better in stop/go traffic and off the line launches, the top end was pretty good still, but had a flat spot about 115 mph, then took awhile to get to 120 tops. if i had the highway gear on the front (17 tooth) i think it would even go faster. i'd like to see what it would do with a lighter person on it. still havn't got it dynoed yet. so as it stands, i figure if i up the mains one more, i can back off on the extra shim, and turn down the pilots a tad. I still have to put in the new front springs/seals and misc for that, a kevlar clutch, a better designed shift detent wheel/spring/roller to make it easier to shift and avoid missed shifts, and i even have a solenoid to install to shift the bike up or downshift with a push of a button. (pingel easy shift) I have the buttons installed on the bike, with the electronic spark kill, which allows the trans to 'unload' and then a solenoid will either pull or push on the shift lever to shift for you. i have to fab up a custom mount for it, which souldn't be that hard, but i want to conceal the solenoid somehow. i've thought of mounting it near the swingarm, and fabbing up a bracket to mount and some linkage. it's pretty cool. you can shift nice and easy, or speed shift. it's like an air shifter on a race bike, only electronic, and you can downshift with it too. oh well, i gotta get going. keep us posted with the pics fo your bikes, youdo such good work. i wish i could get a few vintage bikes to play with one day. they look like so much fun. :)
http://houston.craigslist.org/mcy/973974572.html
Thanks DG, that's what I am looking for a 75 model buttttttt that's a 3-400 dollar bike to me at the most. Depending on the condition when I look at it I might give 200 dollars or i might tell him, if he gave it to me I wouldn't want it.
I will be in Beaumont Thursday but i don't think I will have time to look at the Magnas.