Motorcycle Repair: Retorqueing gs 1000 suzuki head, head bolts, torque wrench

Question
Iam getting a 1979 suzuki gs1000L back on the road has 20,000 miles, after going over everything and running it I have found that the head is at about 16ft.lbs of torque, book says should be 27lbs should I retorque it or leave it alone, it does not seem to be leaking any where, also if I retorque the head should I tighten from where its at now, or should I back off all of the bolts and retorque from there, thank you for any help , Lash Longpre

Answer
Hi Lash,

Loosen and torque the head bolts to spec. If using a dual beam type torque wrench, keep the handle from touching the side beams during torquing.

This site may be of interest to you:

www.thegsresources.com

Respectfully,
Mark Shively