Ok need help yet again

[pprider]

So im riding today, and may i say what a beautifull day and ride it was. When on my way back i was in 6th gear doing about 75-80 when it started losing RPM's and sputtering like it was outta gas :x

saddly this isnt possible since i just got gas 42 miles before.

so it dies completely, i pull over crank it and makes a loud pop and black/grey smoke comes out the back and then its running fine again...

i go about 5 miles and same thing happens i drift over to side of road and starts no problem, i sat for a sec and revved it a few times, everytime i go over like 6k or so black/grey smoke would poof out the tailpipe.

the rest of the 30 miles home it had no problems.

so is this cause my carbs are dirty?

what do i need to check?

THANKS!

[The Buddha]

Oh well black smoke out the pipe ... somehting in the motor ... you're lighting up oil ... gas smoke is white ... Check your valves and compression ... and check your oil level as well ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[pprider]

if im running low on oil would that cause the smoke?

and that doesnt explain the sudden lack of gasoline does it?

[scratch]

so is this cause my carbs are dirty?

what do i need to check?

So you know your carbs are dirty...and you didn't have to flip to Prime to get your bike running again...and the bike conked out because of interupted fuel flow (and hopefully not because of a temporary light seizure due to lack of oil!), tells me you need to check and clean your carbs and maybe install an inline fuel filter. Check your tank, too, for rust, and look at the in-tank fuel filter as well; see if it's clogged or has a hole allowing debris to get past, or even if it's there!

Your bike is smoking because it's eating oil, and you want to check your oil so you know you have enough to keep the engine lubricated. Check your oil level weekly.

[pprider]

ok so i checked the oil... it must be really really low cause its not even registering on the dipstick  the oil light never came on so it couldnt of got too low could it of? bah now im scurred i hope i didnt mess up my poor baby, putting oil in it NOW

[starwalt]

Your oil light could be burned out, or there may be a problem in the wiring, or the oil sensor could be bad, or the oil pump may not be working.

Most likely the oil light is open...I hope.

Regardless, running with very low, or no oil is...well you know that.

[pprider]

i put one quart in and it is now just above the low point on the dipstick

[Richard UK]

Sounds like the first time the engine was on the point of siezing through over heating due to lack of oil.  The GS500 motor is both oil and air cooled.  Maybe riding back home at a more cautious pace there was enough air cooling, even without much oil.  As it didn't actually lock up, and you've put in more oil, it should be OK.

[Gleanerizer]

ok so i checked the oil... it must be really really low cause its not even registering on the dipstick  the oil light never came on so it couldnt of got too low could it of? bah now im scurred i hope i didnt mess up my poor baby, putting oil in it NOW

Haha, that happened to me once, only my oil light DID come on.  Yes it's dumb, but you live and learn.  Check your oil whenever you do any maintenance or inspecting on your bike, better yet at every gas stop.  Fill it to the very "full" mark on the dipstick, every time.  You may also want to try different oils to find one that burns at a rate more to your liking.

[The Buddha]

i put one quart in and it is now just above the low point on the dipstick

You were 1 1/2 quarts low then ... cos low to full is 1/2 qt on the GS. I have opened up a crank case to find under 3/4 quart in there ... but I blew an oil pressure guage and showered my right side in 2 quarts of hot oil ... so i lost all that oil in about 5 seconds ... You rode around for 100's of miles with under 1 qt in it ... You might be worse off than me. BTW i filled up with oil, plugged up the drilled holes etc for the guage lines and the bike ran 25K more before I hocked it last month.
Cool.
Srinath.

[furball]

Oh well black smoke out the pipe ... somehting in the motor ... you're lighting up oil ... gas smoke is white ... Check your valves and compression ... and check your oil level as well ...
Cool.
Srinath.

Oil smoke is usually white w a blue tint...coolant smoke (not a factor here) is white and too much gas will cause a black smoke....Ever notice some idiot in a Honda Civic who bolts all the crap on and never tunes the fuel computer....Normally runs rich as hell and dumps a ton of black smoke out the back....

Running rich definitely produces a black smoke....

[denman]

yep black smoke is un burnt gas.  see ya.