Now it's my turn for.............HELP!

pnaberhaus · July 01, 2006, 01:15:30 PM

Damn am I pissed.

This past April, got new Sport Demons mounted. A week later, buy a new riding jacket. CAN'T friggen wait to try both out. Every day off since then, it's rained, or I'm out-of-town visiting my new (first) grandchild, or I need to get work done on the old car, or I've got 10,000 errands to run, etc. Finally yesterday, I've got the whole day free. I take the battery(4 yrs old) off the charger, install it, and the ol' GS fires up right away!

But every time I close the choke, the #*&!+% bike dies. WTF? Carbs cleaned last year. Stabil through the winter. Ran great to get the new rubber on. Ran great bringing it home 5 miles with the new Speed Demons (outrunning the rain). That was April. No chance to ride since.

Now I can ride, and It won't run! Gotta work Sat, Sun, Mon. Gives me time to poll the Forum for suggestions. I can't believe the carbs can go crappy in two months! I obviously have a decent spark to light it off right away. But close the choke and roll the throttle........plhttttt. What's confusing is that it ran so good in April, and now it won't even run w/ the choke off. BTW, itsa '89 GS.

Jenya · July 01, 2006, 01:26:11 PM

My GS wouldn't run without a choke a fter a very very very long warm up period. So in fact, I start my riding with a choke ON and only after about 15 minutes of highway riding turn it off. alternatevily, I could increase idle speed and that would ensure that I could close the choke sooner, but then, by the time the bike is fully warmed up, I would have to turn the idle speed down, or it would idle at 2K RPM.

Jenya

Yankee Punker · July 01, 2006, 01:53:54 PM

I would try draining the tank and give her some fresh gas, some times you just don't know what could have got in there, plus if its been sitting for a few months you can then rule out if its just some old tired gas .

pnaberhaus · July 01, 2006, 02:12:03 PM

Yank,
On my short ride in April, I put in 2 gals of gas in an almost empty tank. So I figure the gas can't be THAT bad.

manofthefield · July 01, 2006, 02:31:23 PM

It's possible for gas to go bad in 2 months, especially small amounts sitting in the carbs. If I were letting my bike sit for more than 4-6 weeks, I would probably run some sta-bil through or run the carbs dry.

hmmmnz · July 01, 2006, 02:56:23 PM

yep dump the gas, and run it with choke on for a while, and give it a damn good thrash, it ll be fine after that, if you are feeling eager chean the plugs as well

Yankee Punker · July 01, 2006, 04:07:02 PM

I was trying to find and old link about gasoline storage and life but could not find, but how I remember it was something like after 3-4 weeks the gas stabilizers put in at the refinery start to break down and at about 8 weeks is when when thing start going sour. And I think there were some variables like how much in volume, and temperature being stored at. A few gallons compared to like twenty gallon would break down quicker. I know I am no fuel expert but this is how I recall. I hope you get rolling soon, let us know what it was when you get done riding.

scratch · July 01, 2006, 04:12:29 PM

Idle screw.

Fill the tank completely. Displace as much oxygen as possible. Oxygen is what makes gas go bad. Do yourself a favor, drain the carbs when you store it. Even for a month. Run Stabil through the tank and carbs, top up the tank, and drain the carbs.

Kerry · July 01, 2006, 06:09:22 PM

Quote from: Yankee Punker on July 01, 2006, 04:07:02 PMI was trying to find and old link about gasoline storage and life but could not find, but how I remember it was something like after 3-4 weeks the gas stabilizers put in at the refinery start to break down and at about 8 weeks is when when thing start going sour. And I think there were some variables like how much in volume, and temperature being stored at.

Hmmm. Apparently not this old post of mine. But if you trust a company that actually makes and sells a fuel stabilizer....

Yankee Punker · July 01, 2006, 06:34:05 PM

Quote from: Kerry on July 01, 2006, 06:09:22 PM
Quote from: Yankee Punker on July 01, 2006, 04:07:02 PMI was trying to find and old link about gasoline storage and life but could not find, but how I remember it was something like after 3-4 weeks the gas stabilizers put in at the refinery start to break down and at about 8 weeks is when when thing start going sour. And I think there were some variables like how much in volume, and temperature being stored at.

Hmmm. Apparently not this old post of mine. But if you trust a company that actually makes and sells a fuel stabilizer....

Yea, it was something I saw on a Horsepower TV or Two Guys garage web page or something a long those lines some time ago, wished I could find, it was just a little brain candy from one of the petro mfg's about all kinds of stuff, octane, different regions formulas, and blends, ect.

pnaberhaus · July 02, 2006, 09:30:40 AM

I'm sorry, but I just doesn't make sense to point the finger at gasoline. My reason? I've kept a 36 year old sports car, a 10 year old sports car, a 22 year old Honda twin, and have NEVER had a gasoline problem with them, and have NEVER added anything to the fuel tanks when they sat over the winter months. Only this Suzuki have I had this problem with. BTW, if it's the gas, why does it start right away (w/choke), and as soon as it warms up and I close the choke, it dies? The throttle provides no response, the engine just sputters and dies! One year ago, the carbs were cleaned and two months ago, the bike ran fine. I'm just about ready to offer this '89 GS for sale. I'm REALLY getting tired of jacking with it

scratch · July 02, 2006, 10:11:12 AM

And, the idle screw?

yamahonkawazuki · July 02, 2006, 10:42:59 AM

go get fresh plugs it might take care of it. but if not at least you know you got new ones in it. hell plugs arent that expensive

coll0412 · July 02, 2006, 11:00:51 AM

QuoteOn my short ride in April, I put in 2 gals of gas in an almost empty tank. So I figure the gas can't be THAT bad

I dont want to seem like a negative nancy...but you might have had some moisture devolop in the tank and water down that gas.

How I know is that is exactly how my bike behaved when I had water in my tank, it would only idle with full choke, and If I opened up the throttle at all it would make a weird swhoosh from the airbox(tank off was off) and then die immedittly.

It is really easy to drain the tank, I simply unhooked the line that feeds the reserve on the petcock(where it actually meets at the petcock), and dump that into a gas can. It will drain almost all of the gas, if you shake the bike a bet more you can probably get the rest out.

Hook it back up and fill with clean gas, when the tank is full put the petcock on prime and then flush out the float bowls, you should be as good as new.

scratch · July 02, 2006, 12:06:27 PM

If gas floats on water, wont the water go to the lowest place? What if you put it in PRIme and opened the floatbowl drainscrews? Would that get rid of the water?

Jarno · July 02, 2006, 12:54:15 PM

Not too long ago I had a bit similar problem - and the cause wasn't the gas... but a loose battery wire.

For some reason the bike ran with the choke on, not without it, and when I tried to give it some more throttle, it stalled. Maybe you're having something similar here?

Cheers,

-Jarno

12thmonkey · July 03, 2006, 08:55:48 AM

i don't really have anything helpful to add here...but that 914 in your avatar is awesome!

i've been wanting to say that since i saw it for the first time a while back. Is it yours? Any more pics of it anywhere? i love those cars...

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Now it's my turn for.............HELP!