I'm the new guy * now with pictures *

[smeghead009]

Hi every one i've been prowling around for a week or so and finally decided to sign up, i just got a 98 GS500E that had been laid over but was still in excellent condition, and for 1000$ i was happy with it, its been sitting for 6 months but fired right up with a jump from my car, i did have to replace the battery and have ordered a few odds and ends to get it all legal, i have a few questions though

1) i've been riding around my neighborhood getting a feel for it and i have noticed that the rear brake grabs and locks the tire up very quickly should there be more play in the pedal or do i just need to get used to sneezing and almost sliding out ?

2) after about 6k rpm it almost feels like i'm hitting a rev limiter, no power at all

3) i need the left side tail faring, preferably in the dark gray and black scheme anybody got one laying around i can buy ?

ill have some pictures up tomorrow after i finish cleaning it up a little more, i have a feeling i'm going to be riding this bike for a while, its way faster than my 1980 Twinstar !

[tripleb]

welcome to the board. the rear brake should not grab that hard unless you're really stomping on it.  that's very dangerous actually as you can start to lose control of the rear of the bike easily that way.

I'll leave the rev issue to the more experienced Gsers.

[skimhitz]

If the rear brake isn't dragging as you just push around the bike, then I would say it's fine. More importantly, if you're locking up the rear wheel while stopping, you should be using the front brake much more. The front brake provides around 80% of your stopping force. Trying to stop the bike by using mostly rear brake will result in a lockup, or not stopping nearly in time.

[efushi]

I notice the "rev limiting like effect"  around maybe 5k or 5.5k and what I came to realize after lurking the board before was that I didnt even hit the peak powerband for the GS.  I used to ride around 3-4k rpm and would shift early to avoid hitting the 5k deadzone.  It sucked.  Ride the bike in the higher revs, you'll enjoy it a lot more and have usuable torque in case you get in a sticky situation

[joshr08]

I would say the carbs need some cleaning you said it sat for 6 months give or take a bit i would pull and clean them.

[Critter]

Welcome to the forum, its good to see another smeghead around here. 

[smeghead009]

i do use the front brake more than the rear but its nice to know what its capable of if i needed it, i'm gonna tear the carbs apart this weekend ill let you know how it goes, thanks for the warm welcome ill have some pictures up tonight

[fred]

Pop your bike up on the centerstand and give the rear wheel a good spin. If your rear brake is dragging, you'll hear it. You might also have a rear tire that is reaching the end of its life and not giving you the traction you expect. It is worth checking and keep in mind that rear tires wear about twice as fast as front ones do. In all likelihood, you're just applying too much rear brake. It really doesn't take a whole lot of braking to get the rear into a skid. Also, lubricate your chain and adjust your tension while you're there. As for the carbs, they could be the problem, but badly adjusted valves could do it too. If you take the carbs apart, be very methodical and take care not to strip out any screws or loose any tiny o-rings. You will save so much time doing it slowly and carefully once than you will doing it quickly many times.

[theUBS]

You might want to check the rear brake pads.  I found when mine ran thin that they became a bit grabby--metal on metal.  Check for grooves on the rear disc.  Also, as others said it should be about 70 vs 30 -- front vs rear.

Welcome to the board!

[bill14224]

Yes, welcome to the board! 

Don't use much pressure on the rear brake.  Use the front mostly.  That is normal for all bikes.  Racers almost never use the rear brake.  It's a good way to crash diving into a corner.

Your bike shouldn't feel completely "dead" at 5000-5500 rpms.  A little, but not completely.  I have a '94 so we have the same bike.  No meaningful changes in those years.  There is a dip there with the stock set-up, but once you get past that there's a rush that's exhilarating!  Try accelerating from 6000-9000 in 3rd gear.  If it does that smoothly, I'm not worried about weak ignition, valve adjustment, or carb problems, as long as it starts easily and will idle OK once it's warm.

If the bike runs fine other than the flat spot, I can tell you from experience that using a K&N drop-in air filter in the stock air box and a Vance&Hines exhaust will make that flat spot go away without re-jetting and the bike will run smoothly, even in the Northeast.  Climate matters, and colder climates and low altitudes will make a simple carbureted engine run leaner than it would in warmer climates and higher altitudes.  Others will argue but they're wrong.  They are the same people who will tell you a stock GS is too lean from the factory.  They just don't know what "too lean" is.  An engine that runs smoothly is not too lean or too rich.  That is the truth of the matter.

Beware of those who immediately tell you to take your carbs apart.  For some it's their answer to everything.  It may be necessary, but it's not the right thing to do until you take care of the easy stuff, like bad electrical connections, crapola battery, old plugs, dirty air filter, vacuum leaks, sticky choke plunger, sticking vacuum-operated fuel petcock, clogged fuel filter in the tank, or rust in the tank.

And for the record, our bike has almost constant torque from 3,500-9,500 rpms.  The rush above 6,000 rpm is due to rpms and cylinder head resonance, (optimum flow rate) not increasing torque.  From 6,000-9,500 the power swells because the cylinder heads breathe most efficiently at 9,000.

[smeghead009]

after wasting a whole can or carb and choke spray she runs much better, the guy i got it from said it had a stage 3 jet kit so i'm thinking about getting a lunchbox filter, ive got all the lights hooked up and working except for the right blinker anyone got a wiring diagram ?

and when i took it out this morning i went all the way to 10k in second before i ran out of "private track"

now for a few pictures

[bill14224]

Stage 3 jet kit is ridiculously rich for a stock exhaust and intake system.  Look at your plugs and see the soot!  With those jets, you need the lunchbox and the raciest pipe you can find, but forget about riding in the rain.  The lunchbox does nothing to keep water out.

Download service manual for wiring diagrams here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/135775303/Suzuki_GS_500_E_Service_Manual.rar

[bassman]

My rear brake was very grabby at first and I took that to be a sign that the rear brake was good.  However, after some time (days, weeks? I can't quite remember) the brakes lost their grabiness.  Within 9 months my pads needed changing.  So it could be that they are close to needing changing.  It's also possible that, if the bike has been unused for a while before you started riding it, the brake caliper pistons may be a little sluggish in backing off when you release pressure on the pedal.  Just a thought.  I occassionaly spray motorcycle disc brake cleaner on the disc and caaliper/pads as part of routine maintence.

bassman

[ATLRIDER]

Congrats on the new bike.  I just picked up my 3rd GS, same year/color as yours.

I've found the rear brakes a little touchy too and ez to lock up.  Switched them to stock Suzuki pads and they seemed less grippy.

   

[xhyperxshogunx]

not bad for 1000 bucks!!

[socialDK]

You might want to check the rear brake pads.  I found when mine ran thin that they became a bit grabby--metal on metal.  Check for grooves on the rear disc. 

Im pretty sure its time to change my rear brake pads but my rotor does have grooves i dont know if theres a technical way of measuring how bad they are but when you feel the rotor they are very obvious. Do i have to get a whole new one or can i take it to a shop and have it resurfaced? 

[theUBS]

You might want to check the rear brake pads.  I found when mine ran thin that they became a bit grabby--metal on metal.  Check for grooves on the rear disc. 

Im pretty sure its time to change my rear brake pads but my rotor does have grooves i dont know if theres a technical way of measuring how bad they are but when you feel the rotor they are very obvious. Do i have to get a whole new one or can i take it to a shop and have it resurfaced? 

As far as I know, they don't turn motorcycle brake rotors--they just get replaced.  Mine had developed a little bit of a groove also, but I was satisfied by just changing the pads.  Perhaps it's not the wisest thing to be satisfied by that, but as it's been stated, the majority of the braking is done with the front.  New pads will adapt the inconsistencies in your rear rotor.

[McD]

[/quote]


Whose the little guy in the back?

[smeghead009]

that little guy is my 1980  honda twinstar, 200cc twin rockin a whole 17 horse power ! it will do 60 with a tail wind... on a good day... down hill. it was going to be my cafe racer but those clubman bars kill my back, so i turned them upside down 

[Danny500]

I used to have that SAME EXACT BIKE!!!! The CM200T is an AWESOME little buggy! I stripped mine down, put black heat-wrap on the downtubes and threw on some reverse-cone dunstall mufflers.. LOUD AS HELL and sounded amazing for a PTwin..

Loved that little bike ... wish I never traded her for my GS... but then again, I only paid 200 for her and got 600 on trade ... sweet.

I was a tad big for it...


Dan