Engine desipating heat, and burnt smell after long 30 min ride

[hedgehog88]

Hi guys,

I'm hoping for some help on what I noticed today after riding along for 30 minutes on my bike.

I noticed a large amount of heat dissipating from the right side of the engine, and a burning smell coming up between the dictators and gas tank while riding and idling my bike. Other times I rode it, I never noticed but then again I would have if something was off. Now I did some forum searching and found out that the engine oil could be the culprit to the smell and overheating of the engine. Anyone else have an idea on what it may be? I don't believe how I'm riding would cause any of these abnormalities. I haven't clean the bike yet. It is rained over it once, but I don't know if that would cause anything.

I'm riding it naked due to worries of dropping it as I am new to riding. I bought the bike in May of this year with 2500km on it. The previous owner changed the engine oil once I paid for it. Only rode it 200km since I got my license and insurance in July.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[adidasguy]

Have you checked the oil level? Maybe it is low.

What oil was put in?

You can check the plugs to see if one side is running lean. Running lean will also run hot.

Pictures?

[hedgehog88]

Have you checked the oil level? Maybe it is low.

What oil was put in?

You can check the plugs to see if one side is running lean. Running lean will also run hot.

Pictures?

I have not, but I will when I get home from work.

I believe it was some Mobil 1 Synthetic oil, not too sure the exact name at the time but he has sponsors who hook him up with these oils.

I'm not too good with motor terms, but what doe you mean by "check the plugs to see if one side is running lean"?

There isn't really too much happening I can show you, but I guess I can take some pictures of the level of oils if that help.

Thanks!

[adidasguy]

The WIKI has lots of information. also it is good to get either the Haynes or Clymer manual for the GS500 (I prefer the Haynes).
You remove the spark plugs. The appearance will tell you if the air/fuel mixture is lean or rich. Lean (mnore air, less gas) burns hotter than rich (less air and more fuel). You can google spark plugs and locate photos & charts of how to read the appearance of the plugs.

They Haynes manual is a must. In it you will find the owners manual, maintenance schedule, basic maintenance, wiring diagram, how to read spark plugs and chapters for all the in depth tearing into the bike. I believe the latest is 1989-2008 so get that book. Amazon it.

Low oil could be a reason for running hot. However I think the oil light would come on if the oil was low. To check oil, put bike on center stand. Remove oil cap and wipe it off. Drop it in - DO NOT screw it back in. Wait a few seconds than remove it and look at the end of the stick to see if you are low on oil. Then you can screw it back in.

[mister]

Personally, I believe all new bike purchases should be followed up with an oil an filter change, regardless of what the seller said they did or would do. This is the Only way to be 100% sure you have the oil in it that you want.

About the smell... you've only ridden it 200 miles in total since you bought the bike? Have you ridden it for 30 minutes like this before? Have you ridden in the rain  before (my bike always smells funny the day after I've been caught in the rain)? Have you washed the bike and rinsed it off - the smell could be from something the PO had used to clean the bike with (WD40, Amoral, etc.).

The heat thing suggests.... well, before we get in to that... take out each spark plug, take a Clear photo of each one and load it up online and show us what they look like. Use something like http://imgur.com to host the images if you don't already have an online account (no account needed for imgur).

Michael

[craigs449]

Could be a lean condition on one side due to a partially clogged jet in the carb......like adidas said above, pull the plugs and see what they look like......If one side is that lean, you will be able to tell by the condition of the plug...

[jestercinti]

Also check exhaust bolts to make sure they are tight. That also causes lean conditions.

Valves was my next suggestion, but 2500 or so km total distance on bike not a lot.