gs500 probem please help its my only form of transportation

[gs500asf]

hello other motorbike enthusiasts i come here to day with a problem i ride a gs500, witch is an ok bike but they get destroyed way to easy. I have had mine for about 15 months brought brand new from the show room and i am just about to hit 18000kms and the bike is already sounding like it wants to die. the choke doesnt work, it wont idle anymore and its getting harder and harder to start. i was wondering if you guys could help me out with fixing it because i have already changed the battery and spark plugs and the carburetor has just been professionally cleaned. I have also checked the air fillter and it looks bad on one side but the other is pritty much clean so i turned it around untill i have the cash for another one.
also its my only form of transport and im a baker so i cant catch the buss into work if it wont start so im rely counting on you guys to help me.
cheers Ados

[Big Rich]

Have you checked the valve clearances yet?

[burnchassis]

Valves would be a good start,and You do not want to turn the air filter around....Leave the dirty side out or your engine will be sucking in that dirt.
-CS

[adidasguy]

Confused with what you say about the air filter. There is only one unless you have a non-stock filter.

Can you tell us all about your bike and what modifications have been made? What year? Where are you located?

Suggestions of things not mentioned:
1. Sync the carbs
2. Adjust the valves
3. Changed the oil and oil filter recently?
4. Checked the choke cable? Look at the carbs: choke lever bar on the carbs should move left with choke on and return back with choke off.

Really, we find the GS500 is a very durable and reliable bike. Not sure why you feel they get destroyed so easily.

Posting a video so we can hear it will help.

[piresito]

If one is "turning" the air filter, no bike would be reliable enough.
Change the filter.

Although, for 18000Kms, it should be in it's 3rd valve clearance check, from your symptoms, it's your problem.

[gs500asf]

i took ou the air filter last night just to see if it ran better without it and no luck so its not that. the valve clearances got checked a month or two ago and they were fine apparently. i changed the oil mabey 5 months ago but iv had to keep on topping it up with oil since there is a slow leak in the left hand side engine case. the oil i have put in is a 20-50 all round engine oil. when i took off the filter yesterday every time i strated it up there was a loud crack could that  be anything? or is that the initial explosion in the engine to get it started?

[adidasguy]

Videos would really help.
A "crack" when starting might be a loose timing chain. The crack can be it snapping tight or a cam shaft jumping.
Can you remove the tank then take off the valve cover to check the tension on the timing chain?

You could then take off the timing rotor cover, rotate the engine (clockwise) with your 19mm wrench and check for smooth operation and no jumping of the cams on the timing chain.

You're not changing anything - just looking so don't worry about making things worse. Close things up and you're back where you were.

There might me too much stuff in the way to completely remove the valve cover. That's OK. To look at things, you should be able to lift it up enough to see and touch the timing chain and watch for the cams jumping (due to a loose timing chain) as you rotate the engine with your wrench.

Be careful and you can get by without changing the valve cover gasket unless it starts leaking.

PS: With the tank  off, you can check the operation of the choke cable. Probably you can check the choke operation by looking up to the carbs from the side without removing the tank. To check timing chain, you must remove the tank to take off the valve cover.

[Janx101]

one minor thought on the 'crack' sound .... starter motor getting worn and slamming into place instead of sliding in all nice and easy?

just theres a 4wd mechanic shop next door to my work ... and i hear that kind of 'crack' noise every time they doing a ratted out starter motor.....

yeah i know .. cars vs bikes and differences ... but its the very first thing i thought of when i read the 'desc'

and sometimes when my bike has sat and the battery is low-ish .. the low voltage causes my starter to 'CLACK-whirr' ... until i get my multimeter out and check it.. then charge the battery or use my handy dandy booster pack!

[gs500asf]

yeah ill have a look at the starter when i change the oil. does anyone have a diagram of were the timing belt and all that is? i rely wanna check it out now but i dont want to go into it blind. if its not the timing belt any one have any idea on why the bike struggles to start and stalls with the clutch in?

[Janx101]

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=45475.msg509878#msg509878

lots of scattered links to online manuals around this forum... but this one should do you eh 

[gs500asf]

the links 404'ed any others?

[Janx101]

oh poo... i didnt check... ummm yeah there is... to save the back and forth though... up top of screen... click in the search box .. put it workshop manual online .. or haynes manual online .. or clymer manual online... and hit the button 

will probably come up with lots of threads .. but you should find one easy enough .... or look in the wiki page also.. think there is info for them there ... also.. the GS500FAQ on the main page here .. lots of info links there .. i have only just started to browse it recently 

[gs500asf]

hmm it seams to be getting worse around 2k revs exhaust makes a poping sound. sorry about this guys I'm rely new to the mechanical side of bikes

[Saiman619]

Just to agree with the other posts you probably want to check the valves.  When you take the cover off it's pretty straight forward.  If you search for baltimoregs on youtube he has several tutorials for a few different year models.