My first 2002 GS500 build from non-running to running

[lawaman]

I bought a 2002 k2 GS500 from a nice guy for 850 on craigslist. It has done 23k miles and it seems to have taken a left side stationary fall causing the rear left fairing to crack, the front of the motorcycle's frames have minor rust that needs to be cleaned off,the both forks leaks, they need a good cleaning, replace fork oil, oil and dust seals , the main fuel lines have been cut, carbs need to be cleaned, rebuilt, and gaskets need to be replaced, clutch lever need to be replaced as it is missing, left rear signal light is missing, left pulse/generator suzuki emblem is missing, left mirror is missing,and the turn and emergency lights on the dash are missing.


Also it wasnt registered as PNO so there is about 571 in registration fees i need to pay to get it under my name for title transfer.

So far i have not been able to work on her, but man is she pretty. My goal for her is to get her engine operational, replace the fuel line, repair the forks, take her out on a quick .1 mile drive without her dying out on me.

[GS4me]

Nice looking bike.  I'm so used to the "shorter plastic" on my 1994, I really like the "longer look" of the tail on the bikes with the newer plastic.

[Gorilla]

very cool man..very cool

[lawaman]

So i got a battery on it and the engine wont turn over, relay/solenoid is fine, starter motor is fine, in N, Kickstand up, killswitch is in run, but engine wont crank..... is the engine seized?

[gsJack]

Take the little round 3 screw cover off the lower right side and put a 19 mm wrench on the hex and see if it will turn clockwise.

[Gorilla]

did GSjack info help you?

[lawaman]

Tried the 19mm socket and was able to crank the engine manually, took the spark plugs off and could see the pistons and both valves per piston operating normally. But i can only crank the engine only one turn and then it stops and wont go any further.

[gsJack]

Not good news, if I understand correctly you bought the bike in a non running condition and are now trying to get it started.  The only time I couldn't turn my 02 over and over with a 19 mm wrench was when it had a broken valve blocking it from going further.  I could see the broken valve thru the plug hole but you are seeing both pistons and all 4 valves appearing to function properly and engine won't turn further.

The next step for me would be to remove the gas tank and valve cover and have a look inside the top of the engine to see if the cam chain and tensioner are functioning properly and the camshafts are timed correctly, this will show cam timing if you don't have a repair manual:

http://www.gs500.net/gallery/data/500/gs500signalgenerators.jpg

If the top end looks good the next step might be to check for what is referred to around here as "goats."  The generator rotor has magnets attached to it that can come loose and block the engine from turning.  Need to remove the engine covers from the lower left side (shifter side) to see the rotor and magnets.  goats is a fairly common problem and much detail can be found using the search feature.

[lawaman]

GSJACK thank you very much for your advice and knowledge.


It has been very helpful, i did buy this non running GS with the intent to fix it up or i was going to use the engine as take apart and put back together just for fun and my educational experience. So it looks like this gs is not going to be operational anytime soon, thats a shame.

[lawaman]

So after scrounging around on craigslist i find another gs500 same color, less mileage, and more operational than my first ride.
This time the carbs were gummed up, front forks leaking very slowly, wheel chain was pretty loose, and tires need replacing.
The motorcycle starts up rough but when warmed up it idles just fine.

[GS4me]

Wow!

You're just buying up all of the GS500's aren't you!!!     At least you have a nice supply of parts between both of the bikes!  I keep my eyes peeled all the time for a nice little project from Craigslist!...  NICE FIND.

[lawaman]

Wow!

You're just buying up all of the GS500's aren't you!!!     At least you have a nice supply of parts between both of the bikes!  I keep my eyes peeled all the time for a nice little project from Craigslist!...  NICE FIND.

HAH yea i ended up spending like a weeks worth of paycheck just to buy this new GS500. im just buying them all up and hoarding them for parts, but yes it is pretty awesome to be able to have all the donor parts i need at the same location in the event something needs replacing. In my area very few people buy GS500 and very few people sell GS500 so the price they sell them at is ridiculously low so its easy to find something decent at a fair or cheap price.