Slow Takeoffs, Lots of Clutch needed to Launch - Fix

[NYNJ8]

Just picked up a non-running 06 and cleaned the crabs, replaced plugs, and oil.  On my first test ride I noticed that I was down on power taking off in 1st gear.  I mean I had to rev it to 5 or 6k and once the clutch engaged the rpms would fall off as the bike attempted to launch.  I really had to rev the hell out of it to launch.  Otherwise the bike ran great once I got it up to speed.  Idle was very good too. I searched the forums and came up with 6-10 different potential problems that I would have to trouble shoot.  I consulted the service manual and the fix turned out to be much simpler:

One of my pilot jets was partially clogged.  The mid-main and the main were clean which explains why only the low speed performance was hurt.  For those of you who don't know, the pilot jets are what provide fuel during take-off and low speed operating.  The mid-main and main take over once you pick up speed.  I could have simply cleaned the stock jet but since I had already ordered 20 pilots I went ahead and installed those.  Once new pilot jets were installed problem was immediately solved.

Lessons Learned:
1. Don't rush maintenance.  Do it right the first time.  I thought I had cleaned the jets well enough with a few quick sprays of carb cleaner but a thorough soaking and a needle passed through the jet is what was actually needed.  Would've saved myself hours of research and taking the bike apart a second time.

2. Don't believe every post you read on the forums.  Many are misleading and even more are flat out wrong.  I read posts from members describing my exact situation and several people responded that it was perfectly normal and that they had to rev their bikes to 5k to launch as well.  Having owned many bikes in the past, I knew this was not normal.

3. Learn and understand your machine.  Ultimately it took reading the service manual and understanding how the jetting system functions that lead to my fix. 

Just sharing my experience in the hopes that it will help others in the future.

[sledge]

Lessons Learned:

Don't believe every post you read on the forums.  Many are misleading and even more are flat out wrong.

[Janx101]

Some are gained from actual hands on time though and not the Google engineers manual! .. long term owners/real wrenchers do provide good insights and not unproven/untested theory by rote!

[sledge]

I agree 

There is absolutely no substitute for experience

My hands first went on about 34 years and about 180 bikes ago all of which were repaired in some way and sold at a profit .......what about you?

[sledge]

Oh.....and about 40-50 of them were GS5s. I really would have to check all my notes to give you the exact number 

They were good earners once.....had their day though now.

There are much better options for the same money around now.

[sledge]

Here is a tip for you, 70s trial bikes, I am finding that's what is in demand right now. Them and anything from the 80s that was popular as a first bike. AP50s, FS1Es, H100s, X5s and 7s, GT125s, SS50`s especially the six speeders. RDs especially the LCs making good money right now but finding a stock one is difficult, matching numbers almost impossible.

Just sold an XT500 that I restored and made a little over £1200 on.....phone was ringing off the hook.

Considering an `81 XT175 next  and been offered an `86 slabside with what I suspect is a holed piston or dropped valve for little over scrap value, non standard paint job though so its probably worth more in bits to the racers......sorry, you do know what a slabside is and its significance to the poor old GS5 is don't you?.......Google will help if you don't. 

So what have you been up to lately?........got any tips for me?

[sledge]

Some are gained from actual hands on time though and not the Google engineers manual! .. long term owners/real wrenchers do provide good insights and not unproven/untested theory by rote!

Just checked.....The figure is 46  GS5s bought and sold. The first one in 1994 was a `89 with 18,000 on the clock. It failed the MOT on worn headstock bearings, and non functioning front brake light switch. Also needed a new choke cable and a service. Bought for £600. £30 on parts and another £12 for a fresh MOT and sold 2 weeks later for £975.

My own `95 fully faired GS5, the one I decided to keep was registered to me in June 2002, a year before I joined this forum so over 12 years in my hands.............. How long term do you want?

[Janx101]

Wow that's a lot... Cool  ..... Got pics of some? ... XT500 especially... One of the mates has one that is in dire need of resto and work... He is not very motivated though... Some pics and notes on the work might just help spur him on a bit!

You must work in a Bike shop or something?! ... That many bikes ... Itd drive me crazy endlessly working on 'broken' units! 

[sledge]

Nope I don't work in a shop, I am just a keen amateur with an engineering background who likes to do a bit of buying and selling.

I am working away from home right now, if I make it back at the weekend I will post a few pics of the XT

[NYNJ8]

Sledge - I'm a lot like you in that I have been buying and selling bikes but I'm only on my 6th bike over 3 years.  I've been making tiny profits or breaking even mostly doing cosmetic mods, and partial part out's.  Ive been acquiring tools and knowledge as I go and I am getting much more comfortable taking on bigger fixes.  For me this is a hobby and my goal is to learn, enjoy wrenching, and ride.  All of my bikes have been primary riding bikes.  At the moment I am selling an '03 XT225 which I did some cosmetics and minor crab work and I expect to basically break even.  But I got to learn something new, and enjoy some trail riding for the first time. 

Surprisingly, my biggest profit on a bike was a 2012 Ninja 250. Bought the bike for 3200, sold the Yoshi exhaust for 200, Invested 100 in cosmetic mods and sold the bike for 3600 only 3 months later.  And that's after running up the odor by 3k miles!   

The GS is a different animal for me.  I am really loving this bike so far.  For the price I paid for it I will keep it around.  I has been a lot of work getting it running well and based on the majority of posts on this forum it seems I will spend much time working on the bike to keep it going.  I just took it out in the rain on a 20 mile interstate run and the bike performed brilliantly EXCEPT that the petcock wasn't giving the bike fuel in the on position.  Only in Prime.  I suspect the PO had the same issue because the crankcase had 1.5L of gasoline in it when I drained it.  Also, their is an oil leak somewhere on the left side, I suspect its a gasket.  Hard to diagnose because of the rain, but my left boot and the shifter became very slick and I could see the oil on the bottom of my boot when I stepped on the wet pavement.  The silver dearest guard was also slick with oil.  Upon inspection I could see a small amount of oil on the case specifically on the black plastic cover just below the float drains.  Bike has been sitting for 3 years so I assume the 1st pressure build up in 3 years could have strained the gasket.  Or could just be the gasket seal will break back in after being heated again.  I'll have to monitor it.

[NYNJ8]

Doh! The bike was stalling in on because it was low on fuel.  I was running on prime since the prime is fed from the reserve hose.  Once again, service manual and an understanding of the bike's fueling system got me my fix.  Went back out and confirmed it by riding it on reserve then heading to a station to fill up - took 4.3 gallons of gas 

Didn't seem like I should be on reserve though.  Gonna check the oil level to see if gas is still seeping into the crankcase.  Hopefully that is not the case.  BTW, just how does gas work its way into the case?  Seems like absent of any throttle opening it would take a long time for a meaningful amount of fuel to accumulate in the case.

[Atesz792]

Doh! The bike was stalling in on because it was low on fuel.  I was running on prime since the prime is fed from the reserve hose.  Once again, service manual and an understanding of the bike's fueling system got me my fix.  Went back out and confirmed it by riding it on reserve then heading to a station to fill up - took 4.3 gallons of gas 

Didn't seem like I should be on reserve though.  Gonna check the oil level to see if gas is still seeping into the crankcase.  Hopefully that is not the case.  BTW, just how does gas work its way into the case?  Seems like absent of any throttle opening it would take a long time for a meaningful amount of fuel to accumulate in the case.

I'd say through the intake manifold, an open intake valve, then past the rings.. You were lucky you thought about low fuel, you weren't far from walking to a gas station

[NYNJ8]

This might be a silly question, but couldn't I just ride the bike in reserve all the time?  Even with a full tank.  Wouldn't the fuel in the tank just continue to fill the reserve hose until completely empty?

[PantheraLeo]

This might be a silly question, but couldn't I just ride the bike in reserve all the time?  Even with a full tank.  Wouldn't the fuel in the tank just continue to fill the reserve hose until completely empty?

You could.  You just have to pay very close attention to your mileage.  Plus, you would never get to do the "emergency" switch to reserve with your engine sputtering in traffic!!

Roaring via Tapatalk.

[NYNJ8]

I'm more used to doing it that way but I'll get some more experience on the bike and figure out what is best.  I was just shocked how quickly it went from running fine on the main fuel line to completely stalled out.  I was on an interstate ramp about to merge when it stalled.  Luckily I hadn't merged yet and was able to pull over and flip the switch.  At 60mph I had about 8 seconds from the first hiccup to the stall.  Gotta practice that emergency reserve maneuver if I'm going to run it the standard way.

[Atesz792]

Sit on bike, right foot on the ground, left on the peg, hands on handlebars, and practice switching a few times that way, that should help.
8 seconds at 60 is about the longest you'll get, the faster you're going the less time you have to switch. OTOH, then you have more speed to safely lose while doing so

[mustangGT90210]

As far as gas getting into the crank case, in my experience, that is caused by sticky, worn out, or even lower quality aftermarket float needles/seats. I'm looking at you, K&L rebuild kit...

Never park it in prime, ever. With brand new stuff you can get away with it (unless you used K&L like I did).

I spent so long chasing that issue. And like 5 oil gassy oil changes because of it. I my bike would randomly just flood sometimes while parked due to those shitty needles. And Always when I was 45 minutes from home, on an island, at 10:30PM