Cursed Bike

[Ratchetuya]

My 2004 gs500f has never once worked correctly since i bought two years ago. This time its officially caused me so much distress that I am considering just never using it again.

What has not broke in it? The Cylinder head was replaced once, the camshaft got replaced because it wasnt properly working, the starter clutch had to be replaced. Many other small problems here and there.

So I have the valves calibrated, adjusted. This was because the bike was running bad. The same fix i got new jets put in, a new airbox, and replaced the battery. Now the guy tells me that only one cylinder has compression.

When i try to start it, the engine struggles to turn, maybe does one or two rotations and then fails to do anything else, and fails to do so. The mechanic looked at it and said that this is going to be an expensive problem to fix as he doesn't even know what is causing this and to diagnose it he would have to take apart the whole bike.

When i jump the bike with a car, it starts fine, and runs okay. I just want this bike to work, but i don't even know where to begin to look to fix it.

Symptoms Are:
Engine struggles to turn.
Lights dim, but either i hear it do a half turn and then nothing, or it doesnt even turn it once.
supposedly only good compression in one cylinder.



Ruled out:
battery problem - the battery is new
Carburetor has been thoroughly cleaned.
The valves have been adjusted.


What else can this be?

[cbrfxr67]

Test your battery.  Sounds like battery is crap.  Use a load tester and test it or take it to someone who has one. 

[cbrfxr67]

Oh and where pics?

[qcbaker]

Based on the fact that you say it starts and runs after being jumped, it really sounds like the battery is the problem. It seems to me it either isn't holding a charge or isn't putting out enough power to turn the starter properly. I know you said it's new, but there are dozens of threads here where people have said the same thing and the problem has ended up being the battery. If it were my bike, I would have the battery load tested.

[Bluesmudge]

Definitely the battery. Its possible it was a problem in the charging system that got you to a bad battery. If it runs fine jumped to a car then its just an electrical issue. Electrical issues should be relatively fast and inexpensive to fix.
It sounds like you need to find a new mechanic.

[The Buddha]

Where are you ? Sounds like you need a new mechanic.
Not that I'm volunteering other people on this forum, but everyone who's responded so far on this thread (and several who haven't yet) are likely to be far far better than the one you have so far.
Yea and the guy who's obsessed with pics may be the best this side of the atlantic.

Cool.
Buddha.

[alpo]

You need a new mechanic.

If you can jump it and it starts fine the battery is not charged. First invest in a battery tender. If that doesn't solve the problem get a new battery. Use your battery tender to keep it charged when the bike is not in use.

[Joolstacho]

Sounds suss to me. First you say:
"...now the guy tells me that only one cylinder has compression",
Then you say "...when i jump the bike with a car, it starts fine, and runs okay".
These are mutually exclusive... they can't both be right!
Get a new good battery for a start.
If one cylinder is down on compression I'd suspect the work that's been done on the valve clearances, -incorrect shimming - a valve not closing properly? sounds like your mechanic may be capable of anything!

[herennow]

+1 for new mechanic. He should have tested compression long before he did any head/cam work. And if compression is now suddenly bad - he has to answer for that.... 

+1 for a pic of the old head/cams, I'd love to see what the problem was.

Bad batteries (even new ones are bad sometimes) are notorious for making people spend money on "other problems".  Next step would be to check the voltage across the battery when running to make sure bike is charging properly.

Good luck. they are simple bikes and should be possible to get it running well. Just out of interest what size jets did he put in?

[Ratchetuya]

Wow thanks for all the responses, the thing is, I literally bought a new battery a few weeks ago. It's brand new! 

When the battery is fully charged it turns the engine but the engine but it takes so long to turn on that by the third time I start it the battery is out of energy.

[Ratchetuya]

Test your battery.  Sounds like battery is crap.  Use a load tester and test it or take it to someone who has one.

I wanted to give a more detailed response. The battery was new, and when i would try to run it, it would audibly be difficult for the engine to turn. A fully charged battery was having difficulty turning the engine. It would eventually fire with enough attempts (only when the battery was full) but this was short lived before the battery became too weak. What do you think?

I'll have the battery charged and see what happens again.

I'll also take some sexy pics for you soon.

[user11235813]

@Ratchetuya,

Is it cold where you are? Sounds like the battery is faulty, what brand is it, maybe you need more CCA (cold cranking amps) you can get bike batteries for the GS with 310 CCA. Do you have a volt meter, if so see what the voltage drops down to at the moment the engine tries to crank.

Why would anyone need a new airbox? It's just a plastic box, what can go wrong.

[sledge]

It all seems strange to me.

The first question has to be.......

Have you got the correct battery in there?

[Ratchetuya]

I don't think that the mechanic is so clueless that he put the wrong battery in, he has been in the industry for over 5 years

[rocketgirl]

I don't think that the mechanic is so clueless that he put the wrong battery in, he has been in the industry for over 5 years

That's easy to figure out.
1) What brand is the battery?
2) What is the battery type (something like XX12-BS)?
3) Is there a date code on the battery?
Extra credit) do you have a multimeter?

BTW I don't think  your mechanic is clueless.  But maybe he's lying to take more of your money.  Let's just make sure that's not the case before you swap the motor or something.

[Ratchetuya]

I don't think that the mechanic is so clueless that he put the wrong battery in, he has been in the industry for over 5 years

That's easy to figure out.
1) What brand is the battery?
2) What is the battery type (something like XX12-BS)?
3) Is there a date code on the battery?
Extra credit) do you have a multimeter?

BTW I don't think  your mechanic is clueless.  But maybe he's lying to take more of your money.  Let's just make sure that's not the case before you swap the motor or something.

I'll look into it tonight.

[Bluesmudge]

If it starts and runs fine when connected to a car/truck battery, the problem is not in the engine!
Its either a bad battery or a problem in the charging system that is quickly killing your battery.

[sledge]

I am curious to know how it starts and runs well when compression is down.

Any decent bike mechanic with the right gear will take minutes to diagnose a problem with the battery and charging system and identify low compression and the most likely reason.

All this just isn't stacking up 

[sledge]

I don't think that the mechanic is so clueless that he put the wrong battery in, he has been in the industry for over 5 years

Yet in your first post your man claims he doesn't know what the problem is and wants to dismantle the whole thing!!!

[sledge]

Anyone who says the whole bike needs to be dismantled to diagnose those issues is taking the piss!

Go on....,,google it