some random questions

[mr72]

Anyone have a source for a petcock rebuild kit for a pre-1996 GS500E? Finding it very difficult to find.

Or, alternately, any idea of a later-model moto vacuum petcock with main/reserve that will fit and replace my 30 year old leaking petcock? Because $75 for a "new" made in china repro part seems insane, and I'd feel a lot better about a part for a 2015 KLR650 or something...

Next thing: is there any remote-reservoir type front brake master-cylinder / lever assy that I can put on my GS and reuse the same brake lever? I assume a lot of Suzukis use exactly the same levers but some must have remote reservoir. Looking to swap.

[The Buddha]

I have a remote reservoir front brake on mine - but no idea where it came from. My window sprung a leak ... Is that the problem with the original ? They make these round acrylic things. You can find it on ebay.

The petcock rebuild kits are hard to find ? OMG - I need one of those.

Cool.
Buddha.

[mr72]

No the problem with my front brake reservoir is that with the bars and adjustment I have, the reservoir is at too much of an angle for me to fill it correctly. I might be able to get it full by moving it to fill, then move back, but I'd rather just have a remote reservoir m/c.

Nearly all of the petcock rebuild kits I am finding are 96+ ... IDK what the diff is.

[mr72]

I wonder if the diaphragm is leaking on my petcock, causing the left carb to run really rich at idle because it's leaking fuel into the vacuum port. That would explain a lot. Also wonder if I could just make it like a manual petcock going from PRI (for running) to ON (for off) and remove the vac hose, plug it at the carb, maybe fix my running issue as well as diagnose the petcock. Might try that later.

[The Buddha]

I wonder if the diaphragm is leaking on my petcock, causing the left carb to run really rich at idle because it's leaking fuel into the vacuum port. That would explain a lot. Also wonder if I could just make it like a manual petcock going from PRI (for running) to ON (for off) and remove the vac hose, plug it at the carb, maybe fix my running issue as well as diagnose the petcock. Might try that later.

This crap is exactly happening on my 96 as well. Cap the bugger at the carb, then check in the petcock. If its spitting fuel, cap that sucker and ride in prime only and turn off when park.

Then the remote reservoir - Oh well, its still a long way down before it runs dry, just fill as best as you can and keep an eye on it. The handlebar angle has plagues many of us, especially those that put clip on's etc and euro clip on's are the worst..

Cool.
Buddha.

[mr72]

'96 and later, there are petcock rebuild kits available. But I can't find one for a pre-96. Dunno if it's the same part, who knows why the parts list doesn't show it if they are.

I might consider just getting a manual petcock on/off/res and give up on the vacuum. Given how rarely I ride this bike, I think that makes plenty of sense. I'd just have to remember to turn it off when parked.

There is a remote reservoir type brake lever/MC for like $30 on ebay that SAYS it is "compatible" with a GS500F. I assume any of them are compatible, as long as the banjo bolt fits, but I want to reuse my shorty/adjustable lever. Might be worth a $30 try. I did level up the reservoir as much as I could by putting a 2x4 under the side stand and loosening the clamp to get it levelish, I could get about another capful of fluid in it, but it's angled towards the center too much. The problem is that in some cases, like a left turn, all of the fluid sloshes to one side and exposes the hole to air, so it can suck air into the piston.

I am about 90% sure that once I can get this thing all the freaking way sorted so it just plain runs and works, I am going to sell it. Somewhere there's a Ducati Scrambler with my name on it, that would be a far better waste of garage space. And I'd probably ride a Duc about 10x as often as I do the GS. I really WANT to love this GS but it's just so freaking unreliable. It's crossed over to the dark side. It's always something broken. When it's working, it's a treat. But that's almost never. You know it's bad when I am trying to replace it with an Italian motorcycle.

[Bluesmudge]

I have a few ideas:
Why bother with a $30 rebuild kit when you can buy the entire Petcock brand new from Partzilla.com for $68.00?
That seems like a no brainer to me since I've heard that petcock rebuilding doesn't have a very good success rate. The E model part number is 44300-01D21
https://www.partzilla.com/product/suzuki/44300-01D21?ref=1153a05c5358c4fb0e58db84de3da4e1837b80eb

Or here is a new GS500E petcock on ebay for $57
https://www.ebay.com/itm/201679371847?epid=171222453&hash=item2ef506fe47:g:z1EAAOSwrzxbLRSF

Alternatively, since the GS500 petcock isn't mounted directly to the tank, you could also upgrade to the later style GS500F petcock with a little effort put into a mounting bracket. Its more expensive at $90 but they are supposed to be more reliable.

As a 3rd petcock option, people in the past have made to work the petcock from a '07 Honda CRF250X, part number 16950-KSC-003. It eliminates the vacuum (so you do have to remember to turn it off) but it retains the main/reserve functionality, and it's cheap. You will have to figure out a way to mount it as well.

[mr72]

Thanks Bluesmudge.

Yeah, $30 rebuild seemed like a lot compared with a $50 replacement. But given the failure rate plus the chances of more vacuum leaks, I decided to just go with the CRF250X petcock, which a similar quality one to that $50 replacement stocker was $10 on Amazon. That's more like what I'm happy to spend on the semi-working GS500 right now.

If I wanted something that I almost never use and have to spend time and money on every time I want to try and use it, I'd get a boat.