my idle is VERY weird...i've messed around with the idle screw already...so i doubt that it's that problem...
the symptoms is that if i adjust the idle to ~1200 after warmup...it'll stay at that idle until i ride the bike and stop again...then it'll shoot up to 3k rpm and stay there...then if i adjust the idle again...either the idle will be screwed up or the bike will just stall when stopped...
i don't know if i make any sense...so please ask...
thanks a lot all you GS gurus...please help a mech idiot out...
thanks :thumb:
I'm not a guru, but I have one at home ( :) ) and he says it sounds like it could be bad gas, or you may possibly be in need of a carb job. ;)
How long has it been doing this?
been doing this for quite a while now...and i got a carb sync 2 months ago...i doubt that it's bad gas...since i ride it so often...
do you think something is clogged?...or maybe float is messed up?
i changed my sparks plug too...and will be changing air filter this week...
what else should i check for?...
oh...and i forgot to say...dont' know if it's related or not...and i forgot the timeframe of it...but my bike was tipped over by a freaking newbie on a group ride in a parking lot on the left side of the bike...
it wasn't a hard fall...he GENTLY lay down my bike...
do you think maybe that may knock something out of place??
When you changed your spark plugs did you notice that either one of them was covered with carbon (black powder) or was wet with gas?
nope...it was a nice dry tan color...
Idle problems of this sort are usually due to a lean (too much air) condition.
You bought the bike brand new, and I'm guessing it's stock. How long have you had this problem?
had this problem for 3 weeks now...
too lean?...how should i fix it then?...do i need to rejet?
i changed the oil, sparkplugs, and will be chaning air filter soon...will this help at all?
So, before 3 weeks ago it ran fine?
Think about what may have changed. I suppose that one of the boots connecting the carbs to the engine intakes
could have cracked or pulled away from one end or the other ... but I doubt it.
My guess is that some gum or grit has gotten lodged in one or both of your pilot jets - the ones that supply the fuel mixture at idle. The holes in those jets are quite tiny, so if ANYTHING got stuck in there it could make a big difference. (Read a few posts starting HERE (http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=91169#91169).)
The hardest part about cleaning the jets is getting to them. If you could just get the float bowls off without removing the carburetors from the bike, you could get at the jets pretty easily, and:
* Unscrew them
* Drop them in a pool of carb cleaner for 15-20 minutes
* Blow them out with compressed air (if available)
* Make sure you can see a nice round hole through them
* Reinstall the jets
* Replace the float bowls
* Fire her up![/list:u]Unfortunately, most folks find it necessary to remove the carbs to get at the float bowl screws. If you think you may need to "go in" a second or third time, consider replacing the Phillips-head float bowl screws with Allen screws. Then you can remove the bowls in the future WITHOUT taking the carbs out of the bike.
EDIT: Fixed incomplete URL
how do i check the pilot jets?
also...forgot to mention...
after my bike stalls and i try to start it...it won't start instantly...
i'll have to wait a minute for it to start up again...
what's wrong with my bike???
Quote from: frosthow do i check the pilot jets?
If you mean, "How do I get at the pilot jets to check them for cleanliness?" then see the list in my previous post, which includes instructions for cleaning them while they're out of the carbs.
If you mean, "How do I check that the pilot jets are working properly after I've cleaned them?" ... you will be able to tell if your startup time and performance at idle has changed.
If you don't know how to
locate the pilot jets, look at the 9th-from-the-bottom picture on
miket's
Poor Man's Rejetting Pictorial. (The one where the small, red-handled screwdriver is inserted into a deep-looking hole.) The pilot jet is at the bottom of that hole.
wow...so that means i HAVE to take the carbs apart?...
i've never taken apart my bike before...how hard is this to do?...and what parts should i order first before proceeding...
also...kerry...your first link doesn't work...
Quote from: Frostwow...so that means i HAVE to take the carbs apart?...
'Fraid so....
Quote from: Frosti've never taken apart my bike before...how hard is this to do?...and what parts should i order first before proceeding...
It could take 3 or 4 hours the first time around, but it's not difficult. You can start at the top of
miket's excellent step-by-step "pictorial" and just follow along, or you can go through the procedure with a Clymer or Haynes manual. (I went the Haynes route when I cleaned my carbs for the first time 2 or 3 years ago, and I knew next-to-NOTHING about carbs or even general motorcycle maintenance back then.)
My best tips:
* Take it slow and easy.
* Take digital pics if you have to, to keep track of where things go. (If you have a manual or use
miket's How-To this probably isn't necessary.)
* Stay organized! Use an empty egg carton or a series of small cups or bins to keep all of the screws and other parts out-of-the-way, and grouped together in a meaningful arrangement. (I use little applesauce cups: front, back, left, right, etc.)
* Work on ONE CARB AT A TIME![/list:u]You shouldn't need to order any parts if you're just cleaning the carbs. You WILL need a spray can of carb cleaner from the auto parts store. I attach the "straw" and spray/dribble a pool of carb cleaner into one of my applesauce cups - enough to submerge all of the metal parts that come out of the carbs.
If you want to tweak the jetting while you're in there, you would want to get the new jets and possibly some washers for the needle. I have NOT rejetted my bike, and I would recommend that you just do a cleaning this time around - to determine whether your problem really is dirty jets or something else before you start making changes.
Quote from: Frostalso...kerry...your first link doesn't work...
Fixed it. Thanks!
Normally, you want to set the idle when the bike is fully warmed-up (like, after a ride), which keeps it from killing at stop signs. This may mean that the idle seems to be too low when cold, or even after a regular warmup (say, 2 minutes at 4k RPM). If this is the case: idle is fine after a ride, but not fine after 2 minutes warmup from cold, then perhaps the problem is that the warmup has become slower than it used to be.
This can also be a sign that a pilot is partially clogged. Or that the altitude or temperature has changed enough to affect the mixture. I find that I need to readjust the pilot mixture screws a couple of times per year; for example, if I can get it to idle smoothly at 1500rpm, but not at 1200, then a carb-sync or an adjustment of the pilot mixture screws often helps. Have you had the bike through a complete 4 seasons yet? If not, then you may just be finding that your climate changes too much for a single mixture. Then again, Kerry doesn't seem to need to tweak his pilot mix screws through the seasons, and he goes from hot to snowy-cold. So maybe it's just me.
Then again, if the problem is a partially clogged pilot, tweaking the pilot mixture screw may seem to help, but the results may still not be ideal. Cleaning the float bowls and pilots is a pretty standard task that most GS owners seem to have to tackle sooner or later. I have some pictures and instructions from when I replaced the pilot jets
http://grapeape.specialgreen.com/
Another Toronto GS got similar problem.. starting from 3 days ago... since I adjusted the idle mixture.
It was idle a little too low (~1000rpm) since I got the bike a little more than a month ago. And if it isn't fully warmup, it would stall easily. Therefore, I tried to adjust the idle mixture 3 days ago.. set it a little close to 1500rpm.
But now, it will idle for 3000rpm after driving for a while. I can adjust it back to 1500rpm and idle fine for a while... but 10km later.. it will idle at 3k...
idle at 1.5k -> 3k -> adjust -> 1.5k -> 3k -> adjust -> 1.5k....
I've got the same sort of problem, Cold start in the morning she'll idle at 1200 rpm then when I've been riding for 10 mins it idles at 3 k. I've been doing pretty much the same thing as the guy above, playing with the idle screw.
I've got an older bike though '90 GS.
Regards
hey etam...where are you at?...
Quote from: ArlofI've got the same sort of problem, Cold start in the morning she'll idle at 1200 rpm then when I've been riding for 10 mins it idles at 3 k. I've been doing pretty much the same thing as the guy above, playing with the idle screw.
I've got an older bike though '90 GS.
Arlof, if you've adjusted your GS to adle at 1200 rpm right after start that's not surbrising. You should adjust it there when warm.
You'll have to leave some choke set for the first few minutes to keep the engine from dying on you then.
went out riding last night.. from Markham to downtown and back.. 60+ km.. without idle problem :)
didn't do anything special.. just another idle adjustment day before.
weather in Toronto didn't change much... a cool summer...