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Main Area => General GS500 Discussion => Topic started by: jordanearl on March 14, 2005, 07:40:15 PM

Title: rev limits
Post by: jordanearl on March 14, 2005, 07:40:15 PM
What is the common rev limits for the 90's 500's.  I just purchased a 90, and it has a 5k limit to where i can rev it to. It has the yoshimura exhaust on it, and I think it sounds like the engine sounds really revved at 5.  I was reading the post about wheelies and it was saying things about dumping at 7k, sumone even suggested 10k??
Title: rev limits
Post by: 94suzuki500 on March 14, 2005, 07:53:41 PM
the gs redlines at 11000 + or - 500 rpm, so dont be afraid to rev it higher than 5000.   I usually shift when accelerating around town at 5 to 7 thousand.   I think the pipe could be alittle deceiving to the sound of it being wound up. the gs has a big rpm range, dont be afraid to explore it.
Title: rev limits
Post by: jordanearl on March 14, 2005, 07:55:54 PM
when im sitting still i rev it up, and it doesn't seem to want to go higher than 5k, ill try tommorow if its warmer, i really didn't wanna press it too hard, as the muffler was extremely loud.
Title: rev limits
Post by: crash on March 14, 2005, 08:13:50 PM
i have a stock pipe that some have described as "sewing machine" quiet.  despite that, when i first got my gs (my first bike), anything over 5000rpm sounded very loud to me. now, having ridden for a little bit, the stock gs sounds freakishly quiet at anything <4000.

considering that you have an aftermarket pipe, which is much louder, i would wager that the level of noise you are hearing is actually normal, and the engine/muffler will be fine if you rev it up higher than 5000. however, if you are very concerned, take it to a shop.  they'll tell you in 5 seconds if it's "too loud" (as in something's broken) :)

(also, if this is your first bike, it'll take a bit getting used to an 11000+ redline)
Title: rev limits
Post by: jordanearl on March 14, 2005, 08:21:32 PM
this is my first sport bike.  I had the 2 previous:

82 yamaha maxim 550
02 Honda shadow Vlx deluxe 650
 so yeah revving to 11k is a big switch
Title: rev limits
Post by: Rashad on March 14, 2005, 09:04:16 PM
Ummm..

I had a similar experience..im gonna go ahead and assume your smart enough to know that its hitting the limit, and not just scared of it.

That bein said, it sounds like your tach is off. My old tach used to stop at about 9k... and it was actually taching out.....

Make sure the cable going to the tach is tight, and try tapping it... you may want to borrow someone's tach on here, just to test it out.

:thumb:
Title: rev limits
Post by: gs500fromnb on March 14, 2005, 10:43:43 PM
make sure its warm and rev it up until it hits the limiter, if it doesnt blow up then it was just you, if it blows up then you were right ;)  :lol:
Title: rev limits
Post by: jordanearl on March 15, 2005, 04:27:30 PM
how fsat should my bike run in first gear with a steady throttle increse(no goosing it).  Could there be anything mechanicaly wrong besides the tach.  if it is the tach, where is a good place to get another one cheap.
Title: rev limits
Post by: jordanearl on March 15, 2005, 04:29:12 PM
to add to that last post, i know my bike is hitting rev limit.  Its not that im afraid to wind it up.
Title: rev limits
Post by: Rashad on March 15, 2005, 05:58:01 PM
taht is what i figured...

Im not making fun of you, i thought the same thing about mine.

Ask someone on here to borrow their tach, someone near you, and you can give it back.

Its a trust thing, but that is common on these boards. If you screw them we will all come find you.
Title: rev limits
Post by: nathanael on March 15, 2005, 07:47:03 PM
wait, these things have a rev limiter?! Okay, that makes so much sense! A couple of weeks ago I pushed it pretty hard after taking off from a stop light, and just as I was about to shift to second the engine cut out and made a backfiring type of noise. I figured I must have redlined it and for a split second thought I killed the engine or something. But then it came back fine and the bike continued on its way without a problem. I thought maybe it ran out of gas from full throttle, but now I realize it was probably the limiter.   :lol: yes, I'm a moron.  :oops:
Title: rev limits
Post by: Kerry on March 15, 2005, 08:29:31 PM
Whoa - don't jump to that conclusion just yet.

No, these bikes do NOT have a rev limiter.  If you can't go over 5,000 RPM I'd say you have some clogged main jets or something.

And that backfire was probably just that.  A "stumble" followed by sudden ignition of unburned fuel in the pipe.
Title: rev limits
Post by: Rashad on March 15, 2005, 09:04:40 PM
NO they dont have a rev limiter as Kerry said...

They DO have floating valves at about 14,000 rpms though i bet...

Listen, if you think its revving higher than your tach reads, borrow or buy a gs tach from someone and hook it up to see. Mine did that same thing, and it was indeed the tach.
Title: rev limits
Post by: gs500fromnb on March 15, 2005, 09:47:34 PM
I dont understand what you mean by no revlimiter..? what stops them from revving higher than the redline?

jordanearl, here's how it sounds at full throttle (I brought it to redline twice in that vid... dont mind the imature-ness, I was bored)..the sound will be different since I have a stock setup but it should give you a feel for how high it goes to determine if something else is stopping it.
http://www.uponone.com/videos.php?id=3157
Title: rev limits
Post by: Rashad on March 15, 2005, 10:03:04 PM
perhaps you shouldnt do burnouts if you think the bike has a revlimiter.

your lucky this bike has a strong motor...

THERE IS NO REV LIMITER ON THE GS MOTOR. Damage will occur above redline...be careful.
Title: rev limits
Post by: gs500fromnb on March 15, 2005, 10:26:41 PM
Quote from: Rashadperhaps you shouldnt do burnouts if you think the bike has a revlimiter.

your lucky this bike has a strong motor...

THERE IS NO REV LIMITER ON THE GS MOTOR. Damage will occur above redline...be careful.

there may be differences between the newer (or canadian) models?

Many times it has cut like a revlimiter as soon as I touch the redline while riding (2nd,3rd and 4th gear usually). Not that I do it often since my peak power is at 9400 so higher than 10000-10500 is useless. What else would stop it from reving over the redline, because it doesnt allow me to hit over it... stops exactly at the redline ?
Title: rev limits
Post by: nathanael on March 15, 2005, 11:06:22 PM
QuoteWhoa - don't jump to that conclusion just yet.

No, these bikes do NOT have a rev limiter

Okay, so I'm not as dumb as I thought. I didn't think these bikes had a limiter. Seems too high-tech for the little GS (that's how I like it though--simple). So, now the question is, if I actually did redline it for a second (or probably more like a split second), do you think I did any damage?   :dunno:
Title: rev limits
Post by: Blueknyt on March 15, 2005, 11:25:56 PM
QuoteMany times it has cut like a revlimiter as soon as I touch the redline

on the GS500 the rev-limiter is called valve float.

Never assume an engine has a revlimiter and never assume its working correctly.

if your breaking up at or just before redline, you might want to check your valve clearences as they may be alittle too tight.  look around at your wiring harness too, who knows, someone might have put one on just to be safe.  found one on my 88 katana600 when i got it, not that the engine was built i think it was a safety net thing.
Title: rev limits
Post by: gs500fromnb on March 15, 2005, 11:57:18 PM
Quote from: Blueknyt
QuoteMany times it has cut like a revlimiter as soon as I touch the redline

on the GS500 the rev-limiter is called valve float.

Never assume an engine has a revlimiter and never assume its working correctly.

if your breaking up at or just before redline, you might want to check your valve clearences as they may be alittle too tight.  look around at your wiring harness too, who knows, someone might have put one on just to be safe.  found one on my 88 katana600 when i got it, not that the engine was built i think it was a safety net thing.

I bought it new and had it serviced by the one mechanic I've always used. Valves have been checked for clearance very recently (under 1000km ago) and they were fine even after a  14000km strech of not getting them checked before that... Unless suzuki has one in the newer GS500s stock no one put one on it, only two people touch the bike, me and the mechanic.

I cant say that its exactly at the redline, but i've seen it while riding hard (kneedragging pace) if I didnt watch my shifts it will cut and keeping an eye on the tach i've seen it cut out at the redline or a bit higher. So you mean that the valve float is supposed to cut out a bit after redline?
Title: rev limits
Post by: Blueknyt on March 16, 2005, 01:41:55 AM
must be losing my Humorous/sarcastic touch

Valve float is when the revs reach a point the valves dont have enough time to completly close before getting slaped back open again. kinda paddle ball  effect.  and this is never a good thing

Your GS is an 04-05 F? there COULD be a limiter, the pickup trigger for the ignition looks to be only a single pickup as the older GS's at dual pickups. this might be a newer Igniter Box design that COULD have a Revlimiter which would be the first for GS500 line other then aftermarket addon. the 04 modles came with what looked like some sort of feedback on carbs, and there is a box talked about in another thread ment for the Newer GS500's that discribes working around the stock revlimiter.  

redline is 11k, i would imagine the limiter would keep it from getting any higher then 11,5 or so.  valves generaly float about 12ish and make horrid little noises.  cant say Valve float in ANY engine sounds good.
Title: rev limits
Post by: starwalt on March 16, 2005, 11:46:32 AM
Quote from: BlueknytYour GS is an 04-05 F? there COULD be a limiter, the pickup trigger for the ignition looks to be only a single pickup as the older GS's at dual pickups. this might be a newer Igniter Box design that COULD have a Revlimiter which would be the first for GS500 line other then aftermarket addon. the 04 modles came with what looked like some sort of feedback on carbs, and there is a box talked about in another thread ment for the Newer GS500's that discribes working around the stock revlimiter.

The 03 (some markets) GS and 04+ US has a very different ignition system. Here is my modified version of the scanned manual drawing:


The Gixxer parts fiche also refers to their "neutral switch" as a "gear base assy".

I think this is too much of a coincidence.
Title: rev limits
Post by: gs500fromnb on March 16, 2005, 12:00:15 PM
I have an 03 model.... Sorry i never caught your sarcasm blueknyt  :lol:

If the other thread you mean the "g-pack" i'm the one who created the thread... but yeah I can assure you that no aftermarket revlimiter is on the bike but I wouldnt be 100% sure that whatever is stopping it from going higher IS a revlimiter... although you seem to describe valve float as being a noise that one could easily differ from a regular limiter, the noise I heard when I put it on a dyno at an event with 35 other bikes being tried on said dyno, when it cut out at top RPMs it sounded exactly the same way as all the other bikes.
Title: rev limits
Post by: Blueknyt on March 16, 2005, 12:15:13 PM
Judging from the scan, i would have to say its not the same ignition from 89-01.  Also keep inmind, not many tach out thier GS as you know the power just isnt there at that rpm.  that trigger wheel in the diagram is way diff from the GSrotors i know, i have both, stock and VH.


You might not hear the slaping of the valves , but power would NOT be produced and it would not rev any higher as its hyper ventalating
Title: rev limits
Post by: gs500fromnb on March 16, 2005, 02:27:20 PM
Quote from: BlueknytJudging from the scan, i would have to say its not the same ignition from 89-01.  Also keep inmind, not many tach out thier GS as you know the power just isnt there at that rpm.  that trigger wheel in the diagram is way diff from the GSrotors i know, i have both, stock and VH.


You might not hear the slaping of the valves , but power would NOT be produced and it would not rev any higher as its hyper ventalating

yeah the highest I usually shift is 9500 (judging by feel/vibrations), to put me in the peak of my bike (I dont know why I had my figures 1000RPM higher in my other post but after revewing my dyno sheets from last year the peak is between 8400-8500 on my GS). The only two times I over-rev it is when I either ride somewhat hard and am thinking too much about the sweeper im accelerating out of or when I forget to shift doing a burnout (finishing tires).

I did suspect that the newer models had quite a few changes in the ignition and other electrical components.
Title: rev limits
Post by: tdan553527 on March 16, 2005, 02:34:43 PM
I've had my 04 above redline a couple of times before, not on purpose, but no limiter on mine.
Title: rev limits
Post by: jordanearl on March 16, 2005, 04:10:23 PM
a new tach it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thanks for all the advice guys.  I posted a want ad in the for sale section, so if anyone has a parts bike laying around im game, my tach's glass was cracked anyways. lata
Title: rev limits
Post by: 94suzuki500 on March 17, 2005, 08:12:25 PM
ya i have revved mine over redline before and it doesnt seem to have a limiter.  I just heard the cam hitting the valves as they were floating, not a good thing.