Alrighty, all was going well, riding down a stretch of highway at about 70 or so last night and the engine started getting jerky. I thought it was the wind at first but then I lost power.
Coasted to the side, tried to start, failed a number of times (like 3 or so) then put on the choke and BRAAAPPPP Good to go and strong as hell. Thought maybe it was too cold and decided to run surface streets. Used a little choke. Ambient temp was 70's or so.
This morning was heading out on a long ride, with a little choke to try and keep it toasty. It was like 40 out and I figured since I was freezing my engine might be too. To help keep it warm I rode like a freak. :icon_razz:
So about ehh, 25 miles into the ride..... It reared its' evil head again :icon_twisted: So I hopped reluctantly on the back of my buddy's bike and left it on the side of the road. (I'm sorry Jenna, I have to leave you, I promise I'll be back!) Tried to ride his other bike (ZL1000) but to no avail. I had no IDEA that bikes got that heavy :o :o :o (It's supposedly 800 pounds, quite a switch from my GS)
So I come back and try to start it. This time I'm not lucky, had to trailer it back. (Uhaul..... ughhh... "You only need one tie down, just loop it through the handlebars!" Me, "Ummm thanx, but I like my bike on the trailer and upright, I'll use four.")
It turns over but there is no fire. Has spark. That leaves air and fuel I guess. I really doubt a sudden loss of compression, being as up until that I was pulling 11k shifts pissing of semi drivers. (Please no lectures, I gave them to myself when I had to drop anchor when someone pulled out, yes fear of god now.)
I re-read my owner's manual and I think I may have had the petcock on prime (God I'm a genius today), being as on mine the letters are worn off leaving "PRIM" (And I'm like, oooh primary, that's good.) But if that's so I've been riding around like that (100 plus miles yesterday) for a while.
This problem has only happened after 15+ miles of freeway riding. Now bike is waiting for the mechanic. I'm guessing carb. Oh yeah, the choke behaves weird, most of the time it doesn't even bump the idle.
My bike is a 1990 GS500E I ride like a freak.
Oh yeah, I toasted my Tachometer too...... (All within one hour, great luck eh?) Anyways guys, CirclesCenter@hotmail.com please email me if you can help. I NEEEEED that 11k hit.......
I'm NOT trying to be a smartass, but is there fuel in the tank? If your petcock was on prime, you may have run it dry (well, maybe not dry, but to the point where the outlet can't pick up any more fuel).
Fill up the tank, leave it on prime, and try to start it. Then move the petcock to normal (ON).
I'm suggesting this because I did it the first week I had my bike! :thumb:
I almost did the same, was in the on position and I couldn't read it so I was like no wonder it's messing up.. damn valve is set wrong, so I switched it over to prime and it fired up.. well I learned that was wrong later, lol.. I just needed gas.
On the surface it sounds like you may just be out of gas. Lets hope that is all. I did the same with my first bike... actually trucked it home before I realized I was just out of fuel :oops:
As for the Tach, sometimes the GS tach will stick. It usually just means that the tach cable needs to be lubed. A search should get you the procedure for taking care of that.
1. Check your fuel level (gut instinct)
2. If not check your float level via the float hight trick listed in the faq and see if your needle is stuck or something.
3. Pretty sure its not this but could be your plugs... check to see if they're white (running lean) or black (running rich) they should be a nice tan color if all is healthy.
4. Post some findings.... we'll keep our collective heads together and help
Check your tach cable for connection -- short one from the front of the engine to the clock cluster -- at both ends. They can break and make contact enough to operate intermitantly.
When the engine acts up again, try opening the fuel cap and listen for a whoosh of ingoing air. Your cap vent may be malfunctioning causing a vacuum in the tank.
The GS fuel system is gravity feed and if the tank doesn't vent at the same rate as the level drops, the volume of space above the fuel becomes a negative pressure (vacuum) compared to the outside. If it gets negative enough, the fluid won't drop down the line to the carbs -- regardless of PRI or ON.
Now go and collect more information for us. That, of course, requires you spending time on your GS tearing up the road! :laugh:
If it's not on prime turn it to prime as fuel taps go bad and they will cut out on freeways because of a lack of fuel. it's happened to me 3or 4 times if this is so they do not sell rebuild kits you have to buy a new fuel tap.
Sounds like high speed fuel starvation; set the petcock to PRIme, instead of using choke.
High speed starvation at 70? I've never had that problem, and I have an extra screen filter and larger jets.
Found the problem.
Little gizmo called the rectifier was overheating (we're talking blistering hot, I know I touched it) My mechanic who has built trikes for 25 years actually was the finder of the problem.
Yes, had plenty of gas. I topped up the night before and had only ridden 30-35 miles. Also popped the cap as soon as I stopped, kind of as a "WTF mate?" thing.
No other problems.
The choke didn't fix the problem, what happened was that the rectifier had time to cool a bit between those attempts while I was goofing around with stuff.
Now though the doofus that helped me trailer it killed my fork seals... :2guns: :2guns: :2guns: :2guns:
So have to look up that stuff, have part, need oil specs and such.
Well now. That is interesting. I would never have picked the regulator/rectifier -- R/R -- as a show stopper. Maybe a, "my-battery-won't-charge" type of complaint, but not an engine operation killer.
If you are having no more worries then...hurrah! :cheers:
Well I thought all was well.......
Then riding along at 70 or so suddenly phhhbbbbttt............ The demon returns :icon_twisted:
Losing power I dove for the off ramp, took surface streets back with no problems.
I tried the petcock in in prime and regular... No change. Coming off the ramp the second go round it died, but with an aggressive (and a bit pissed as rectifiers are not cheap, and not returnable) downsift into first I go it started again, idled fine at the light.
Pulled onto the onramp, and out of sheer anger pegged the bloody heck out of it. No problems, took surface streets home at the next exit.
No problems unless I get on the freeway.
So yes my rectifier was bad, no it wasn't the showstopper.
My thoughts....
1. Too cold
2. Fuel starvation (I don't know anything about this one, just a guess.)
3. Stator
I'll test tomorrow in the heat of the day for #1. If it's the other two I'm porked, I just dropped 200 on the rectifiier, and 150 on the forks, and I don't have ANYTHING to spend ATM. I think someone sold me a lemon. Remind me to RE-break his legs for him.
It sounds like starvation to me. This bike is notorious for that problem. Run a search for Fuel Starvation and there should be plenty of threads to help you out. It is a cheap fix if I remember right.
I think it is time for a carb autopsy.
If there was trash in the fuel at any time in history, it could be plugging an orifice (starter jet) -- or both -- for the choke function. The Suz manual calls the choke plumbing the "Starter System." When you apply choke, the cable/lever assembly pulls the starter shaft (plunger) away from plugging the loop pipe that is fed from the float chamber. This fuel is fed directly into the engine stream past the throttle valve (butterfly).
It could also explain why you get starved. Trash in the jets can shake down after the fuel draw dissipates.
Try connecting a bit of tubing to the float bowl and run it into a CLEAN fuel safe container. Open the bowl drain enough to get a good stream into the container. Close the drain, tight, and remove the tubing. Inspect the fuel for bits of crap. If your fuel safe container is clear, the better.
I don't think your stator (generator) will cause this either. It will be another "my-battery-won't-charge" type of problem, or "I'm blowing fuses all the time" type.
It is not uncommon to have multiple problems on a used bike.
It is used isn't it?
You don't blow your fork seals by tying your bike down, what happens is, there is a ding or a spot of rust on the fork and when you pull the bike down with tiedowns, the shitty spot goes by the seal and cuts it. The same thing happens when you do wheelies. The forks compress farther than usual when they bottom out coming down and any chingas on the forks cut the seal and makes it leak,
Yeah, used.
I know about the problems, doesn't make me any more happy about them.
I'm going to tear off the tank, do the race style (on/off) petcock, and clean the carbs all at the same time. I figure that will deal with any fuel problems I'm having. I'm at a pretty high altitude (about 5,000 feet) and have the bike totally stock, so I don't think I should rejet. I dunno though. Anyways I don't have the scratch to buy anything at all (Borrowing cash for petcock.) now so even 5 bucks would break me. LOL
Starwalt, you seem incredibly knowledgable. I appreciate your diagnosis. It's people like you that keep tards like me from selling a perfectly workable bike. Thanx.
As to the guy on the fork seals, yes as you said to much compression can cause them to blow. Ratchet tie downs and an overzealous worker drone = blown fork seals. To give you an idea of how tight it ended up... I grabbed the bike and shook it, it did not move AT ALL. The trailer did however :o :o :o. I also checked my forks after reading this. About gouges, not wanting to do fork seals after a panic stop, and they're beautiful, not a single scratch vissible. (Did not use finger-nail method.)
Trust me, I no wheelie, I'm a puss.
You won't blow the fork seals by tying down the bike too tight. That is a fact. If the seals are in good shape, they will not blow by being bottomes out. Too much compression will not cause them to blow. Get a little more experience before you start blaming other people and flipping people off. Your remark about revving the shaZam! out of it in anger says it all about your attitude.
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calm down i think he was just being a goof
Dude. I could say a lot of things, but most of all :P. Whatever. Yeah I got angry, pbhhhht... My bad.
Shouldn't have flown off handle, I get like that when my sugars are low. Sorry. (Realized that I was getting out of hand right after I hit send, too late at that point.)
So there ya go, as close to an apology as my stubborn, overly pompous pride filled tail-end can muster.
Fact is they're blown, and I couldn't find any crud/obstructions/anything at all. Will check when I pull forks though. All I know is I bottomed it braking with no ill effects, and then as it rolled off the trailer I noticed a nice little present to add to my perfect experience. Yeah, I'm pretty burnt, you just happened to be a bystander, I apologize.
Anyways, New fuel filter/petcock goes in Wed. Everything will be pulled tomorrow and cleaned up one side and down the other.
Forks come after I get the bloody thing on the freeway without problems. And by the way, revving the shaZam!? 11k is redline, didn't surpass, of course I didn't re-read what I wrote and I was pissed soooo... Pbbbhhhhttt....
Edit: I see where you read pegging the shite out of it, in my area riders are "pegging" it when they ride fast. May have other connontations. I never willingly get into the red area of the tach. (I missed second the other day and spent like 10 mins apologizing to Jenna for being a doofus. I think that makes me :cookoo: times 1.2 billion.) (Note: Jenna = GS500E)
Anyways will tear into individual parts tomorrow, and clean like a post doctoral of the family Clean. (That was a lame Mr. Clean joke, it was really bad... Kind of Dr. Clean I guess, I know it sucked, stop looking at me like I'm crazy! LOL.)