My friend's got a 93 GS500 he's lookin to sell pretty cheap to me (500 bucks and still runs). He said the fuel tank had rust and followed the directions on this site to cleanin the rust out. The guy before him lived close to the beach so I can see why the tank would be pretty rusty. He said to get a brand new fuel tank if I can find one (or newest used one I can find), replace fuel lines and get a carb rebuild kit for it and should be good to go.
1. Where can I find new gas tank for one of these?
2. Does this sound like a good deal to you guys?
Thank you.
Let me tell you my story i bought a 1990 gs500e for 300 bucks a month ago i had a hell of a time on finding a gas tank
If it leaking just replace the tank if its not take some wd40 spray inside of it shake it till you can shake it any more use force air to dry it
now rebuilding the carb that would depend on how many miles it has on it
all i did was take the carbs off get some berryman b12 and take off the bowls set the floats take a guitar string and run it throught every hole there is
now if the bike is currently running take berryman b12 and run about half a bottle to a full tank a gas for the next 4 tanks that will also clean you carbs
i have been through hell and back on this bike here and now im riding it
trust when i say if the tank is leaking buy another one because when i got ready to patched mine realized that there where more holes in it than orginally thought check your local junk yards or ebay
oh yea if you take off the carb when you pull the floats look before you take them off so you make sure you put everyting back the way it came or you will have hell trust me i put the needle in wrong and it took me forever to figure out why
figure out how bad the rust damage is first. if it's leaking then consider replacing. you can try to find someone who can weld/repair the holes. but some don't want to mess with fuel tanks. had the same problem and decided to replace my tank after attempting to patch up the holes. it was peppered with pinholes everywhere. it only got worse once i cleaned out all the rust that was holding the tank together. i found a used tank on ebay for $140. 1 scratch and it had a rust problem before but the previous owner lined the tank and it should never rust again. ronayers.com (http://ronayers.com) sells new gs500 tanks for $485! :cry:
had my 96 GS for almost 2 years now without any problems after all the initial repairs (replace tank, rejet) to get her running again. $500 doesn't sound bad given the tank problem. i paid $1500 for mine. yeah, i was desperate. good luck. :thumb:
The real question is whether or not the tank is leaking now. If not, it can almost definitely be cleaned and sealed good as new. If there are holes in it then you might have to find a replacement.
-M
Common problem.
See this thread for cleaning out the water:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=26466.0
If it's not leaking you're good to go. If you have a pinhole here or there you might try a leak sealer like Kreem or POR15. (Search, there are numerous threads on this stuff.)
Price-wise it sounds like a good deal to me. All it seems to need is a fuel tank clean out. If the tank is bad you can have it welded by a TIG shop, or you can get a spare tank here on the board.
Oh, and welcome to the board nuthouse. :icon_mrgreen:
Thanks for your responses and concern. If I remember correctly he said it's got like 50k miles on it. I don't recall if the tank leaks, he mainly was sayin that after he tried to clean out the rust in the tank that it made it worse. So I'm thinkin maybe it was so bad that after cleaning it, it made more small holes? Not sure exactly. I'm gonna ask him about it next time I see him. So pretty much if it has small holes I can repair it using some additive in the fuel tank?
I'm a poor college student so that's why I'm considering this bike as long as the repairs I need aren't too much money. Let's say the tank isn't leaking...
If you were me would you buy this bike being a 93? Or is it a better idea to try to get something newer with less problems? Thanks for your input. I like this message board already!
Newer doesn't necessarily mean fewer problems. You need to look at the overall condition of the machine and base your decision on that. What will it cost to repair? Can you afford to repair it? Are you willing and able to buy the tools and learn the necessary skills needed to repair and maintain the bike? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before you make your decision.
I think if you intend to keep it, and you're willing to maintain and repair it, it's reasonable deal. If you're afraid to learn how to maintain an engine then I suggest you save up your money, buy a nearly new bike, and take it to the dealer for service.
If you look at it as a chance to learn what makes a motorcycle go, then it's well worth it. $500 is about 6 hours of shop time at most dealers.
QuoteSo pretty much if it has small holes I can repair it using some additive in the fuel tank?
no the solution coats the tank to prevent further rust from forming. thats after you have cleaned the tank and repaired/patched the holes. do a search on Kreem or Por-15. both have been used by members here. i'm not sure what the previous owner used on my tank. it has a red tint to it.
i agree with GeeP. if your willing to put in the time and money (consideribly less if you do it on your own) this can be an excellent learning experience. good luck and let us know what you decide.
Ok guys, so I talked to him today and the tank is indeed leaking. He said he spent a lot of time & energy trying to fix the tank w/ some How-To's on the site and it still leaks. So I guess the tank is pretty bad. Given it has a bad tank, it seems not so much of a big deal to go ahead and find a decent one to replace it with. I work at an automotive shop so using the shop & tools should help a lot with maintenance on the bike if I decide to get it. I appreciate all your help, I'll definately keep you updated.
Alright so I'm not gonna buy that 93 GS. After talking to some riders and reading forums, I've come to the conclusion that what I want is a fuel injected bike. However, the only ones I can find that are fuel injected are the year 2003 and up and they are 600c+. I'm trying my best to avoid buying a 600cc+ for my first bike but so far I've had no luck...
Are there any fuel injected sport bikes under 600cc and/or less than the year 2003?
Quote from: IvantheGreat on June 01, 2006, 07:16:36 PM
Are there any fuel injected sport bikes under 600cc and/or less than the year 2003?
No.
From my limited experience, the best fuel injected starter bike would probably be an SV650. It's considerably more powerful than the GS, but not crazy powerful like a 600cc supersport.
Quote from: IvantheGreat on June 01, 2006, 07:16:36 PM
Alright so I'm not gonna buy that 93 GS. After talking to some riders and reading forums, I've come to the conclusion that what I want is a fuel injected bike.
Why does everyone want fuel injection these days? Are carbs no longer fashionable? :dunno_white:
No offense GeeP, but carbs suck. Fuel injection either works, or it doesn't. There's no interminable tinkering and adjusting and fiddling (and cursing). I'm so damn sick of carburetors it's not funny.
I appreciate the replies and will let you know when I get my bike. I'll still be lurking these forums cause I like checkin out what everyone's done w/ their bikes. :thumb:
Quote from: IvantheGreat on June 01, 2006, 07:16:36 PM
Alright so I'm not gonna buy that 93 GS. After talking to some riders and reading forums, I've come to the conclusion that what I want is a fuel injected bike. However, the only ones I can find that are fuel injected are the year 2003 and up and they are 600c+. I'm trying my best to avoid buying a 600cc+ for my first bike but so far I've had no luck...
Are there any fuel injected sport bikes under 600cc and/or less than the year 2003?
I wouldn't get hung up on carbs vs fuel injection. Yeah if you are into tuning the bike with cams, air filters. pipes etc then fuel injection may be easier to tune properly ... on a Dyno machine. But if you are buying a bike that already runs well then carbs vs fuel injection is no big deal. Carbs sometimes make a longer warm up time and you have to mess with the choke during start up, but it's no big deal.
If you are on a tight budget, you may not be able to get a bike with FI since they are mostly newer bikes.
Last weekend, I rode the new ZX-6RR and the ZZR600. The ZX-6RR is FI and the ZZR600 is carbed. Both bikes worked great. I actually preferred the ZZR600 in terms of throttle response but maybe that's because I've only owned carbed bikes. although I have ridden several FI bikes.
Also, I have successfully fixed my leaky tank with Devcon epoxy. I used other types of epoxies which turned to jell-o after a couple of weeks. I have had no leaks after 2 months. Actually I have an experimental piece in a jar of gasoline and it is still rock hard after 4 months. Initially I had the tank stripped with acid and sealed with tank sealer at a professional shop, but that did not fix it. I think another viable alternative is to have someone braze or solder it. Some people are wary of putting flame to gas tanks but it can be done if they know what they are doing.
On the SV650 ... starter bike??? This bike seems to have more low end torque than many of the 600 sport bikes which to me makes it more difficult to ride (more prone to loss of control). I've ridden both an SV 650 and an R6 on the track and the R6 was much easier to handle and less trouble with throttle control. Same for the Honda F4's. If you are considering an SV, you may as well look at the other 600 supersports. 600's get a bad rep because of all the squids who go 100mph and have no idea what they are doing. You can do the same on an SV.