:dunno_white:
First off, thanks for this wonderful board, I have lurked for some time and gleamed lots of nice info (expecially that fork tool suggestion!). All that info has got me up and running, as I picked up 2 GS550E's (Both 89's, but one is a 89.5, so it came with 90 handlebars) for a great price. One is a runner, and my daily driver. The other (with 7K less on the ODO) was wrecked, and has no title... so its a project, or for parts.
Well my daily driver has lots of buzzing. It gets hard to ride after 1/2 an hour. I know bikes have some vibration (I have 5 including these) but I would like to tone it down a tad. Its vibrating worst from 4000 rpm on, and will do it while sitting so it is not the front suspension.
Ive tried bar ends, weighted bar ends, filling the bars with sand, 2 types of gel grips, filling the bars with shot... nothing seems to do the trick. The current weighted bar ends seems to help a bit, but is still isnt comfortable.
Should I be looking at balancing the carbs, or is this a symptom of a bigger issue? The bike seems to sound good, and shifts well, drives and responds well.
Any ideas will be greatly appreciated :)
Thanks
Bryan
is the engine bouncing around ? it shouldn't be at all. since you say it's vibrating like mad when it's sitting still, me thinks you have something going wrong with the engine or a head bearing (steering head, not engine head) issue.
how's it handle in turns ? does it clunk when you rock it back n forth with the front brake engaged ?
:)
No clunck, and it eats turns very nicely.
I wouldn't shay it is a large shake. Best I can describe it is the electric chair game at arcades.... you have to grip while it buzzes, and see if you can hold on without it hurting too much.
I checked all the bolts, making sure they were seated well.
Do these bike have rubber mounts that may be worn out?
First, I would make sure the engine mounts are torqued to spec. Then I would balance the carbs. Note, for carb balancing to be effective, you will need to adjust the valve clearances first.
Good luck! Just ask if you need more details. :thumb:
Valve clearance... I always hate having to do that. Got to do it on my CB650 this week. Same process? TDC, then check the spacing under the tappet?
I have a Clymer manual, so I should be able to get it done.
Quote from: Azzy on July 07, 2008, 08:14:36 AM
Valve clearance... I always hate having to do that. Got to do it on my CB650 this week. Same process? TDC, then check the spacing under the tappet?
I have a Clymer manual, so I should be able to get it done.
Just follow the Clymer and you'll be fine. :)
Also, check out the wiki. It includes a shim size calculator and a HOW TO video:
http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Maintenance/CheckValves
Thanks for the link... :thumb:
Man, Im spoiled. My SR250 is remove 6 bolts, the covers, and adjust tappets, dont even need to move the tank.
This one looks like a good evening or Saturday project.
Now for balancing, is my homemade manometer going to cut it, or do I need to set the vacume to a certain level? It worked to sych the inline 4 on my Honda.
Quote from: Azzy on July 07, 2008, 08:32:09 AM
Thanks for the link... :thumb:
Man, Im spoiled. My SR250 is remove 6 bolts, the covers, and adjust tappets, dont even need to move the tank.
This one looks like a good evening or Saturday project.
Now for balancing, is my homemade manometer going to cut it, or do I need to set the vacume to a certain level? It worked to sych the inline 4 on my Honda.
if you've ever removed a tank and done any valves before it's maybe a 2 hour job :)
ya, your homemade water/oil/whatever manometer is cool. the sync shouldn't matter so much as the valve adjustment. there is a noticable difference between poorly adjusted valves and proper clearances. seat of the pants, at least.
good luck :)
Carbs that are out of synch` can cause vibration across the whole rev range due to one cylinder doing more work than another, particularly if the valve clearances are out of tolerance as well......unless someone has had it apart at some stage in the past and messed up the balance-shaft timing!
Balancing is not a difficult process and its covered in all the various manuals. A homemade manometer will get you a "Barn-door" setting but a proper, calibrated balancing tool will make the job easier and give far better results. I bought on of these on ebay http://www.carbtune.co.uk/ for less than the price my local pro` quoted to balance the carbs on my old 400/4.........if you see one snap it up, I have used it many times and its always given excellent results, they really are a fantastic piece of kit.
For a write-up
http://www.roadracers.co.uk/carbs.htm
How would I know if the balance shaft timing is off?
While I have most of it apart, that is.....
The balance shaft is gear driven from the crank, I dont know for certain on the GS5 engine but I would assume based on experience of other similar engines that there will be a timing-mark between the crank and balance shaft gears that needs to be aligned. However the balance shaft and the gears are inside the crankcase so unless you go to the trouble of spliting them there is no way to check......Is there anything to indicate the cases have been apart before?
Not that I can tell. There are so many things on both these bikes that were switched, It could have been, but I doubt it.
Its a possibility........ but a long shot.
Tried a carb balance with new plugs? http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Maintenance/5CarbSync
Also, a low idle will cause vibration.Idle should be 1200 rpm.
Well, got around to working on this bike today. Checked the valves, they are all around .04mm (That I can tell) and balanced the carbs. It accelerates smoother, but the vibration seems to have gotten a tad worse.
(Although the ride is nicer with the Katana 600 rear shok that I tossed on there while I was at it...)
Gonna go ice my hands now :(, and call up the local shop and see if there is anything he can do.
Did you ever get the problem resolved? I got the same issue.
My wifes GS500 was missing the little rubber piece that goes in the front fuel tank bracket and so the tank was moving around and vibrating a lot at high speed. Got a new one for $5 from babbits online, much better now. Still some vibration, but I chalk that up to the bike being old without great suspension. Compared to my SV650, it vibrates quite a lot at 5000+ rpm. I've heard renthal aluminum bars help a lot with that.
Rubber thingy is intact (side note.. that fuel hook up system? Who the heck designed that!? :cookoo: ) but I think the vibration, while smaller in the overall amplitude fo frequency, is feeling worse 9because it happens faster. That make sense?
renthal bars? Well, Im going to see about getting this tuned a bit better, before I go out and start buying handlebars that may or may not solve the problem for me.
Thanks for the tip though!
Since you've checked the usual stuff...
Are your bar ends intact ?
Have you tried this yet ? http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=41264.0
Gotta death grip ?
:)
Death grip? Possibly, but I also have had medical problems in the past with repetitive strain disorder, so I may be a tad more sensitive.
Tried the shot thing, tried sand, my last attempt was with adding a steel bolt to the bar ends that stis way further into the grip, and weighted that down (as i calculate it, it would be like having 3" extra on the bar ends)
But those bar ends arent stock.
Any tricks for pegs?
I think this is not a normal thing, because the vibration isnt just in the bars, its all over and very uncomfortable at this point. Doesnt help I suck at the whole carb and valve thing.
Vibration - my 89 did it as I was succumbing to goats.
If anyone remembers the s****th strain involved the starter clutch dying, the clunking at start creating vibration to get the magnet delaminated and the fragmenting magnet shredded the alternator.
If I remember Goat also had increased vibration as his was dying.
The Starwalt strain is almost the opposite of the srinath strain, a fragment comes loose form the rotor gets lodged into the starter clutch, locks it in the on position, and the motor then takes the starter for a 100,000 rpm ride, fragmenting the starter and everything inside it.
Good times ... :mad:
Cool.
Buddha.
Thanks for the encouraging words.... :o
Goat's, starwalt's and sr***th's can all be tested by opening the left case.
Cool.
Buddha.
IM guessing I should do a search for that stuff.
I really didnt want to get that messy this weekend. Oh well :dunno_white:
Its messy only when it starts to get fun :thumb:
Seriously, if its not goats or any of its variants, you will be able to get the thing back together with barely a spoon (hope you have very very very large spoons) of oil spilt.
For less oil spilling, put the bike on its right side onto some old car tires ... Then just take of gear shift, the sproket cover and then the alternator cover. If you tear the gasket, have a case of beer ready, you can cut the gasket out of its carton. If not, you can drink the beer.
Cool.
Buddha.
oh yeah! Mine had the shady vibration from the left side, i ignored it for a long time because at high rpm's it was okay. Finally one day, i realized it was goat's. :o :o and ended up with 1 month riding down time. It just takes one hour of your time - drain the oil and then open to left side crank case but it will save you a significant amount of money the sooner you diagnose it.
Is there a writeup on what these symptoms actually look like or something more in detail? I cant seem to find anything but references to them with a search. (ie "goats")
You know, when I was looking online at a GS500 valve clearance chart, it says if you are measuring .03mm its too tight (Which is the low end of what the clymer manual states) and should switch out.
All my valves were .03... except for one, which was a tad looser. This gonna cause me some issues?
And where does one get a fancy group of shims for under a few hundred dollars? I can grab a tool and already have a micrometer and feelers.
(This wouldnt be the first time valve adjustment in a Clymer manual have been wrong... grr.. :mad: )
Quote from: Azzy on July 22, 2008, 12:39:38 PM
You know, when I was looking online at a GS500 valve clearance chart, it says if you are measuring .03mm its too tight (Which is the low end of what the clymer manual states) and should switch out.
All my valves were .03... except for one, which was a tad looser. This gonna cause me some issues?
And where does one get a fancy group of shims for under a few hundred dollars? I can grab a tool and already have a micrometer and feelers.
(This wouldnt be the first time valve adjustment in a Clymer manual have been wrong... grr.. :mad: )
The Suzuki specs says valve clearances of 0.03 mm - 0.08 mm are fine. If your clearances are at 0.03 mm, you should be ok to leave the shims as is.
If you want to go ahead and change shims, the wiki should give some helpful info on checking valve clearances and replacing shims ($5 each):
http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Maintenance/CheckValves
http://www.bbburma.net/Documents/ValveAdjustmentVideo/GS500_Valve_Shim_Selection_Chart.pdf
Looks like all but one are .03, the smallest blade I have is .o3mm, so, I would say its out of spec.
Guess its time to buy a tool and some shims.
also remove one of teh grips, and fill teh bars with BB's ( this DOES WORK btw )
Quote from: Azzy on July 22, 2008, 07:40:30 PM
Looks like all but one are .03, the smallest blade I have is .o3mm, so, I would say its out of spec.
Guess its time to buy a tool and some shims.
I'm confused :icon_confused: You said the clearances are 0.03 mm, but then said the shims need to be changed. Did you mean the 0.03 mm blade will
not fit (i.e. the clearance is less than 0.03 mm)? In that case, I agree that the shims need to be changed.
Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on July 22, 2008, 08:16:55 PM
also remove one of teh grips, and fill teh bars with BB's ( this DOES WORK btw )
Tried that... not much of a change.
QuoteI'm confused icon_confused You said the clearances are 0.03 mm, but then said the shims need to be changed. Did you mean the 0.03 mm blade will not fit (i.e. the clearance is less than 0.03 mm)? In that case, I agree that the shims need to be changed.
One of them is less than .03, as the .03 blade wont go in. the other will go in, but its a tight fit (on the .03)