I bought a 90 gs500 on ebay last fall. It had been sitting outside for a long time and did not run. I paid $300 for it. I got it running by putting in a carb kit and a new battery. It currently will only run with the choke on but it seems pretty strong. It has 150psi for compression. With it running it leaks a lot of oil out the drivers side underneath the exhaust header. It also appears that the shaft that goes to the clutch is broken (the one when you pull off the cover the clutch cable attaches to). The seal behind the sprocket is also leaking but not nearly as much as the cylinder head. Is it worth fixing the leaks and working on the carbs more or should i just part out the bike? It has 25k on it. While it was running i did shift it into a couple of the gears. I also shifted it through all the gears while it was not running. I have about $450 in it after buying the carb kit, a front brake cylinder and caliper, battery, and air cleaner. If i get it running i will sell it. I bought it with the potential to make money. What are all of your thoughts?
Thanks
for the head it sounds like u just need the gasket that goes below the valve cover, think it costs around $40, check the speedo and odometer cables, they are cable driven and they could be leaking oil to. check the header gaskets to, maybe they are no good. new cables are about $15 a piece. exhaust gaskets are like $10.
if you do part it out let me buy the frame and title pls
You need head gasket, clutch push rod and seals ... while not easy, its definetly doable - worth it or not ... depends on how the rest of the bike looks/works like and what else is wrong. You fix these and find it has a bad transmission ... you bike aint worth the 300 you paid for it let alone the cost you'd incur and time you'd spend repairing it. Cosmetically ugly but all functional and working bike is worth minimum 1000. For problems subtract from there on out.
Cool.
Buddha.
thanks for the advice everyone.
So would make the most sense to get the carbs right so i can drive it some to make sure the transmission is ok? Then if it is i should change the gaskets and seals? The driver side cylinder does not fire really well and my guess is because of the head gasket issue. I put new plugs and wires on it and that helped but that cylinder never gets really warm. It is not cosmetically appealing but i don't think its ever been wrecked and its nothing a little paint can't help. It needs new fork seals but other than that i think it is fine. What are other things i should look for on the bike to make sure it is worth fixing. The gas tank is good since the guy before me bought it. I did notice that it is rather hard to shift into first gear but when i tried it i had the sprocket cover loose so i don't think the clutch push rod was being activated. Is this a sign of a transmission problem?
I am very mechanically inclined, i just finished a complete engine rebuild on a honda atv but i don't want to dump more money into it if i can't get anything out of it.
Wiltse- If i do part it out you have dibs on the frame and title.
anyone have any further comments?
It's your call.
From a purely fiscal point of view, it's hard to be sure, though parting out often wins, if enough people want enough parts, or you have time to wait - you can get some idea by looking at what various parts that you have in good shape have sold for - but you don't know the shape of some of your parts, so....
Really, it's more about what you want to do with it. If you enjoy wrenching and are good at wrenching, it's a heck of a lot cheaper to spend some money on parts and some quality time wrenching than a wide variety of other things you could do with your time and money - and you might come out with a nice bike at the end of it.
Hi there,
You said the left cylinder isn't getting hot, as in it's not firing?
Well that could be carb related, too, if the carb jets are clogged and no fuel is flowing to allow the cylinder to fire.
Why don't you post some photos of the bike so we can look at it and see what kind of shape it's in?
If it needs tires, add $200.
If it needs a chain and sprockets, add $125.
If the tank is rusty inside, that's a pain to deal with and could be expensive.
If it wasn't maintained well, and it sounds like that's the case, it is likely it needs other things as well.
You may be better off parting off and trying to find a bike in good shape that will cost more now but less than if you end up fixing this one up.
A cheap price initially isn't always a deal later, when you add up all the real costs.
Good luck, and think of all the fun and experience you are getting, no matter what happens. :)
Best wishes,
Trwhouse
That is a great idea, i will take some pictures of it tomorrow and post them.
I think you are right about the left cylinder being carb related. It was very clear the bike was running super rich and after i changed out the plugs and wires the cylinder got warmer so i think it is flooding out that cylinder.
The tires are in really good shape so that is not a problem. The chain is rusted but i think i might be able to clean it up enough to sell the bike. If the new owner wants a new chain he/she can put one on.
The person i bought it from bought a tank off an 89 that is rust free so i got lucky there.
I bought it on the chance i could make some money. There was a good chance all it needed to run was a battery and a carb kit. Didn't turn out that way so i want to make sure i don't loose money on the project.
Thanks for the advice everyone, i will get the pics up tomorrow.