Hello,
I'm looking at getting a GS500 for my girlfriend. There are a few nice ones in the area, one is a 1996 with less than 9,000 miles for $1100 O.B.O. It seems like a pretty good deal, except that when it's warm, sometimes it idles around 3,000 RPM. I'm fairly mechanically inclined, and not new to working on motorcycles, but unfortunately I come from the age of fuel injection and just don't have any experience working with carbs. Has anyone else had this issue? Any ideas what it could be? It sounds like something in the carb is sticking, is this connected to the choke? What exactly is it that raises the idle when the choke is open? Would this be an easy fix, even though I don't know very much about carbs?
There's also a 1991 a bit farther away that has a small whole in the gas tank for $700 that needs new tires.
Thanks for your expertise and help!
Ryan
The high idle might just be as simple as adjusting the idle screw on the bottom of the carbs to be correctly adjusted when the bike is warm.
If that isn't the problem then you can just pull the carbs and do a good thorough cleaning which is a fairly simple task.
If both of those options don't help then you can always send the carbs to the buddha on here and he will clean and adjust the carbs cheaper than any mechanic.
There could also be a vacuum leak somewhere.
+1 on the idle adjust.
$1100 for a 96 that idles high sounds like the better deal to me then a 91 with a hole in the tank a nd needs new tires. The price difference of $400 will be eaten up by good new tires and you will still have to fix the tank.
-Porkchop