Hello people
Like the title suggests, my petcock doesnt work. Its stuck in the on position, no matter what. When I put it in the off position it rides normally, only sometimes I notices it slightly chokes the fuel. The reserve position doesn't work either (I found that out the hard way a couple of times already). I did drop my bike on the right side about five days after I got it (bout a month ago), but I couldnt tell if it was broken before hand or not - i'd guess not.
Second problem is I have bad throttle response at lower RPMs, like when I just barely twist the throttle. At a certain point its like the fuel catches and it revs up nicely. It does get better as the bike warms, but the problem is still there. Could it be a stretched cable? Is it normal?
Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.
i know that it is normal for a dirt bike to have HORRIBLE throttle response when its cold. probably true for the GS as well.
JohnM...
The GS doesn't have an Off position on the petcock. It's On, Pri or Res - all three allow the fuel to flow.
Now could you be a little more specific about what is actually going on? Saying the Res doesn't work doesn't reveal anything. What actually happens when you put it on the Res setting? What are you expecting to happen?
Throttle... the GS is a Carburettered bike. Unlike fuel injected bikes, it NEEDS to warm up Before riding it. That means... put the choke on full and start the bike, let it idle for a minute with full choke, then adjust it to idle under 3k, like somewhere around 2k. While it is idling like this (around 2k), take your time and put on your jacket, helmet, gloves, etc. After this (which should take another minute or so, depending on what climate you live in), the bike should be warm to ride. Adjust the choke to off. Get on and ride off Gently. After maybe a click the bike should be quite alright.
If you're going from cold to gunning it, you're not going to have the success you want.
Michael
Thanks.
Simply put, when I put the reserve on it doesn't give me any gas. Does it take awhile for it to take effect? What I expect to happen is for the reserve to kick in giving me some time to find a gas station. Btw, I've been running out with about 160 - 170 miles on the trip. I wasn't familiar with the pri position (my first bike was a 85 rebel with an off position on the petcock) - now I feel like an idiot.
About the throttle, maybe I'm just not used to it. My old 85 Rebel didn't really have that problem - but it was only a 250cc bike...
speaking of the petcock, what is the PRI position for? Prime? as in, use it when you start the bike? :dunno_white:
When you start the bike with the petcock in the "on" position the starter has to pull fuel via vacuum lines to the carb bowls to filll them with fuel. The "prime" position allows fuel to flow freely from the tank to the carburetors bowls, allowing them to fill. Beware though if you leave the petcock in the prime position it could possibly allow fuel to overflow into your cylinder heads and that could be really bad.
Quote from: JonM1211 on November 08, 2009, 02:48:45 PM
Thanks.
Simply put, when I put the reserve on it doesn't give me any gas. Does it take awhile for it to take effect? What I expect to happen is for the reserve to kick in giving me some time to find a gas station. Btw, I've been running out with about 160 - 170 miles on the trip. I wasn't familiar with the pri position (my first bike was a 85 rebel with an off position on the petcock) - now I feel like an idiot.
About the throttle, maybe I'm just not used to it. My old 85 Rebel didn't really have that problem - but it was only a 250cc bike...
How old is your moto?
I recently helped a stranded Suzuki (big Bandit, IIRC) rider; she'd switched from "fuel" to reserve," which caused her moto to die. We futzed around, sloshing fuel, then returned the petcock to "fuel" and presto, off she went to the gas station (me following).
Also, if you waited until the last minute with an older moto, you may be picking up nasty gasoline and/or water; the "reserve" pickup feeds from the vbery bottom of the tank, where water and other nastiness reside.
WAY back when I first started riding an old rider neighbor recommended that on every 3-6 tanks fill-ups you put the petcock to "reserve" for around half a tank, to keep the reserve pickup from fouling. I've done that with every petcock-havin' moto I've owned, and so far, so good. (Just don't forget to reset it to "fuel" after a bit...)
And Mrs.'s GS is a pretty cold-blooded moto; until he's fully warmed up there's tons of stuttering and dying, and little real power.
Look in the tank. Dirty and rusty? If so, the filter on the petcock could be clogged. That can explain the reserve not working.
Remove petcock and clean or replace it.
Water and gunk is a problem. Inthe bottom of the tank, that's what the reserve sucks up. Get some fuel additive. Ethanol in gas is a silent problem that the ethanol guys don't want to talk about. The water in ethanol separates from the alcohol. That water causes problems the least of which is rusting of the gas tank. There are lots of good additives. I use the one from Eastwood.com. I'm sure others have their favorites.