If you guessed GS500, you are correct! :icon_razz:
I just picked up a new '09 GS500F today. I took the MSF BRC 3 weeks ago and now here I am, the proud owner of the machine I deemed to be the best choice for my first bike ever exteeeeensive research.
As you can see, it is the lovely black & grey model:
(http://www.nicksorrell.com/files/msgs500f1.jpg)
I'm looking forward to getting to the know the community here. :)
From what I've observed, motorcycle-based fraternal bonds seem pretty strong!
Unfortunately I've only put about two miles on it around the neighborhood due to what I think is some strange behavior.
First go around: engine stalls in first while slowing to a stop with the clutch fully pulled in; bike refuses to start a few times.
Second go around: throttle becomes inexplicably unresponsive while driving; bike stalls, refuses to start yet again. Hooray, uphill push.
I've just parked it and let it be, for fear of killing the battery -- more than I surely already have with ~10 attempts -- trying to start even more times.
Battery fully charged, full tank, fuel valve on.. all that stuff. I'll have to call the dealer tomorrow and ask YTF my new bike is having issues after the same day they set it up, the first time I try to ride it.
ANYWAYS I'm glad to be here!
By the way, I'm a grad student in Richmond, VA -- I know I saw one or two people mention they lived here in one of the location threads back when I was lurking a couple of weeks ago.
Take care everyone!
Nice bike -- don't spend too much time figuring out the trouble you're having. That's the dealer's job now.
But...
Your first issue sounds like the bike isn't warmed up and idle isn't adjusted. Did you use choke starting it?
Second issue sounds like fuel starvation. Full tank that shouldn't happen. Maybe they set it up wrong (misrouted hose, forgot a vacuum line, etc.)
Quote from: romulux on July 26, 2010, 07:39:14 PM
Nice bike -- don't spend too much time figuring out the trouble you're having. That's the dealer's job now.
But...
Your first issue sounds like the bike isn't warmed up and idle isn't adjusted. Did you use choke starting it?
Second issue sounds like fuel starvation. Full tank that shouldn't happen. Maybe they set it up wrong (misrouted hose, forgot a vacuum line, etc.)
No choke starting it up - I just followed the owner's manual instructions to avoid complications.
The lame thing is I can't really get it back to the dealer on my own since it can't seem to make it out of the neighborhood without cutting off and refusing to start back up -- 4 mile drive with 80% of it on thehighway and a 4-lane main road with many stoplights doesn't sound like a good idea.
Things will work out in the end though - they always do. I have faith.
I still love the bike, despite the short time I got to get moving on it today.
I absolutely can't wait to get that machine rolling around on some actual trips once everything's sorted.
Congrats on your new baby!! She's a beauty!!! :woohoo:
Ok...this is going to sound like the typical "is it plugged in?" question, but do you have the RPMs high enough when you're first starting out? When you're just starting to ride, it's an adjustment to keep the RPMs high (one trip to the track and you'll find out how much they love the high RPMs! :icon_mrgreen: ).
I don't know your experience level, so this is just a starter question. If you've learned to ride and know how bikes should feel, then yeah...that dealer would be getting questions from me, too!
Again, congrats, and welcome to the (crazy!!!!) family!!!!!!!!!!!! :kiss3:
Quote from: Nixorrell on July 26, 2010, 08:00:14 PM
Quote from: romulux on July 26, 2010, 07:39:14 PM
Nice bike -- don't spend too much time figuring out the trouble you're having. That's the dealer's job now.
But...
Your first issue sounds like the bike isn't warmed up and idle isn't adjusted. Did you use choke starting it?
Second issue sounds like fuel starvation. Full tank that shouldn't happen. Maybe they set it up wrong (misrouted hose, forgot a vacuum line, etc.)
No choke starting it up - I just followed the owner's manual instructions to avoid complications.
The lame thing is I can't really get it back to the dealer on my own since it can't seem to make it out of the neighborhood without cutting off and refusing to start back up -- 4 mile drive with 80% of it on thehighway and a 4-lane main road with many stoplights doesn't sound like a good idea.
Things will work out in the end though - they always do. I have faith.
I still love the bike, despite the short time I got to get moving on it today.
I absolutely can't wait to get that machine rolling around on some actual trips once everything's sorted.
I don't have an owner's manual, but I can tell you it needs full choke starting up. The choke lever needs to be pulled towards you. Start the bike (it should start right up), turn the choke down until it's idling around 1500 to 2000 rpm. Wait for it to warm up. When it warms up, the rpms may rise significantly. Gradually turn the choke down until it's warm enough to run on its own.
The bike takes a significant time to warm fully -- usually 10 to 20 minutes of riding around at road speeds with varying RPM.
I suspect there may be nothing wrong with the bike...
By the way, you might want to take the fairing off until you've dropped it a few times. Which you probably will do.
Then you'll learn not to grab the front brake at low speed.
Have fun, be safe! Wear gear if you have it, buy it if you don't!
Quote from: romulux on July 26, 2010, 07:39:14 PM
I don't have an owner's manual, but I can tell you it needs full choke starting up. The choke lever needs to be pulled towards you. Start the bike (it should start right up), turn the choke down until it's idling around 1500 to 2000 rpm. Wait for it to warm up. When it warms up, the rpms may rise significantly. Gradually turn the choke down until it's warm enough to run on its own.
The bike takes a significant time to warm fully -- usually 10 to 20 minutes of riding around at road speeds with varying RPM.
I'll give that a try on the first start-up tomorrow. I recall seeing a couple of posts out there on the web about how the bikes can tend to have "cold blood."
I definitely will exhaust all my options before calling the dealer up -- I'm not one to just assume things 'broken' beyond my abilities to address the issue so soon.
Hi,
I had the same problem once, i noticed that i hadnt pushed the throttle leaver fully back haha.
Couple of other times, it was that i had to readjust the clutch cable because it was still engaging even though it was fully in at the lights (you'll have to take the clutch housing front off) but its really simple i promise!
and thirdly have u checked the choke cable isnt caught or trapped open?this would cause it flooding your engine, it sounds to me like the engine is flooding (when you have to wait to start it again).
Hope that helps... oh and PS Nice Bike :D
CHOKE!
If the bike conks out with no choke, it is reluctant to start again. That's the way it is. So you should use choke.
Check your owner's manual. 2-9 "When starting the cold engine turn the choke lever all the way toward you"
Also, in the manual under Riding Tips, Section 5-2
When the engine is cold...
- 1 Turn the choke lever All the way toward you. Close the throttle completely
- 2 Push the start button
- 3 Keep the engine speed between 2000 and 3000 RPMs by varying the choke lever
I think you may have mis-understood earlier on when it says to start the bike as soon as you turn the key to the On position. It's says that, not as a starting method - but - so you don't drain the battery with it in On and nothing happening so the light uses power.
Because your bike is not warm properly, you are also having the other issues.
My Start Up is...
Full Choke
Start up.
Idle at 3000+ for a minute or so
Adjust choke to idle around 2000 or a tad above.
While idling at this reduced RPM, put on jacket, helmet, gloves, etc.
Michael
I also just got a new 2009 (1 month ago) and also just took MSF to get my license. When I first got the bike, it needed about 45 seconds of choke and 4 or 5 minutes more to run right. Now, about 1 month and 800 miles later, it will start without choke and it is ready to ride in about 1 minute. I usually use the choke according to the owners manual directions, but when I forget, I just give it enough throttle to keep rpms around 2500-3000 for a minute and drive away. In the beginning, it would stall easily for 1st couple of minutes, but I think that was my inexperience and lack of sensitivity to what was going on. Now, it requires no thought and my throttle hand reacts immediately to whatever is going on and no stalls.
If you start it without the choke and you let it stall, it is more difficult to get it going again. It then requires the choke.
Quote from: romulux on July 26, 2010, 08:31:18 PM
Then you'll learn not to grab the front brake at low speed.
You can break at low speed, just make sure the bike is straight, or you have oil resistant non-slip rubber on your feet and strong arms and legs! ;)
If there is something wrong, dealership will pick up the bike to bring it back to the shop to fix it.
FYI - This is how I warm mine up
No gas, pull choke towered you all the way. Let it rev up 3-4K - 15 seconds
Back it down slowly to 3K leave for 5-10 seconds than back down again to around 2500 or so for 10 seconds
Bring it down again but don't shut down the choke completely but almost. ( 30 seconds )
Take off and close the choke after about 2 minutes of riding.
PS - No carb modifications but did back out air/fuel mix screw 2-3/4 turns out from fully closed.
At that point my 06 never skips a beat! I run a little Sta-Bil in it all the time. :)
Excellent, another black and silver owner :) I have the same rig...
http://i48.tinypic.com/5cybtx.jpg
Now go chop that rear fender and get rid of that tank sticker ;)
Alright, making some headway here.
Thanks to everyone for your feedback! It all made a lot of sense, and I believe what happened was a very literal interpretation of the manual on my part (ie: warm temperature outside = "warm" engine).
All they told us at the MSF course regarding the choke was not to touch it, because they'd take care of it if need be. I suspected that I would run in to some issue concerning it at some point.
I wish I could say I put about about 50 miles on today, but I'm still not quite able to get out of the gate. Using the proper starting technique as laid out, the bike starts and the RPMs go up, but any adjustment I make to the choke after that (at any time) seems to make the bike act like I startled it or something. It then drops to ~1.3K, and dies shortly after.
I took a little 1 minute video capturing what's going on. So if y'all wouldn't mind taking a look, perhaps you can identify something I'm missing. It's commented and annotated for your viewing pleasure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVHhx7Rdzpc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVHhx7Rdzpc)
This appears to be a consistent issue. I've no worries, and I'm quite positive it'll be something simple in the end.
Take care, friends.
Interesting...
I'm really thinking the idle isn't adjusted right, either.
If you look under where your seat and tank meet, you'll see the carbs.
If you look under the carbs, there is one knob sticking down further than anything else.
That's the idle adjust.
You can't properly adjust the idle until you've ridden it around for 10 or 20 minutes, but it seems like it's adjusted too low for you to even get warmed up.
I would start it up just like you did and adjust the choke down just like you did, but then reach under the bike while you're sitting on it and start turning that adjuster. I believe you need to turn it clockwise to increase the idle speed.
You can adjust it until the bike keeps the rpms up a little bit higher, say around 1800 or 2000 rpm.
It may warm up and then start revving much higher, at which point you turn the choke down more. If you turn the choke down all the way and it's still revving high, back the idle adjust out in a counterclockwise direction.
Just so you know what the idle adjust does, it's very simple. It opens throttle a tiny bit at a time. It's identical to using the throttle with your hand, it just sets it at a precise spot.
Shame on your dealer for not getting you up to speed, too.
Hmmm, nice bike.
What happens if you don't reduce the choke so soon? It's not great for the engine to have it idling too high but try it once / twice and see. And if it starts to die, does it pick up with manual revving, or turning the choke full on again?
Quote from: yooblonder on July 27, 2010, 03:42:11 PM
Hmmm, nice bike.
What happens if you don't reduce the choke so soon? It's not great for the engine to have it idling too high but try it once / twice and see. And if it starts to die, does it pick up with manual revving, or turning the choke full on again?
Same thing waiting about 45 sec on the choke. Throttle application will pick it up, and turning the choke back up makes it go back to 4K I don't know, maybe I need to let it sit for an extra couple of minutes at 4K, since the bike is brand new after all and may need to be warmed up more than usual?
It's raining now (got home just in time with the cover I bought today, phew) so I'll have to wait till tomorrow to try again most likely. I'll try tuning the idle speed if I can't get it to behave properly with some more choke + throttle fiddling.
leave the choke on longer, needs more than 45 seconds to warm up...leave it on for a few minutes
Nix,
As I said in my start up, I leave it revving high for a minute or two after starting it. THEN, I adjust it down a little - and - while it is still high but not as high, I put on my jacket and helmet and stuff. This takes a few minutes. In winter it can be as long as 5 minutes. Less than a minute and my bike will die too - cause it is not warm enough.
Michael
Quote from: romulux on July 27, 2010, 02:03:14 PM
Interesting...
I'm really thinking the idle isn't adjusted right, either.
If you look under where your seat and tank meet, you'll see the carbs.
If you look under the carbs, there is one knob sticking down further than anything else.
That's the idle adjust.
You can't properly adjust the idle until you've ridden it around for 10 or 20 minutes, but it seems like it's adjusted too low for you to even get warmed up.
I would start it up just like you did and adjust the choke down just like you did, but then reach under the bike while you're sitting on it and start turning that adjuster. I believe you need to turn it clockwise to increase the idle speed.
You can adjust it until the bike keeps the rpms up a little bit higher, say around 1800 or 2000 rpm.
It may warm up and then start revving much higher, at which point you turn the choke down more. If you turn the choke down all the way and it's still revving high, back the idle adjust out in a counterclockwise direction.
Just so you know what the idle adjust does, it's very simple. It opens throttle a tiny bit at a time. It's identical to using the throttle with your hand, it just sets it at a precise spot.
Shame on your dealer for not getting you up to speed, too.
I agree with this quote, must be the idle, if you start it and then it drops, think u need to idle it higher!
I only have to use 1/2 choke, then reduce it during the first few minutes of riding. Then it idles nice at 1200. When I first got it, had to use more choke and the idle was set wrong. I adjusted it to about 1500 then the dealer set it back to 1200 on the 600 mile tune-up. Once you get used to your bike, you'll find there is a "sweet spot" for the choke that makes it start every time. Like I said, mine is happy with 1/2 choke but your bike make decide it wants the choke set somewhere else. Everyone gave good advice - CHOKE! Play with it to find what makes your bike happy. Every bike has her own personality and preference for the choke - but you got to choke her to get her going.
Quote from: adidasguy on July 28, 2010, 10:49:11 AM
- but you got to choke her to get her going.
No comment :tongue2: :icon_twisted:
I love this bike too! :woohoo: On 7/4 I finished the MSF class. On 7/9 I purchased this same bike with 1 mile on it. I am now up to 23 miles. I ride around the neighborhood and have had some of the exact same problems. I'm with Micheal in that the Owner's Manual responds to reasons for stalling and not attempting to start it after so many failed attempts. The choke is the key for me. Admittedly, I find a lot of my stalls may also be due to this user's error (popping the clutch, not in the right gear, and not giving it enough throttle). In your case, I'm with you - call the dealer. I'd be curious to know what's really go on!
I also like the idea of removing the fairings if you are a newbie like me (on the 2nd ride I "gently" dropped mine).
Monica C~
...Be who you are, for those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter -Dr. Seuss.
:)
UPDATE: I got the bike rolling fine today and was able to end up with no choke on for a nice idle (without adjusting idle speed)! Put on ~20 miles around my neighborhood and surrounding back roads.
Here's how it went, took two tries:
1) start with full choke -> 4K for about 1 min -> RPMS being finicky after about a minute (no choke adjustment) -> dropped and died after I attempted to drop the choke a tiny bit.
2) Fuel valve to Prime to start it back up -> 4K holding steady; let it sit for a good 2-3 min -> dropped choke some & let it sit at 2-3K for about 2 min; put gear on -> take off -> fun times!
My bike sat at a healthy idle after some riding and never died on me (except for the one stall I pulled at a stop sign :P).
Mister's strategy did the trick, so thanks for that! :icon_mrgreen:
Thanks to everyone else for the advice too!
I reckon she just needed extra time to get the life breathed in to her, being new and all. Turning her on proper is one of those personal feel things I'll nail as we spend more time together.
Great to hear!
Don't be afraid to adjust your idle up a bit higher than they spec it at.
The shop manual says to set it at 1200 when hot, but I set mine at 1500 or so.
A lot of people here do the same.
Also, if you feel a little bit mechanically inclined but don't know much about repairing & maintaining your bike, this is a great machine to learn on. It's pretty simple to do all the work you'll ever need to do. Oil & filter changes, valve adjustments, tire changes, chain adjustments, bulb replacements. Lots to do.
You'll save a ton of money on shop bills, too.
I'm coming in late on this thread, and it's good that you've figured out the problem. I've got an '09 myself and my approach to getting the bike started is:
- full choke and start the bike up
- put on my jacket, helmet, and gloves - somewhere along the line in here, I'll hear the bike revving up and I'll slowly pull the choke out, keeping it at about 2-3K rpm
- usually, by the time I've gotten all of my gear on and I'm zipped up and strapped on, I can pull the choke the rest of the way out and then get on and I'm good to go
The trick, at least as I've found, is that the bike *really* needs to warm up. I took the MSF course as well and also got the "don't touch the choke here, but you'll probably need it later" speech. Thankfully, I had a really good dealer who made sure I understood everything about getting the bike running, including choking the hell out of it until it can run with the choke off.
[The owner of the dealer also commented that he, at times, has left the choke on and then slowly pulls it off once he's riding, but, being a new rider, I don't feel quite coordinated enough for that yet. So far, from late spring, the time that it takes me to get all my stuff on is enough time, or just about, for the bike to warm up.
Watch out for the bike struggling if you leave the choke on when it should be off. My GS500 doesn't like that at all and lets me know about it.
Glad you've got things working better. Enjoy the rides.
So this might be worthy of an ultra newb scrub award, or maybe not. :dunno_black:
Turns out the couple of times I did get the bike running I had neglected to notice that the fuel valve was on Prime. The bike will only start and hold idle in Reserve or Prime -- "On" will cause it to run out of fuel shortly after.
So here is the ultra newb scrub part: I talked with one of the people at the dealer on the phone before the sent the driver over to pick up the bike (I talked with them about this on Friday) and he asked if I had filled it up since I got it. I said no (assumed they gave me a full tank, like when you get a car) and that there was standing fuel in the tank.
In retrospect, there is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of standing fuel -- low enough to prevent the bike from running outside of Reserve? I do not know.
See, I know nothing of what a low tank or a full tank looks like. They never went over the bike with me at all, so I know virtually nothing outside of what I gained from personal inspection and what the manual had to say. I was under the assumption that what was in the tank was near to full -- which obviously wasn't the case as it was nowhere near the brim.
I'm hoping it's just a dumb error on my part and it was just low on gas, cause if not then it could be all sorts of fuel-supply-related mechanical issues, etc. and that'd be quite unfavorable.
They just picked up the bike about 20 min ago, so hopefully I'll get a call back today explaining what the issue was.
Honestly, I don't think I should feel bad -- I was never told to go get gas as soon as I got it, or anything about the bike to begin with.
Does this seem like an honest enough mistake to make? I just want to get it back and working proper so I can put some miles on it. It has 16 right now, and that's just plain awful :-X.
It happens all the time, don't worry. You're just low on gas. Fill up and ride :D
So when you buy a new car over there, your dealer puts a full tank in?? Sweet!
Got a full tank when I got my Kia at Carmax back in 2003.
Guess hard ol' recession times mean they can only afford to give me a few drops of fuel now. :cry:
EDIT: turns out the bike was indeed low on fuel. *womp womp*
I didn't know what a low tank actually looked like, and being able to see standing fuel in the tank led to believe it wasn't so low it couldn't start outside of Reserve.
Sucks that I the first day I got the bike it had like no fuel in it (hence all the pseudo-issues) and I wasn't told about it and/or to go fill it up.
Oh well, live and learn - time to put some hella miles up on that odometer!
I've discovered that if the tank sounds like it's "sloshing" when it goes onto the center stand (or comes off it) - it's time to think about getting gas.
Your trip meter is your friend. Folks on here get anywhere from 150-200 miles before hitting reserve. Me I have an '04 and get about 165. Start learning where that is and go from there.
Congrats on the new bike! :cheers:
Mary