I'm a new rider and a new owner of a 1996 GS500e. I had the bike for about two weeks when it started having some problems sputtering in the lower gears, requiring me to rev the engine hard to get started in 1st. So I took it to the shop (Coleman's Powersports in Falls Church, Va.). No surprise, they diagnosed it as the carbs and suggested a cleaning. Also, since the bike was new to me and it had nearly 4,000 miles on it, they suggested and I accepted the 4k checkup. That was on Wednesday, Sept. 22. They said it would be done "early next week," meaning (to me) Monday, Sept. 27, or Tuesday, Sept. 28.
It's Tuesday, Oct. 5. I still don't have my bike back. I've called twice (once on Wednesday, Sept. 29 -- they needed a float bowl and it hadn't come in yet; and once on Monday, Oct. 4, when they guy said it would be ready "maybe Tuesday, but most likely Wednesday ... or Thursday"). :bs:
Am I wrong to think this is ridiculous? Since I'm a new rider, my only point of reference is getting my car fixed, and it's never taken an auto shop this long. Is this typical? Is the fall a busy time of year? Is there any explanation for this?
I am beyond frustrated about the situation. >:( It's starting to get cooler, and each day I feel like my time to ride is slipping away. Meanwhile, I'm taking cabs back and forth to school (at $12 a pop), when I could be using 15 cents in gas to get there. Further, this past weekend was absolutely stunning, and I had planned on taking a long ride (my FIRST long ride) on Saturday. I'd like my first learning experience with the bike to be riding it, not learning how to winterize it. I'm literally getting so antsy to ride that I've considered renting a bike from Eagle Rider just to get out there.
What do all you veterans think? Should I say anything? If so, what? Should I not and just bring it to another shop if it needs it? :dunno_black:
Sometime parts can take awhile to come in. If they are waiting on a part not much you can do. If they are just being slow and not keeping you up to date be sure to let them know that this is completely unacceptable and that they went against their original time estimate. Dont pay more for the service due to the increased time it took. Maybe they should throw in a free oil change? Tell them that would alleviate some ill feelings about the bike taking so long and make you consider using them again in the future.
Next time, do the repairs yourself. Pick up some tools and service manual.
i would be irritated that they weren't giving you any updates.
that's why i always try to do the work myself. hate dealing with shops
Yeah, my frustration would have been abated by a phone call or two telling my why there's a holdup.
I plan on learning how to do these things, but I wanted the bike back quickly so I could ride more this fall. So much for that ...
Pretty much agree with everyone on here, my dad had an '80 something gs550L that needed carbs, well he waited a good 2 months before he finally gave up.
Cleaning the carbs yourself (uninterrupted) would take a couple hours tops. Oh well, hindsight and all.
I've seen this too often - poor times from a bike shop. Granted, they cant run to AutoZone to get parts, but the time window is huge. Call them everyday and ask for updates or stop down there and ask to see the bike.
A friend of mine took his bike to a shop during their "slow season" to get his carbs cleaned and they ended up pulling the motor out of the frame and rebuilding the top end without permission. When he found out what they were doing, he actually had to get a lawyer (luckily it was a relative) to get his bike back without paying a $1500 bill.
wow it would have been cheaper and faster to send your carbs to buddha to get it clean or even rejetted. live and learn. :o
Quote from: seamax on October 05, 2010, 12:23:06 PM
wow it would have been cheaper and faster to send your carbs to buddha to get it clean or even rejetted. live and learn. :o
This would be correct. The first thing I would have done though was drain the tank, fill it up and put in 1/2 a can of Sea Foam and have seen what happened but that's me. This has worked for me in the past with slightly gummed up motors. The last place I would take a GS500 would be a dealership :icon_twisted:. 90% of them are nothing short of very arrogant thieves. The rest are just polite thieves. This has been my observations and lessons I have learned over the years >:(. Good luck
You might want to do a quick web search of that particular dealer. I did recently and was shocked to see just how bad the feedback is!
And why would it need a float bowl? That's not something that wears out, did they lose it or did the mechanic drop it and then stand on it? I'd ask for the old one if they claim to have replaced it, and get them to show you what's 'wrong' with it.
Quote from: the mole on October 05, 2010, 06:08:34 PM
And why would it need a float bowl? That's not something that wears out, did they lose it or did the mechanic drop it and then stand on it? I'd ask for the old one if they claim to have replaced it, and get them to show you what's 'wrong' with it.
Good point
Isn't it law that requires they give you your old parts when they replace parts? Then its up to you if you want to take them home or have them deal with the old parts. If not federal law, I do know that is the law in some states due to dishonest shops.
Quote from: Big Rich on October 05, 2010, 11:54:03 AM
Cleaning the carbs yourself (uninterrupted) would take a couple hours tops. Oh well, hindsight and all.
I've seen this too often - poor times from a bike shop. Granted, they cant run to AutoZone to get parts, but the time window is huge. Call them everyday and ask for updates or stop down there and ask to see the bike.
A friend of mine took his bike to a shop during their "slow season" to get his carbs cleaned and they ended up pulling the motor out of the frame and rebuilding the top end without permission. When he found out what they were doing, he actually had to get a lawyer (luckily it was a relative) to get his bike back without paying a $1500 bill.
Well, Big Rich, you were almost right.
An update: After my call on Monday -- in which they said it would be done maybe Tuesday, most likely Wednesday and maybe Thursday -- I called this evening (Wednesday) at 5 p.m. to get another status update. I'm glad I called.
Why?
Because the service writer went over the bill with me. $800+. WTF!?!? To get the carbs cleaned and a 4K mile maintenance? My original estimate was for $282 plus parts. She says I approved this when another service writer called to tell me about the extra parts & cost. THEY NEVER CALLED ME. Apparently, another service writer just marked down in their computer system that he had called me and OKed the parts & extra expenses.
Flat out lie. I called them four times for status updates -- not once did they say, "Hey, we're going to need extra parts, and they will cost about $$$."
Then I asked what the parts they had ordered were. Besides some obvious ones -- O-rings and the like, which I can understand, b/c it's a 14-year old bike -- they also said needles, parts for the float, etc.
Here's the best part. I asked, "Ok, so we can figure this out later -- when's the bike gonna be done?" The service writer says, "Let me go check with the tech."
After waiting 10 minutes on the phone, she finally came back and said "Friday, at the earliest. We haven't started on it yet."
14 f%$king days and they had even cracked the damn thing open yet. Unbelievable. They had all the parts in house the previous Wednesday -- apparently it was just sitting there and they were staring at it, hoping it would get better on its own.
So, here's the question: If they hadn't even opened the darn thing up yet, HOW DID THEY KNOW WHAT PARTS IT NEEDED? Another lie.
Thankfully, b/c they hadn't even started yet, I told them not to touch the bike. I went and picked it up tonight and drove it home. It still stutters in the low end -- i had to run it with the choke on all the way home, keeping the RPMs at around 3k just to make sure I didn't stall out at the stop lights.
Just to be clear, this is
Coleman's Powersports in Falls Church, Va. Don't ever go there. EVER. To add to my misery, I smell something awful on the way home and I can see smoke in the beam from my headlight. I park the bike in the parking garage, and notice that oil is just leaking out from the left side, near the black round thing that says Suzuki on it.
So now I'm up a creek without a paddle. I guess I either find a reputable shop to service it (based on previous comments above, this is unlikely), or I learn how to do this stuff myself. Problem is, I live in DC and I have no place to do it (no garage or the like). I park it in a friends parking space in an underground garage at his apartment building, but you're not allowed to wrench on things in there (nor would I want to, b/c he's doing me a favor by letting me use the space for free, and I don't want to be throwing parts all over the place, etc. I already feel bad enough that I'm leaking oil all over his spot). Another problem -- as you could probably guess from the "oil is just leaking out from the left side, near the black round thing that says Suzuki on it" comment -- is that I'm not great with this type of stuff. Sure, I can do simple things with my car -- oil changes, even changed the disc brakes with a friend's help -- but I look at the manual and I see Greek. :icon_confused:
I think God is trying to tell me I'm not supposed to own a bike ...
:bowdown:
Well, off to find out why oil is leaking ... and how to clean carbs ... and etc, etc, etc.
Mine had a similar issue, it's now dead. Wherever you take it to next, ask for a compression check. My 3k+ or die was due to bad compression. A lot of techs overlook that and immediately think it's the carbs.
Glad to hear you got the scoot back man. We have a shop near me that is bad, but not nearly that bad.
And even if the manual is Greek, dont hesitate to ask questions here. You will have all winter to get her fixed up.
Simplest thing to do is the drain The gas and try the Sea foam. The oil leak may be fixed or slowed by just tightening the bolts, just don't over tighten. Then work on it from there. You have just learned a valuable lesson, it's not worth taking a 1500 dollar bike to a dealership where they will try to charge you 1/2 of what the bike is worth to lie, cheat, steal and belittle you. Then they probably won't fix the damn thing anyway.
Quote from: lilwoody on October 07, 2010, 09:53:32 PM
Simplest thing to do is the drain The gas and try the Sea foam. The oil leak may be fixed or slowed by just tightening the bolts, just don't over tighten. Then work on it from there. You have just learned a valuable lesson, it's not worth taking a 1500 dollar bike to a dealership where they will try to charge you 1/2 of what the bike is worth to lie, cheat, steal and belittle you. Then they probably won't fix the damn thing anyway.
lilwoody, I had planned on the seafoam & tightening bolts thing. I'll also probably just change the oil & filter (and o-ring) to see if that stops it.
Big Rich, I def. plan on asking lots of questions. Here's the first: How do I drain the gas tank?
Keep in mind that i dont actually own a GS500 (I know, then what am i doing here?). But set the petcock to "on", undo the main fuel line, and hook up a spare hose to the outlet. Run the hose to a gas can, and set the petcock to "prime".
Oil leak from left side prolly is chain lube. BTW if you drag it over to charlotte NC, I'll be happy to tell ya what you should do.
BTW I am near about doubled over with pain in my ribs, so may just tell you if you did it in the next few weeks. Wait till I can stand upright and I may toss some wrenches your way and see what we can do.
96 bike should not need O rings - not a given. I also have seen floats leak when Idiot mechanics crank the drain bolts too tight, but no worries, I got plenty of bowls laying about. Oh I also have seen a cracked one when someone pushed the carbs down to remove them off the bike, and that big bolt that is sitting on the top rear side of the motor cracked it. But all in all, it takes a moron to get a metal float bowl that has held up for 15 years to suddenly leak.
Cool.
Buddha.
I recon you should be furious.First of all your workshop should have to;d you that half the time when it comes to carb probs, its best just to throw away and replace with reco second hand part.i all so can not understand why you would needa float bowl.i think someones taking you for a ride champ, and its not on a bike. P.S. good place to p[ind parts in australia is (findapart.com) :2guns:
Well, another lesson learned. I used regular car oil in my bike. :sad:
I now need to do an oil change for another reason. I saw 10w40 and thought ... well, that 10w40 was 10w40. Oops.
So, a couple questions: can I just do a regular oil change (using the right oil this time), or do I need to clean it out somehow?
Also, would the wrong oil cause the problems I mentioned above?
Oops! Yep, that can cause your clutch to slip. There's a couple ways to go about it: either drain the current oil best you can, add some motorcycle oil and let the bike idle for 5 - 10 minutes, drain the oil & filter while it's still warm, add more oil, test ride OR add about a half quart of kerosene to the current oil, let it idle, drain, add, etc, etc.
You can try the stuff they sell at auto parts stores called "Motor Flush" or whatever instead of kerosene, but it's about 75 percent kerosene anyways.
well i used royal purple motor oil and had no clutch issues :dunno_white:
Quote from: The Buddha on October 08, 2010, 01:29:43 PM
Oil leak from left side prolly is chain lube. BTW if you drag it over to charlotte NC, I'll be happy to tell ya what you should do.
BTW I am near about doubled over with pain in my ribs, so may just tell you if you did it in the next few weeks. Wait till I can stand upright and I may toss some wrenches your way and see what we can do.
96 bike should not need O rings - not a given. I also have seen floats leak when Idiot mechanics crank the drain bolts too tight, but no worries, I got plenty of bowls laying about. Oh I also have seen a cracked one when someone pushed the carbs down to remove them off the bike, and that big bolt that is sitting on the top rear side of the motor cracked it. But all in all, it takes a moron to get a metal float bowl that has held up for 15 years to suddenly leak.
Thanks for the offer, Buddha. I'm going to try some simple solutions first -- hopefully they work. If not, I've got all winter to figure it out.
I run car oil, all the time, in all my bikes.
I use accel 10W40 ... walmart issue oil. Dude it cannot do much of anything unless you run 20,000 on the same oil.
Cool.
buddha.
yeh i used reg autozone 10w40 oil.
Quote from: The Buddha on October 11, 2010, 08:38:24 AM
I run car oil, all the time, in all my bikes.
I use accel 10W40 ... walmart issue oil. Dude it cannot do much of anything unless you run 20,000 on the same oil.
Really? I'm already experiencing clutch slippage (I assume the pull forward when I first start the bike is from clutch slippage). I used Exxon brand 10w40.
BTW, Buddha, apparently the jets in my bike are from you. The guy who sold it to me said they were 25s/140s, I think. Does that sound right? I would assume that they wouldn't be gummed up already, so I'm hoping the Seafoam solution works b/c of some other dirty carb area. It's hesitating when I turn the throttle in low gears, so I have to rev it to 3-4k RPMs to get it started in 1st gear.
Quote from: The Buddha on October 11, 2010, 08:38:24 AM
I run car oil, all the time, in all my bikes.
I use accel 10W40 ... walmart issue oil. Dude it cannot do much of anything unless you run 20,000 on the same oil.
Cool.
buddha.
Thank You Buddha...for clarifying. Oil is Oil with one exception er.. two..
1. The weight (Viscosity) of the Oil meaning thickness. The first number is the "cold" Viscosity and the second number is the rated "normal hot" thinnest Viscosity.
2. Probably most in important in our application with Motorcycles that have a common engine/transmission reservoir is the type of oil. Example Synthetic, Semi-Synthetic, and Mineral. The latter being most preferred for the GS500. Cars use completely different oils for the engine and transmission and are independent of each other.
Correct me if I am wrong Buddha...Synthetic oils actually lubricate "too good" for the clutch in the GS, hence the slippage.
I have always used high grade mineral motor oil and have never had an issue.
For more information on OIL and the proper applications refer to http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
Quote from: muchADEW on October 11, 2010, 08:47:25 AM
[
Really? I'm already experiencing clutch slippage (I assume the pull forward when I first start the bike is from clutch slippage).
So... you're in 1st gear, sitting on the bike with the side stand up. You pull in the clutch and press the starter button and the bike makes a slight move forward, as if someone bumped it from behind. Is that it? If so... don't worry about it, it's normal.
It's also normal that when in neutral and you want to move, sometimes you need to move the bike forward/backward a bit to get the gear to engage.
Michael
JB848: Oh yea here we go again car oil vs MC oil vs synthetic oil ... OK so who's got all day ... anyway I use access mineral oil, meant to go in cars made before 1990 and it is SF rated, so got plenty of zinc/phosphorous, and its definetly not too slipper for the clutch.
MuchADEW: You should have 40 pilots and 125 mains if its a stock filter in air box and a pipe or stock exhaust. Not 25/140's. But yes you can clog anything of course. So feed it seafoam and gas ... mix it up in a bottle and run just to carbs, not in the tank. I know of people who have fitted a small funnel to the fuel inlet line and poured it in there via beer bottle ... yea I know of people ... yea ... wink wink ... people. Shhhh not that I would ever ... OK fine I put that in the bike I picked up in richmond, tossed it in the truck and drove it home. 300 miles of our country's bumps perfectly agitated the crap out and when I got it here it was clean and a whistle. I rode it the next day.
BTW that lurching forward if you think abotu it, is the opposite of clutch slippage. Slippage is when you crank the throttle and the revs climb but bike dont go nowhere. Lurching can be reduced by warming the bike, and/or pumping the clutch lever a time or 2. Its caused by sticking plates, not slipping.
BTW if these are the problems you are having, taking them to a dealer is literally a sign on top of your head saying "I'm stupid, take my $$$".
You better post here and let some of the crusty dogs here get your issues manageable. Maybe your bike is just normal. When you start the bike on centerstand, does the rear wheel slowly spin ... OK normal. Just post it here, it may be nothing.
After carbs are clean, if you still idle @3-4K, open the air screws 1/2 turn. Sorry you got hesitation - is the air filter clean ? That can definetly cause a severe stalling type feel.
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha on October 11, 2010, 12:29:08 PM
MuchADEW: You should have 40 pilots and 125 mains if its a stock filter in air box and a pipe or stock exhaust. Not 25/140's. But yes you can clog anything of course. So feed it seafoam and gas ... mix it up in a bottle and run just to carbs, not in the tank.
Yes, you're right -- 40s/125s. My bad.
BTW, why should I feed the seafoam/gas mixture straight to the carbs and not through the gas tank? Won't it get there regardless?
QuoteBTW that lurching forward if you think abotu it, is the opposite of clutch slippage. Slippage is when you crank the throttle and the revs climb but bike dont go nowhere. Lurching can be reduced by warming the bike, and/or pumping the clutch lever a time or 2. Its caused by sticking plates, not slipping.
Good to know.
QuoteAfter carbs are clean, if you still idle @3-4K, open the air screws 1/2 turn. Sorry you got hesitation - is the air filter clean ? That can definetly cause a severe stalling type feel.
I think the idle issue is b/c the choke is stuck. For now, it actually kind of helps me, b/c it prevents stalling. But when I finally fix the hesitation problem, idling at 3500 RPM isn't going to be beneficial.
You put the seafoam in the tank, it can loosen and drag out the trash from the tank into the carbs. You will be worsening the very problem you are trying to solve. If your tank was perfect, yea no problem, dump it in the tank. BTW you can get to your goal with 1-2 oz of seafoam with the carb trick, but put it in the tank and you need a bottle or more. @10 bones a pint, I'd use 1-2 oz.
Choke is stuck ... OK open and clean and free out the choke, or lube it from the top after removing the tank, no sea foam is going to get it out ... luck or vibration or heat may ... may also make it worse. "Clean and Lube" may be the answer to all questions in a motorcycle forum ... and you certainly look like you're going to be helped by that. BTW revving @ 3500 is dangerous dude, if you ever fell off the bike, it will keep going ... and 3500 is serious torque rpm, it will jump out from under you if you dump the clutch and you certainly dont want to be engaging gears @3500.
Cool.
Buddha.
Buddha I always read about this Sea Foam stuff. I have never used it. I have however used StaBil with great results. I have had similar issues with dirty gas from filling stations and a couple of ounces of StaBil has always worked for me. Do you use it too?
I rarely use seafoam. I use yamaha carb cleaner which is similar to seafoam but stronger I think, again @ near 15 bones a bottle, I use 1-2 cap fuls in a few Oz of gas, and it goes in the carb. I think I have a 5-6 year bottle of both seafoam and yamaha stuff sitting with over 1/2. With over 20 bikes in the time I am guessing I should get 30-40 years out of it.
Actually the yamaha carb cleaner you can mix with water, heat it and put it in the carb, you can also put a lighter under it ... accelerates the cleaning. Maybe I'd boil the VW's carbs in it and that is the end of my 5 year old bottle of cleaner.
Stabil I have never used I dont think.
Cool.
Buddha.
LOL, I guess StaBil is the lazy mans Sea Foam. No disassembly required.
FYI I am sitting on a pair of 40mm Dellorto Carbs with intakes no linkage.
OOOo ... 40 dell's ... I got 42 solex kadrones (very much the equal of 40 dell's cos they are not that efficient) and I may need to fab up the linkage ... however the solex linkage doesn't wear an egg shape in the carb body cos its a sideways dragging linkage not a turning linkage.
BTW have you opened the thing. The damn carb is a joke right ... its about as complicated as a bowl with a hole on the bottom. The solex atleast is.
Cool.
Buddha.
Yeah sorry to thread jack. I'll post in odds and ends.
muchADEW try some StaBil if you're on a budget and lack tools. Follow the directions on the bottle and Voila!
Quote from: JB848 on October 12, 2010, 10:50:52 AMmuchADEW try some StaBil if you're on a budget and lack tools. Follow the directions on the bottle and Voila!
StaBil, eh? Is this the right stuff?
http://www.amazon.com/STA-BIL-22206-Fuel-Stabilizer-oz/dp/B000CCFY3O/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1286907190&sr=8-5
Yep! it is meant for protecting your gas from turning to lacquer during long storage but is also a great cleaner for gunk in carbs! The longer you leave it in the better it works. At least that is my experience with it. It's rather cheap too!
Quote from: JB848 on October 12, 2010, 11:18:15 AMThe longer you leave it in the better it works.
Wait, don't i just pour it and run the engine for a while? BTW, how much?
Like 12 bones for a bottle. Yes, intructions say use proper mixture Example 1 once per gallon (don't quote me) agitate tank if possible. Run engine for like 5 minutes. I let my bike sit for like a month because I was riding the other and I didn't feel like fixing my red one the one that was acting up. So one day I decided to take her out to burn off some gas and "wholly rocks Batman" she ran like a champ!. No hesistation, no sputtering, strong acceleration from low to high. Don't if it was just luck or what but it worked.
Quote from: JB848 on October 12, 2010, 11:38:59 AM
Like 12 bones for a bottle. Yes, intructions say use proper mixture Example 1 once per gallon (don't quote me) agitate tank if possible. Run engine for like 5 minutes. I let my bike sit for like a month because I was riding the other and I didn't feel like fixing my red one the one that was acting up. So one day I decided to take her out to burn off some gas and "wholly rocks Batman" she ran like a champ!. No hesistation, no sputtering, strong acceleration from low to high. Don't if it was just luck or what but it worked.
Cool, thanks.
Any "cleaner" will need the carbs drained after it is let to sit in the carbs for the time it will be cleaning. If you didn't drain it and it ran, it wasn't dirty to start with.
Its like brushing your teeth and swallowing it ...
Cool.
Buddha.
I defer to Buddha he's the man so I suggest you listen to him first!
Quote from: The Buddha on October 12, 2010, 11:53:12 AM
Any "cleaner" will need the carbs drained after it is let to sit in the carbs for the time it will be cleaning. If you didn't drain it and it ran, it wasn't dirty to start with.
Its like brushing your teeth and swallowing it ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Could
anyone refute this mans gift of analogy? (http://mysite.verizon.net/vze2wc9e/emot-doh.jpg)
Quote from: Electrojake on October 14, 2010, 03:20:34 PM
Quote from: The Buddha on October 12, 2010, 11:53:12 AM
Any "cleaner" will need the carbs drained after it is let to sit in the carbs for the time it will be cleaning. If you didn't drain it and it ran, it wasn't dirty to start with.
Its like brushing your teeth and swallowing it ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Could anyone refute this mans gift of analogy? (http://mysite.verizon.net/vze2wc9e/emot-doh.jpg)
LOL! I like this one:
Quote from: The Buddha on August 26, 2008, 07:51:17 AM
I dunno why people hate carbs ... OK fine I do know ... they are a freaking geeks paradise. Small changes, huge effect, easy to totally overshoot and create almost the same damn problem you had but entirely from the other side. Yea ... like having a all powerful chauffeur who only speaks russian. :mad:
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha on October 12, 2010, 11:53:12 AM
Any "cleaner" will need the carbs drained after it is let to sit in the carbs for the time it will be cleaning. If you didn't drain it and it ran, it wasn't dirty to start with.
Its like brushing your teeth and swallowing it ...
Cool.
Buddha.
I'm wondering -- is just pulling the float bowls off and cleaning them a poor-man's carb cleaning?
And all that crap that comes up when I run Stabil or Seafoam through it, won't it just burn off? Isn't that what all the smoke is?
So, so many questions. I just want to tele-port some of you up to DC so we can sit around my bike and make it work, one bit at a time. Actually, better yet, teleport me to someplace where you all are at and there's a garage with every tool ever needed.
I'm at the point where I'm excited to start wrenching on this thing (I spent an hour looking at fiches on bikebandit today) but I still have that noob feeling of, "What if I break it?" :sad:
Oh, one question -- i've got a cracked right crankcase cover (the clutch side) and it's missing one bolt. Is this merely a cosmetic issue, or could that be causing problems? It seems like a pretty easy fix -- a matter of unbolting three bolts and then replacing the round part (that's the only part that's cracked). Any thoughts?
Quote from: muchADEW on October 15, 2010, 10:54:55 AM
Oh, one question -- i've got a cracked right crankcase cover (the clutch side) and it's missing one bolt. Is this merely a cosmetic issue, or could that be causing problems? It seems like a pretty easy fix -- a matter of unbolting three bolts and then replacing the round part (that's the only part that's cracked). Any thoughts?
That is just a cover for the stator. It being cracked or missing a bolt shouldn't affect anything. I have seen multiple people run without it altogether. Every time I laid my GS down it was on it's right side, and the stator cover always got scratched up. So every time I wrecked, I re-did it.
Here is what mine looked like at a couple of different points:
(http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb144/redhen2/SSPX0371.jpg)
(http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb144/redhen2/SSPX0503.jpg)
(http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb144/redhen2/img1255896370565.jpg)
Quote from: redhenracing2 on October 15, 2010, 11:00:52 AM
Every time I laid my GS down it was on it's right side, and the stator cover always got scratched up.
So every time I wrecked, I re-did it.
Geez Red, Keep the rubber side down. No?(http://mysite.verizon.net/vze2wc9e/hmm.gif)
You could get hurt.
P.S. Nice bike!
Haha, I used to have a knack for low speed low-sides. My cousin laid it over once too.
Quote from: mach1 on October 08, 2010, 09:57:37 PM
well i used royal purple motor oil and had no clutch issues :dunno_white:
Not to be a duck about this... But Royal Purple is a bit of a joke in the oil community. Checkout bobistheoilguy.com
Quote from: muchADEW on October 11, 2010, 08:47:25 AM
Really? I'm already experiencing clutch slippage (I assume the pull forward when I first start the bike is from clutch slippage). I used Exxon brand 10w40.
Sour clutch is sticking; that's the opposite of clutch slippage. It could be caused by your oil (a good synthetic will exhibit this problem less than a mineral oil,) or it could be cause by wear to your clutch basket.
Slippage is when you give the bike gas, and the engine revs up without a corresponding speed increase; just as if you were slipping the clutch.
I figured I'd give you guys a look at the bike. Even though it's giving me problem after problem, it looks nice at least:
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y83/adubs/96_GS500E.jpg)
Quote from: muchADEW on October 15, 2010, 10:54:55 AM
Quote from: The Buddha on October 12, 2010, 11:53:12 AM
Any "cleaner" will need the carbs drained after it is let to sit in the carbs for the time it will be cleaning. If you didn't drain it and it ran, it wasn't dirty to start with.
Its like brushing your teeth and swallowing it ...
Cool.
Buddha.
I'm wondering -- is just pulling the float bowls off and cleaning them a poor-man's carb cleaning?
And all that crap that comes up when I run Stabil or Seafoam through it, won't it just burn off? Isn't that what all the smoke is?
So, so many questions. I just want to tele-port some of you up to DC so we can sit around my bike and make it work, one bit at a time. Actually, better yet, teleport me to someplace where you all are at and there's a garage with every tool ever needed.
I'm at the point where I'm excited to start wrenching on this thing (I spent an hour looking at fiches on bikebandit today) but I still have that noob feeling of, "What if I break it?" :sad:
Oh, one question -- i've got a cracked right crankcase cover (the clutch side) and it's missing one bolt. Is this merely a cosmetic issue, or could that be causing problems? It seems like a pretty easy fix -- a matter of unbolting three bolts and then replacing the round part (that's the only part that's cracked). Any thoughts?
Water and oil will burn off as smoke, but you get solid trash, like rust, specs of dirt and twigs (dont laugh, in India I definetly had twigs) ... will not burn, and when that is in the tank its fine, or atleast its less damaging than if it was in teh carbs. That is precisely why I want you to fill the carbs and not the tank too. I will not run that in the tank till yiou are sure there is no rust and dirt in the tank. trust me, tank can hold a ton of crap. All that ending up in the carbs is a worst case situation for it.
You remove the float bowl with the carbs on the bike - yea you need to try it before posting it as a carb cleaning ... cos its damn near impossible ... unless you have buddhaised the carbs aka - swap the steel phillips head bolts torqued to 600 ft lb for allen head bolts torqued to 8 ft lb.
What if you break it - well ping me or other people for parts, we got crap lying round from this and that carb ... besides you could mail it to me at any stage, I doubt you would screw up beyond redemption.
Speaking of teleport - you should come to the buddha garage. When you are about to leave ... find some cool audio crap off CL in dc ...
Anyway kid you wont ruin nothing that cant be bailed out. Easy and wont cost but 1/2 the bail out for goldman sachs.
Round cover is dry ... the large cover has oil @ pressure behind it. I will take that big one very seriously. Round cover - irrelevant till you crash, if you do and its not in good shape it will kill the ignition crank trigger, the advancer and the oil pressure sending unit. Till the bike starts to run and you start riding it its can wait. Then fix it. I sell billet ones for 35 shipped.
Hmm, stock pipe. If you drill a few holes in the baffle it will shoot flames (not that I would know)
Quote from: The Buddha on October 11, 2010, 12:29:08 PMSo feed it seafoam and gas ... mix it up in a bottle and run just to carbs, not in the tank. I know of people who have fitted a small funnel to the fuel inlet line and poured it in there via beer bottle ... yea I know of people ... yea ... wink wink ... people. Shhhh not that I would ever ... OK fine I put that in the bike I picked up in richmond, tossed it in the truck and drove it home. 300 miles of our country's bumps perfectly agitated the crap out and when I got it here it was clean and a whistle. I rode it the next day.
...
After carbs are clean, if you still idle @3-4K, open the air screws 1/2 turn. Sorry you got hesitation - is the air filter clean ? That can definetly cause a severe stalling type feel
Ok, fuel inlet line. Is that #4 in this picture:
(http://beergarage.com/imgs/GS/Tank/120.jpg)
And then I just pour this seafoam (stabil ok?)/ gas mixture into it, reconnect it and fire it up?
Then I drain the carbs by unscrewing that brass-looking screws (the ones circled in green) in this picture, right?
(http://www.angelfire.com/mt2/mikesgs500/rejetting/DSCF0097.JPG)
Do it at the frame petcock not @ the tank. First drain the carbs. Remove the drain screws and spray some carb cleaner in there to get any loose crap out. Then put the drain screws back in.
The rear large line in the frame petcock is to the carbs. Remove the petcock from the frame so its hanging loose. Make sure petcock is in on or res - not prime.
Then disconnect only that line. And put in a connector and a longer hose so you can work with gravity.
Then stuff a small funnel in that line.
Then pour the witch brew into that funnel.
Then when the thing is full and floats have closed off - tape teh funnel to the side of the tank or somwehere where you can use it again if needed.
BTW the carbs - both of em should just about take 1.5-2oz each. If it looks like you're runnign bottle after bottle in there, it may be stuck open and you may be filling the motor or the airbox with your witch brew.
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha on October 20, 2010, 10:38:09 AMThe rear large line in the frame petcock is to the carbs. Remove the petcock from the frame so its hanging loose. Make sure petcock is in on or res - not prime. Then disconnect only that line. And put in a connector and a longer hose so you can work with gravity. Then stuff a small funnel in that line. Then pour the witch brew into that funnel. Then when the thing is full and floats have closed off - tape teh funnel to the side of the tank or somwehere where you can use it again if needed. BTW the carbs - both of em should just about take 1.5-2oz each. If it looks like you're runnign bottle after bottle in there, it may be stuck open and you may be filling the motor or the airbox with your witch brew.
Ahhh ... so, #3 on the below image. Nice!
(http://gstwin.com/images/how_to/fuel%20hose/GRU_HoseRouting1.jpg)
Thanks for your patience!
-- Anthony
Its to be shovelled into the hose that connected to tube #3 ... if your bike is this far apart why aren't you taking off the carbs and then cleaning them ? :cookoo:
Cool.
Buddha.
Oh, no, that's not my bike. It's just a picture I found on GSTwins so I could be sure I was using the correct tube. Trust me, this winter I plan on tearing the thing apart - I was just hoping for a quick & easy fix before riding season is over for me (I know, there's no such thing as an 'easy' way to clean the carbs!)
Winter ... what ... OK I'll bite, what do you plan to do the other 5 months and 29 days.
Cool.
Buddha.
Full-time job (editor), part-time job (adjunct professor), graduate school (thesis is due in February), girlfriend and working out (boxing) take up nearly all my time. The rest of the time I spend on this message board trying to get my bike to work right.
I usually get to the point after looking on here that I think, "Yeah, I can figure this thing out!". Then I go to my actual bike and look at it and say, "There's NO WAY I'm ever going to fix this thing."
Royal Purple is a joke if you pay for it. My main oil is castrol syntec that goes is everything I own again free just like the royal purple.
Quote from: burning1 on October 15, 2010, 07:23:46 PM
Quote from: mach1 on October 08, 2010, 09:57:37 PM
well i used royal purple motor oil and had no clutch issues :dunno_white:
Not to be a duck about this... But Royal Purple is a bit of a joke in the oil community. Checkout bobistheoilguy.com
Quote from: muchADEW on October 11, 2010, 08:47:25 AM
Really? I'm already experiencing clutch slippage (I assume the pull forward when I first start the bike is from clutch slippage). I used Exxon brand 10w40.
Sour clutch is sticking; that's the opposite of clutch slippage. It could be caused by your oil (a good synthetic will exhibit this problem less than a mineral oil,) or it could be cause by wear to your clutch basket.
Slippage is when you give the bike gas, and the engine revs up without a corresponding speed increase; just as if you were slipping the clutch.
MuchADEW where is a will there is a way. Once you do it you'll be like crap this is easy! And then you'll be helping people the next time. My first time I took pictures of every step I did and took my time and it came out great.
One note it is always nice to have a carb kit on hand. Most places will accept a return as long as it is not opened.
We all have faith in you! :thumb: