Greetings,
I've got a 2000 GS500E that I recently acquired - just took off the carb and cleaned everything out as best as I could. I also checked the floats using the 'clear tube' method described on this forum. I also put on a new fuel/res/prim valve. (I know some folks recommend doing away with it - but I though a new stock one should work for correctly for a while...)
The bike runs much better - but still not as well as I think it should. I'm used to riding a Honda Shadow (3500 rpm at 65 mph) - so I know I have to adjust my rpm thinking...
In first gear - from a dead stop - it has a really bad hesitation. Once I get moving and at higher rpms (4000 or more) it seems o.k. Also, when I'm shifting gears - the throttle response is very slow - it almost sounds like I'm just pulling the clutch in without ever letting up on the throttle (which I definitely am).
Any ideas where to look next?
Thanks in advance,
Welcome!
Did you remove the pilot mixture screws when you cleaned the carbs?
Did you replace the tiny o-rings under the diaphragm caps?
Are the pilot jets the stock 37.5 size? Changing the pilot jets to size 40 non-bleeder sizes will smooth out most of the rpms.
Adjusting your throttle cable may help the responsiveness when changing gears. Sounds a little loose, try tightening it but make sure you still have about a centimeters worth of play.
-Katlynn
I removed the pilot jets & tried to clean as best as I could - but they are stock. I did not replace the tiny o-rings under the diaphram caps (I going to double check and make sure they didn't fall out when I was cleaning).
I've been trolling the forum - I'm guessing much of what I'm experiencing is called 'idle hover'?
There are many posts about mixture screw settings - I'm going to try to upgrade the pilots and adjust the mixture screws - as well as put new o-rings in. I guess first I'm going to double check the throttle cable - easier than removing the carb/tank/seat again...
- This may be the dumbest question ever - but any good way to test the carb on the bike w/o getting it on the road? I thought I had it sounding good until reassembled everything and I took it for a couple mile ride... then depression set in...
Idle hover? So when your bike gets warm does it have a hard time returning to 1250rpm. When I first got mine it idled at 3k rpm after it got hot. Adjusting my valve clearances and syncing my carbs fixed that.
-Katlynn
Sounds like it possibly needs a valve adjustment and more than likely needs a carb sync/balance.There's no way to test the engine without having a load on it.It doesn't take much fuel to free rev an engine.
Valve adjustment vid http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2015554469142545363&q=kerry+gs500+valve&total=1&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
The $5 carb sync/balance tool that most of us use. http://www.powerchutes.com/manometer.asp
I had the same problem. I tracked mine down to bad compression and out of sync carbs. I rejetted mine, and modded the petcock to be gravity fed simply by turning the plastic bit inside of it 90 degrees (can't remember which way, but google it and you'll find it. maybe it was 180 degrees. highly recommend doing this).
Syncing carbs was easy enough with some plastic tubing and water, and you can read up on how to do that online. It definitely runs smoother after that. Don't waste money on fancy tools here, since you aren't likely to need it much.
You should get a compression testing kit. Mine was down at 100psi on both cylinders, and I think spec on these is something like 142 - 199 psi. This can be due to a variety of factors, from needing a valve job to needing new piston rings to having to have the whole head machined and reworked (which mine needed, annoyingly enough). If you haven't done it before, you should check valve clearances (trivial job), and inspect the valves from the intake and exhaust ports, make sure they aren't covered in black stuff or cracked. If it has 5-digit miles on it and the clearances on the valve shims are really tight, you may want to pull the valve block and inspect the valve surfaces. I discovered one of mine was cracked that way from previous owner neglect.
For reference, the bike does 65mph at like 5k rpm, but it's fairly smooth.
Quote from: larrydb on July 19, 2011, 09:39:13 AM
Greetings,
I've got a 2000 GS500E that I recently acquired - just took off the carb and cleaned everything out as best as I could. I also checked the floats using the 'clear tube' method described on this forum. I also put on a new fuel/res/prim valve. (I know some folks recommend doing away with it - but I though a new stock one should work for correctly for a while...)
The bike runs much better - but still not as well as I think it should. I'm used to riding a Honda Shadow (3500 rpm at 65 mph) - so I know I have to adjust my rpm thinking...
In first gear - from a dead stop - it has a really bad hesitation. Once I get moving and at higher rpms (4000 or more) it seems o.k. Also, when I'm shifting gears - the throttle response is very slow - it almost sounds like I'm just pulling the clutch in without ever letting up on the throttle (which I definitely am).
Any ideas where to look next?
Thanks in advance,
Quote from: 4twizzle on August 07, 2011, 12:54:11 PM
I had the same problem. I tracked mine down to bad compression and out of sync carbs. I rejetted mine, and modded the petcock to be gravity fed simply by turning the plastic bit inside of it 90 degrees (can't remember which way, but google it and you'll find it. maybe it was 180 degrees. highly recommend doing this).
Syncing carbs was easy enough with some plastic tubing and water, and you can read up on how to do that online. It definitely runs smoother after that. Don't waste money on fancy tools here, since you aren't likely to need it much.
You should get a compression testing kit. Mine was down at 100psi on both cylinders, and I think spec on these is something like 142 - 199 psi. This can be due to a variety of factors, from needing a valve job to needing new piston rings to having to have the whole head machined and reworked (which mine needed, annoyingly enough). If you haven't done it before, you should check valve clearances (trivial job), and inspect the valves from the intake and exhaust ports, make sure they aren't covered in black stuff or cracked. If it has 5-digit miles on it and the clearances on the valve shims are really tight, you may want to pull the valve block and inspect the valve surfaces. I discovered one of mine was cracked that way from previous owner neglect.
For reference, the bike does 65mph at like 5k rpm, but it's fairly smooth.
Quote from: larrydb on July 19, 2011, 09:39:13 AM
Greetings,
I've got a 2000 GS500E that I recently acquired - just took off the carb and cleaned everything out as best as I could. I also checked the floats using the 'clear tube' method described on this forum. I also put on a new fuel/res/prim valve. (I know some folks recommend doing away with it - but I though a new stock one should work for correctly for a while...)
The bike runs much better - but still not as well as I think it should. I'm used to riding a Honda Shadow (3500 rpm at 65 mph) - so I know I have to adjust my rpm thinking...
In first gear - from a dead stop - it has a really bad hesitation. Once I get moving and at higher rpms (4000 or more) it seems o.k. Also, when I'm shifting gears - the throttle response is very slow - it almost sounds like I'm just pulling the clutch in without ever letting up on the throttle (which I definitely am).
Any ideas where to look next?
Thanks in advance,
When you do the 180 mod on the frame petcock,you have no way to stop fuel flow.If you have a float hang open,it will flood the engine and crank case with fuel.That leads to spun rod and main bearings.