Well, i got the 95 GS500e i was looking at.
Just got back from Indiana with my new purchase.
Long story short, i paid a bit more than i should have. And in classic fashion, the problems started after the PO drove away. Here's the story so far......
Me and my buddy pull up to a large truck stop just across the border into Indiana, we see the guy with the GS on a trailer and pull up. He is a nice gentleman, older, talks a lot. We shake hands and exchange pleasantries. I give the bike a look in the fading sun, its a 95 for sure. Frame and paint seem in good condition, front brake is a bit lopsided, not much, but certainly loose. The clutch needs adjusted, but the shocks feel ok, bike feels good when i sit on it. Who chose these grips? They're hideous. No big deal minor issue......
"Well, lets fire her up" the PO said. "Its been sitting for about a year. I just put a new battery in it, here's the receipt..." hands me the receipt from a few days ago "tires are new only rode on em a few times"
I check the tread depth and it looks pretty up-to-snuff.
He reaches over and turns the key on, puts the choke all the way on, and hits the starter. BAM! Fires right up. "Impressive" i think to myself...."thats a good sign" I say. Especially when its 42* outside.
We let it run for a bit, idle gradually settles down. I get on it and scoot it back and forth. I feels good.
A small bit of smoke puffed out of the exhaust when i gave it some juice. Nothing major. Gas had been sitting in the tank for the better part of a year. I'm not worried.
The idle got a bit lower so i dismounted it and got the flash light out to give it a once over.
She is kinda dirty. Nothing foul, just....its been sitting, and you could tell. Things were loose, and dusty. But she puttered along fine.
I took it off the trailer and snapped it into first. Let the clutch out a bit and she pulled fine. I rowed through the gears really quick, and they all snapped in as good as my 250 Ninja. Maybe a little heavier, but no big deal.
Here's where i ran into my first problem.......
I tried to put it back in neutral and set it on the kick stand, but i COULD NOT get it in neutral. I could feel the neutral space, and the small "click" but it took so much pressure to go from 1st to 2nd i would miss it every time.
I rocked it back and forth to see if that helped...no, it didnt. "Hmm..." i thought. "I know what im doing......wtf??!" The clutch was so loose just a slight loosining of my grip on it would roll the bike forward. "Man this thing needs adjusted.....But that should be easy......" I hit the kill switch, and she would go into neutral just fine. Like butter.
I wasn't worried too much.
I could haggle a bit, but he's already dropped the price $100, and he drove an hour and a half here, we drove 2 hours....
I haggled a bit more. Another $50 off.....ok......not too bad.
I shut the bike off and looked in the gas tank with a flash light. A small, tiny bit of rust in there. A few specks. Hmm....could be trouble....but it was just running fine! Wow....this thing is dangerously low on gas. Maybe a 12oz can worth of gas in there.
Another $50 off.
So, i sign the receipt, verify the VIN numbers on the bike and title. Check the title, it looks good. I know Illinois Titles, this is an Indiana one....looks legit though. I wondered if there is any weirdness with moving it to Illinois.....couldnt be too crazy was our general consensus.
I shook hands with the PO, "good doing business!" I said, "thanks for the extra effort to bring it here"
"No problem, I'm going to take off if you boys dont need my help getting it in the truck, i'll stay if you do though....."
I figured we could manage it. PO takes off, and i turn the bike to face the truck. Before we put it in though, i wanted to fill it up with gas, get some fresh non-year-old fuel into it.
I fired it up and rode it over to the pumps (about 50yrds). I filled it up, and dropped some carb cleaner in there. Couldn't hurt.....
Fired it up and rode it around the lot, shifted into second, shifted fine. I leaned a bit to the left...... Then......
She died.
Hmm.....
Now it wont fire back up. I crank it and it just wont fire up. It wants to, but just dies. Chokes on, tank set to "fuel", it was just running.....its in neutral.....kick stand is up.......why wont it just start and stay running?
%$^#
I walk it back to the truck. And lean it over. Me and my buddy look it over. Then, my trouble started.
We saw fuel leaking. Drip...drip...drip....
SONOVA--
We try starting it again....nothing....again...nothing.....it has to be flooded.
So i decide to head back into the station and grab a drink, and some towels.
While on the way back out, my buddy had it started again, he adjusted the idle screw to even out the idle. We set it so it warmed up and idled at an even 1500 or so. Crisis averted!
Nope.
Checking the ground a puddle of gas had started to form. I shut it down.
Well, nothing to do now...its my problem i guess.
_ _ _ k!
We put it in the truck. Tie it down tight, and make our way back home.
----
After unloading, i put teh choke on, and BAM! She fires right up again. Idle goes crazy, and rockets to 6000rpm, i kill it before it goes higher.
Turn off the choke (all the way!) and BAM! she fires up again. I thought this was strange because the engine was CERTAINLY cold from riding in the back of the truck for 100 miles and its maybe 40* outside. She idles fine though, some Idle Screw adjustments, and she is doing ok. Then, it started to pop a bit. Like spark wasn't fully igniting in one cylinder. I give it gas and a puff of smoke comes out. Pop.poppopopop.....then at idle it seems ok.
"Well...that's strange"...i think. Oh well...probably just bad gas, from sitting a year, needs worked out. Valves need adjustment probably...no big worry. I decide to put the kick stand down and let her warm up a bit in the parking lot. AS SOON as i leaned her over to the left a bit, WHAM! It rockets to 6000+ rpm just straight up like i WOT'd it. I hit the kill switch.
"Crap dude, you have a puddle of gas there..." He says.
I said stuff i cant repeat.
So we pushed it over into my parking spot, parked my Jeep in front of it....and here i am.
So, fine gentlemen (and ladies!!) Where do i start first.......?????
Where do you start?
PICTURES
Well, I think you're probably over-thinking the whole thing a bit.
It's been sitting. The carbs are probably gummed up. There's probably some sediment/rust in the float bowls that's getting hung up in the pilot jets causing that surging idle.
Where is the gas coming from - the lines hanging off the right side of the bike? The float needles are probably worn out and/or the floats are sticking.
You can start by familiarizing yourself with the carbs - check the sticky in the general section. It would be helpful to have a shop manual for it.
I wouldn't keep trying to get it to run with the oil that's currently in it.
This is what I would do, in this order:
Empty the tank
Clean the carbs
Replace the spark plugs
Change the oil
While you're in there you can inspect the rubber mounts that go from the carbs to the motor. Should be free of cracks and imperfections. This is a common place for air leaks - especially on older bikes. Air leaks cause surging idle like you're describing.
Quote from: adidasguy on March 10, 2012, 12:34:03 AM
Where do you start?
PICTURES
YEa, i snapped some with my phone, but it was (is) night time, and you cant really see much. Trust me, its on my #1 list of things to do tomorrow.
Kijona:
I sure hope i'm over thinking things! I think part of it is, i know in my heart of hearts i should have talked him down another $200 to make it a deal in MY favor. I know i should have. But i get the whole "nice guy" vibe about me, and he drove so far...and my buddy drove his truck (and wouldnt let me pay for gas because he's that nice of a guy) that far....and ..and ...and....
yea.
Anyhow, i did some FAQ reading on here, and found some good stuff. My buddy has done carb work on his Shadow so he is in the know more than me. My last bike was brand new and under warranty so anytime it needed something i just dropped it off, had some BBQ across the street, and picked it up. I hope to change that lack of know-how with this bike.
My hope is to have it running by April. So thats about 3 weeks. Hopefully enough time to get everything square.
Thanks you for the check-list. I'll follow that as a starting guide.
Quote from: ninjeff on March 09, 2012, 11:10:52 PM
Well, i got the 95 GS500e i was looking at.
Just got back from Indiana with my new purchase.
Long story short, i paid a bit more than i should have. And in classic fashion, the problems started after the PO drove away. Here's the story so far......
Me and my buddy pull up to a large truck stop just across the border into Indiana, we see the guy with the GS on a trailer and pull up. He is a nice gentleman, older, talks a lot. We shake hands and exchange pleasantries. I give the bike a look in the fading sun, its a 95 for sure. Frame and paint seem in good condition, front brake is a bit lopsided, not much, but certainly loose. The clutch needs adjusted, but the shocks feel ok, bike feels good when i sit on it. Who chose these grips? They're hideous. No big deal minor issue......
"Well, lets fire her up" the PO said. "Its been sitting for about a year. I just put a new battery in it, here's the receipt..." hands me the receipt from a few days ago "tires are new only rode on em a few times"
I check the tread depth and it looks pretty up-to-snuff.
He reaches over and turns the key on, puts the choke all the way on, and hits the starter. BAM! Fires right up. "Impressive" i think to myself...."thats a good sign" I say. Especially when its 42* outside.
We let it run for a bit, idle gradually settles down. I get on it and scoot it back and forth. I feels good.
A small bit of smoke puffed out of the exhaust when i gave it some juice. Nothing major. Gas had been sitting in the tank for the better part of a year. I'm not worried.
The idle got a bit lower so i dismounted it and got the flash light out to give it a once over.
She is kinda dirty. Nothing foul, just....its been sitting, and you could tell. Things were loose, and dusty. But she puttered along fine.
I took it off the trailer and snapped it into first. Let the clutch out a bit and she pulled fine. I rowed through the gears really quick, and they all snapped in as good as my 250 Ninja. Maybe a little heavier, but no big deal.
Here's where i ran into my first problem.......
I tried to put it back in neutral and set it on the kick stand, but i COULD NOT get it in neutral. I could feel the neutral space, and the small "click" but it took so much pressure to go from 1st to 2nd i would miss it every time.
I rocked it back and forth to see if that helped...no, it didnt. "Hmm..." i thought. "I know what im doing......wtf??!" The clutch was so loose just a slight loosining of my grip on it would roll the bike forward. "Man this thing needs adjusted.....But that should be easy......" I hit the kill switch, and she would go into neutral just fine. Like butter.
I wasn't worried too much.
I could haggle a bit, but he's already dropped the price $100, and he drove an hour and a half here, we drove 2 hours....
I haggled a bit more. Another $50 off.....ok......not too bad.
I shut the bike off and looked in the gas tank with a flash light. A small, tiny bit of rust in there. A few specks. Hmm....could be trouble....but it was just running fine! Wow....this thing is dangerously low on gas. Maybe a 12oz can worth of gas in there.
Another $50 off.
So, i sign the receipt, verify the VIN numbers on the bike and title. Check the title, it looks good. I know Illinois Titles, this is an Indiana one....looks legit though. I wondered if there is any weirdness with moving it to Illinois.....couldnt be too crazy was our general consensus.
I shook hands with the PO, "good doing business!" I said, "thanks for the extra effort to bring it here"
"No problem, I'm going to take off if you boys dont need my help getting it in the truck, i'll stay if you do though....."
I figured we could manage it. PO takes off, and i turn the bike to face the truck. Before we put it in though, i wanted to fill it up with gas, get some fresh non-year-old fuel into it.
I fired it up and rode it over to the pumps (about 50yrds). I filled it up, and dropped some carb cleaner in there. Couldn't hurt.....
Fired it up and rode it around the lot, shifted into second, shifted fine. I leaned a bit to the left...... Then......
She died.
Hmm.....
Now it wont fire back up. I crank it and it just wont fire up. It wants to, but just dies. Chokes on, tank set to "fuel", it was just running.....its in neutral.....kick stand is up.......why wont it just start and stay running?
%$^#
I walk it back to the truck. And lean it over. Me and my buddy look it over. Then, my trouble started.
We saw fuel leaking. Drip...drip...drip....
SONOVA--
We try starting it again....nothing....again...nothing.....it has to be flooded.
So i decide to head back into the station and grab a drink, and some towels.
While on the way back out, my buddy had it started again, he adjusted the idle screw to even out the idle. We set it so it warmed up and idled at an even 1500 or so. Crisis averted!
Nope.
Checking the ground a puddle of gas had started to form. I shut it down.
Well, nothing to do now...its my problem i guess.
_ _ _ k!
We put it in the truck. Tie it down tight, and make our way back home.
----
After unloading, i put teh choke on, and BAM! She fires right up again. Idle goes crazy, and rockets to 6000rpm, i kill it before it goes higher.
Turn off the choke (all the way!) and BAM! she fires up again. I thought this was strange because the engine was CERTAINLY cold from riding in the back of the truck for 100 miles and its maybe 40* outside. She idles fine though, some Idle Screw adjustments, and she is doing ok. Then, it started to pop a bit. Like spark wasn't fully igniting in one cylinder. I give it gas and a puff of smoke comes out. Pop.poppopopop.....then at idle it seems ok.
"Well...that's strange"...i think. Oh well...probably just bad gas, from sitting a year, needs worked out. Valves need adjustment probably...no big worry. I decide to put the kick stand down and let her warm up a bit in the parking lot. AS SOON as i leaned her over to the left a bit, WHAM! It rockets to 6000+ rpm just straight up like i WOT'd it. I hit the kill switch.
"Crap dude, you have a puddle of gas there..." He says.
I said stuff i cant repeat.
So we pushed it over into my parking spot, parked my Jeep in front of it....and here i am.
So, fine gentlemen (and ladies!!) Where do i start first.......?????
This is the longest post I have ever seen in my life....lol.
I would just start on one thing and finish it befor you start another. Make a list and scratch off what you have done.
Everything you listed there except having trouble getting into neutral sounded like gummed up carbs to me. I wouldn't feel too bad about it...yet.
My bike carbs were terrible when I bought it, not to mention all the other things I had to do on it, and I still don't have it running right. Still looking at it as a learning experience.
Filthy carbs, and you probably need to adjust the throttle cable and check for vacuum leaks (leans to the left and jumps to 6k).
Congrats on the purchase!
Thanks guys.
Sorry about the long original post. I got home last night and just...typed away! lol.
Anyway, here is what everyone has been waiting for.....drum roll please.......
PICTURES!
I snapped a bunch when i got home from work today. The video is important kind of.......
I just got home, its 65*, and it started right up, no choke, no throttle, just...BOOM! off it goes. Right to 6000rpm. Engine is cold as could be.
Throttle cable do you think?
Also, if anyone see's anything out of place...let me know. I'm here to learn, cause when it comes to wrenching on bikes, im as new as you could get.
If you DO have any advice, or know of places to get good replacement parts (like grips...those are hideous), please post a link.
Enjoy!
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_160621.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_160635.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_160652.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_160700.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_160814.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_160940.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_160959.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_161016.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_161042.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_161135.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_161143.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_161153.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_161223.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_161257.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_161314.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_161321.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/IMG_20120310_161330.jpg)
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/th_VID_20120310_160834.jpg) (http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/Ninjeff/?action=view¤t=VID_20120310_160834.mp4)
Looks good. Move the handlebars from full lock to full lock. If it's a throttle cable issue, the RPMs will change.
I'm leaning more towards a vacuum leak. Pull out the starter fluid and see if you can find it.
Since you'll be messing with the carbs anyway it's probably a good time to go ahead and replace the pilot jets with #40's.
I would strongly recommend replacing the float bowl gaskets after you take the thing apart - my 97 had great looking gaskets and I tried to reuse them. Don't make the same mistake I did - they immediately started leaking gas.
You didn't say (or did you?) where the gas was coming from? My guess is it's coming out of the vent line.
It looks great.
You need another mirror and your grips look like they need to be replaced. Also it looks like the clutch and break leavers are bent. It must have been dropped or something.
I think also think that cleaning the carbs will help alot with a few of your problems. If you do any work on it post it. We love to see work getting done. Cheers bro and good find.
Well, carb cleaning first, along with adjustments as needed.
Objective 1: Get it so i can ride back and forth to work and band practice (about 20 miles each way give or take). I just need to get it reliably ride-able for the first step. That means carb work (clearly, its leaking TONS of fuel) K&N filter while im under there.
Objective 2: Chase down a set of 89 bars (or something like them, but i'd prefer '89 bars) while switching, put on new grips, new levers, bar end mirrors, braided brake lines
Objective 3: New rear shock and progressive front springs. New pegs, new chain (its doing ok right now)
Objective 4: Either trade the purple parts for a different color no one wants, or re-paint.
Objective 5: Bask in the awesomeness of my beautiful GS.
That is a very nice clean looking bike.
You did good.
Dirty float needle/seats, easy fix.