Hey guys, new to the forums. Looks like a great resource. I just picked up a '93 GS500 with 10k miles on it for $150 bucks here in SoCal. Has newer tires and a recent tune, the tank has some pin holes that the previous owner did a repair job on with screws and some filler. I did notice the liner in the tank is bad but otherwise it runs GREAT! Looking for a decent tank to put on it, anyone know what years and other models tanks will fit a 93 GS500? Thanks!
Awesome buy. I know all the tanks from 2000 down fit. IDK about the 01-02. Can someone else clarify?
A running bike for $150! Nice find! Check the For Sale part of the forum here for a tank for sale. Or post a WTB (want to buy) in that forum. And welcome to the board!
Now post some pictures.
Quote from: Worm on September 05, 2012, 08:55:13 AM
A running bike for $150! Nice find!
Now post some pictures.
No doubt, nice find! Congrats on the new bike.
+1 on the picts.
Tony
Good work! You may need a few hundred in parts to get it back to spic n' span, but you're still well ahead. Welcome!
:dunno_black: where pics?
Nice snag!! There's only 2 tank designs, both of which will bolt right up. The newer tanks(01+) are bigger, and won't line up perfect with your old style(gsE) seat.
Make sure you are running an inline fuel filter with that sketchy tank lining
Photos fosho!
Quote from: steezin_and_wheezin on September 05, 2012, 11:29:45 AM
Nice snag!! There's only 2 tank designs, both of which will bolt right up.
actually, 3. The NEW new tank, for california, as adidas mentioned to me, that steals capacity from me to add some forth magic hose for emissions purposes.
Not that he needs it for a '93, but its good to be aware that it is out there, in case you buy one by mistake.
i am impressed. thats quite the steal there :bowdown:
Ya I will gets some pics up later when I get home. I do notice that the front forks dip like crazy when I stop or hit a bump, I heard something about making spacers from PVC to improve it. I am a big guy and it would really help the ride. Anyone have any suggestions/links?
Quote from: steezin_and_wheezin on September 05, 2012, 11:29:45 AM
The newer tanks(01+) are bigger, and won't line up perfect with your old style(gsE) seat.
So be sure to get the newer seat if I get a newer tank? Any mods needed?
Speaking of seat, the current and I assume stock seat puts me too far forward, are there any seat mods that move your butt back farther or suggestions for aftermarket seats..
Quote from: Calpantera on September 05, 2012, 12:40:25 PM
Ya I will gets some pics up later when I get home. I do notice that the front forks dip like crazy when I stop or hit a bump, I heard something about making spacers from PVC to improve it. I am a big guy and it would really help the ride. Anyone have any suggestions/links?
this sounds like more than just the usual soft springs, unless you weigh 250lbs or something.
you might be low on fork oil or something.
you probably wanna take the forks apart and do a full servicing of them.
At minimum, replace fork oil. should be relatively fast and cheap. You can do the cheater way and not completely remove the forks to do that :)
Or, if you really want, go buy new springs, and do the whole thing.
Wow! Great score!
Welcome to the site!
Here is a quick pic I shot, you can see the repairs on the tank and the ONLY rip in the seat.
(http://thehoovers.com/images/gs/GS500_800X.jpg)
Quote from: Phil B on September 05, 2012, 02:35:11 PM
this sounds like more than just the usual soft springs, unless you weigh 250lbs or something.
Way to make me feel good about myself there Phil, I weigh 255 ;)
Quote from: Calpantera on September 07, 2012, 06:05:55 PM
Quote from: Phil B on September 05, 2012, 02:35:11 PM
this sounds like more than just the usual soft springs, unless you weigh 250lbs or something.
Way to make me feel good about myself there Phil, I weigh 255 ;)
BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA FAIL
I weigh about the same Cal and my springs do not dip the same as you are describing so I think Phil is correct anyway
BTW thats a steal you got there.
Quote from: codajastal on September 07, 2012, 07:31:36 PM
Quote from: Calpantera on September 07, 2012, 06:05:55 PM
Quote from: Phil B on September 05, 2012, 02:35:11 PM
this sounds like more than just the usual soft springs, unless you weigh 250lbs or something.
Way to make me feel good about myself there Phil, I weigh 255 ;)
BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA FAIL
I weigh about the same Cal and my springs do not dip the same as you are describing so I think Phil is correct anyway
BTW thats a steal you got there.
Are you kidding me? The GS springs are designed for ~175lbs, and they still bottom out. Stock front suspension sucks. Larger spacers isn't going to change that, you'll have more preload, but you'll still bottom out just as easy.
Get some sonic springs, best upgrade you can make to the bike.
By the way, it's a shame about the tank, I thought that was one of the better color schemes.
Quote from: 007brendan on September 08, 2012, 01:42:25 AM
Are you kidding me? The GS springs are designed for ~175lbs, and they still bottom out. Stock front suspension sucks. Larger spacers isn't going to change that, you'll have more preload, but you'll still bottom out just as easy.
...
Meh.... I weigh 150, and when I bought my bike, it was indeed being rather... dippy.. when suddenly going up a steep curb ramp.
But then I changed the fork oil, and it doesnt do that any more.
Sonic springs sound like a winner. But do I get the 90kg or the 95kg springs. Stronger springs than needed or springs that I am just at the limit of? I assume the stronger ones.
GS500 0.90kg/mm Sonic Springs $79.95 If you weigh 115kg or less (253.304 lbs)
GS500 0.95kg/mm Sonic Springs $79.95 If you weigh 130kg or less (286.344 lbs)
Go with the stiffer springs. In addition to your weight, you have to factor in stuff like riding gear, and any luggage you might have, which could easily add another 20-30 lbs. I weigh about 240 and I went with the .95 springs and 15w oil.
I think I am going to ride her to work for the first time tomorrow, it is only supposed to be in the low 90s. Friday I took it to the DMV about 20 miles away and it was 105 out, there was no cooling off. Really kicked my butt..
not bad at all :bowdown:
Quote from: 007brendan on September 09, 2012, 05:43:07 PM
Go with the stiffer springs. In addition to your weight, you have to factor in stuff like riding gear, and any luggage you might have, which could easily add another 20-30 lbs. I weigh about 240 and I went with the .95 springs and 15w oil.
as well as riding terrain. ( roads, speed bumps, speed humps etc )
So rode her to work for two days straight, 40 miles each way, it went pretty well except for two things. One is I had NO idea that there was a safety switch on the side stand, I don't think I have ever had a bike that had one. I kept thinking my clutch had gone out and it would die when I dropped it into gear and not start again, my '86 Interceptor 750 did not have one of these if I remember correctly nor did my Ninja 600, I think it was a late '80s model too. Great idea though, at least now I know I do not have a clutch issue.
I have a wierd issue with the fuel tank/petcock. It seems to run out of fuel well before it should, I mean I can see plenty in the tank but I then have to switch to Reserve. Actually the last time it happened I was on the freeway and reached down to switch it while still going and I "think" it was actually on "prime" when it ran out and then I switched to "On" and it came back alive so I stopped to get gas. I would assume that if it was on prime it should have used the reserve too right? Or does the "prime" position only draw from the "On" fuel outlet, just not requiring vacuum to release fuel. Also my tach was dancing around a bit in the dash when I was up to freeway speeds, I think the rubber grommet/mount on one of the bolts that hold it in place is worn.
I also noticed that no matter how warmed up it is I still idle at about 600-800 rpm and it dies when I let it idle. I am sure the carbs could use a tune, I assumed the plugs were new as they looked really clean on the outside, I will yank em and see how they look too.
Having a blast though!!
A couple things for you:
Prime does run from lower part of the tank. So if you run out of gas on prime, you run out of gas... I suppose it is possible that you may have had enough gas in the 'ON' line, to get a few miles to a gas station.
I would check your float height via the U-tube drain method, and clean your carbs if you can.
Then adjust your idle once you know proper fuel amount and delivery is there.
Good call on checking your plugs, it will tell you more - and post up the pics for each one!
- Bboy
Here are the plugs, left cyl is left and right cyl is on the right. I am going to replace them with the same brand and part number because I have an extra set. NGK DPR8EA 9, any suggestions on the gap?
(http://thehoovers.com/images/gs/gs_plugs.jpg)
They look a little dark, but that may just be the exposure. If they are that dark, you're running rich.
No need to set the gap unless one got dropped or bent or something.
So last week she died on me AGAIN when I was on the freeway, fuel starved. So I decided I need to go ahead and pull the tank and take a looksie. Well it looks like the tank might have been coated before but all of the coating on the top of the tank is coming off and the tank is full of all kind of crap. Not sure if I am going to try and save this tank or swap it out for another.
The other issue I discovered is this..
(http://thehoovers.com/images/gs/IMAG0318.jpg)
The air cleaner came apart and the bottom of it was laying in the bottom of the air box. It looks like the glue failed and there is some sticky muck in the bottom of the airbox so I am going to have to remove it and clean it out.
(http://thehoovers.com/images/gs/IMAG0320.jpg)
Anyone know what brand of filter this is?
I see no markings on it
(http://thehoovers.com/images/gs/IMAG0322.jpg)
Quote from: Calpantera on October 07, 2012, 06:28:55 PM
Anyone know what brand of filter this is?
I see no markings on it
Look carefully.. I think I can make out... "C.... R ..... A..."
:D
just get a new one ;)
Is that a UNI filter?
Quote from: Phil B on October 08, 2012, 07:50:13 AM
Look carefully.. I think I can make out... "C.... R ..... A..."
:D
just get a new one ;)
Ohh ya I saw that as soon as I noticed that it was in two pieces ;)
I just want to warn others about it and post the brand and part number..
I noticed the WIKI "filters" page eluded to the fact that the "el cheapo" foam ones might come apart and here is the proof..
Quote from: modular on October 08, 2012, 07:58:42 AM
Is that a UNI filter?
Not sure, do they have any markings?
yikes purple? lol Will you be painting this thing?
Quote from: Higgins13 on October 09, 2012, 10:24:32 AM
yikes purple? lol Will you be painting this thing?
Ya, I was thinking of doing a street fighter look but the more I commute on the freeway the more I want a fairing.
I like flat black but a nice high visibility color like yellow would be a good idea too. I could still get away with the white rims if I do yellow.
I tore apart both petcocks and they looked really clean. Only issue I saw was it looked like the diaphragm was sticking to the port where it lets fuel in when its actuated. I cleaned up the rubber residue on that port and hopefully it will no longer stick. If it still starves I will try to run in "prime" position all the time and shut off to "On" position when parked. I think this was the issue with my starving under load. Still going to pull the carbs and clean the bowls/jets. If I do a K&N lunch box but no exhaust upgrade will I still have to re-jet? If so what jets do I use?
you will definitely need a rejet with a lunchbox. just adding a new pipe or slip on doesn't even come close to the increased airflow of replacing the old airbox.
read over the wiki and find yourself in the chart. No set is a perfect fit for all bikes, welcome to carb tuning.
http://wiki.gstwins.com/index.php?n=Upgrades.Rejetting
Gad I hate foam filters. Just get a new stock paper element and call it good. Last thing you need is to have to sort out yet another running issue from using a non-stock intake setup.
As for your petcock issues... check to see if the lines from the tank are run correctly. If you swap the two lines on the tank shutoff, you can end up using "Reserve" when the petcock is set to "On" and vice versa.
Quote from: noiseguy on October 30, 2012, 05:05:27 AM
Gad I hate foam filters. Just get a new stock paper element and call it good. Last thing you need is to have to sort out yet another running issue from using a non-stock intake setup.
That is what I "should" do. But when I price out a stock one its only like 10-20 bucks more to get a K&N lunchbox and its so hard not to fiddle with stuff. Lets see if the white angel left shoulder or the red devil on the right shoulder wins.. :icon_twisted:
Suggestion:
Stay 100% stock until you get things running good. THEN change t hings one at a time.
If not running good, and you're changing things, you don't really know where the problem is.
Also, you do not know if changes make the bike run better or worse because you do not know how it should run.
Lots of things are changed out of "fad" or "fashion" or the "status" of saying you did it. Often for no known reason.
Front fork springs: probably the only necessity due to how poor they are and nose diving when braking in a turn.
Pretty much everything else should be on an as-needed basis, not out of "status". Kat shock? Took it off and gave it away. I'm not heavy enough for it and don't like the butt of the bike 2" higher up in the air. Rejet? Only did 40 pilots in older carbs as performance was just fine for my riding but needed better low end for city riding. I will try rejetting a newer set - but only because I have some on the shelf and can swap one for the other with no down time and if I screwed it up, swap back.
Anyway - get things working first in stock configuration. Then change airbox and rejet if you feel it needs it.
Quote from: 007brendan on September 08, 2012, 01:42:25 AM
Are you kidding me? The GS springs are designed for ~175lbs, and they still bottom out. Stock front suspension sucks. Larger spacers isn't going to change that, you'll have more preload, but you'll still bottom out just as easy.
Get some sonic springs, best upgrade you can make to the bike.
I did the math a while ago... The stock fork springs are about right for a 50lb rider. Definitely not sprung for a 175lb person.
Quote from: adidasguy on October 30, 2012, 11:32:39 AM
Suggestion:
Stay 100% stock until you get things running good. THEN change t hings one at a time.
Ya good call. I am hoping to sell my YZ250 I have listed in CL and use that money for this bike. I think I will get a tank and springs and go from there. Only other item I might want is a windshield for the commute.
Quote from: Calpantera on October 30, 2012, 12:16:32 PM
Quote from: adidasguy on October 30, 2012, 11:32:39 AM
Suggestion:
Stay 100% stock until you get things running good. THEN change t hings one at a time.
Ya good call. I am hoping to sell my YZ250 I have listed in CL and use that money for this bike. I think I will get a tank and springs and go from there. Only other item I might want is a windshield for the commute.
:thumb: because you don't know what you want to change until you actually ride it for a while (well, other than front springs which is a given.)
I am amazed at all the stuff I bought when I got into GS500's because "that's what everyone does". Yea - right. gave away lots of stuff including a Werks shock. I was happy with the rear shock for my weight and riding. Up the preload 1 click.
When it really comes down to it, I just wanna ride!!
Listen to adidasguy, start with springs, get everything else back to stock good running order and go from there. I picked up my 96 for the same price, it came with a 04 tank and new tires, but it happened to sit at the inpound lot for three months before I got it. The biggest issue I've had with it has been simple stuff (the phrase a nickel holding up a dollar comes to mind). All the o-rings in the fuel system have needed changed, the electrical system shorting out, and other inexpensive yet PITA issues. Really go through it and fix all the little minor stuff, this will set you up for success later when you want to mod stuff out as you're not only familiar with the bike but know what you got going forward. This site will be a life(and money) saver.