Hey guys.
Finally took the bike out for a nice ride that was actually beyond my neighborhood and it won't go faster then 45 mph!!
I don't know what it could be and it'd better not be serious.
I'm thinking plugs or cylinders? At first I thought just my shifting was a little rusty blah blah. But no even in sixth gear with throttle all the way opened it would still evenuslly get up there .
Please tell me what this could be and how to fix it if anyone's run into this before! I need to fix it asap being I drive on a freeway to work daily!
Thanks a bunch everyone.
I'm new to this forum and learning about these bikes. On my 79 KZ 650 a similar situation and it turned to be air not getting to the carbs intake. Have you tried disconnecting the intakeboots to the air box? In the process of elimination I would start with the easiest 1st. Also any disruption in fuel delivery, then maybe clogged jets. Also may consider engine timing. That's my thoughts.
What year, naked or faired, and do you have any mods? That might help narrow it down.
If it is naked, there's a common problem with a vacuum hose that gets too much cross wind and causes fuel starvation. Also, these bikes hate inline fuel filters, as they also cause fuel starvation.
Any other symptoms like bogging, weird idle, etc?
So it's a fully stock 06 gs500f faired. Has been bogging a tiny bit nothing crazy. Also on my way to work it stalled in sixth gear after having the throttle all the way open..stalled as soon as I let up a bit. Other then that it's fine and it's only been in my hands for a week. Previous owner said he had no problems at all (could be b.s) abd that he was getting to about 40mph in second gear..
I read something about dirty spark plugs and bad coils? I feel like it's something stupid but I don't know enough yet to test things out.
Thanks guys
Coils and what not, likely no.
I think you may have a rip in the diaphragm ...
Or you may have a seriously clogged air filter ...
Or no - very bad fuel flow.
Cool.
Buddha.
Thanks man
How can I start testing those things now though?
Air filter I'm sure I can figure out but I'm real new to bikes so the diaphragm...fuel flow..not sure where to start with those.
Cool. Appreciate it!
Just guessing, but the motor rpm's just kind of flatline around 45 mph?
The reason I ask, is because if you hit 45 mph and your rpm's increase with more throttle, than it's your clutch.
Nope they just kinda stop moving up at that speed:/
This definitely cannot be just from me being bad at running through the gears either correct? I mean I'm not terrible but I haven't rode in about ten years or so.
Also I was noticing that once or twice on my maybe 25 mile ride home it would just bog down to the point where I would have to pull over...go back down to first..completely stop abd start going again.
Just so weird abd frustrating! Just got this Damn bike and I'm having nothing but problems!!
Try leaving the bike in prime, turn it off for a few minutes, start it back up, then accelerate briskly -- does it still top off at 45? If so, it's a carburetion issue. If you can get past 45 but the bike eventually starts bogging again, it's a fuel delivery issue.
Have you checked the basics? How does both spark plugs look are they gaped correctly? Do you have full oil in the motor? Are any gas tank wires pinched ?
Also when you reach 45mph does the motor sound change like its struggling And the rpms drop?
@badot-I'm going to try that first thing tomorrow. Finally have a day off so I'm just gonna take everything apart and check everything out.
And @nocluejoe- it does seem like it struggles when I get it to where it won't go any faster..but only sometimes. It's so odd some rides are fine (except it not being able to go past 40-45)
But then out of nowhere I'll run into problems!
Just now on my way home I shifted down to first after a long stretch of backroad and I had to ride the clutch basically for about a mile! Any time I have it has and completely let go of the clutch it would lug and lurch like the throttle wasn't doing anything! But then I pulled the choke out a bit and it just stopped doing that and it was fine again....like...it's a joke lol.
At this point it sounds like a fuel issue I'm guessing? It's just not getting enough power.
I've been reading a lot about people losing cylinders and only having "half power" but like I said I haven't been able to fully work on the bike yet. This is only my second day having it on the road.
Wish I had a go pro so I could just show you guys. I know it's something fixable and not a HUGE deal. Please tell me I'm right?!
Also..this probably doesn't have to do with it but my indicator clusters aren't working either. Thought I'd throw that out there in case it could be relative.
Ah anyway..thanks a lot for everyone's input! Keep it coming because I gotta get this bike solid!
You can test if you're running on one cylinder by starting her up cold and keeping your hands on the sides of the cylinders/heads.
Do they warm evenly? If one's staying cool to the touch while you can't keep your hand on the other without being burned, than the colder one is not running. Your spark plug would also appear really wet on that side (supposing it's a spark issue, that is).
Sounds like a throttle cable thats why it will work on chock have you looked at your carbs recently best thing to do is stop riding it take off your carbs and inspect those
Having ridden my 02 GS home about 10 miles on one cylinder your 45 mph top speed sounds familiar. I'd check that out first, my problem was a plug wire loose in the coil. They are screwed in and then bonded in place and can't be turned if they are OK. If you can turn it screw it out, cut off about 1/4", and screw it in tight for a good temporary fix.
Loss of a cylinder could also be due to a bad pick-up coil, if you check the spark in the conventional manner of holding the plug with wire on it against the cylinder and cranking engine and it sparks the pickup is working but does not prove plug will be sparking in cylinder under pressure. When buying a used bike it's a good idea to put a new set of plugs anyway soon as possible, they are cheap enough.
If the loss of a cylinder is a carburation problem then maybe one of our carb gurus can help you, I've put my 180k GS miles on a 97 and a 02 GS without ever touching the carbs, stock all the way. Been know to say "Don't mess with your carbs and they won't mess with you."
Badot's suggestion above is a good idea to check for a fuel flow problem rather than spark or carb problem. By the way, a compression check is also a good idea on a newly acquired bike to check it's basic condition. If you don't have a gage a finger over the hole, crank, and pop check is helpful, no or low compression can result in running on one cylinder too.
Awesome all of this is great.
How do I get to the cylinders though? Does anyone have a labeled diagram of the system? I know the plugs on the carb and ya gotta pop the tank off but if you guys know of any videos or have specific instructions that'd be great too.
I'm gonna check the basics out right now..air filter..plugs etc.
Keep it coming tho guys it's very helpful! Thank you!
The 45 mph speed limit is a safety feature for new riders. After you have put some miles in the bike knows it and runs normal.
..........sorry couldn't help it.......................
Lolllll if only that were true my friend...
Just had a neighbor check it out and he says it's the carb. Revving it in neutral and it would go up to about 6-7k but it wouldn't hold it. Goes up and then slowly goes down ....slowly comes back up.
Looked up carbs and I got prices about 77-150 bucks does that sound about right for a 2006 gs500f?
Why not just repair the carb for half the price
Well yeah I could do that but I don't want to risk it still being crap when I can just get a new one and throw it on ykno?
You think it would be okay to just take it apart and fix it?
Agreed - open up and rebuild your current carbs.
Any carbs you buy are going to need cleaned up anyway, so save the time and money and do your current ones yourself.
wont be the signal generator, its single pickup post 2001, so thats an all or nothing thing.
If you haven't replaced the plugs yet do that.
Checking the coils resistance wise is easy too.
if its the carbs, they are very easy to clean. fire up the air compressor and get a few cans of spray carb cleaner.
and a bunch of little yogurt cups for parts organizing, of you're scatterbrained.
I'm going to try it out tomorrow.
Do you guys agree going by what I've described? That its a carb problem?
It definitely sounds it to me...
It just won't get up to the correct rpms and if it does or I try to throttle up to 6/7rpms it just bogs down .
Either way, can anyone give me some advice as to taking them apart from begining to end? Or maybe direct me to some awesome direction? I'm comfortable doing it as I'm pretty good with cars but I've not worked on a bike before.
45 mph or 6/7k in neutral is about where I'd expect the slides to start going up significantly. Be sure to take a close look at your slide diaphragms and springs, needles, main jet/emulsion tubes, and float heights.
If you get a chance to do more tests before you tear it down... can you get your speed any higher by turning the choke on? That'll tell you if it's too lean or rich.
There is a video in the video thread above for the carbs, though I believe they are the older (pre-2001) carbs.
If you haven't yet, you should pick up either a Haynes or Clymer shop manual for the gs500. That's probably about the most important tool in your tool box for these bikes.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
@badot no the choke doesn't do anything to help push it harder. It just revs higher when I stop at a light or somethin.
I'm just gonna start opening her up now because I just wanna get on the road and be able to ride with no problems.
Found some videos on YouTube that I can follow along so I'm just gonna go ahead and do it.
There's two carbs on thhese bikes right? I thought it was just one but the videos show two. It was also for a 500e but it's pretty much the same?
I don't have the tool to measure heights and gaps and all that so I was just going to clean everything and try to see where the problem lies.
Is there anything else I should pay extra attention to due to the problem I'm having? Or in general?
I really feel like it's Either a fuel delivery issue..not getting good air flow. Thinking dirty jets maybe?
while you're pulling it all apart you might as well check valve clearances too. It never hurts to know where you're at.
A lot of times a good carb cleaning will make everything perfect again. sometimes it is that simple!
@funderb can you elaborate more on checking the valve clearance? Where are they..how to check etc?
Also...not sure if anyone's seen my other post about my indicator cluster not working but while I have everything apart I'd like to try and fix those too. Anyone have anything to say about that?
Quote from: jdoorn14 on May 27, 2014, 05:35:46 AM
If you haven't yet, you should pick up either a Haynes or Clymer shop manual for the gs500. That's probably about the most important tool in your tool box for these bikes.
I just want to repeat this. The service manuals have details about valve clearance checks, carb cleaning, etc.. And in the meantime, use the search function on the forum for "how-to" guides. Every detail has been gone over online already, so nobody wants to type it all out again.
Check the Video Tutorial Thread link at the top of the General Message Forum, it contains 3 good videos on valve checks/adjustment depending on bike year that were made by BaltimoreGS:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=58403.0
Alrighty so first off its pretty annoying when people wanna go to threads and go through the time to type out a complaint about my lack of searching for answers. But that's expected.
Anyway...pulled the floats bowls off and what do I find?
Sand!!! Sand and gas and build up and all kinds of good stuff.
Obviously the seller had the bike during hurricane sandy (I live in nj) and decided he would leave that little detail out of the sale! Awesome!
Cleaned out the jets. They were completely blocked up. Cleaned out all the filth from the floats. Set the floats etc.
Now I just have to wait for some free time to put the carb back on and hope that all that crap was the problem.
I'm thinking it was just getting way to much fuel and was flooding out. Especially being my air filter was soaked in gas.
Cleaned that up good too. Box and all so I hope it does something. Definitely can't hurt it right.
Just praying that the sand and salt water didn't get into the actual engine. 👏
Tell me what you guys think.
I'll try to post some pics of what I found and I also have a question about this strange hose/plug that was connected to the air box I believe. Looks like it should be a drain but the end isn't open. Almost as if it were used as a plug?
Thanks guys. You're great
YouTube has a really nice visual guide for the valve clearance checked. Helped me tons! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J19aNdXV08
Airbox drain should have an end piece on it. Pardon the reference, but it looks like a little peter. It's designed so that gas can drain out if the carbs flood, but also so that nothing gets sucked in - because that hose would bypass the filter and could suck in road grime and random debris if it didn't have that end cap with a slit in it.
I also wanted to add on that carb cleaning you did... Did you happen to open the top of the carbs and clean the valve needles?... That sand was likely keeping those needles from seating and is why your carbs were flooding despite having clogged jets. A tiny grain of sand stuck on that valve seat can cause an overflow of gas into your airbox if its stubborn self is positioned just right.
Edit:
... I would even go so far as to drain and clean the tank, and replace fuel lines if you really think it went through a storm like that. I've seen a car that went through it, brand new that was from a dealer's lot. You wouldn't believe all the things they did to it before even starting it. Even after everything they did, it got auctioned off from a salvage lot.
Also, you might as well clean the air filter... no telling what a storm like that could put in there. You don't want anything besides fuel, air, and oil inside that engine... Anything else, no matter the size, will wreak havoc on an engine.
- Bboy
Thanks @bboy. I did clean the air filter really good so I got that right. I opened the top of one carbb to inspect it but it was actually very very clean to my surprise. I 're seated that needle and greased everything up nice.
I am going to clean out the tank before I put it back on also.
That drain is supposed to have an end like that though? It didn't look like it had an opening but it's possible I just didn't see it. It wasn't working either way though being the filter was soaked with fuel.
I'm hoping by cleaning everything out and getting all that gunk out that it will solve my problem. What do you think?
Quote from: garyg199 on May 27, 2014, 08:49:51 PM
Alrighty so first off its pretty annoying when people wanna go to threads and go through the time to type out a complaint about my lack of searching for answers. But that's expected.
I'm going to assume this is a reference to my response? If so, here's why I said that:
You asked about how to check the valves. If it were as simple as "unbolt the 4 bolts labeled 'valve check' and make sure there are valves in the engine", then I'd be glad to type it out every time. But it's not that easy, and there are a lot of very specific steps (and possible problems that could arise) and it's unfair for any one person to type that out.
You asked some other questions which, to me at least, shows that you haven't gotten to know very much about the GS500. Which is fine, you're a new owner, I get that too. But eventually (if you haven't already), you are going to trust your life and the life of others to the 400 pound potential gasoline bomb between your legs. I recommend learning as much as you can about anything you trust your life with.
Quote from: garyg199 on May 28, 2014, 05:15:44 AM
That drain is supposed to have an end like that though? It didn't look like it had an opening but it's possible I just didn't see it. It wasn't working either way though being the filter was soaked with fuel.
Pics always help.
(http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/A520_0203_AirboxDrainHose.jpg)
Wanted to make sure you saw what you 'should' see. I have seen a bike before that actually had a plug on the end of it. My best guess is that whoever did it had lost the original end piece, and thought it was simply a plug on there previously. A plug would be fine for temporary so it doesn't suck anything into it, but if carbs overflow, your airbox will hold the gas. Which leads me to my next point: If you do have the correct fitting on the end, it may need cleaned out. It's possible the end of it is blocked by something, causing the gas not to drain as it should when carbs overflow.
And then leading to the next point. If gas does not drain out of the airbox properly, gas will overflow into the engine. Which means your crank case gets an overfilled mixture of gas oil. Gas mixed with oil is no longer a lubricant that clings to a surface well... as such, its bad for an engine... even worse for a GS500 engine, because they are notorious for catastrophic bearing failures in low lubrication situations. Check the oil level, and see if it smells like gas.
Not to put a terror into you about your purchase. Every design has its flaw... If you check your oil often, and change it regularly, the GS500 is truly a bulletproof bike, and hence its worthy following you find here!
- Bboy
Those youtube links are gold for learning to check your valve clearances.
QuoteSand!!! Sand and gas and build up and all kinds of good stuff.
Obviously the seller had the bike during hurricane sandy (I live in nj) and decided he would leave that little detail out of the sale! Awesome!
haha if it is indeed sand that would be nutso. give them a good cleaning! Ethanol crystals look just like sand, btw.
might want to check the FUEL TANK for the sand too!!! you can pull the petcock off and dump the fuel into a container then rinser her out with more fuel/seafoam if you find more sand. DEFINITELY add a fuel filter if there isn't one. Make sure its a see through one that flows easily. Run some clean fuel through all the fuel lines too! rinse em out.
I've cleaned the same ethanol sand out of one chain saw, six bikes, three outboards, and countless weed whackers. it'll f%$k yer day up.
I bet shell be right as rain after the carbs and tank are cleaned.
Signal generator usually dies with heat. If it was starting to go, it would run great when cold, and if you got on open road before it got to the breaking point in temperature it will run great as long as you kept the throttle open and the revs above 4-5k. The instant you shut the throttle though, it will lose 1 cyl after it got hot. Of course it will progress rather rapidly from there to where it never fires on that 1 cyl.
You likely have carb issues, not electrical.
Cool.
Buddha.
Hey guys thanks a bunch for all of the help. Seriously. Tomorrow will be the day I see if cleaning everything out has done the job. I sure hope so!
@bigrich listen man...I just took a bit of offence to your comment..not trying to start trouble and I appreciate your concern for my knowledge and lack there of.
Also..@funderb. Super cool that you're confident it will be all good. Definitely makes me a lot more confident to! Not gonna lie I've been pretty darn nervous that I bought a 1200 sandbox on wheels but I think she'll be just fine. Not the first robe I've heard that these bikes are "bulletproof" . Awesome.
And that picture of that drain is pretty much what mine looks like. I'll try to get a picture of mine up to. It very well may be clogged as I didn't know it had an opening in it at all. I'll check it out and see what the deal is.
Side note: so gas IS supposed to go into the air box? Figured that would be a big no no because of how a car air filter would work and should stay dry right?
One more thing...I know this may be redundant but I'm going to have to adjust these carbs once I get them on correct? Can anyone point me in the direction or recommend a good video/page on how to do it? I use the search function here but I can never find exactly what I need.
Thanks again
No problem on my end, sir. Just wanted to make sure you're approaching everything the best way possible.
In regards to gas in the airbox: there is a "normal" amount that gets in there. But that's just from the carbs spitting a little bit, and a water / gas vapor mix that liquidates inside the box. If you ever get a constant leak from the drain hose, there are problems.
I can't remember, but if you have a stock intake / exhaust system there really isn't a whole lot to adjust in the carbs. The float level will need checked and adjusted, along with your fuel / air mixture screws (unless you have the stock intake / exhaust mentioned previously), and they should be synchronized. Some carbs work their way out of sync, some carbs don't, but it's good to do it and make sure they are good.
Cool Rich . Thanks I appreciate it a lot. Definitely wanna learn fun bags bike inside out because like you said it a big middle between my legs and I understand the danger involved.
I'm pretty sure everything is all stock. Parts have definitely been changed for maintenance purposes and there's obviously been some modifications done to the wiring which is why I can't figure out why my indicator cluster isn't working. (Which I'd really like to fix as well). Anyway. I checked the floats..they're good and at the right heights. Cleaned the bowls etc. You think I should just hook it all Back up and let her run and it'll be good? That would be awesome because it sucks not being able to ride it at it's full potential!
Thanks again bud!
Yeah.....that's tough for me to say. A quick blasting with carb cleaner and rinsing out the bowls / gas tank should get you riding around with little issues. But to get the bike back to 100%, fun all the time? I'd plan on doing a really thorough clean up and overall maintenance.
The good news: once you get EVERYTHING back within spec and cleaned up, you shouldn't have any problems for a looooonnnng time (as long as maintenance is kept up......).
Hey Rich ...
Thanks for that first off cuz I've been pretty worried like I said. I got everything back together right but I'm worried about getting her started after having everything pulled out. She used to start right up unless the battery was dead of course and even though I didn't try to hard she just kept cranking. Eventually after about four times my battery died and I put her away out of frustration.
This is normal right? I read that it's gonna take some time and some cranking to get her to start up after having everything out? Is there any tricks or tips you could let me in on? Anything else I'm supposed to do street reassembly?
Thanks again!
You'll need to set the petcock to "prime" first, or else the float bowls will be dry. I don't know how long, or even where it's at (notice I don't have a GS500.....). And make sure the choke lever is down too.
Okay cool yeah I primed it...know there's gas in the floats cuz I opened the bowl drain a tad to see. Um by having the choke down you mean fully engaged correct?
Is it in fact normal for the bike to take a while to start? Have you ever experienced this? And if so about how long did it take for it to eventually turn over?*
Your choke circuit (actually a fuel enrichment circuit) or pilot jets might still be clogged. With clean carbs and a strong battery....and everything else up to spec......it should fire up within seconds.
Unless your valves are tight? That will make it hard to start too.
Hmmm well I'm not to sure about the choke circuit. Didn't get to much into that yet but I do know my battery is weak. Also I forgot to mention that before I even took the carbs out I pulled the right spark plug and it had a good amount of that carbon "soot" on it. Totally forgot about them and I wanted to change them too. I'll charge my battery for a while and get some new plugs...hopefully that'll help start up .
Speaking of plugs...the wire that was on said plug I pulled seemed to be just sorta sitting on top of it . It looks like the plug is supposed to be scrrewed into the plug as well as screwed into the bike. Is that right? Or can the wires just rest on top and in a way "snap" on to the top?
So the throttle side float bowl isn't draining gas so I'm guessing it's not getting any.also gonna guys that it's why it won't start now too?
Why wouldn't that side be getting fuel if the left side is? I'm so confused could I have mixed up hoses?
I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got the b@!#$ to start!!
Now I just hope that I solved my problem and could go faster then friggin 35 ha!!
Wish me luck!