I have a 2006 GS500 that I pulled out of storage recently after about a year (a lot longer than I expected). The battery was dead and after charging it, the starter sounds normal but the engine won't start. I decided to try push starting it but the rear wheel just slides on the ground while in second gear. It seems like the engine is seized but I'm not sure where to go from here. Any ideas?
get the plugs out, and stick some penetrating oil down the plughole.. or a little automatic transmission fluid, and by a little i mean maybe a couple of teaspoons (10ml) and leave it for a day or 2. also check the clutch plates aint seized with sitting.
Going by what you said, i.e. it happened in storage from a long lay up. If it is seized it will be a "dry" seize, which is nowhere near as bad as a "hot" seize which happens when the motor runs out of oil and cooks solid.
Patience and time is your friend here if you don't want to cause damage to the motor. so let it soak in penetrating oil, this should help un-gum the rings, and get things moving. i would also consider doing a oil and filter change, as its probably old oil thats got moisture in into it that is well past its best which is causing your issues. be it stuck rings, a stuck clutch or perhaps other parts like the starter clutch.
I was able to roll it a bit in fifth and managed to get it started just as I was about to head out to pick up the penetrating oil.
It's misfiring quite a bit now with a lot of popping at about 3000+ RPM. I can hold my hand behind the exhaust and feel a lot of variance in exhaust pressure. At lower RPMs, the misfiring is audible before it stalls. In my rush to get it in storage, I left the tank about 3/4 full and assume some air moisture got into the tank.
I'm going to try letting it run for a bit before draining the tank. Besides the spark plugs, is there anything else that would be easier to check before pulling the carbs off?
Before you pull the carbs off i would drain the carbs and the fuel out of the tank as petrol that sits for a long time needs to be replaced