Hey everyone, new here and have a few questions about a bike I just bought, its a 89 gs500 that i got off of craigslist for $50. It has no title, no airbox, and the guy said it would only run on starting fluid. I replaced the fuel filter, drained the old gas, and got a new battery and it runs now, ive driven it up and down the road a few times and its pretty fast. It has a few issues tho. 1.The first is it only runs on reserve or PRI, it will run on ON, but only for a short while before it dies (vacuum issue?). 2. I changed the oil, and it smelled like gas, and now the new oil does too. 3. It boggs down at low rpms, when your in first going slow (under 10mph) is this normal for these bikes? 4. The throttle sticks when you rev it, i sprayed the cable and spring with wd40, but it still does it. Thanks for any help with these issues, once I get the title situation figured out I'd like to get my license with it, It's a blast to ride!!
1 either a vacuum issue or one of the lines from the tank is blocked.
2 if you leave it on prime while the engine is off then fuel can seep past worn out float needles and into your engine
3 not normal to bog, should be peppy.
4 try lubricating the throttle tube housing and the butterfly valve in the carbs
For the throttle sticking, eliminate one part at a time until you figure out what it is. Rev the bike by hand by lifting the butterfly valve linkage, then pull the cable at the throttle end with pliers, etc.
And depending where you live, that title issue might be a VERY big deal. Don't spend another dime until you have a clear title in your name. Worst scenario is you lose the bike because the title shows up as stolen.
Yeah the title issue is what I am worried about. The bike has a plate on it from 07 so maybe I could have a cop or someone at the dmv run it to see who the original owner was, then contact them and hope they have a title. Other then that I'm not sure how to get a title, all I have is a bill of sale.
I bought my bike with a bill of sale, the dmv checked the record and gave me a title no problem
Quote from: joe1234 on May 14, 2016, 07:51:11 PM
Yeah the title issue is what I am worried about. The bike has a plate on it from 07 so maybe I could have a cop or someone at the dmv run it to see who the original owner was, then contact them and hope they have a title. Other then that I'm not sure how to get a title, all I have is a bill of sale.
DMV can contact the previous owner. But some states are bigger PITA than others.
Cool.
Buddha.
Let me second (third, fourth, fifth?) the title concern. I know a guy who had a Honda scooter that he'd bought off Craigslist in Colorado, where they aren't registered the same as most states. He moved to Oregon and registered it, DMV ran the title and found it had been stolen in Colorado. It was a POS, hardly worth $500, but the insurance company chose to take it back. The guy was left completely SOL.
Ok so I called the DMV today and asked them to run the plate, they said they can't because it is too old and isnt even in the system. I then called the title division and had them run the vin, good news is it isnt stolen and there is an active title for it, but they wont tell me who has it, because of the privacy act. So as of right now, Im not sure what to do. I live in Ohio, btw.
In NC you'd have to fill a couple of forms and send them $10, and they will send mail to the owner.
Usually the owner will not respond or something and then dmv will write it over to you.
Cool.
Buddha.
If you have a bill of sale, the title is not in the system (meaning it wasn't registered for long enough that the dmv just deleted all the fines), and it isn't stolen you should be able to walk in to the dmv and register it.
They might make you write a declaration explaining who you are, who you bought the bike from, on what day, for how much etc etc. But that should be it. I don't see a problem with this bike from what you've told us.
Lucas - I think that is CA and likely no other state.
Most other states don't fine you for not tagging the bike, and there is no such thing as a non-op fee you'd have to pay.
Cool.
Buddha.
Yeah, each state has their own rules and regulations when it comes to titles.
Joe, I'm in PA and a missing title is basically a death sentence for a bike. But my brother in law is from Ohio and I remember him saying it wasn't that big of a deal over there..... so I dunno?
Well I went and spent some quality time at the DMV today, and it looks like I will be filing for a salvage title. I bought an inspection packet, ($50) and I will be getting the bike inspected June 16th. Then, I present the inspection papers and my bill of sale to the judge, and hope that he grants me permission to have the title in my name. Thanks for the help so far guys, I will update this thread in about a month if things go well.
Good luck to you joe!!!!! We are rooting for you :cheers:
Do you have any pics of the bike? (My apologies if there are pics in this thread, they don't always show up when I'm on the computers here at work :technical: )
Quote from: The Buddha on May 16, 2016, 11:37:03 AM
Lucas - I think that is CA and likely no other state.
Most other states don't fine you for not tagging the bike, and there is no such thing as a non-op fee you'd have to pay.
Cool.
Buddha.
Oh interesting! That would be nice if CA did that too. I'm always racking up late fees on these registration ppwk craps.
Good luck to the OP
He he he you know the solution ...
Send me the title and like $100 - 200.
I'll title it in NC (need to insure, and register etc etc) ... then wait a few weeks. Like 4-6 weeks to have CA DMV delete all that old records. Cos once its re registered in another state, its to be erased from the previous state. But I think its a few weeks before they actually do it.
Then I send you title back with bill of sale.
You say you bought it last week when you were riding the dragon in NC and register. EOM.
OK fine, its viable if your fines are over 200 or so, other wise, no.
But I've seen people get hit with 3-400 or more.
Cool.
Buddha.
Hey, just wanted to update this thread with good news! The bike passed inspection a few weeks ago, then I took those papers and wrote the judge a letter explaing the situation, and I now have a title for it in my name!! Today I went and took my motorcycle temps exam and got a liscence plate for the bike, and spent the rest of the day rideing it around, what a blast! Thanks for the support guys!!
:woohoo:
Glad you got your title! I have very similar problems with my bike. I couldn't figure out the vacuum issue pertaining to the petcock, even after buying a new one online. I may not be connecting to the correct nipple for the vacuum. But I just eliminated the vacuum petcock on my bike. Only issue is that you have to remember to turn off the gas when you're done riding. I followed this thread http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=58895.0
Second, mine Boggs as well, I've overcome that just by revving slightly and slipping clutch until I m moving and the bike is above 1900 rpm's then it's fine. I've been trying so hard to figure out this low end power problem.
I have the throttle sticking problem also, if I adjust the butterfly carb screw in the bottom middle to a point where the bike idles, if I rev it up,the throttle hangs around 3000-4000 rpm. I've been told it's carb boot seal/leak but I tried spraying starter fluid around the boots and airbox connection, still can't find it. I have my bike adjusted so that it dies if you don't play with the throttle, because any other setting whether it's on the cable into the carbs in the middle, or the screw underneath the butterfly mechanism, will cause the hanging idle.
I'm gonna keep trying to find the issue, I re jetted one size bigger than stock because I welded a gsxr 750 yoshi pipe on, but that hasn't affected the idle at all.
Well I have managed to sort out most of the issues. The hanging idle was cause by a leak in the vacuum hose, which I replaced. The bogging at low rpms issue I fixed by giving the carbs a good cleaning, they were filthy and one of the floats appeared to be sticking too. It now has plenty of power right off idle, what a difference! I ordered a new K&L petcock which should solve the fuel leaking into the oil issue, the old petcock leaks in all positions, even into the vacuum line. The only things the bike needs now is fork oil seals and some new tires. I am thinking of getting Shinko sr740 tires, any opinions on these? It would be about $150 for front and rear mounted and balanced.
When I bought my bike it actually had Shinko 741's I didn't get to use the tire very much before I lowesided my bike on a curve. The tire was so worn down in the middle it was flat, so I figured I was riding on a very sharp tip from the flat to side part of the tire. I the front Shinko is still in good condition, I like it, but I don't have much experience with hard riding on those tires. I now have Michelin pilot activ on the rear of my Bike. My other friend has Pirelli sport demons which seem to handle on his ninja 250 really well though.
What vacuum hose are you talking about? I don't know of any vacuum hoses and that may be the problem on my bike! Also, how do you tell if the float is sticking?
The vacuum hose that runs from the carbs to the frame mounted fuel petcock. As for the sticking float when we took the carb bowls off and turned the carb upside down, one float did not move freely, it was sticking.