Hello all, I'm hoping someone could help me diagnose the problem I'm experiencing with my choke.
I have a 1997 GS500e, and I've been having issues with my bike when I have to use the choke. When I start the bike with the choke half on such as this morning (8-9 degrees Celsius) she'll idle fine between 1500-2000rpm, however once it warms up enough to go above 2000 rpm, the rpms will jump up to 4000-5000 rpm and hang there. If I turn off the choke it's usually not warm enough yet to run with the choke closed. If I adjust the choke it seems overly sensitive, such as when making adjustments, there's no gradual progression from high rpms to lower and finally to choke completely off, it will go from hanging to the point of stalling with the slightest change. I've compensated by leaving my idle high in order to be less reliant on the choke.
Once the bike is warm it doesn't have any hanging or abnormal behavior, it pulls hard and it a great bike to ride. I've cleaned and synced the carbs, and sprayed around the boots with carb cleaner searching for air leaks, but I've run out of ideas, does anyone have any suggestions?
That's not a problem. That's a normal working choke.
It should idle at 4-5K rpm with the choke on when you start it up. Run it that way for maybe 30 seconds while you put your helmet and gloves on and then turn the choke down to 1/2, it will idle at like 1.5K or 2K rpm, ride it like that fir a mile or two and then you can turn the choke all the way off gradually, and it may require a touch of throttle at idle depending on how long you sit until it's fully warmed up which will take about 15 minutes of riding.
BTW you should use the choke to start it any time it has been sitting more than about an hour or two depending on how hot it is outside. There's no point in starting the bike with the choke "half on". Go ahead and turn it all the way on all the time when you start it, then follow the routine above.
The point of the 4-5K idle with choke is "fast warm up" mode. It's normal and intended to do that.
My other suggestion is don't spray carb cleaner on it. Ever. It will degrade or outright ruin rubber parts and if you did have a vacuum leak it might suck the carb cleaner in to the diaphragms and cause holes. Carb cleaner is fine for the metal parts of the carb but you have to tear them all the way down and remove all rubber parts before you can safely use carb cleaner on it. I learned this the hard way.
Thanks for the quick reply,
I would've never thought that the bike idling at 4-5k was working properly, my other bike idled at 3.5-4k rpm but then again it was water cooled so that could explain it.
Thanks for the info.