Hi all, I'm new to the group and I'm looking forward to your responses!

I'm looking for advice regarding making my 99 GS500E more environmentally responsible.  Particularly, are there any straightforward modifications that will increase fuel effciency and/or decrese exhaust?  

What are the costs of this?  Benefits / tradeoffs?

Your help is appreciated!


Ideally I would be riding a more modern bike with fuel injection but:
a - I can't afford it.
b- that would just mean somebody else would be riding my current bike, keeping the status quo.

I hear ya, brotha; I'm a greenie, too.

From what I've read, the best thing to do seems to be to keep it stock.  The lean jetting is intended to minimize emissions.  I hear the CA model has a cat...

The CA models don't have a catalytic converter. The only difference is the initial timing is retarded to 5 degrees compared to 12. Which only makes it more gutless from idle to 3000rpms. After that it's the same as any other GS.
There is a charcoal cannister to filter some gas fumes.
Keep your bike stock, except for an ignition advancer. It will improve lowend power without adding to pollution.
And consider this. You are riding a 2 cylinder 500, compared to larger multi cylinder vehicals. It gets much better milage than 99% of cars and the emissions are minimal compared to cars.
Of course you could build an electric motorcycle or maybe bio-diesel :dunno:
If there's lots of hills where you ride, you can shut off the motor and coast downhill :lol:  :lol:

Change your front sprocket to a 17 tooth one, you will lose a little take off power but the engine will rev lower on the highway, therefore using less fuel.

Thanks for the comments.  I'll try the ignition advancer as soon as I can.

I have to admit, every once in a while I like the takeoff power, but I may try the new sprocket as well.

I'm also concerned with the exhaust on startup, when the engine is cold.  It seems to be a bit smoky for the first few minutes, and I don't think it's steam.   I've heard the gstwin takes  a while to warm up, is this one of the consequences?

thanks

Quote from: Bob Broussard
Of course you could build an electric motorcycle or maybe bio-diesel :dunno:
If there's lots of hills where you ride, you can shut off the motor and coast downhill :lol:  :lol:

I usually ride my french-pastry powered bicycle!

Emissions Shcemissions.... At 45+ mpg out of a air cooled 500 motor... you should'nt be bothered with emissions... I'll do the advancer, and put in 40 pilots and 125 mains, keep good clean oil and filter, and a clean air filter and run regular gas in it.... and rest assured you wont be dirtying the world we borrowed from our children... and "Long live Nader" ... OK or who ever the other guy that is this time nominee is ...  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:
Cool.
Srinath.

Quote from: SrinathEmissions Shcemissions.... At 45+ mpg out of a air cooled 500 motor... you should'nt be bothered with emissions...

Yes and no: a motorcycle creates less emissions because it's burning less fuel to begin with.  But I expect that a high-efficiency car like a hybrid, with MPG comparable to the GS500, would have less emissions, due to its using FI, Cat and AIR.

There's some sense to the "Emissions Schmissions" argument: it makes sense to do something about emissions; but once you've cleaned-up emissions so much by going from an SUV to a car; or from a car to a hybrid or motorcycle; then you're probably better-off putting further attentions elsewhere.  Even if everyone in the US started riding 200mpg scooters, that wouldn't fix China...

Seen in that context, reducing your own consumption is futile insofar as fixing a global consumption and pollution problem.  But it does help to change the way people think, and that makes room for further-reaching changes.

Quote from: Bob Broussardmaybe bio-diesel :dunno:

I burn an ethanol blend in the GS.  E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) has lower emissions for every EPA-monitored pollutant (per mile driven) versus gasoline.  And it smells good .   However, I haven't had the jetting really dialed-in with an air/fuel meter, so it's possible that my emissions are back up over what they were when the bike was new, burning gasoline.  What's important to me is that people see that you don't need to drive a gasoline-powered SUV exactly like your neighbors; you can change the way you get around, and still do just fine.  The goal is to open people to the possibility of change.

That reminds me, what tools would you use to tune a bike for efficiency (mpg) instead of power?  Air/Fuel mix (O2 sensor)?  Dyno?  The tuner I talked with only wanted to jet the bike for max. power, and not efficiency.

PS-you make a good point about the warm-up; a water-cooled engine would probably have better emissions when the engine is cold.

Quote from: falafel_kingThanks for the comments.  I'll try the ignition advancer as soon as I can.

I have to admit, every once in a while I like the takeoff power, but I may try the new sprocket as well.

I'm also concerned with the exhaust on startup, when the engine is cold.  It seems to be a bit smoky for the first few minutes, and I don't think it's steam.   I've heard the gstwin takes  a while to warm up, is this one of the consequences?

thanks

Change the ignition, keep the carburetors stock.

Check your oil level often (weekly, after a ride, on the centerstand, don't screw in the dipstick). The smoke you're seeing is oil being burned, because after a while the valve guides leak oil into the cylinders while the bike is sitting overnight. So much for clean burning...

It stops when the bike has warmed up and everything seals again. Kinda.