I'm scared.  I got my bike a week ago - a '92 with quite a few miles on it.  It's been running great - no problems at all.  So Monday night I'm riding home and there's a delay in throttle response.  I try to accelerate and the engine doesn't do anything for a few moments, and then finally responds.    This happens a few times but I soon get home and park it.  Been busy since then and haven't ridden - fast forward to today.  

All the following happens while the bike is parked:

I try to start it, and it starts fine.  There's trouble again with this throttle delay, and the bike has trouble shifting into first gear.  I try revving the engine up to 3 or 4 to figure out what the problem is with the throttle, and I hear a pop that sounds like a misfire.  The engine dies soon after.  Everytime I try to start after that it turns over, starts, and shortly dies.  If I try to rev the engine after starting another pop happens.

The gearshift in the meantime finally shifts up into second but now won't shift into neutral.  Lo and behold, the clutch no longer disengages completely, and the bike rolls only with lots of hesitation.  Finally, the engine won't catch at all - the starter turns but that's all.  Furthermore, because neutral is impossible to achieve, the bike lurches forward when I try to start it.

Summary:  Engine turns over but won't catch.  Gearshift doesn't work.  Neutral doesn't work.  Clutch doesn't disengage completely.  Gas is ok, oil is ok.  Clutch freeplay adjusted without results.  Any suggestions?  Thanks for taking the time to make it to the end of this long post

The first part of your problem sounds like low fuel. In the GS tank it can look like there's lots of gas left and it'll still be hitting reserve. The delayed throttle response, the hesitation, that all sounds like low gas.  

As for the other problems. Did you try to do all your shifting with the bike sitting still today?  Sometimes it helps to roll the bike forward and back a little to get the different gears to engage.  

Try turning petcock to PRI and see if the bike won't fire up after a few cranks.  If it fires up and seems to run normal, then you can try to get on and shift and so forth.  Oh. if it runs on prime, get to a gas station and fill it up and then switch back to ON>

Jake

Many of those problems point to the clutch. If it does not completely disengage shifting becomes difficult, idle running will be affected.

Sounds like you need a clutch cable adjustment, a throttle cable adjustment, and probably are low on fuel... though I'd just as well say you might have a clogged up air filter too. Also check your oil regularly... must be up to the F mark... these do use oil... depending on who you ask... a little or a lot.
Cool.
Srinath.

It works!  Thankfully Jake was right and I thought there was way more fuel in the tank than there actually was.  Roll the bike to get her into neutral, then switch to prime, wait a while, crank a few times, and she was good to go to the gas station.  I'm glad Markus' and Srinath's suggestions weren't applicable, and that it was just my stupidity.  Thanks for your help guys!

-sanjay, the ashamed noob

When I was much younger and had not been riding long I had a bike just quit on me...just like that, out of the blue, no stumble no warning, just....! I couldn't get the darn thing to fire and I was cussin' that ol' HD, cussin' biking, cussin' anything I could think of. It was real hot and I was pushing the bike down a dirt road back to the house. Got about a mile or so and had to stop to catch my breath. I thought well he** what the sh** is wrong with this thing. Then I remembered the pet-chicken!! I switched to reserve, kicked a few times and whaddaya know...vroom vroom! I was relieved and embarassed at the same time. I never ran out of fuel again. I love the GS, motorcycles, the people and this forum too.

C.......