I just purchased a 1997 Suzuki GS500E with 6000 miles on it from a private owner. There are a couple of problems I'm having and would like some advice on what the problems actually are and what would need to be done to fix them. I do plan on going to a Suzuki dealer to get full service done to it and have the problems looked at, but want to know your guy's initial feeling.

- There is trouble finding neutral when the bike is on. It's a breeze to find it from first gear when the bike is off, but when it's on, it's practically impossible. Very annoying when at long waits at stop lights and even if it wasn't annoying, it should be working anyway.

- Throttle response is decent when engaging it slow and within a 1/4 inch of a twist, but above that, it feels like it completely doesn't engage at all. In fact, it sets back to neutral all together when you twist it above 1/4 inch. This is obviously a huge problem.

- When I actually do get the RPMs up, I do get backfire from the exhaust. The engine only has 6000 miles on it. Doesn't seem like something it should be doing.

What are these problems? What are the causes of the problems? Will the full service from Suzuki fix any of these problems or is that for the normal maintenance things only? Beyond the normal full service, does it sound like I'm going to be putting in a lot of money to make this bike function perfectly again? I know it's all hard to estimate with with what I've provided above, but I'd really appreciate any thoughts, responses, or recommendations you guys can give. Thanx.

If you have only got 6k miles on 97 it has been sitting a lot. You probably could use a good carb cleaning at a minimum.  

Can you see the throttle mechanism moving as you twist the grip? If you are getting full range of movement then you might have carb problems and or fuel starvation issues.  

The search tool can lead you to many similar problems and their earlier proposed solutions.

All roads lead to cleaner carbs.  

Yeah. All of the research I've been doing today is pointing to at least the carb cleaning. I'm also going to do the 6000 mile Suzuki recommended service on the bike which involves valve adjustments.

QuoteCan you see the throttle mechanism moving as you twist the grip? If you are getting full range of movement then you might have carb problems and or fuel starvation issues.

Can you explain in a little more detail what I should be checking for? Where exactly on the bike should I look and what is it that I should be looking for?

What about the shifting into neutral problem? Some of the service guys I talked to said it's a very common problem in a lot of bikes and something that really can't be fixed right. I find that hard to believe that there is a regular occurring problem that can't be fixed. Thoughts?

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I have a '97 with close to 17k on it, and every once in a while, when I'm stopped at a traffic light with the bike on, it'll have some trouble sliding into neutral...then I find, that if I let the clutch out slightly while doing it, it'll drop in- or try goin up to second gear, then dropping down into neutral, rather than coming from first.. The same goes that sometimes while sitting in neutral, I have trouble getting back into gear-same solution-let clutch out a little.

Difficulty getting into gear can be due to:
1. Clutch out of adjustment (too loose).
2. The gears on the output shaft may not be in sync with the gears on the input shaft, thus you may need to roll the bike (moving the rear wheel, which moves the chain, which moves the front sprocket mounted on the end of the output shaft) forward or backward to get the gear(s) to mesh (1st gear, which comprises of a gear on the input shaft and one on the output).
3. Inadequate oil level.
4. Worn clutch fiber plates (see #1 above).
5. Bent shift fork (which requires engine disassembly).