:x   i recently got converted to a 2001 GS500.  i realy like its feel except when it rains, and then it hates me with a vengance!!!!!

i took the fairing off, again, and  the tank off again . then i took all the conections apart and used some very expensive grease in them which seemed to cure the problem but alas!!!! it still seems to only fire on one pot.  

if any one has the answer...HELP!!!!!!!!!! i dont want to end up on an ER5!!!!!!!!!

thanks in desperation.

happened to me when i first got my bike...check the sparks plug boot for cracks or exposed wires...if it dies...spray WD-40 into the sparksplug well..

When does this problem manifest itself? Has the bike been in the rain running fine and then start acting up? Does it run fine and then act up after splashing puddles?

Do you store this bike inside or outside?

Frost's suggestion is good. The ignition coil outputs are subject to arcing if a lower resistance path is found. Water on a bike is a low resistance path.

Also check the cable from the lower right side of the engine, your signal generator/oil pressure cable, to make sure it is not nicked or cut. Water intrusion here could attenuate timing signals to the ignitor.

The ignition control is on the left side of the bike under the side cover. Check your ground connection at the battery AND follow it down to the engine ground point. The ground point is subject to splashing. Clean like new money and retighten as necessary.

Thanx a lot for the help any other suggestions would be appreciated tho as its still acting up!
ive tried a kawasaki but i didnt like it...
thanx again

If you don't mind reading a good bit of "stream-of-consciousness" type stuff, give the Narrowing down the problems to a broken bike thread a try.

When you've waded to the end of the second page of the thread you will find a worksheet for recording various electrical values.  This all goes back to when my bike would only run on one cylinder ... for 5 months.  In my case it turned out to be a corroded connector, which disabled one of the two signal generator coil circuits.

Let us know if you come up with more info!

kerry, twinsdad  was the problem with the left cylinder and this is what is happening on my bike and also another guy on this site
http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16690


Maybe it is a common problem with these bikes

Thanks for the link to the other thread.  (I'm a long way from being all caught up.)

I still think it's worth checking into the electricals.  In my case it was a particular corroded connector.  (See the picture near the bottom of page 2 in that thread I linked to above.)   In your case it might be a loose connection somewhere else along the line.  :dunno:

This might be interesting too.  At one point during those 5 out-of-commission months I noticed that the connector on the "auxiliary ground wire" (that Srinath mentioned in the other thread) was kinda corroded.  After I replaced it, the bike started up and ran great.  So I hopped on and headed for the gas station, about 1.5 miles away.  Just before I turned into the station, the engine went back to 1 cylinder.  I fiddled with it for a while, but ended up pushing the bike home.  :x

Keep at it ... something should surface sooner or later.  

That 4 pack obviously the crank trigger plug. And yea loose connections there = 1 cyl or no cyl.
Aux ground Ironically will not quite run better with cleaning. I ahve noticed it seems to work best with a little twist in the tounge ... Cleaning seemed to make it easier to slip off ...
Cool.
Srinath.