So I went down from Berkeley to Fremont this morning, and as I was coming back up in the afternoon, my bike started having fuel starvation issues again. I was in the carpool lane, so I pulled over to the left shoulder hoping that the bike would start up again after letting it sit for a bit in prime like it usually does, but this time I couldn't get it back up and running. Luckily, a Harley rider by the name of Matt was just coming back up from Fremont (he delivers ice for Glacier Ice Company), and was able to bring me and my bike back up to Berkeley in his pickup. Really nice guy, went out of his way to help me out. Good to know that no matter what the ride, riders look out for one another.

On a separate note, I'm at a complete loss for what could be the problem. I tried starting the bike with the gas cap open, but it wouldn't start, so it's not a vacuum issue. I tried switching to prime when the bike started to lose power, but that didn't help either. The shop just recently cleaned out the carbs, plugged a couple vacuum leaks, checked the petcock and tank, and blew out all the hoses to make sure it was all working fine. Just a thought, but could it be that the lower half of the screen in the tank is too clogged, and so at a lower fuel level the fuel can't flow out? I've only experienced the problem running with less than half a tank of gas, never had the issue with a full tank. I guess maybe sometime this weekend I'll go get some gas to see if I can start it with a full tank.

How many miles did you have on that tank? 

Quote from: Egaeus on December 01, 2006, 09:34:28 AM
How many miles did you have on that tank? 

+1

Also.. check the routing of the fuel hoses.. if the dealership did carb work, I wouldn't put it past them to switch the connections..

I think around 100 or so mostly city miles.

About 100 miles a tank is all my '92 ever wanted to go, no matter how much gas he still had in his tank. When I got to 100 miles, I always filled up. Otherwise, he'd act as though he hadn't had a drink of gas in months. Check the lines, but it's not beyond the realm that your GS is a princess who likes a full like mine.

Quote from: pingpong on December 01, 2006, 03:03:13 AM

The shop just recently cleaned out the carbs, plugged a couple vacuum leaks,

They plugged some vaccum leaks? This I dont understand?

Quote from: pandy on December 01, 2006, 12:34:23 PM
About 100 miles a tank is all my '92 ever wanted to go, no matter how much gas he still had in his tank. When I got to 100 miles, I always filled up. Otherwise, he'd act as though he hadn't had a drink of gas in months.

Your GS was a he??   

Quote from: WildBlue on December 01, 2006, 02:52:17 PM

Quote from: pandy on December 01, 2006, 12:34:23 PM
About 100 miles a tank is all my '92 ever wanted to go, no matter how much gas he still had in his tank. When I got to 100 miles, I always filled up. Otherwise, he'd act as though he hadn't had a drink of gas in months.

Your GS was a he??   

Pandy is a female.

Quote from: scottpA_GS on December 01, 2006, 12:38:47 PM

Quote from: pingpong on December 01, 2006, 03:03:13 AM

The shop just recently cleaned out the carbs, plugged a couple vacuum leaks,

They plugged some vaccum leaks? This I dont understand?

Mechanic said there were a couple lines uncapped running to the carbs that they capped off

Quote from: pingpong on December 01, 2006, 02:58:31 PM

Quote from: scottpA_GS on December 01, 2006, 12:38:47 PM

Quote from: pingpong on December 01, 2006, 03:03:13 AM

The shop just recently cleaned out the carbs, plugged a couple vacuum leaks,

They plugged some vaccum leaks? This I dont understand?

Mechanic said there were a couple lines uncapped running to the carbs that they capped off

OK...

That could be the problem.. or part of it... The GS only has one vacuum line. It should be connected to the petcock. If not, the gas will not flow unless in the (PRI) position.

If yours doesnt have the vacc. line connected and will still run in the (ON) or (RES) positions then your petcock is not working properly and could be part of your problem. 

Also if they plugged "A couple" of lines.... there will definitely be some problems... The only lines on the carb are Fuel in, Vacc, and an overflow. 

QuoteYour GS was a he??   cookoo

Pandy is a female.

i was about to second that...

i have the habit of naming everything (family tradition), so when i got my gs, i was thinking of names and decided on jimmy (i don't remember why...) and after thinking about it i realized, i don't want a guy between my legs, so her name is leila.

My SV650S is a boy, too. I don't ride girls.

Quote from: dgyver on December 01, 2006, 02:56:50 PMPandy is a female.

And what a female she is!

Three cheers for females!
Hip-hip Hooray!
Hip-hip Hooray!
Hip-hip HOORAY!

There. I feel better.

And back to the original intent of this thread....have you looked over the fuel system hose routing linked HERE??

Quote from: pandy on December 01, 2006, 05:00:58 PM
I don't ride girls.

That's good to hear!  

Pingpong,  I have a feeling you have a petcock problem.  Check your vacuum lines and fuel hose connections.  There is a fuel hose routing diagram on the main page.  If that's OK, it's probably your petcock.  Common problem...

Interesting to note, the bike will turn over and start if it's being shook left and right and given throttle, but it sounds like its on the verge of dying, and as soon as the throttle is left off a little, it stalls.

Did you ever put gas in it?

Never got a chance to, shop was able to take it back and try to figure out what's wrong (before, they couldn't reproduce the problem, but now that it won't start up, I don't think that will be an issue anymore). Hopefully I'll have it back by this weekend.

A helpful Harley rider? You Lie

When I was driving to AR to visit my mom and had the GS in the back, a Harley rider was the only one to give me the wave. 

Edit: Before you spend any money, spend $5 on some gas.

Since the shop wasn't able to resolve the problem the last time they took it apart, all this isn't costing me anything. Heck, maybe I'll even get a free tank of gas