Hi, I'm new to the board and so far I'm addicted!

Well I'm going to be buying a 91 gs500 next week hopefully, but the guy said that he put it in storage for the winter and now the spark plugs foul. This is probably becuase of the carburaters need to be cleaned right?

He also said the bike has been laid down once, but now is repaired, has about 20K miles on the frame/engine. From the looks of it, it wasn't laid down badly.

What do you guys think? Good deal? I'm getting it for relatively "cheap".

I was set on a kawa ex500, but this one looks better imo. Right now I'm driving my pops suzuki intruder 700 (lol not that best for a first beginners bike).

its hard to say its a good deal without knowing a price and maybe a few pictures of the damage.

Wecome to GStwin!

Sounds like it needs a carb cleaning. And it is difficult to offer an opinion on the information so far. One of the drawbacks of the internet. If he stored it properly for the winter it should not be fouling plugs. Ask him what kind of oil he's been using, and gas, and fork oil, and tire pressures. Has he ever had the valves adjusted? What kind of maintenance has this guy done or had done? What parts have been replaced since the crash?

I know the one you talking about...Like that shiny round side cover...the owner seems to replace stuff at random without knowing what the issue is I think...Look for rust...I am sure the carbs need going over...but its not hard. You may be able to get it cleaned wihtout opening it...
Cool.
Srinath.

Thanks for the warm welcome

yah it has a round shiny cover from the picture I seen of it. Have you seen the bike before in person or know the person selling it seshadri_srinath? I wonder if this guy is on this board r not.

I'm thinking that he didn't drain the gas tank or put sumthin in the gas tank to keep from the gas eatin everything up when he stored it, thats why the carbs are all gummed up causing the fouled plugs.

I will look for rust. He said he replaced the fork seals...well here is the email he sent me:

Quotethe bike had been laid down once when I bought it. The
guages were broken so I had to replace them. The new
guages read approximately 16k miles but the actual
mileage is around 20k from what I know.  I bought a
front fender $60, guages $200, and a small side cover.
then I bought a new clutch $130, I replaced the fork
seals, had the carbs tuned and the valves looked at to
see if the needed to be adjusted everything checked
out. I also bought a k&n air filter $50. the paint job
was $400 but I got a deal for $200.

I rode the bike all last summer, parked it and in the
spring tried to start it and no spark. I took it to a
mechanic and he fixed the problem. One of the coil
wires was bad. I am not sure what is causing the plugs
to foul. I would say most likely the carbs need to be
worked on.  . the bike also needs a head light bulb,
back brake pads, and the seat is torn. These are the
only problems that I know of.   The bike has a clean
title but will take a little work to get going good
again. the bike was a blast last summer and now I have
a aprilia scooter and don't need to hang on to both.

Here is the picture of the bike:

^ anyone?

Quote from: rcnacuraThanks for the warm welcome

yah it has a round shiny cover from the picture I seen of it. Have you seen the bike before in person or know the person selling it seshadri_srinath? I wonder if this guy is on this board r not.

I'm thinking that he didn't drain the gas tank or put sumthin in the gas tank to keep from the gas eatin everything up when he stored it, thats why the carbs are all gummed up causing the fouled plugs.

I will look for rust. He said he replaced the fork seals...well here is the email he sent me:

Nope I dont know the guy or have seen the bike, but I was just looking at the ad...at random...when the text in your post and his post seemed to match...so I thought I'll post and see...anyway the tail section under the grab bar seems to have a piece broken or missing or some like that...From the pic...see if it is broken off...
Cool.
Srinath.

It looks like the mirrors have been replaced; it has been repainted.  The handlebars may not be stock (?).  And of course the generator cover.

Also, it kinda looks like the front brake hose is not clipped to the front mudflap the way I'd expect it to be.

Well, its quite hard to give a concise answer to a question like that.  A good place to start is with a used bike buying guide, my favorite online version is Adam's.  If you can bring an experienced motorcyclist friend with you to check the bike out and take it for a test ride (plus leaving someone there usually makes it easier to convince the seller to let you ride).

In general the main thing to look out for with the GS is severe rust (some surface rust is normal, but make sure to check *in* the tank), though you also want to look for safety wiring (raced), bad sounds from the engine (but a little cam/chain noise can be normal), pitted forks, and bent/forks frame.  Carb problems can be a pain, but if you're patient and reasonably mechanically inclined they aren't too hard/expensive to fix.

With a crashed bike, the seller should be able to tell you how it crashed (down on the side is good, impact on the forks is bad), what was replaced, and how/by whom the damage was evaluated (receipts are a confidence builder).  Take a look at the fork brace (on top of the fender) to see if its been tweaked and turn the handlebars slowly from one lock to the other and see if you can feel any binding or notchiness.  Spin the wheels and watch the clearance between the brake pads and rotors (sight from directly in front/behind the wheel) and also feel for unusual resistance).  Compress the forks and see that they move smoothly without any leakage around the seals.  Look at how the chain and sprocket line up as you slowly spin the rear wheel with the bike on centerstand.

A parking lot lowside is really no big deal 99% of the time, its just cosmetic.  Scratches to the engine case, bar end, levers, etc. usually aren't much of a worry.  However, if there's any problems with the forks, bearings, etc. I'd request taking it to a shop to have it evaluated.  You might be able to bribe a mechanic to give it a quick checkover for you for a six pack.  If there's a lot of rust just wait for another bike, used gses are pretty popular most places and this is a great time of the year to get a good price (even better as you get closer to Christmas).

Also, you can find a lot more info if you search past posts, this kind of question comes up regularly with more or less the same answers.  Make sure those tires are in good condidtion or budget in buying new ones and give the brakes, chain, and sprockets a quick check for excessive wear (details in the buying guide).  The GS is really pretty bulletproof, so if its mechanically sound and you aren't afraid of spending a few nights taking the carbs apart and cleaning them, go for it if you can get a good price.

Good luck.

rcnacura..

if you need help it being brought home or checked out.. i am in sacramento.

You guys are the best! Thanks for all the help!

I'm going to bring my dad with me when I go to check it out this weekend. He use to work for the kawasaki race team back in the early 80's so he'll def know what to look for.

I'm pretty mechanically inclined so thats why I didn't really worry too much about the carbs and the fouled plugs.

It sounds like the bike was dropped on its side. He said he rode it all last summer before puttin in storage. I've been waiting to buy a bike becuase I wanted to buy at this time since its usually cheaper.

I'll take a close look for all the things you guys suggested. And I'll research for more answers also.