Hi.  I am new here.  My wife has a GS500E.  We have had it for years.   Right now, it wont seem to keep running with the choke off.  If I keep the choke on at about 1/4, it will run perfect.  Can anyone point me in the right direction on what to check?  I have adjusted the idle set screw on the bottom of the carbs, and the bike still wont keep running regardless of the setting.  Even if I crank the idle way up, it will still die with the choke off.  But if I reset the idle to where it should be, and keep the choke on at 1/4, it runs fun.  But I need to get this fixed.  any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.  Here is a picture of the bike...

http://www.metalbreedrocks.com/images/GSLeftSide.jpg

how long was it sitting before this started?
days, weeks or months?

probably the idle jets are varnished up from sitting
if days.....something else

Quote from: werase643 on September 03, 2007, 06:43:59 PM
how long was it sitting before this started?
days, weeks or months?

probably the idle jets are varnished up from sitting
if days.....something else

The bike doesnt get used very much.  maybe a dozen short rides a year.  So it could have been sitting for a month or six weeks.   I was thinking of printing out the carb rebuild instructions from this site and giving that a go, but is there a way to clean out the jets without taking everything apart?   Thanks.

I've used PJ1 Professional Carb and Choke Cleaner on a few ATVs ... works superb. A can of the stuff will run you like 6 or 7 bucks ...

Note: You have to take off the airbox and tank to spray into the carb throut... But while you've got the airbox/tank off, you're half way to getting into the carbs anyway and nothing beats a good scrubbing (so i'm told).

Regards,
J

Seafoam is another gas treatment/stabilizer you can try. It's about $7 at AutoZone/Pep Boys/etc. Check Wiki for more details.

I guess your tank may be full of rust and that clogs up the carbs. Even a fuel filter wil not stop that fine rust powder from getting into your carbs. You may want to treat your tank with POR-15 to get rid of the problem all together.