FINALLY!! 

K&N lunchbox, 22.5, 65, 147.5 rejet, unpluged the dumb PO's mufflerectomy.

What I found one of the POs had done (apparently thinking this bike needed MORE AIR?)

A missing adjuster screw on the left carb! Gone! Took 2 trips to 2 different Suzi dealers to get the replacement screw, spring, washer, and o-ring. OTHER adjuster srcew was 6 1/2 turns OUT....  Probably the other FELL out, from being loose.

Air box was holed with a piece of tubing stuck through?

Air filter was punched through from the bottom with a srcewdriver, apparently, and half crushed, and dirty. (I discovered this when I did the vavles, so stepped up my rejet plans).

So, my carbs were so clean except for varnish in the port for the missing screw possibly because it's only got 7,850k on it, and I have been using Seafoam in preparation for taking the carbs apart, that I took the chickenshite way out and just replaced the jets, checked the float bowl gaskets, decided it was all good and put it back together. The carb that was missing the air/fuel screw had been messed with, the jets screw slots were thrashed, but jets were all stock @ 17.5, 60, and 127.5.

So my better half and I from last Sunday to this Sunday did the valve adjustment, pinched a gasket, replaced the gasket with a better one, and today did the carbs, put them back in with the lunch box filter, put everything back together, said some prayers, crossed our fingers, pulled the choke, fired up the GS, and

HOLY CRAP!     

The bike started right up, ran up to 7k rpm, I stood there in shock (hardly ever started on the first try and then would hardly idle for about 5 minutes usually plus it sounded so HEALTHY!) and my hubby reached over and slid the choke off. Idle dropped to about 2k. We adjusted the idle down, lord knows how much that had been messed with. The bike now fires up on full choke, we take it right off, the bike idles strong and it can be ridden off in 60-90 seconds! I had to let it run for several minutes on choke before it would even idle off choke before.The bike used to start on only one cylinder, now I know why, vacuum leak on the carb with no screw plus super lean, even leaner than stock. I loved this bike before, because when it was warm it was a sweet bike, but always had that low rpm stumble, which is now gone. The throttle response is immediate, no lag whatsoever, it is RIGHT THERE.   

Plus it sounds so much better, a lot more like a motorcycle.

So for anyone who has a bike that has had several owners, it's probably a good thing to go poking around a bit, you don't know what the PO may have done to it. My poor beast was a blast to ride even before these mods with her leaned up a ridiculous amount by the PO's ignorance. If I wasn't mostly at sea level, I dunno, but it did run "well" in the canyons, where we get up to about 2,000- 2,500 feet above. It will relatively speaking be a tiger now in comparison, I could not believe the difference today when I took it out! It is so smooth, and quick, and very responsive but in a nice manageable way. It's how the bike should be, but mine I'm sure was more compromised than most. Everything is quicker and easier riding it now, and it feels great. I had a huge grin most of the time on today's ride.

So now I need to know if I can run it safely with the stock exhaust drilled? I'm hoping that's enough air coming through, or is it too much? My hubby says too much. I don't have the Yoshimura I want yet, I've been waiting for one but it's not working out. It was super for the 30 minute run today at all speeds and rpms, it felt wonderful, sounds good, I want to know if it's okay to take it out for a good run for a couple hours as is, so I can 1. enjoy it and 2. check the plugs again. I have the iridiums in it. I know the plugs will tell me a lot more, but it needs to run long enough to get a more accurate reading. I cleaned the plugs enough to get a clearer reading the next time out, but I'm curious if anyone has done this?

Any feedback would be much appreciated!!!

Congrats on getting it running better.The stock exhaust is a chamber design and after market exhaust is a flow thru.I don't think you'll get to much more flow from it.The mods that are done now is prolly as good as it's going to get.It won't hurt to run it with a drilled exhaust.Just louder.As long as your plugs are not indicating a lean condition,you should be OK for a ride.If it's running a little rich,take an extra set with you on your ride,and the tools to change them.BTW.What year is your bike?I thought the 3 jet carbs started in 01.Either way the 3 jet carbs are better than the 2 jet carbs.I've just learned more about the 2 jet carbs.

You'll be fine to run it - but it will probably run a bit rich.  The yosh pipe is straight through, so it's guaranteed that your drilled exhuast will be more restrictive - hence richer.

At worst you could blacken up your plugs a bit, but I wouldn't be overly concerned seeing as you seem to have your heart set on a new exhaust in the immediate future! 

Hi Ben and Phil, thanks for feedback!   

It's an '01, my hubby is concerned it's lean, I don't see how it could be any leaner than it WAS before, now with a stock exhaust and those new big jets? but he knows more than I do overall, I know more about just this bike (and a few secrets about his DR). The K&N adds a ton more air too. So I suppose ride it and do as you both suggest, all I need is the plugs and a wrench, I already have gloves.     One plug was a proper tan, one was whiter, but they also had previous old combustion deposits and probably wasn't long enough to really burn that off, so maybe I should just put new plugs in and then check? I can order a set and have them here by the end of the week, and get a good clean reading.

Thanks for the info on the stock pipe vs. the Yosh too. That helps a lot! I want the TRS tri oval; purty on the bike and sounds really nice.

I really appreciate the info, thanks so much! 

Quote from: Teek on April 06, 2008, 10:09:22 PM
Hi Ben and Phil, thanks for feedback!   

It's an '01, my hubby is concerned it's lean, I don't see how it could be any leaner than it WAS before, now with a stock exhaust and those new big jets? but he knows more than I do overall, I know more about just this bike (and a few secrets about his DR). The K&N adds a ton more air too. So I suppose ride it and do as you both suggest, all I need is the plugs and a wrench, I already have gloves.     One plug was a proper tan, one was whiter, but they also had previous old combustion deposits and probably wasn't long enough to really burn that off, so maybe I should just put new plugs in and then check? I can order a set and have them here by the end of the week, and get a good clean reading.

Thanks for the info on the stock pipe vs. the Yosh too. That helps a lot! I want the TRS tri oval; purty on the bike and sounds really nice.

I really appreciate the info, thanks so much! 

Is you hubby a Harley guy?They like to run Harley's rich.Everyone I see spouts black smoke when they apply power.The plugs should be a nice grayish brown.Check this out.

http://www.dansmc.com/Spark_Plugs/Spark_Plugs_catalog.html

Thanks for the plugs link, Ben, I'd seen it before but I bookmarked it this time. I used to be a very good student of plugs! I'd say I have a #20 which is good and a #22, which is hot or lean, which is why he said it's still lean. But we only ran about 10 miles, so he thinks it's leftover from the previous really lean cylinder missing the screw. We've been keeping the plugs in the same cylinders. I respect his knowledge, but as I told him, he has general good knowlege (except neither of us knows carbs, though he knows more), but I know more about this particular bike because of the forum. He thinks not. He said he'd buy me an exhaust, maybe he changed his mind... 

I must say my insulators are sparkly white on one, a bit darker on the other, I couldn't believe the conditions of the plugs in the charts! If the one side is running hot, it might be the iridium plug, or I may have some damage to the exhaust valve from that side being so leaned out, who knows how long. But I don't have any valve symptoms yet. I think the valve adjust helped smooth stuff out too.

He's not a Harley guy at all, except he would LOVE to have a dirt tracker! I don't like them much either anymore; they're too loud, too big, and too heavy. No, he started out as a kid in motorcycle setup for Honda, so he used to put motos together all day long, and adjust stuff. Then he went into Honda car service. He's had something like 46 motorcycles now, (and just about as many cars) everything from the old standards, enduros, dirt and sportbikes (up to 1100cc) back in the day, to little 200cc dirt bikes, and now has been almost exclusively a dual sport rider for at least 10 years. He rides a 2005 DR650, up from a DRZ400, and a DRZ350 before that. He's currently keeping his eye on the new super motos. I was wanting a super moto when I found the Gs. But I'm really happy with her!   

That grin you're talking about - cool , glad you got it ! Isn't it amazing the difference a little tinkering with the carbs and proper mixture can make ? Holy smokes, and then the valves. Man they really smooth things out.

Don't worry about the exhaust being to free flowing. You can always check your plugs with a 'plug chop' to find out if you're lean at all, and in which power range. If you doubt the plugs because of previous build up on them, pop in some new plugs, let the bike warm, and then go do some plug chops. They'll tell the truth quick that way.

Oh congrats on the proper adjustment again ! That first time you start a gs with choke and it roars to life instead of wimpering is a fantastic feeling ! It WANTS TO GO instead of just limping into a warm state. It actually RESPONDS when you snap the throttle (ok ok , still gotta have some revs! ) and it actually PULLS when you twist it ! Saweeeeeeeet !

Cool, yer hubby (er, boyfriend ? me forgets) sounds like he's got tons of experience. That's way cool. If he's a honda car wrench that's even cooler. Maybe I'll bug him about a couple of things on our wagon at some point.

Oh, if that one side stays a little lean, check your float heights again, re-check your mixture screws.

Congrats on a return to a FUN bike

Hi ohgood, thanks for feedback, I think I'll do the new plugs if I don't see a difference after the next good long ride. I don't think they got a chance to warm up enough to clean off old deposits, and they are pretty new, maybe a month or 5 weeks. They still looked safe though. Thanks for the advice on mixture screws, that would be my first step, as for float height, well, arrgh.   

But man, that snap the throttle= instant response is just awesome. That's what I expect from a moto, but I loved the little bike anyway, now I really appreciate her, it's a whole different feeling to ride a bike that's chomping at the bit and wants to run. It was squirtable before, but now it's a little (emphasis on little) rocket! Yeah, it still wants to be at 4k to roll but it's there in less than a heartbeat. No coughing and gasping! And yeah, that roaring to life thing, I wish I could have gotten a pic of the look on my face, I was just dumbstruck! Then tickled silly. Hubby and I grinned at each other, did a high five up, down, fist smack, thumbs up and a happy dance. He took it for the first spin and went around the long block twice he was enjoying it so much.

Yes, my dear husband is a Honda god most of the time, PM me any of your problems and I'll get his take, he can diagnose a lot of stuff over the phone. Model, year and mileage are pertinant. He's not a wrencher but an advisor, but he sure knows the marque. He could probably at least give you an idea or a direction, but likely a diagnosis or confirmation of one too.

So I'm sure glad you apparently finally got YOUR baby G's carbs fixed! 

Excellent. An inch on the pegs will help a lot, though I'll probably still add some to the seat.

The linked thread does indeed provide a good photo of what I'm trying to repair - in my case they connected their drill holes and chopped the whole plate out - but a soup can might be the easiest quick fix - seems to be the right size to slip over and be clamped on, easy to try different size holes and adjust it - unless the inspection station freaks about it (but supposedly this bike passed inspection this year for the prior owner...as it is)

Buying a stock exhaust unmodded might be a solution, but I'm trying to keep the budget down, and I hate to toss out something that's perfectly good, just in need of a small repair.

Thanks to both of you!