Just got my '91 GS500. Planning to clean the carbs and gas tank. I'm a newbie but willing and anxious to learn! Any suggestions?

The "philips" screws on the carbs are actually JIS screws. So try to get your hands on a JIS screwdriver. Or just plan to cut them off then replace with socket head cap screws.

get the pro-15 cycle tank repair kit if you really want to take care of the tank. other recommend the kreem kit

otherwise you could just rinse out all the rust with gasoline. i did this last season and did the por-15 recently.

Is the tank rusty?

I've been cleaning rusty tanks with full-strength vinegar. Top off and leave for a few days.

How much vinegar? Of filled completely with vinegar?

Yes, completely, as much as you can get in. Vinegar is pretty cheap by the gallon (less than gas!) and can be reused for other de-rusting (if you want.)

More paint-safe, less toxic, and cheaper than muriatic acid.

Can't hurt to throw some nuts and bolts in there and shake it around too if badly rusted... your call.

Thank you!

One other thing....is it ok to leave the Petcock in the tank?   

Quote from: warlock214 on May 21, 2011, 06:13:20 AM
One other thing....is it ok to leave the Petcock in the tank?   

If you are using vinegar,yes.If not,take it out and tape the hole off with duct tape.

If you are a parts collector like me, you will have a junked petcock around. Use that instead.

As far as the carbs go- the guys on GSResources swear by Berrymans carb dip. I go with boiling in lemon juice then a good scrubbing. You mean the inside of the carbs, right?

Quote from: Big Rich on May 24, 2011, 06:23:31 PM
If you are a parts collector like me, you will have a junked petcock around. Use that instead.

As far as the carbs go- the guys on GSResources swear by Berrymans carb dip. I go with boiling in lemon juice then a good scrubbing. You mean the inside of the carbs, right?

I just did a post about Berryman's Chem Dip.That crap didn't do anything for my carbs except turn them dark gray.I still had to use spray cleaner to clean them.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=56068.0

Does the tank have rust on the inside?  If so do a google search for "electrolysis rust removal" - I've done that on a couple tanks with great results.

Quote from: ben2go on May 24, 2011, 07:33:48 PM

Quote from: Big Rich on May 24, 2011, 06:23:31 PM
If you are a parts collector like me, you will have a junked petcock around. Use that instead.

As far as the carbs go- the guys on GSResources swear by Berrymans carb dip. I go with boiling in lemon juice then a good scrubbing. You mean the inside of the carbs, right?

I just did a post about Berryman's Chem Dip.That crap didn't do anything for my carbs except turn them dark gray.I still had to use spray cleaner to clean them.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=56068.0

Yes, an overnight soak in Berrymans is not the thing to do. It eats the coating right off the carbs. 30 minutes in that stuff tops. Or just use the carb clean spray... unless the carbs are completely varnished up with old fuel I think the spray's the way to go. Cheaper too. Dip is good if you rebuild lots of them and/or have bad varnish problems.

Tank needs to be acid treated. Nothing else - especially electrolysis works on a tank without line of sight into the worst problem area the crap pocket. Gravity still works, it still is the best, and it always gets the crap pockets, that actually may be the definition of "gravity".

The carbs are best to be mechanically cleaned as in toothbrush, thin wire type cleaner and wd40/penetrating. Chemically cleaning them is overkill and will turn the carbs black. Well I guess wd40 is a chemical. I dunno how many times to post this.

If you have the carbs open, might as well jet em. That way you get to not clean the hardest bloody thing to clean, the pilot.
Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: noiseguy on May 25, 2011, 06:39:15 AM

Quote from: ben2go on May 24, 2011, 07:33:48 PM

Quote from: Big Rich on May 24, 2011, 06:23:31 PM
If you are a parts collector like me, you will have a junked petcock around. Use that instead.

As far as the carbs go- the guys on GSResources swear by Berrymans carb dip. I go with boiling in lemon juice then a good scrubbing. You mean the inside of the carbs, right?

I just did a post about Berryman's Chem Dip.That crap didn't do anything for my carbs except turn them dark gray.I still had to use spray cleaner to clean them.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=56068.0

Yes, an overnight soak in Berrymans is not the thing to do. It eats the coating right off the carbs. 30 minutes in that stuff tops. Or just use the carb clean spray... unless the carbs are completely varnished up with old fuel I think the spray's the way to go. Cheaper too. Dip is good if you rebuild lots of them and/or have bad varnish problems.

I did have varnish and all the rubber parts turned to goo.My petcock leaked fuel into the carbs while it was stored.It took 2.5 years for everything to gum up.I had one h377 of a time getting them apart to clean them.I am considering an ultra sonic cleaner.I have three more sets to clean and rebuild.

Quote from: The Buddha on May 25, 2011, 06:56:06 AM

If you have the carbs open, might as well jet em. That way you get to not clean the hardest bloody thing to clean, the pilot.
Cool.
Buddha.

What do you mean by jet the carbs? I'm planning on cleaning my carbs this weekend and my main reason for doing it is I think my pilot jet is clogged. I was planning on soaking the jets in carb cleaner and sticking some wire through the holes. Is this the way to go?

Quote from: paalak on May 25, 2011, 04:48:05 PM

Quote from: The Buddha on May 25, 2011, 06:56:06 AM

If you have the carbs open, might as well jet em. That way you get to not clean the hardest bloody thing to clean, the pilot.
Cool.
Buddha.

What do you mean by jet the carbs? I'm planning on cleaning my carbs this weekend and my main reason for doing it is I think my pilot jet is clogged. I was planning on soaking the jets in carb cleaner and sticking some wire through the holes. Is this the way to go?

Buddha is referring to changing the jets in the carb in the bike to different sizes to tune it for performance.  If you are not having any problems then you do not need to rejet.

-Jessie

A 89-00 pilots usually very rarely would it survive a remove and re fit.
The 01+'s would usually survive, but they are a lot harder to clean. Those are 1/2 the dia hole as the 89-00. Obviously they also clog easier.
Cool.
Buddha.

Thanks for the clarification. I just took my carbs apart today and was surprised at how spotless they are. It makes sense since I have a 2008, but I was expecting carb issues because it's been stalling and backfiring lately. Turned out to be an exhaust valve, though--now I just need to find the right shim, and quick 

Quote from: paalak on May 26, 2011, 10:19:58 PM
Thanks for the clarification. I just took my carbs apart today and was surprised at how spotless they are. It makes sense since I have a 2008, but I was expecting carb issues because it's been stalling and backfiring lately. Turned out to be an exhaust valve, though--now I just need to find the right shim, and quick 

What shim do you need and what shim do you have in there now?