i know there are three different settings for a gs... what do you guys leave it on?... i remember when i took my msf course.. they told us to leave it on reserve and we just rode around for a couple hours like that... im just curious :dunno:

. i leave mine on reserve. cause if you are riding, 1, should know what youve got in the tank, and 2. should know approximately what youve got left. :dunno:  

You kep it on fuel. The reserve is for when your bike starts stuttering because your fuel is low. The PRI setting is for when you need to prime the bike after re-assembling or draining the carbeurators.

i didnt ride my bike today.. but i forget what my setting is on.. but which way determines which setting your on? is it so that the handle part is over the setting you want?... or is it the other way around?

So the part is over the setting you want.

The selection depends on wheather or not you've had problems with your petcock or gastank. I leave mine in the ON selection, because I've never had any problems with my stock petcock.

i think mine is on the on position too.. but not too sure..

Leave it in the ON position - I cannot stress this enough.

Only put it in res if you are running out of fuel.
Only put it in prime if you are troubleshooting or trying to fill the carbs first.

Since you have a '97, the answer is ....

... leave the petcock "arrow" in the ON position, or pointing down.  When the bike starts to sputter you reach down and point the arrow forward, to the REServe position.

Like CasiCUA said, the PRIme position (pointing up) is for "special occasions".   :mrgreen:

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For those with a 2001+ model, the petcock positions are a little different.  This is from an old PM conversation with Pantablo:

Quote from: pantablo[on] the newer style petcock, ON is down [...] RES is up and PRI is to right [...] toward rear of bike.

EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net.

thanks

Is there anything wrong with leaving it in the reserve position if you make sure you always have enough gas? It seems like mine starts and runs better when it is on reserve. I don't know why that would be. Could it be my imagination?

Laura

The only prob with leaving in on reserve would be when you start sputtering..........you have no reserve :x !

Wayne

I have a 93' model and I ride with the arrow knob straight perpendicular to the ground cause it's labeled "on"  I have assumed  this for some time to be the normal gas on position. So reserve is parallel? hu didn't know that..I always though reserve was up [prime as I have now found out] and I was in the mode of thinking that the shut off position I have now learned is "reserve"]   This is all really pointless because you just have to remember that when the odometer hits 200 miles you better stop at the next station assuming like me you fill the tank up every time..

Quote from: Jace009you just have to remember that when the odometer hits 200 miles you better stop at the next station assuming like me you fill the tank up every time..

I think it was twice I allowed bikes to do that nagging stumble before they died. A couple of other times I caught them in time and switched to reserve. Never again. I always leave mine on reserve and do just as you've said, fill up(how much can it cost? ) and reset the odometer trip meter. 50 mpg x 4 = 200 miles with 1/2 gal left(pre '91) = fillerup. You'll never go dry. Actually I fill up between 150 and 200.

Once you've figured out how far your bike will go on a tank of gas, the whole ON vs RES debate does get to be rather academic...until you go on a long road trip.

Headwinds, hilly stretches and high-speed runs can all lead to fuel problems that you don't normally encounter in the city.  Several times my bike has started sputtering 20+ miles before the expected number on the trip meter.  Out here in the wide-open West it was nice to know that I needed to stop at the VERY NEXT gas station I could find, rather than wait that extra 20 miles and get stranded in between towns....

well i just looked at my bike.. and it seems like the gas setting was on PRI, meaning the arrow was pointed upward... is this bad? my bike was still running well... is it possible to switch up the arrow and change it around?...

Prime will only hurt if you start having problems with leaking carbs.  The fuell will drain into the carbs and onto the garage floor.  Every single drop in the tank if it sits long enough.  It should be in the ON position unless you have problems with fuel delivery in this position.

Normally, and if you're using the bike frequently, leave the petcock in the ON  position.  In this position, the petcock will only supply fuel if the motor is running, since the petcock uses engine intake vacuum to open the valve in the ON position (PRIME by-passes this vacuum operated valve arrangement).  You can see that it is a worthwhile safety feature that shuts off fuel when the motor doesn't need it, e.g when you suddenly find yourself upside down in a ditch.

But as ever, bear in mind that the GS500 is a cheap package, and does not have a fuel pump (either electric or mechanical), relying a bit on gravity but mostly on engine intake vacuum to pull the fuel through from the tank to the carbs.  If you leave the bike standing long enough in ON, the remaining fuel in carb bowls will dry up.  When you then come to start it, it  becomes a race between cranking the battery until it goes flat and the carb bowls filling up again.  Once again, el Cheapo GS500 has a crummy battery, which loses its charge quite quickly when standing.  This can be a fatal combination when you come to start it up after a period spent standing unused.  In this case, put the petcock on to PRIME and give the carbs a chance to fill under gravity before you hit the start button.  When it starts, switch back to ON.

The moral is - get out and ride your bike as much as you can!

Richard, thanks for the post. I just wrote on another topic about how my 95 GS was "coughing" and back-firing after I started her up for the first time - at speeds of 60mph. My petcock is always in the ON position, so I'm going to try it on PRIME and see if I can fill the carbs. Do you think this would explain the "coughing"? (I'm also going to look at my plugs Kerry!)

--Anna

Anna - could be any number of things that are messing up the combustion like valve timing, cylinder head leaks, maybe even intermittent fuel stravation.  Try PRIME - it may by-pass some problem with ON.

I've always been told that putting the setting on PRI or RES floods the plugs with fuel since there is no electronics in that area (at least I think it's the plugs...I'm slowly learning terminology of motors, bear with me...but it's where ever the fuel is suppose to go to). When you're actually riding, leave it on the ON position because the natural vaccum of the engine will move the fuel. I found that dropping the bike on the left hand side will empty the engine of fuel and a quick flip to PRI and it starts.

And isn't the reserve there for a reason? For when you RUN OUT of gas?