Okay so I was riding home today on my 2009 GS500F (3500kms on the clock) and she just died. Didn't cough or splutter, it was like the engine just cut out. About 100m before this happened I noticed the bike was idleing weirdly, and then the engine light came on but it was too late. I checked the fuel, looked like there was a decent amount in there (not much, but you could see a bit). I tried to start the bike again after this and struggled. I got it maybe twice to start again but both times it stalled when I took it out of netural.

Anyway, chucked it on the centre stand, waited like 15 minutes for my housemate (but he was running late) so I tried to start it again, it worked! Rode about another kilometre (past my house to the petrol station), not sure if it was idling funny or if I was imagining things, and it died again. Same problem as last time. Housemate had met me by this time, he checked the oil which was all fine (full, and clean). Ended up pushing it to the petrol station, and filled her up. Put in 15L, when the tank holds 20L. Bike started fine, and I rode home from there.

What do you all think it was? Did I just run out of fuel? Did it just start again after the first time because I put it on the centre stand and let it sit for a bit?

My main question is, should I be worried? My housemate isn't a huge bike enthusiast, but he knows cars well, and said that the fact the engine just died was consistent with the engine seizing, but it seems OKAY now. Thankfully this happened close to home, but I'm scared it'll happen again on my way to work tomorrow. I don't have time within the next couple weeks to get it checked out by a professional.......

Sounds like fuel starvation, did you switch the frame petcock from ON to RES (reserve)?  The GS tank has a flat bottom so even when it is low on fuel it still appears to have a lot.  When fuel is running low the bike will start to surge (lose and gain power), that is the time to switch the petcock and start looking for a gas station.  And this is all based on the fuel lines being routed properly from the tank petcock to the frame petcock, if the fuel lines get switched RES won't work.  Reset the trip odometer on a full tank and note how many miles you are at when you switch to reserve.  Then get in the habit of fueling up just shy of that mileage   

-Jessie

Thanks for the advice. I think it was just fuel. On my old bike that's what I did because it didn't have a fuel gauge either! So I'd always fill up to the very top, and measure how much each tank got me. I actually still have a spreadsheet on my computer of EVERY time I filled up. But my old bike was a 250 and I think I underestimated how much fuel this bike takes.

Tonight was the first night I'd even filled up! Only bought the bike two weeks ago and haven't had much chance to ride. The guy I bought it off said he'd filled up and reset the trip meter but the bike had only done 247km before this happened tonight...so I'm not sure if this bike just sucks a lot more fuel than my old one, or if he just didn't fill up all the way...

Oh well. Fingers crossed it's all good now!

What Jesse said. There should be a little switch near your left leg as you sit on the bike.You will have 4 litres when you switch so plenty of time to find a servo. Every GS is different but you should be getting 300kms+ maybe less when you do city driving before you have to switch to reserve.

GS tank holds 20 litres.

Yeah it must have just been the fuel. I do ALL city riding basically, because I live about 3kms away from the city, and I work and study in the city. So that economy, and hitting the reserve with that much left seems about right. Thank God!

I do know about the fuel reserve, I've just never used it before because I was always so cautious on my old bike about filling up before I needed to use it!!

This should help. Its one of misters videos and should give you a good idea of what this bike is capable of and some basic info about it.  . I am a little concerned that you only got 274km outa 15l. You should be way over 300 by this stage. Maybe some bad fuel, go to supercheap or the servo next time and put some in tank additive for carbs or injector cleaner.

http://youtu.be/AzTpSMWFhbY

Yeah, 247 is a bit low, I am not exactly delicate with the throttle and I get over 300 before reserve.

My fuel consumption is usually between 4.5-5 L/100km

Well, they only ride it 3km at a time ~ barely has time to warm up and turn the choke off. Probably explains a lot of the lower fuel mileage, no ?

AussieChick,

You ran out of fuel, plain and simple. Your poor economy is due to only riding 3km or so at a time. For best use of the bike, please do take the bike on some longer rides on the weekend or something. Even if it is just around town. But a jaunt down the freeway to Springwood and back would suffice. 

When I switch to reserve and then tank up I usually put in somewhere between 14 and 15 liters. Yes the bike has a 20l tank - but - it may not all be usuable, PLUS, the reserve is around 4 liters. So with 4 in res and the 15 you put in you are near a 19 liter of usable fuel.

So you rode 274. Great, keep that in mind. Reset the trip meter and ride until the same thing happens (until you hit res). Switch over and refill then put back on main line. Notice how for you got this time before hit hit res. Those two distances can now be your rough range on a tankfull. Until you start doing longer stints on the bike and some highway stuff too, keep filling up just before then and you wont have the problem again 

Michael

  Same happened to me last friday night for the first time on this bike..riding home in the driving rain on a pitch black road, worst rain ride in a long time  I could hardly see anything, great experience
Oh yeah and also at about 270Km on the clock.
Glad I had practiced the On to Res shuffle as advised by Mister 

I had a similar thing happen last night. Apparently I put it on PRIME a few days ago and forgot about it. So last night when it started running funny I went to put it on reserve and it was already on prime so I just let it sit for a minute and got it to start long enough to ride the last 2 miles home. Now, I will need to go fetch some gas in a can to fill it up enough to get back to the nearest gas station. Wouldn't be the first time I ran it out of gas lol.

AussieChick,

The on/res shuffle is: suit on your bike as if riding, now reach down with your left hand and turn the petcock from on to res.

The idea is to build a little muscle memory so you can do this while riding.

By roughly working out your range you start to Expect the symptoms, by practising the switch you know what to do when it happens.

Michael

247km did seem a little low to me BUT it's possible it wasn't filled all the way to the top....

I do know where the reserve is, and I can easily do it while I'm riding but I would really rather just not....never used it on my old bike...I'm going to just work out roughly how far I can go off a tank without hitting reserve (if I fill it all the way up, 250km might be about right) and keep filling up regularly.

I do try and go for some longer rides (went for a ride to Redcliffe yesterday) but unfortunately that's just how far I live from work....probably not great for the bike...I only ride 2 or 3 days a week though and then usually a longer ride on the weekend if I need to go anywhere. Just don't have a lot of time as a working student

Okay well I'm really glad it was just fuel. Kind of sad that I don't get that many kms out of a tank (comparing with my old 250 though haha) but oh well. There's a petrol station at the end of my street anyway