Hi Guys,

Im new to the forum, 22 years old, from The Netherlands.

Last winter i bought a really crappy looking GS500 real cheap. Didnt run to great either. So over the winter we build it into a wannabe caféracer.
But after all the work it still wont run.. So we're trying to fix that now.

I hope you guys like it

Looks good. I'm not a fan of café racers but I know a lot of people like them. Are you going to get a shorter front bbrake hose?

Thnx Weedahoe,

The front brake line is still one of the things on the to do list. Lots of detail work left.

However, the not running is the biggest issue haha. Im holding the carb dissassembled in front of me as we speak and i cant seem to figure out where the problem is. Guess ill just have to keep tinkering, haha.

WHat issues are you having from the carbs?

  for pics!  I hope you keep posting as you figure it out and tell us what was wrong with it!

Well, when i bought the bike, it sttod still for a long time.

After doing the usual stuff, we got it running on one cylinder. Seeing as there was a spark and i can feel the compression, i figured it must have been a fuel problem. I put on another carb and soon started with the cosmetic work. After doing the cosmetic work, we wanted to fire it up again and it didnt ran at all.. However, we still had spark, compression and fuel getting into the cylinder, because the spark plugs were wet.

Long story short, after a lot of trouble shooting, we suspect it must be the float height. When we hold our hand in front of the carb to create a vaccuum, it gets wet with gasoline. The spark plugs are also very wet. So we figured it is probably not closing properly and sending way too much gas into the engine, drowning it.

But, im not reaaaall techical so i might be wrong all together, haha.

When we use start pilot, it only runs until it burns up the start pilot. So thats also a bit wierd.

First im going to figure out how this float height meassurment thing goes, because i can not seem to get it hahaha.

Anyway, thanks alot guys!

damn looks good

That looks really good.  Those handle bars are crazy low!

Thnx guys!

Haha yeah, the handlebars are ridiculously low. Chest on the tank low haha. Need to see how it rides, if it really sucks,they re coming up again!

Wel... not up up. But a little higher.

A buddy is coming over tonight who has a little more technical know how than me. So i hope we can get it running!

mede Nederlander!

I really like the cafe look!

you should check out the dutch GS500 community!
http://www.motor-forum.nl/forum/list_messages/355790//

keep up the good work!

Hey Rascal, ill be sure to check it out.

Alas guys, the bikes problem surpasses our technical knowledge and therefore has defeated us.

So i will be taking it away to the bike shop, or buy a used engine.
The thing that bugs me is the fact thet we have spark, we have compression and the sparks get wet. So bascic technical knowledge would say that it should run.
We checked the carbs and my buddy measured some of the electrical stuff.. nothing strange.. so why wil it not start? Im gettin gs500 from hell vibes haha..

Any ideas??

Hi There Guys,

I thought id kick this topic back up again, because i need some word of wisdom from all you GS500 Guru's!

Due to some personal circumstances i was/am not in the financial position anymore to get this bike checked out by a pro.

However.. I did not build is to become a fancy lawn ornament.

I was wondering if there was anything you guys could do to push me in the right direction. Like i mentioned before, the bike has:
Spark (Nice bright, powerful sparks)
Compression
Fuel (plugs get wet)
Air

The way i see it, everything it needs to make it go vrooem...

BUT it does not. It cranks over but it wil not start up.

What direction should i look in? We cleaned the carbs, measured floathights and according to a buddy of mine everthing that is responsible for ignition is reading the proper values.

Is there something really stupid we are missing??

Id like to ride this bike before the summer is over, which in THe Netherlands lasts for about three days a year. So im hoping i can get one day of riding in august or something, haha.

Thank in advance guys.

Richard

fuse under the rubber cover?? ... not the one in plain sight thats a spare .. 'should' be under right side of seat near battery ..

kill switch wires have a glitch? ..

timing/cam position ... i dont know but can it be 180deg out?

brain/memory tells me another possibility .. but wont actually GIVE me that possibility ..  ....

hmm ... maybe .. how well is it cranking? ... i mean ... fast and easy? .. or slow and grumpy? .... often battery 'works' because it turns over .. but the amount of electricity is not really high enough for a ignition success ?

It's common for the little fuel jets integrated into the bottom of the floats for the choke circuit to become clogged because they sit at the bottom of the float bowl.  They are also often neglected when cleaning out the carb jets because you might not even notice them (ask my how I know).  Make sure those are clean.  Use the choke when trying to start it.

The best way to measure the fuel level in the bowls is to use a clear tube bent into a U shape on the carb drain.  Open the drain (petcock on Prime), and the fuel level in the tube should go to be even with the float bowl gasket.

Also, you might try unscrewing the mixture screws completely and cleaning out that orifice.  Be careful when you do, there is a small spring, washer and oring in there that you don't want to lose and it must be reassembled in the correct order.  When you put them back in, 3 turns out from seated is a good starting point.

Forgive my lack of foreign languages to a great extent. but "El perro Black man" = " the black dog?" you try soaking the carbs in cleaner for at least 24 hours?, AFTER you remove all plastic and rubber bits from it

I am wth everyone else, its a carb issue I bet.

You built this so take the carbs out and we can attempt to walk you through the rebuild clean of the carbs.

Thank guys! I'll try these suggestions next in a week or 2 when i have some time! Thanks!

O and yamahonkawazuki, the bikes name is Spanish. Black man being the spanish word for the color black. So the bike's name is in fact the black dog. Long story haha.

Looks good but im guessing those clipons are gonna be way 2 low, mine are against the lower triple and im a fairly short skinny guy and im almost on the tank i hope you get it running i love the name and look

That bike looks great! And you're going to raise those bars up a bit lol I'd even bet on it

I was having the same problem with my GS and after I cleaned and rejeted the carb 3 times we found out it was a electrical connection that was oxidized after we cleaned it up the bike fired right up.