Hello all!

I began my journey with a 2006 GS500F somewhere around 2012, riding it off and on. It is my first bike, and I settled on it for the nice balance of price, performance and general reliable reputation. During this time, I paid to have the carbs cleaned, a vacuum leak fixed and an oil change. The price of these fixes by a mechanic were surprisingly expensive. If I only knew now what I didn't know then, I would have saved myself some cash. Oh well, price of ignorance or laziness I suppose.

Last year I finally decided to tinker; it seems to be the thing all the cool kids do with the GS500F. I replaced the plugs with iridium, purchased a K&N lunchbox and rejet the carbs. Life was pretty good, and I managed to do it all myself. Not bad for someone with zero mechanical experience, I figured.

A while back, I ended up low-siding and totaling the bike. By a strange and unique coincidence, there was someone selling a 2007 GS500F parts bike the same day I crashed. The parts bike's frame was fine, but the previous owner didn't change the oil and ended up toasting the crank. I figured this was a sign - an opportunity to really learn how to work on the bike. I went ahead and purchased it, assuming that my original bike would be able to supply the needed important bits to bring a running bike into this world. I would soon find that simple things seldom are.

This thread serves to chronicle my journey, provide a historical reference point and to explain from a novice point of view the various processes that have transpired. Hopefully, the net outcome will be a running bike by the conclusion of this thread, and hopefully offer a bit of insight as to some of the mistakes I have made along the way. I am not an expert, but I am a quick learner and enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences with others. Pictures and details to come during the following weeks.

I'm excited for this thread... thank you for sharing 

So...let's start from the beginning. Crashing.

They say that it happens to everyone, just a matter of time. Hopefully for most it is not as intense as mine. This is a GS500 tank looks like when your bike hits a pole at 35-45 MPH. Thankfully, I was not aboard during that time.



Here is the laundry list of items that were damaged and needed to be replaced or repaired:

• Frame
• Tank
• Handlebars
• Left mirror
• Left control assembly
• Front cowl
• Front cowl (inner)
• Front headlight/cowl mount
• Fairings
• Left foot peg
• Left carb diaphragm cap
• Seat latch
• Left front/rear turn signals
• Tank petcock

The Tank
The frame from the parts bike was in fine condition, however, the bike had been left outside for a long time. This meant the electrical components, hoses, and most importantly, the tank were suspect. Unfortunately, my assumptions about the tank were correct. I spent hours having to pressure wash and degrease the tank repeatedly. I used a ShopVac to suck out the remaining free bits of rust and scale I could find, and then used Red Kote to seal the tank up. However, there were some areas in the tank that were apparently still wet when the Red Kote was applied, even though I used some Acetone to dry it up. No worries, you can also use Acetone to thin the coating - which I did since there was some thicker pools of the Red Kote. After thinning the thicker areas, I proceeded to "recoat" the entire tank before I let the tank sit out in the sun to dry in thoroughly. That ended up doing the trick, and now there is more-or-less an even coating inside the tank. There is a new fuel filter inside of the tank, so I will keep an eye on it and make sure everything is holding up, but so far so good.

The Re-Assembly Process
The goal was to transfer all of the good bits from the crashed bike, onto the good frame of the new parts bike. In this process I decided to install a few upgrades along the way. First up on the order was replacing the suspension bits. I ordered a Katana 600 rear shock from eBay, and ordered .80 fork springs +15W fork oil from Sonic Springs. The instructions make it actually more complicated than it needs to be for setting the GS500 preload. Basically, if you cut the spacers so they are flush with the top of the forks with the caps removed (and the forks are at full extension), you are good to go. That is because the cap will give you the necessary 1/2"-3/4" of preload needed. In hindsight with their measuring method, I think I cut mine 1/4" shorter than needed, but I'll measure the specific sag later.

You don't need too many tools to work on the bike, really. You will need a good socket wrench (or two) and a "spanner" as those across the pond call them, or regular wrenches to us Yanks. A good variety of metric sockets (mainly 10/12/14 are used, but there are some oddball ones). A torque wrench for the critical bolts such as axle, engine, and suspension. Also, get a JIS screwdriver - yes, it does make a difference compared to a Phillips. Finally, get the Haynes manual or equivalent - but to be honest, I didn't need it that much. There is a GS500 service manual online that provides the torque specifications, routing diagrams, etc. That document was very useful.

Oh, and get a sharpie marker and box of zip-lock bags. When you are taking out parts, toss the screws in a bag and label what they go to. It will cost you $5 and save you a potential headache of wondering "where does this screw/bolt go to".

The most challenging part of the entire process was putting the engine into the frame. I have not found a particularly easy way to do so, and we needed to remove the magneto cover (left side) to position it into the frame, because it would constantly clip on the corner of the cover and not allow the engine to align into place. If anyone has a fool-proof way of mounting the engine, let me know.

Decided to add some cosmetic items to the list as well, such as Zero Gravity windscreen and some blue LEDs to the dash.


By the end of a couple weekends, we had something that looked like this:


Fun With Engines
Ok, at this point I had a running bike. I was ecstatic, and took it for a quick spin around the block. It stalled out after a short period of time, and I put the petcock into prime and limped it back into the garage. Handling wise, the new suspension makes this thing a whole new animal. However, there was certainly something "off" about the sound and performance of the bike.

I took off the carbs and cleaned them, and ran through some diagnostic troubleshooting. You can view my troubleshooting endeavor here at this point here: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=69137.0

I had a stuck intake valve. I took the head off the parts bike, and I replaced the head gasket with a new one. After fighting with the timing chain jumping for a bit, I finally got it in the correct timing position. Huzzah! All was proceeding according to plan! Now I was moving onward to installing the cam caps. BaltimoreGS video said, "Careful these bolts are fragile". Ok, no worries, set the torque wrench so I don't go crazy. I set the torque on the torque wrench to 7 ft lbs, and began to wrench away. *click* *click* *click* Cool, all torqued down to spec. Wait...why is the wrench spinning after it clicks.

Oh Fuuuuuuuuuudddge...


...but I didn't say "fudge". I pulled off the bolts from the cam caps.




Looks like I am going to get acquainted with screw extractors. I ordered a Grabbit micro screw extractor set from Amazon, as well as 8 new bolts. I also ordered a replacement intake valve, a valve lapper, and lapping compound for the original head. One way or another, a functional head is going on top of this engine.

However, that will have to wait until at least the 7th when the parts are supposed to come in. Stay tuned to hear if the bolts successfully are removed, or if a new intake valve is installed.

Holy cap Al! Glad to hear you didn't hit that pole like the tank did.

Sign me up.

The nice thing about those soft bolts is that screw extractors actually work on them. You should be able to get them out. I have also snapped one while using a torque wrench at the correct setting.

From what I understand about cylinder head bolts is that they stretch when you torque them. So if you remove the head you need to replace the bolts.

If you remove the motor from the frame you can get these out with vice grips and warming the block. That Loctite they are put in with softens up nice at around 450f.
Cool.
Buddha.

@Big Rich - You and me both! At first I thought the bike was ok, since it was just a low-side. I wasn't counting on it going into one of the, "This is a really tight turn, no really, here are some arrows to prove it" signs. I was sorely bummed when I turned around to find it sideways against a fallen pole. Thankfully, wearing gear prevented quite a bit of slide damage to my body. The bike can be replaced/repaired easily.

@Bluesmudge - Yeah, I searched and I think I noticed a post by you and Bombsquad83 that both encountered the same problem. My guess is the stress on the bolts from the cams makes these a "one time use" type deal. Hopefully the remaining 6 that are stuck in there will come out without too much fuss. I got an automatic center punch and the Alden Micro Grabit kit from Amazon.

@metatron - Certainly is a possibility, but these are not the cylinder head bolts. I actually had no problems with the cylinder head bolts, other than them being very tightly torqued on originally. These are the cam cap bolts that secure the cams to the head. The metal is super soft, and with the stress of the cams, I bet that even light wear on them is just too much to count on using them again. I have a new set of them on the way.

@Buddha - The cam cap bolts? I don't think so - they are below the surface of the head. I could see that with the cylinder head bolts, though. Heat + vice grips would work on the acorn nut tops. I do plan on removing the head from the motor to be able to get a good angle for the extractor though.

Ok, so tonight I received my screw extractor set from the mail. I removed the head from the engine, and the new gasket peeled a bit from the corner. Argh! I hope it is ok enough to reuse, I hate to have to buy a new one since I JUST purchased this one. Also, the cylinder walls were starting to get some surface rust from being devoid of any lubrication. I wiped out all the surface rust I could and gave it a good coating of T9 Boeshield to prevent any further corrosion. My guess is that the pistons will score it clean after a few passes any ways, but rather not have to worry about it.


I set to work on removing the stuck bolts. The two easiest ones didn't even need the extractor portion, the act of drilling the hole cause them to spin free enough to grab with needle-nose pliers. The deeper ones required the full drill and extraction combo, but I managed to free one of them tonight. The remaining three will need to wait until tomorrow.

Yet another late night wrenching on the bike. Good news first: I was able to get all the broken bolts that were stuck in head of the engine! 


The rest of my replacement bits came in today, so I began to get started...


Replaced the copper washers as well as the small oil seals that go around the engine bolts. The rest of the parts are for the other head for me to fix up in my spare time (new intake valve, oil seal, etc).

Everything is proceeding according to plan, except setting the <insert expletive here> cam timing! I have watched the BaltimoreGS video and have followed the instructions in the Hayne's manual as well. Set the engine to the R.T | mark to the pickup, put the exhaust cam in, put the intake cam in, make sure the 1 is facing forward, make sure the 2 is facing upward, count 18 links to the 3 on the intake. No problem - however, when I attempt to tighten the exhaust cam, the lobe presses down on the bucket, causing the timing on the chain to jump backwards! ARRRRGH! Over, and over, and over, and over again...I spent at least two hours fighting this thing, and each time *click* jump *click* jump...

So. Aggravating. I am not the only one who had this issue, according to this post here: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=52573.20

If anyone has a method for setting the timing on this bike that does not absolutely suck, please let me know. Between getting the engine in the frame, and setting this timing chain, this has got to be the most frustrating thing I have experienced so far. I am so close to <hopefully> being done, but this keeps kicking me right in the rear. Right now I am dead tired fighting with it - my neck and back hurts craning over the bike, so I am going to call it a night.

Sorry Al, I don't have any useful advice.... but I'm sure you'll get it man! There seems like some good tips in that thread you linked. 

Quote from: Big Rich on July 08, 2015, 06:38:18 AM
Sorry Al, I don't have any useful advice.... but I'm sure you'll get it man! There seems like some good tips in that thread you linked.

Perseverance pays offs! I finally got the cams installed with the correct timing. Huzzah! Confirmed both cylinders were firing, no more hot on one side of the engine nonsense. It was belching white smoke for a while, but I chalk that up to the various WD-40, carb cleaner, Boeshield, oil, and God-knows-what-else being burning in a fiery immolation.

Took it for a spin around the block. Had issues with it stalling at low RPM. Crap, same issue as last time! I haven't fixed it at all! 

Took it home, was frustrated. Looked at spark plug caps - one was completely off. Whoops. 

Started it back up, revved like crazy. Adjusted the idle speed screw, now it seems to be more or less fine. 

Now there is one last issue - I hope. Slow return to idle speed. If you give it some revs, it takes its sweet time going back to the original speed. There is some hesitation in the lower RPM range. Not entirely sure how to fix that. I will poke around the forum threads and see what troubleshooting that leads to. I am guessing that I may have to tinker with the fuel mixture screws since I think I am not at the full "3 turns out". Not sure if that would make the difference or not.

Update: Searching seems to confirm my suspicions - the mixture is too lean. The bike is also quite hot, so that is certainly another indicator as well. I will back the mixture screws out a bit more and see what that yields.

Update: Ok, so now we have revs that just stay for days. Figured that it means a vacuum leak somewhere. Went on instinct and sprayed intake boots: Bingo. There is a weak seal where the rubber meets the head; not where the carb goes into the intake. I have a feeling that the O-rings on both of the boots are fairly squished flat at this point, probably not rendering a good seal. Time to order some replacement O-rings or seal the manifold a bit better.

Congrats Al! If you don't want to get OEM rings, there is a guy over on the GSResources that sells them for the GS as well. I believe his name is Robert Barr, but Pete would know more details about them than me....

Quote from: Big Rich on July 09, 2015, 05:39:37 PM
Congrats Al! If you don't want to get OEM rings, there is a guy over on the GSResources that sells them for the GS as well. I believe his name is Robert Barr, but Pete would know more details about them than me....

Thanks! Looks like he is on vacation until the 22nd of July. Here is his website though, for future reference: http://www.cycleorings.com/

Update: Round and round the troubleshooting goes, when it stops, nobody knows.

So I placed my original intake manifold boots on the bike, and made sure there was a tight connection. Also since I removed the boots, I took my time to adjust the carb screws "3 turns out" as I am running the lunchbox air filter and didn't set it originally. The intake leak, by virtue of the WD-40 test, appears to be gone now, so that is good.

Here is where I am at:

• Bike will idle at 1.2k, but when given gas, has a hanging idle around 3-4k; sloooowwwwwly returns back
• Take the bike around the block, is fine at first - after a short duration it will begin to bog down when given gas, and will die when attempting to go back to idle speed. This is exactly the same problem I had before I replaced the head.
• The choke...acts sporadically. Sometimes it seems like it causes the RPM to increase, but when the bike is warmed up, applying the choke actually  causes the bike to sputter a bit and idle more poorly, rather than increase in RPM as expected.
• Switch to the PRIME position, and it magically regains all of its power - will still have that 3-4k descending idle, but tends not to die out at idle speed

The last entry seems to indicate a fuel starvation issue, and at this point, I am guessing from the vacuum line from the petcock. The slow return to idle usually is a lean condition, but I don't understand why at this point. The fuel mixture screws should be turned out enough. Maybe it needs more? I doubt that though because  the spark plugs are showing they are rich - plenty of black carbon build up. So I am not sure the hanging RPMs/slow return to idle are because of a lean condition.

Took off the carbs, cleaned them - again. Cleaned the jets - again. Replaced the fuel petcock from the other bike. Make sure all of the hoses were nice and snug, no weak vacuum connections. Balanced the carbs by trying to run on one cylinder, adjusted until bike will run on each side at the same RPM. Hardly perfect, but at least we can ballpark it. Initially, the right side wouldn't maintain idle, only the left would.

Here is where we are at...

Fuel Petcock is on PRIME, idle screws adjusted to get the bike running: Stable at 1.2k, give gas, spikes to 3-4k and stays. Hanging idle like a vacuum leak.


Now adjusting the idle screw to this idle speed, seems to keep it from hovering at 4k, but now the bike will die when choke is applied, and also will die when coming from throttle to stop, ala stopping at a stop sign.


At this point, I don't know what else it could be. For all intents and purposes, it seems like a vacuum leak issue, but for the life of me I cannot find it.

Split line. .. or split fitting?

Update: The whole family contracted herpangina. No, I am not joking. Yes, that is what it is called - and it sounds like a horribly trampish disease. Basically, it is caused by the Coxsackie virus. I will wait until everyone is done laughing.

...

Ok, are we done now? Great. Thankfully it is not because I have been around loose motorcycles. It is basically like a cold and sore throat and pretty common during the summer (check) and among young children (check) and is very contagious (check). It sidelined my wife for a day, and then me an additional three. So haven't dedicated a lot of time to the bike.

The intake seals came in, and I figured "what the hey, let's try installing these". The old seals were certainly squished flat, and the new ones were nice and well-rounded. Installed them, and would it make a difference? Well, the answer is not really. Bike still runs oddly, with a hanging high RPM. Bike will want to stall out when coming to a stop, if it isn't idling high to keep it from dying out. I didn't notice any broken fittings or hoses, I have checked via the propane torch/WD40/carb cleaner testing methods, and have yielded nothing.

At this point in the road, I think I have exhausted my backyard mechanicry and will just have to bend over and take it to a professional. My hopes is it is something minor, but just like this thread states: Simple things, seldom are. I gave it me best effort, but at the end of the day, I think I am just finished with it. Spending more time chasing this problem than riding the bike at this point.