Bike just dies, no throttle

[BrandonC]

Hey guys I was riding my 2000 gs500e home last night from a 70 mile ride and it started bucking on me going about 75 and I down shifted and it wouldn't rev at all. I pulled over and shut it down and checked the oil which was fine. It then rode ok but it happened twice more on the way home. I need to clean the pilot jets since it hesitates in first but this was the first time this has happened in 1k miles.  What else should I do or check?  Fuel filter maybe?

Sent from my GS500E

[Janx101]

Fuel level also ... How far from the first died to home??

Don't know your overall time on bike or experience .. But 'sounds/looks like plenty of fuel in tank' has caught LOTS of people out!! Including me at first! 

[BrandonC]

I filled it up rode 70 miles to work. Died at 110 then about 15 or 20 miles after then again about another 20 miles. I popped the cap and saw fuel and I averaged 200 miles with 4 gallons the last fill up.

Sent from my GS500E

[Suzuki Stevo]

By any chance have you added an automotive type filter between the tank and carbs?

[BrandonC]

No I haven't added anything to the bike at all. What would the fikter do?

Sent from my GS500E

[RossLH]

A fuel filter would hinder the flow of fuel. They've been known to cause problems with GS500s.

[Shepa]

A fuel filter would hinder the flow of fuel. They've been known to cause problems with GS500s.

+1
Been there, done that.
Scrap additional fuel filter, the one inside the tank is more than enough.

Sent from my toilet seat using HTC FartPhone

[Suzuki Stevo]

An automotive filter would look something like this, you couldn't miss it if a previous owner had added one. My riding lawnmower couldn't get out of it's own way after the tank was anything below 3/4 full, as seen in photo.

[BrandonC]

No I don't think so. I took the tank off when I bought the bike to dump the bowls on the carbs which were filthy and I didn't see anything like that. Could it be something in thw carbs? I have no idea what caused it

Sent from my GS500E

[RossLH]

If the bowls are filthy, you should probably give the carbs a good cleaning.

[Dr.McNinja]

No I don't think so. I took the tank off when I bought the bike to dump the bowls on the carbs which were filthy and I didn't see anything like that. Could it be something in thw carbs? I have no idea what caused it

Sent from my GS500E

I'm going to hazard a guess and say dirty carbs aren't causing your bike to die like it is (though it could contribute). If you're bike rides fine and then dies it's something else. Sounds like low fuel (been there, done that), or a dirty fuel filter. I mean, if you've already checked fuel filter/fuel level then maybe your tank is mucked up? What are the chances the hole for the reserve line is plugged/kinked/stopped somehow? Which brings me to my next question - does it run fine in a different fuel setting? (if you're on reserve switch to on, on switch to reserve).

[BockinBboy]

Simple fuel starvation. Trick is to figure out what caused it... Sounds like kinked fuel lines, fuel filter, and low fuel have all been ruled out so lets get to the sneakier possibilities...

Vapor lock (have a tank bag? clogged/kinked fuel vent?, etc)

Crosswind engine stumble from misrouted carb vent (recent work under the tank?,lunchbox filter?)

Low float height (this one is a little more far reaching by the description thus far, but its an easy enough check to do anyway via clear U-tube on the carb drains)

- Bboy

[BrandonC]

May have figured it out. The rubber gasket that goes from the airbox to the carb on the right side slipped off. I dumped the bowls which had a reddish runny sludge in the bottom and cleaned them. I then unscrewed the gold colored screw that has a pin hole in it in between the orange plastic pieces and sprayed it with carb cleaner and re tightened it. I reassembled everything and then snapped my key in half in the fuel cap....

After swearing a lot I got the piece out and was able to get 2 copies made today. The bike started and rode fine, but when I pulled the choke lever down the bike did not rev up the rpms at all like it has in the past?

Sent from my GS500E

[Janx101]

good progress!! .. 

is the snapping the key and swearing a critical point in the process? .. or can it be skipped?! 

[adidasguy]

Swearing helps everything.

Maybe you didn't re-connect the choke cable correctly?

[GS500F2004]

I reassembled everything and then snapped my key in half in the fuel cap....

After swearing a lot...

Hahaha 

I started laughing loudly in the library, and now people are looking at me. You just stated in the most blasé way, as if it's something you do regularly. Like janx said, a regular process.

[BrandonC]

Yeah it tends to happen when I work on things. Im going to check the choke cable tomorrow.  Bike started to die on me on the way back from class tonight. It wouldn't let me give it throttle going about 70mph after 5 mins of riding. I pulled over and shut it down. After waiying a few mins I got it about 5 miles before it happened again, I waited again and then was able to get it home.  I've only gone 155 miles since I filled it up and I could clearly see fuel in the tank so I know it wasn't out of gas. Im beginning to think it could be one of the lines? Last time I checked it I was able to get 208 miles out of 4 gallons but that was before it started acting up.

Sent from my GS500E

[Dr.McNinja]

Yeah it tends to happen when I work on things. Im going to check the choke cable tomorrow.  Bike started to die on me on the way back from class tonight. It wouldn't let me give it throttle going about 70mph after 5 mins of riding. I pulled over and shut it down. After waiying a few mins I got it about 5 miles before it happened again, I waited again and then was able to get it home.  I've only gone 155 miles since I filled it up and I could clearly see fuel in the tank so I know it wasn't out of gas. Im beginning to think it could be one of the lines? Last time I checked it I was able to get 208 miles out of 4 gallons but that was before it started acting up.

Sent from my GS500E

You didn't check your lines before? That's the first place I usually look. Check your reserve line specifically. If you've put 155 on it you're probably in your reserve area. If you do switches from ON to RES manually your reserve line may have a problem.

[Janx101]

I've only gone 155 miles since I filled it up and I could clearly see fuel in the tank so I know it wasn't out of gas. Im beginning to think it could be one of the lines? Last time I checked it I was able to get 208 miles out of 4 gallons

its roughly a 1-1.3 gallon reserve level ...

i know i mentioned it before.. and i dont mean to rag on you about it... how much 'spirited' throttle have you given it on this tank of fuel? .. was the tank filled in the same manner as usual and SURE it was full? ..

with variations in fueling levels and hitting the throttle harder i have taken 100-150km OFF the distance to reserve with my bike... when i was on my L plates and puttering around i could get to 400 to 420-ish km before needing to switch to reserve .. now a couple years later i'm on the throttle a lot more and depending on just how careful (or not) i am to bring the tank right up full .. i can need to switch to reserve about 320km usually ... and 270ish a few times... once below that by a margin..  and 160km is 100mi

seeing fuel in the tank is deceptive ... the reserve level is ridiculously high when compared to other bikes out there...

that being said... it could easy be a kinked or blocked or split line... or problem with petcock... carb floats , tank breather, gunked up something

fill the tank up though and see how much you put in... if its around 4 gallons again .. then youre at reserve ..

if cruising smooth on the freeway i notice the reserve level sputtering area creep in a bit then go gaaaaaaassssp .. if im into the corners and mountains and the fuel is sloshing all over the place then i get a few coughcoughs and back to normal again.. in either case i know its time to switch and think about finding fuel with the hour .... roughly

not trying to be a smartass .. i know far less about this bike than a lot of people here... but i have seen the 'i can see fuel but the bike wont run' question ... a LOT!! ... and in a range of cases (not the majority!) ... a fuel up was needed..

just sayin! 

[Xevamir]

This sounds like what I went through. I'm pretty sure that the gas tank was just deceptively low. If you switch it to prime or reserve and that stops the bucking... that would be the answer to that problem.