Quote from: mr72 on November 30, 2023, 06:13:38 AMBTW if it leaked fuel past the float needles while sitting, that fuel likely wound up going down the intakes and leaking into one or both of the cylinders and right past the rings into the crankcase. Do an oil change pronto. If there's an extra liter of fuel in there along with the oil then you will have too little compressible air in the crankcase and it'll cause running issues because the pistons are too hard to press down on the odd strokes.

In the centrestand i dont think that could be likely, it remains on the rear wheel with the front end pointing up so its against gravity ,it should leak through the air filter first.
in the side stand maybe.
Waht is the logic of the fue going only to the intake side?, and also, where is the the overflow port, if there is one?

BTW if it leaked fuel past the float needles while sitting, that fuel likely wound up going down the intakes and leaking into one or both of the cylinders and right past the rings into the crankcase. Do an oil change pronto. If there's an extra liter of fuel in there along with the oil then you will have too little compressible air in the crankcase and it'll cause running issues because the pistons are too hard to press down on the odd strokes.

This little goldmine still available!

For minor carb issues like that, you could try running some carb cleaner like gumout, seafoam, etc through a tank or two. Its possible its just a little varnish gumming up the carbs. This is exactly the sort of scenario where those products can actually work. Where the bike runs okay but not great after sitting. They don't work if the bike doesn't run.

Thanks! This has been an issue before for a long time (even a decade ago, if I left the manual petcock on for an hour, I'd have running issues for a bit).

Good news - started it this morning and it fired right up, responded to choke and idled as usual. Gave it a run on the freeway and looks like all of the issues I was having are gone. So looks like running fresh gas through everything for a bit cleared it up.

I know I'm going to need to go into the carbs at some point, but maybe not today 

carb float needle sticking,  vaccum operated petcock prevented the flooding, now with manual petcock is evident because the carb floods even without the engine running.
You now have a carb float above level all the time. U clear tube  method from the carb drain.
You can try to hit the carb bowls with the handle of a screw driver  to make it close again, but will be temporary.

Clean the bottom of the carbs, needle jet inspect and replace, maybe its gunk.
The conical rubber should be soft with no edges or "steps"
While you are at it clean main jets.

So have a 2000 GS500E, it's been running well for ~23 years. Never went into the carbs, haven't needed to.

About a decade ago I installed a manual petcock as I was having issues with fueling at high speeds. After a recent ride I forgot to turn it off, and only realized a few days later when I was smelling a bit of fuel by my bike.

Initially getting it started was a bear, I had to give it a bit of throttle and crank for ~30 seconds. It would run really rough and needed gentle throttle to keep it going. Once it got up to temp it idles OK, a little higher than before (1600 vs 1200?) but goes back to idle after revving.

Today I took it for a quick ride and noticed it was having lots of trouble getting above 40-50mpg going uphill. Felt like it was bogging. After 30 minutes of riding things got progressively better, no issues getting onto the freeway but it still feels like it bogs if I whack open the throttle at ~6K RPM. Mostly an issue at highway speeds (high load), not in first or second.

It does seem to be getting a bit better after putting some gas through it, but any idea as to what the  issue is? Gummed up main jets? And should I rip open the carbs or give it a few rides?

Quote from: Chisel on November 19, 2023, 02:45:15 PMAny tips for the carbs? The guy I sold the bike to messed around with the floats valves, since buying it bk and him messing with the carbs it hasn't run properly

Unless you have money to throw at dyno runs or another way to measure the actual air/fuel ratio, the best way to get a bike running that has an unknown history is to get everything back to stock, since that's a known running set-up. That means clean the carb, make sure all the jets and slide needle are stock and replace all rubber and consumable parts and check/set the float height to stock. Replace the intake boots/o-rings, replace all o-rings and gaskets in the carb, check/replace the fuel lines and vacuum lines, remove all jets/float valve and clean them if they are the correct size and functioning or replace them with the stock parts. If you are feeling ambitious, completely dissasemble the carb and dunk just the metal carb body in a carb dip for a day or two to fully clean out all the carb passages. Use a stock airbox with a Suzuki air filter and a stock exhaust. If you have a bike that isn't running right and doesn't have stock parts, that's like the difference between solving and algebra problem and a calculus problem. How do you solve for multiple variable? Could be the float height, could be a vacuum leak, could be clogged carb passages, could be some additive combination of the three, etc. Best to set it all back to stock so you know what you are dealing with.  Oh...also set the valve clearances and vacuum sync the carbs.

I agree...there may be some edge cases where not practical, but I don't winterize...best trick for the carbs is to ride it or start it...don't let it sit long

The GS500 came with a vacuum petcock so the fuel off truck doesn't work unless you have a aftermarket peacock.    The best trick is to ride it at least once a month.