• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

1980 GS 550 hard start

  • Thread starter Thread starter dfinnegan71
  • Start date Start date
D

dfinnegan71

Guest
Every time, every time I go to ride the ol girl it takes a lot of cranking over so much so I worry about draining the battery. After many many hits of the start button and fiddling with the choke, she fires up.
Starts right up after I've been running it for a while. Clogged pilot jets? valve adjustment? what do you guys think?:confused:
 
When was the last time you did a valve adjustment? If you don't know then it's probably way past time for that.

When was the last time the carbs were cleaned? Don't know, then same as above.

Basic list for hard starting would be: Check for good spark, clean carbs, adjust valves, check/replace plugs and clean/replace air filter. Make sure that everything on the intake side back is sealed up tight.
 
Sorry, you haven't given us much to go on. The common issues for hard starting are a) valves out of adjustment b) dirty carbs c) weak electricals ( lack of voltage to the coils). When were valves last adjusted? How about cleaning of carbs with fresh O-rings? Have electrical contacts and grounds been cleaned ?

Generally, situations like this are not as a result of one thing but combinations. Weak spark and tight valves often are at fault and I'd start by looking at these. Carbs too can be an issue but usually other symptoms occur like problems with idle and flat spots on throttle up etc.

Tell us more and we'll try to narrow it down a bit.

cheers,
A.
 
thanks for your reply's. I brought this bike back from the dead about this time last year. I got it for $150 bucks and the guy who had knew nothing about it. I dip the carbs (each one disassemble and sat in the dip overnight) I de-rusted the tank and lined it. I have a feelling my intake boots are'nt 100% installed on there right. that was a P.I.T.A. getting those back on! Anyway, Put it all back together and it fired up. I've been riding it all season this year in said condition. No one knows when the valves where checked last. I don't even know how to adjust them....I let it sit last winter with gas in it but did add Sta-Bil. is there a tutorial on adjusting these valves somewhere?
 
dfinnegan71 said:
is there a tutorial on adjusting these valves somewhere?
Click to expand...
Uhh, ... yeah. :o

Have you looked in the library, otherwise known as BassCliff's website? :-k

Scroll down the left column, you will see an article called Valve Adjustment (8 Valve).
Right below that is another article called Zip Tie Supplement. Many of us use that, too.

Of course, these are in addition to, not instead of, a service manual for your bike.

Click on the links above, then have some fun reading and wrenching.

You may also feel free to accept the invitation in my sig for another 'tool'.

.
 
Thanks Steve!! Basscliff's site is on my homepage forever as of right now!! Thanks agian and thank you BASSCLIFF!! :D
 
Anything you do to get the bike running right MUST include checking and adjusting the valves if out of spec. A bad valve adjustment will show up as a number of drivability issues. As stated earlier, tight valves can lead to burnt valves and require extensive repair.

Just dipping the carbs is not enough. Did you verify that all the passages where clean? There are a number of small passages that simply dipping will not remove the blockages. The choke and pilot circuits are very prone to blockage and need to be mechanically cleaned out.
 
dfinnegan71 said:
Thanks Steve!! Basscliff's site is on my homepage forever as of right now!! Thanks agian and thank you BASSCLIFF!! :D
Click to expand...
Did you not receive his MegaWelcome?

If you had introduced yourself in the GS Owners forum not long after joining, you probably got one.

Not sure how you could have possibly not remembered it. :-\\\

.
 
Steve said:
Did you not receive his MegaWelcome?

If you had introduced yourself in the GS Owners forum not long after joining, you probably got one.

Not sure how you could have possibly not remembered it. :-\\\

.
Click to expand...

I might have but I have a serious case of CRS brought on by years of not remembering ****. But I forgot how that happened!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top