• 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.

1982 Gs650l

  • Thread starter Thread starter Burke1959
  • Start date Start date
B

Burke1959

Guest
My wife and I have just purchased a 1982 GS650L. This is a return to cycling for me after 12 years off and a first bike for my wife. The bike cost $800.00, has a new set of tires and runs well.
Questions:
The petcock has three labeled settings:
1.) RES
2.) ON
3.) PRI
My assumptions are:
There is no "OFF".
The petcock should be set at PRI when starting cold.
The petcock should be set at ON for driving.

I don't have a manual yet (just got the bike home a few days ago) -- am I correct in my assumptions?
 
You got it. The petcock is vacuum actuated. As a precautionary measure pull the vacuum line off and make sure there is no gas present in it and suck on it to see if it holds vacuum. The diaphrams in these petcocks sometimes leak which can lead to unwanted gas in the crankcase.
 
1982 GS650L petcock

1982 GS650L petcock

Thanks, I left the petcock in the PRI position the first night after I got the bike in the garage and opened the garage door to the smell of fuel. Not a lot but there were some puddles on the engine case. Leaving the petcock in the ON position solved this problem.
So PRI does not have a vacuum to hold fuel back? PRI simply opens the line from the tank to the carbs?
I am attending little problems as they arise so want to know if there is an issue with the petcock I need to address regarding a small fuel leak with the petcock left in the PRI position for a good 18 hours.
 
Burke1959 said:
Thanks, I left the petcock in the PRI position the first night after I got the bike in the garage and opened the garage door to the smell of fuel. Not a lot but there were some puddles on the engine case. Leaving the petcock in the ON position solved this problem.
So PRI does not have a vacuum to hold fuel back? PRI simply opens the line from the tank to the carbs?
I am attending little problems as they arise so want to know if there is an issue with the petcock I need to address regarding a small fuel leak with the petcock left in the PRI position for a good 18 hours.
Click to expand...
In the prime position there is a small rod inside the petcock that pushes on the diaphram in the same direction as vacuum pulls it. It opens a passage allowing fuel into the carbs. If you had leaking fuel after leaving it on prime you have a float problem in the carbs. Either a sticking float or most likely bad o-rings on the float valve seats.
 
Under normal circumstances, you only need to use the PRI setting if your carb bowls have emptied (i.e. you drained them or the bike was sitting for a long time).

Leave the petcock on "ON" for most circumstances, including parking overnight. It's a good idea to run into your "RES" reserve from time to time, to use the gas in the bottom of the tank (water can build up, etc).

The carb overflow from leaving the petcock on "PRI" overnight is relatively common, it doesn't necessarily mean you need to pull the carbs and fix the float levels. (Think about it, if the float shutoffs could do the whole job, why would we bother with petcocks that shut off at all, except to remove the fuel tank?) My GS1100GL will overflow the carbs if left on "PRI" overnight, but has done just fine for five years with the petcock kept on "ON" or "RES".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top