gs650e starting issue

[GreedyRogue]

So I just bought my step father old 81 gs650e. It ran when he parked it 4 years ago, but basically sat for all that time.

He was nice enough to deliver it for me on a trailer and he had the bike running, as long as he used the choke. I replaced the battery, oil, oil filter, sparkplugs, and got new tires for it.

I started it back up and got it to run with the choke on, but it didn't want to idle at the same rpm, it would go up and down 3-400 rpm just sitting on choke, even after running for a few minutes.

I tried applying throttle to rev it up and it would either die, or only rev up to 35-4500 then lose power. I thought it was an idle issue so started playing with the idle adjust screw, and now it won't start at all, with or without choke.

I am hoping not to have to tear the carb apart. I have limited mechanical experience, but i can follow bikecliff's guides pretty well. Any suggestions?

 

[Steve]

I am hoping not to have to tear the carb apart. ... Any suggestions?

Just one. :-k

You mentioned "BassCliff's guides", so you already know about them.

My suggestion: FOLLOW THEM.

There is NO short-cutting, you WILL have to take the carbs apart and clean them to get the bike running correctly. If you don't want to do that yourself, there are several of us here that offer a carb rebuilding service. Prices are rather similar among us, the basic service will be pretty much the same, it's probably down to which one can offer any "extras" like paint or polish.

Hint, hint. :-\\\

.

 

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutationtions!!!

Greetings and Salutationtions!!!

Hi Mr. GreedyRogue,

Your bike needs proper maintenance. That includes a proper carb cleaning. Follow the maintenance tasks in your "mega-welcome". Skipping steps or taking shortcuts will be frustrating at best, dangerous at worst.

If you are here you probably have a 30 year old motorcycle that needs about 20 years worth of maintenance. In the links below you'll find maintenance lists, documentation, wiring diagrams, "how to" guides, vendor links, tips, tricks, and a whole lot of GS goodness. This is your "mega-welcome". Let's get started.

Let me dump a TON of information on you and share some GS lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

Please Click Here For Your Mega-Welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

More links to helpful threads in the forum:
Help! Your Bike Won't Start
DON'T DO THESE THINGS
Help! Your Bike Won't Run Well
Oh God! Pods!


Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[GreedyRogue]

I was really hoping to avoid the carb but I guess I have no choice. Unless one of you fine gentlemen know a fellow gs mechanic in the twin falls, Idaho area. . .


Since I have to do this anyway, what kind of parts list do I need? I have all the basic tools for dissassembly, and I know I need a carb o-ring kit. Should I replace the air filter parts as well? New boots and filter, possibly weatherstripping for the cover. Anything I missed?

If I wanted to go the paying route, how much/ how long should the whole process take? I know my local cycle shop charges $70/hr. But it might be worth it just to have it done right.

Also, any way to change the way threads show up on the forum? I prefer oldest thread on the last page. Easier to scroll down than up.

 

[tkent02]

I know my local cycle shop charges $70/hr. But it might be worth it just to have it done right.

It won't be done right. Do it yourself for that.
If you can't go with one of the guys on here.

 

[loud et]

I was really hoping to avoid the carb but I guess I have no choice. Unless one of you fine gentlemen know a fellow gs mechanic in the twin falls, Idaho area. . .


Since I have to do this anyway, what kind of parts list do I need? I have all the basic tools for dissassembly, and I know I need a carb o-ring kit. Should I replace the air filter parts as well? New boots and filter, possibly weatherstripping for the cover. Anything I missed?

If I wanted to go the paying route, how much/ how long should the whole process take? I know my local cycle shop charges $70/hr. But it might be worth it just to have it done right.

Also, any way to change the way threads show up on the forum? I prefer oldest thread on the last page. Easier to scroll down than up.

cycleorings.com is a site run by a member here where you can get your o ring kit for only 14$ Also you can get the 4 o rings for the carb intake boots there along with new ss allen head bolts for the intake boots. You will see as you remove the old one that the phillips screws are hard to get out and possibley beginning to strip. The carb rebuild tutorial is very easy to follow. A can of Berrymans carb dip from AutoZone or similar and a few basic tools and you are in business.
If you are able, certainly replace the carb boots on the engine side and the airbox side. They both shrink and harden with age.
Experience has proven day after day that if you rebuild the carbs and replace the boots your bike will run well. Lets put it this way, if you continue to keep having troubles with a bogging bike or bad throttle response and start a thread called something like " Help , my bike wont idle" or " Throttle bogs at 3500 rpm" members will certainly start asking if you have replaced all the mentiond things.
Its a shot in the wallet, but the results are a great running bike and its well woth it.
Welcome aboard and good luck. I recently got a 650E and its a great bike. Light, very well powered and a blast to ride. I just rode it from Cleveland to southern Indiana on one of our rallys.
Hope you can post some pictures!

 

[GreedyRogue]

After 30 years, I ought to rename this bike nickels and dime. I have put more into it in parts so far than I paid for the bike.

Ill make the order for the orings, any suggestions on where to get the boots and what the exact name is? The local cycle shop already thinks im crazy, especially when I brought the "drain plug" from the oil pan in and the shop mechanic called it an oil pressure something-or-other. For sure it wasn't the correct bolt lol.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Since I have to do this anyway, what kind of parts list do I need? I have all the basic tools for dissassembly, and I know I need a carb o-ring kit. Should I replace the air filter parts as well? New boots and filter, possibly weatherstripping for the cover. Anything I missed?

In your "mega-welcome" are a couple of maintenance lists. (Again, please note: Skipping steps or taking shortcuts will be frustrating at best, dangerous at worst.) Just go through the lists, properly address every item, reference the documentation on my website, and in no time you will be an experienced bike wrencher. If you don't feel like tackling the cleaning/rebuilding of the carbs, there are several members who offer that service. (See the GS Parts and Services section.) Once you get the carbs back you will still have to synchronize them and adjust them for your engine. Again, you'll find those procedures documented on my little website. Keep us informed.

Use the guide below to help familiarize yourself with the workings of an online parts fiche. Then you can look up your own part numbers and order your own parts. My current favorite OEM vendor is www.gssuzuki.com. You'll find that www.z1enterprises.com is also an excellent source. I would not recommend ordering from alpha-sports.com because their prices are full retail. But they have an excellent parts fiche. Most online OEM vendors have an online parts fiche. An extensive list of vendors is also found in your "mega-welcome".

CLICK HERE to download a PDF guide for the Alpha-Sports site cross-reference.
(Note: If the newer part numbers return no results, use the older, superseded numbers.)


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[GreedyRogue]

This is probably a stupid question, but when I rebuild the carbs, do I need to replace the gaskets as well?

 

[tom203]

These are the critical items you need
http://www.cycleorings.com/#BS_Series_O-ring_Kit

Do not buy carb rebuild kits- you don't need them; you'll likely need the boot/head interface o-rings- available at same link.
you might need new float bowl gaskets. When you seperate carbs, keep each carb's parts together and seperate from other carbs' parts.

 

[Nessism]

Might be a good idea to just sell the bike now. There is a lot more to owning a 30 year old bike than getting it running after cleaning the carbs. No disrespect, but wrenching is not for everyone. A man's got to know his limitations...

 

[Steve]

Might be a good idea to just sell the bike now. There is a lot more to owning a 30 year old bike than getting it running after cleaning the carbs. No disrespect, but wrenching is not for everyone. A man's got to know his limitations...

This may sound a bit harsh, but it's all too true.

After 30 years, I ought to rename this bike nickels and dime. I have put more into it in parts so far than I paid for the bike.

There was no mention previously how much you paid for the bike and it's really none of our business, but if you got it for a couple hundred dollars, yes, you will spend more than that to get it on the road safely.
However, if you spent over $1000 on it, you are wasting your money.

It is generally accepted that you will spend a total of $1000-1500 to get a GS on the road safely. That includes purchase price and repair/maintenance items. If you get a free bike, plan on spending it all on repair/maintenance. If you spend $1500 on a bike, hopefully it has most of the items already done.

This is probably a stupid question, but when I rebuild the carbs, do I need to replace the gaskets as well?

That would depend on which gaskets you are talking about. The float bowl gaskets will need to be replaced if they are damaged. If they are not damaged, they can usually be re-used. Any other gaskets on the bike? That depends on whether they are leaking.

.

 

[tom203]

You've seen the bike sorta run after 4 years of neglect- many members gamble and buy bikes that don't run with no clue as to the bike's history. This 650E has potential,BUT you got to do the work

 

[MAJikMARCer]

The carbs and airbox on the 650E are a tight fit, so be prepared for that. Also, as Loud et mentioned, you should seriously look at replacing the intake and airbox boots at the same time. My airbox boots were old and it was a serious pain to get everything back together.

I dont mean to sound discouraging, but you have to look at the cost of parts and time as worth it for the bike or you will not be happy. You aren't going to get your money back if you want to fix it and sell it. You do it because you want to and/or you love the bike. For me in the end I'll have a cool bike that I know a lot about and is mine.

For the same money I could probably buy a newer used bike and just ride. In the end it's up to you. If you want to ride (and be safe) then maybe a 32 year old bike isn't the right bike for you. You will, at first, spend as much time working on it as riding, maybe more. If you are willing to accept and enjoy that, GSR will be an invaluable resource. And if you decide to sell it, there are guys here who would be happy to take the bike off your hands (depending on the condition of course).

 

[GreedyRogue]

I already bought the whole package from him, o ring set plus boot o rings plus new allen head bolts. Robert even had it in the mail in under 6 hours with a tracking number =-)

I was just curious if the float bowl gaskets could be reused or needed to be replaced.

 

[Steve]

I was just curious if the float bowl gaskets could be reused or needed to be replaced.

They can be re-used, as long as they are not damaged.

Earlier, you only said "gaskets", without specifying which ones, so we did not know if you were talking about carb gaskets or other engine gaskets.

.

 

[GreedyRogue]

Wow, email notification really let a few messages slip. . .

I only paid $250 for the bike, it was a family thing so I got it for a good deal. to be honest I guess I didn't think about everything that was going to be involved in getting it back to road worthy. I'm hoping that once I get the carb cleaned and tuned she will be running.

I'm not bothered by doing the work, I just know that carbs in specific have given me issues when I built my motorized bicycle. (Schwinn bicycle with a 66cc motor). I really hope it doesn't turn into a $1000 project, my wife has already put her foot down and said no more spending on the bike until next payday.

Unfortunately I only gt paid once a month. . .

Anyone know where I can get new boots if I end up needing them? the way my luck has been so far I am looking for a new set already. Local shop can only get 7 of the 8 boots and those 7 will cost $225. I already checked z1 and recycle but unless I missed them they are not available. Is there an aftermarket one available that will work?

 

[Guest]

Wow, email notification really let a few messages slip. . .

I only paid $250 for the bike, it was a family thing so I got it for a good deal. to be honest I guess I didn't think about everything that was going to be involved in getting it back to road worthy. I'm hoping that once I get the carb cleaned and tuned she will be running.

I'm not bothered by doing the work, I just know that carbs in specific have given me issues when I built my motorized bicycle. (Schwinn bicycle with a 66cc motor). I really hope it doesn't turn into a $1000 project, my wife has already put her foot down and said no more spending on the bike until next payday.

Unfortunately I only gt paid once a month. . .

Anyone know where I can get new boots if I end up needing them? the way my luck has been so far I am looking for a new set already. Local shop can only get 7 of the 8 boots and those 7 will cost $225. I already checked z1 and recycle but unless I missed them they are not available. Is there an aftermarket one available that will work?

Pics, pics & more pics please. Also adjust your signature to include your location and put in what bike you have also

 

[GreedyRogue]

Don't have any new pics, just what it looked like "in barn" if you will.

Fairing, seat and backrest are going to stay for now. I have the original seat but the wife nixed the idea or putting it back on. Not sure why exactly. . .

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[tom203]

Looks in decent shape, but that fairing ruins the looks- you have to take it off to get at carbs anyways,so take a pic when fairing is off (and original seat in place ). IF you decide to bail, bike would be more appealing without the plow attached. The 650E's are rare, I've never seen one.

You might get lucky and not need new carb boots- mine appear to be original still- so before you drop $200 bucks, see how carb/wife work is going. You might find this work not to your liking, so no sense doubling expenses if you pass it on.