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Hard starting 80 GS550L

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nitronate
  • Start date Start date
N

Nitronate

Guest
Our spring and now summer here in Michigan hasn't been very conducive to a lot of riding yet and sometimes it's a week or more between starts on the 550.

I don't know what it is this year but this bike just seems to start hard if it hasn't ran in a week or more. It will usually fire on full choke as soon as I hit the button but only for about 5 seconds. Then I will wear the battery to nothing trying to get it started.

My wife has an 82 GS450T and that bike has always started easier than my 550.

Any ideas or are the 550's just hard starters when left for awhile?
 
Did you prime the carbs to fill the floatbowls? When was the last time you adjusted the valves? Voltage at the coils? Status of maintenance on the bike in general?
 
Nessism said:
Did you prime the carbs to fill the floatbowls? When was the last time you adjusted the valves? Voltage at the coils? Status of maintenance on the bike in general?
Click to expand...

Not sure exactly what you mean by priming the carbs. But I'm suspecting the problem may be with fuel. Can you expound on this?

I've never adjusted the valves (only had the bike a year, not sure when it was done before my ownership). Have not checked voltage at the coils, but I will give that a try. What should it be?

Maintenance is, IMHO, well kept up. She's my baby and I I do what I can to keep her happy.
 
Back in this thread, http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=203260, you were given links to Basscliff's site. Have you been there to look at the information you need yet? It does give you some basic maintenance tips that you'll need to get through.

Priming the carbs just means allowing fuel to flow from the tank without the need for vacuum using the PRIme feature on your petcock. You won't need to let it run long, about a minute or two, and definitely don't want to leave it on PRIme over night.
 
Nitronate said:
Not sure exactly what you mean by priming the carbs. But I'm suspecting the problem may be with fuel. Can you expound on this?
Click to expand...

The petcock should have 3 positions - reserve, run and pri. Pri is used to fill the carbs with gas.

I've never adjusted the valves (only had the bike a year, not sure when it was done before my ownership). Have not checked voltage at the coils, but I will give that a try. What should it be?
Click to expand...

Check here for your manual - http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/ . It will have all the specs for various things.

Maintenance is, IMHO, well kept up. She's my baby and I I do what I can to keep her happy.
Click to expand...

I just put my bike back on the road after having stored it for the last few years. From my own experience, hard starts can be caused by dirty carbs, vacuum leak, valves out of spec. Even a well cared for bike needs thorough maintenance from time to time. Mine is well cared for but this year, we pulled the carbs, disassembled and cleaned them, adjusted the valves, rebuilt the master cylinder, checked all the wiring for corrosion, etc.
 
cowboyup3371 said:
Back in this thread, http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=203260, you were given links to Basscliff's site. Have you been there to look at the information you need yet? It does give you some basic maintenance tips that you'll need to get through.

Priming the carbs just means allowing fuel to flow from the tank without the need for vacuum using the PRIme feature on your petcock. You won't need to let it run long, about a minute or two, and definitely don't want to leave it on PRIme over night.
Click to expand...

I have. It's a treasure trove of information that I refer to often.

Honestly I've never even touched that petcock. Never even really knew exactly what it did. I'll investigate further.
 
Tamara said:
Mine is well cared for but this year, we pulled the carbs, disassembled and cleaned them, adjusted the valves, rebuilt the master cylinder, checked all the wiring for corrosion, etc.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, thanks for the info. I'm off to investigate.
 
RES = Reserve - the last bit of gas you'll need before you are out but not enough to get you to the gas station before you do.

On - Normal operations as long as you have a vacuum

PRI = Prime - use to get your carbs running as needed but will cause them to leak if left; typically can result in gas in the oil if not careful
 
cowboyup3371 said:
RES = Reserve - the last bit of gas you'll need before you are out but not enough to get you to the gas station before you do.

On - Normal operations as long as you have a vacuum

PRI = Prime - use to get your carbs running as needed but will cause them to leak if left; typically can result in gas in the oil if not careful
Click to expand...

What is it you use to turn that petcock? Small screwdriver?
 
Yes, small screwdriver.

Not adjusting the valves damages them - causes them to burn. Hard starting is a symptom. Not saying this is the problem per say, but doesn't matter if it is or isn't. You should do some maintenance before the bike is trashed.

My signature contains a link to the Newbie Mistake thread. You might want to read though this info, in addition to looking in the service manual. It details things like how the petcock works, and there is also a maintenance schedule.

Good luck and welcome to the world of 30 year old motorcycles.;)
 
Nitronate said:
What is it you use to turn that petcock? Small screwdriver?
Click to expand...
If you are asking what it takes to turn the petcock, I am going to guess that you have an '80 550? :-k

Sorry about your luck. :oops:

Fortunately, Suzuki realized the mistake they made with that petcock, and it was a one-year-wonder. Unfortunately for you, there is no REServe position, only ON and PRIme, and you do need a screwdriver to move between the two.

You really have to rely on your fuel gauge, so test it so you know where it's pointing as you run out of gas (carry a spare gas can or have a chase vehicle).

.
 
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