New GS Owner from the UK

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

As you can probably tell from my username, my name is Jamie and I ride a Vespa, however, I am now also the proud owner of a '77 GS550

I wanted to get my first project bike after passing my test in August, so 7 hours of driving and 300 miles later I came back with this.

It was last on the road in 1996, my aim at the moment is purely to get the bike on the road so I can enjoy it, before I start looking at customisation/restoration. The last owner flushed the tank and cleaned the carbs apparently, however he bought a Honda CB550 shortly after this and he pursued that so the GS didn't get much attention.

So far I've given the bike a quick clean, fitted a new battery and she runs, just about... firing on 2 possibly 3 cylinders. 3 & 4 are working fine however 1 and 2 are stone cold, there is also fuel coming out the header of no 2. My next task is checking spark and fuel. Then once she's running she'll be off for an MOT (annual vehicle test here in the U.K.) then back on the road.

I've been hanging around here a week or so, reading through all the information already on this forum, so thought it was about time I introduced myself
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[storm 64]

Welcome to the site Jamie.👍
We all know about GS550's, tell us about your Vespa. What year, any modifications?

[jamievespa]

Thanks storm

My Vespa isn't anything too special, a 2016 PX, the last year of the two stroke motor in the UK before the new emissions regs kick in which pretty much wipes out new two stroke engines. It is kitted from 125cc up to 180cc, de-restricted ignition with a sporty exhaust, she's good for about 65-70 though that's rather scary on 10" wheels!

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[GSXR7ED]

Welcome!

Great to hear you have been researching this place before posting. Lots of info here and members that are willing to help. Beautiful bike!

Do us a favor...when out and about, please take photos of the countryside as a backdrop. Thanks!


Ed

[steve murdoch]

Excellent intro, Jamie.Welcome to the site.
Nice looking starting point with the GS.
Now, about that seat cover....

[Cyrano]

Welcome aboard Jamie, why not start a project thread so we can keep track of your progress.

There is also a good uk gs owners facebook page, check it out.

[jamievespa]

Thanks everyone, I do plan to start a project thread, I have documented my progress so far, so I'll get that all up on here over the weekend (Y)

I have joined the UK GS Owners Club Facebook page, again looks like a great community!

steve murdoch- yes the seat cover is awful, both in colour and fitting. Unfortunately the seat pan isn't in great condition and many of the clips have snapped off so looks like I will need some glue and staples when I replace it.

GSXR7ED - you mean like this? (Picture is at the summit of Clee Hill in Shropshire, UK. It takes a while for me to get out of the city but there is some spectacular countryside to explore)

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[GSXR7ED]

Awesome! Thanks Jaime!!!


Ed

[2BRacing]

Welcome Jamie! Just something I picked up in your intro: "...1 and 2 are stone cold, there is also fuel coming out the header of no 2."

This is a positive sign that the petcock on the fuel tank could be dumping fuel down the vacuum line connected to carb #2, although it could also be float-height related or float needle valve related.

If you suck on the vacuum line and get a mouthful of fuel, you know the petcock is bad. Or you can temporarily replace the vacuum line with a transparent plastic hose and look for fuel in the hose.

If the petcock is the culprit, very few people have had success with using the petcock rebuild kits, so consider getting a new OEM one or one from GeorgeFix's e-bay seller (sorry, but I do not have the link).

[luke83g]

Welcome! Nice to see someone else from the UK on this forum. I'm in Lancashire and own a 1982 GS550E

[jamievespa]

Welcome Jamie! Just something I picked up in your intro: "...1 and 2 are stone cold, there is also fuel coming out the header of no 2."

This is a positive sign that the petcock on the fuel tank could be dumping fuel down the vacuum line connected to carb #2, although it could also be float-height related or float needle valve related.

If you suck on the vacuum line and get a mouthful of fuel, you know the petcock is bad. Or you can temporarily replace the vacuum line with a transparent plastic hose and look for fuel in the hose.

If the petcock is the culprit, very few people have had success with using the petcock rebuild kits, so consider getting a new OEM one or one from GeorgeFix's e-bay seller (sorry, but I do not have the link).

Thanks 2BRacing, I will check the vacuum line. I ran the bike on 'PRIME' setting, could it be possible I flooded the cylinders with fuel?

[Gorminrider]

Hi Jamievespa! That looks to be a nice bike! It's got the engine crashbars too which are not so easy to find. If you want a seat cover, try Pit Replica on ebay.

Don't forget to peruse BikeCliff's Website

[dorkburger]

Hey Jamie, welcome. Looks like the GS is a nice starting point to work from. Good luck and enjoy.

That scooter sounds like a hoot. I'm in the process of doing a mainly mechanical resto on a 65 Raleigh Roma. (Bianchi Orsetto in your neck of the woods).

[2BRacing]

Thanks 2BRacing, I will check the vacuum line. I ran the bike on 'PRIME' setting, could it be possible I flooded the cylinders with fuel?

No, having the petcock on Prime while the bike is running is just the same as On or Res positions. It is when the engine is not running that the petcock should not be on Prime position for a long time, because fuel can leak past the needle valves.

With fuel flooding issues from bad needle valves, you would expect more than one cylinder to be affected. However, if only number 2 is affected on bikes with number 2 carb providing the vacuum source (and similarly with number 3), the culprit is usually a bad petcock diaphragm allowing fuel to leak down the vacuum hose.

[jamievespa]

Thanks 2BRacing, I managed to do some experimenting last night after work.

I have spark on No1, I tried running the bike with petcock set to 'RES' (not much fuel in it) and it ran, but badly. No 1 and no 3 would not run, however oddly no 2 did.

I set the petcock to 'PRIME' and 2-4 were running (no1 still nothing), however I'm still getting fuel seepage from no 2, (my dismay when I saw smoke coming from under the bike where it had dripped onto the exhaust).

My next step is to pull the carbs and go through them as it definitely feels like there is something amiss with fuel delivery.

Ill start a project thread to keep a record of my findings