High Idle

[davidgs300l]

First let me say to please bear with me as I am a new rider and this is my first bike. I have no manual for this bike and haven't found much on it online.

1985 Suzuki GS300L

So my problem, one of many...

When I first start my bike it idles fine but after running it for a bit the idle is very high to where you have to yell a bit for someone to hear you. I'm not sure if this is a thing that can be adjusted on the carbs or not. I also notice that when I shift to first and am riding it, the idle is fine but once I squeeze the clutch then the high idle returns and stays that way when it is in neutral. I haven't been able to find a diagram of which screws on the carbs adjust fuel and air or any type of how to that explains the same. This may even be a different problem. Any help would be accepted.

[Flyboy]

Hi David, welcome to the nut house, you found the right place for all the information on the GS Suzi's you could ever dream of.
Basscliff will be along in due course to give you his world famous mega welcome, which is a tresure trove of information, probably even has your manual on it.

Back to your bike, high idle is normaly caused by an induction or air leak somewhere in the intake system, although there could be other causes.
Let me say straight up, I am no expert on the GS300, but there are a lot of guys and gals here that are, and they will put me right in short order where I am wrong.
These Bikes have an O-Ring between the carb intake boot and cylinder head, and with age and milage, they degrade and start to leak, letting in unwanted air, pull the carbs and boots and replace them, while you are about it, check the condition of the boot as well, and strip, dip and clean the carbs.
You will find the carb cleaning tutorial on Basscliffs welcome.
Check the airbox for any leaks, and correct as required, the airbox and its boots to the carbs must seal 100% or you will have all kinds of headaches to deal with.
Check the valve clearence as a matter of course as well, they tend to tighten up with milage, leaving you with valves that don't seat and then burn.

Hope that is a bit to get you started, just a bit of work and she will be running like new again.
And don't be scared to ask, there are a bunch of GS guru's here that will chip in with thier knowlege to help get you back on the road.

Oh, yes, and we like pics, plenty of them....of the bike, not you.

[Big Rich]

If I'm not mistaken, the idle adjustment screw should be between the carbs. But I've never seen a GS300, so could be very wrong.

If the idle screw doesn't do it, it could just be the throttle cable needs adjusted.

[davidgs300l]

Flyboy, thanks for the assist. I checked the boots that connected the carbs to the airbox and realized that they were not connected all the was. I also took off the seat to check the air filter and was surprised to see that there WAS NOT one in the box. Something the PO failed to mention. There have been many things that I have noticed the PO did for some reason which is adding to the things I have to fix.

Big Rich, there was an adjuster right between the carbs. A little hard to get to but i was able to lower the idle and it runs like a champ now. Thanks a lot.

I haven't figured out how to add pics to this thread but I have two in my album if anyone cares to see them.

[Big Rich]

If you use Photobucket, you can just copy and paste the "img" link.

Glad I can help.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. davidgs300l,

Let me 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 Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. 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!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff