new to the gs....looking for carb experts. 81 gs550

[wigglesrewind]

hey everyone i am the proud new owner of a suzuki gs550. i picked this bike up from a guy in non running condition and am looking to fix it up. i was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on how to connect the fuel lines...the tank has 2 ports coming out of the petcock...unfortunately i see 3 lines coming from the carbs/motor area and am not sure which ones go where. im a novice at carberators and bike repair in general so bear with me. the guy i bought this bike from said the carbs have been rebuilt already but the bike will need a battery(im assuming its gonna need a stator and possibly a RR as well). im gonna start by hooking up fuel and trying to jump start it and see if i can get it to run then work on the electrical part. i have some pictures of the lines that i will attach. one line comes from the front of the carb one comes from what looks like the back of the carb and one comes from the top of the motor. i have to compress the pictures to upload them but im sure some folks on here are pretty knowledgable on these bikes. this is my first venture into suzuki territory and sounded like a fun project. any help or comments are appreciated. thanks!! -josh- i guess i can only attach one file....ill host the rest after work tonight

[cowboyup3371]

Josh, Basscliff should be along later with his welcome but in the mean time, the fuel T on the back side between carbs 2 and 3 is for the petcock line while the other two are for vents. Do yourself a favor and plan on re-dipping those carbs and doing them right. Also, if you plan on jumping it, do it from a non-running vehicle; a running one will fry your electrical if you are unlucky enough.

Now for other advice, read through his welcome package and seriously take the time to do the maintenance recommended or you will have major issues until you do. I'm not trying to be rude but it is fact and you'll be happier in the long run. Second, go check out Photobucket and get an account there. It'll give you the ability to post up to ten pics per post at a good size.

Finally, through your bike info in your signature block and your location in the profile so if some of us are close we might be able to help out easier.

[spyug]

Welcome. +1 on everything Cowboy said. Redo the carbs (excellent tutorial(s) on that on our main page and in BikeCliff's Mega Welcome which you'll soon receive) then cleanup the electrical contacts and connectors and ensure your grounds are clean and tight and she should run.

Good luck getting her going and enjoy when you do.
Spyug

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. wigglesrewind,

Have a look at this article: Where Do These Hoses Go?

Anyway, let me dump a TON if 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 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

[Do Little]

The one from the front of the carb is the vaccum line, which hooks up to the smaller petcock port and makes it release fuel when it's in the on position. The one from the back in the middle is the fuel line. There's probably 2 more coming out the bottom, those are for overflow. And the one coming off the top of the engine goes to the top of the black airbox behind your carbs.

And once again, no shortcuts, do everything thourghly. I tried taking some shortcuts on my bike, and they didn't work very well, especially in the electrical area. Buying a manual is also very helpful, and they're only $20-30, I recommend Clymer. I have Clymer and the blue one and I like the Clymer much better.

[Nessism]

I suggest you pull those carbs off and go though them properly. Basscliff's site has a carb rebuild tutorial that will guide you. Performing basic maintenance like this, and other things like adjusting the valves, rebuilding the brake system, improving the charging system, etc, go hand and hand with owning a 30 year old motorcycle.

[wigglesrewind]

thanks for the advice guys...i got the bike to turn over last night but i used one of those 50amp car starters so it might have fried cuz now i just hear the solenoid clicking and the starter wont turn. we will see. i need to go through the electrical system and clean everything up and i was planning on replacing the stator and RR anyways i got the bike for a song and cant wait to get it on the road. its been over a year since ive ridden! i will check out all the resources here at this site and the other links that were posted. thanks for all your help and feel free to offer anymore suggestions or comments. ill see if i can get some pictures of the bike to post tomorrow! : )

[1_v8_merc]

The 550's are great bikes.(even if it's an L model)
But only because you have the 6spd.....lol

[Nessism]

I suggest you check the charging system after you clean up the harness and make a proper R/R ground. Changing parts before you even know what's wrong doesn't make sense.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

You used a 50amp charger on your bike? Let's hope you blew a fuse and not the igniter.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[wigglesrewind]

yeah i did find a popped a fuse but after i replaced it i still got the clicking with no starter rotation. unfortunately i had to stop to go to work but ill look at it a little more tomorrow morning