another newb question, id of petcock outlet

[86FieroSE]

Hello forum and TY for having us. Were the proud new owners of 81 gs450e. I think we need to replace the petcock. The lil round metal plate thingy thats behind the vacuum diaphram was cracked and fell apart. Also I may have inadvertently dissolved the plastic thing thats inside the vacuum diaphram cover. I've searched rebuild kits and none of them seem to have this particular part. My butt hurts from sitting here on all my free time for the last week and my brains a jarble of .coms.

A little back story. PO said she had the carbs rebuilt last summer but 2 weeks after she dropped the bike off at the shop, the shop called her and said come get her bike. When she arrived at the shop the shop workers were moving out! They were taking all their tools and stuff out she said. Well she claims she never got to ride the bike last summer cause it wouldnt start. She pulled the clutch and hit the start button. She never choked it. I suspect she had no idea about the choke lever and its function. She turned it over a few times and no start. I gave her the cake and she wrote me a bill of sale and left. I was standing there waiting for a friend and his truck. I gave it some choke and it started right up!

Anyway gas was drippin out of the left carb and it turns out that one of the float bowl cover screws was missing. IMHO thats a pretty good sign that the carbs were never really rebuilt at the shop she brought it to.

Inspected the tank and its in pretty good shape. Cut a paper filter into the line. But gotta get the petcock straigtened out before we go any further as we may cause more damage with flooded air filters and gas leaking down the cylinders. We have decided to forgo the vacuum petcock go with maybe a pingle type with a plate.

So heres my question. Whats the inner diameter of the fuel outlet pipe on an 81gs450e. As far as I can tell its either 1/4 or 3/8 but I'm not sure. Were down to deciding between the two that are for sale on Z1's website.

Then its off to the post office to send our carbs to wiredgeorge after we get the petcock straightened out.

Thanks everyone and have a great weekend! This forum and the links have already been a vast cornucopia of knowledge! TY

[allojohn]

Welcome to the forum - both of you.

Hold off on sending those carbs to Wiredgeorge and do a little more research. There are a number of members here who are less than impressed with his abilities.

[Larry D]

Welcome !!!
Not sure of your petcock measurement, but, as far as the carbs go....re-build them yourself and save a ton of time and money. The best part is, you only have two to do.

http://www.thegsresources.com/gs_carbrebuild.htm

[Gonzo]

No reason to be sending your carbs (and money) off to someone else. You're the best candidate to take care of it. You know you'll do it right since you have a vast cornucopia of knowledge at your disposal here.

As far as the petcock is concerned, check the price on a new one. Most folk here will tell you that new is the only way to go anyhow, as the rebuilds are usually pretty bad and fail shortly after.

Another reason to consider wrenching on your own bike is that you'll likely find a multitude of things that need fixing, from small issues to large, and those add up to thousands at a shop (and that's IF you can find a shop that will touch your old bike. Even then, can you trust that they did the work right?). With your time invested, you can cut that cost greatly and have the peace of mind of a job well done.

Welcome to the forums btw.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. 86FieroSE,

Yes, do yourself a favor and DON'T send your carbs to be rebuilt. There is plenty of information here and "how to" guides on my website. Do it yourself. Or at least send them to one of the members here who offers that service. You'll be glad you did.

Now 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!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed. I will put you on my prayer list.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[86FieroSE]

Thanks for the replies

Yes we were debating sending our carbs off or doing them ourselves and seeing some of the responses so far were starting to get a better picture.

Were gonna work through that link thats enclosed in the welcome pack about getting the best running out of the bike overall. Dont remember the link right now but anyway.

So can anyone offer any guidance to the low end of pricing as to which of Z1's petcocks would be the most practical for our 81 gs450e? Z1 lists a few different choices. We would ideally like to stay on the low end of pricing if possible for now. Figure if everything else is running good we can upgrade later..

Thanks everyone for your time!! Gotta run back downtown our Fieros in the local car show. Snapped this pic before the show. Lots more cars on the way. Sorry to go OT on ya!



Thanks again everyone for the welcome and advise! Have a great weekend!

[tom203]

Oh look, someone sorta in my neighborhood! (Sebago). Yes, do the carbs yourself-good winter project- and you'll know it's done right. Personally, I'd go for a new vacuum petcock and not have to worry about it for many years- maybe $50. There will be lots of maintenance to catch up on, so just eliminate any fuel delivery problems asap.

[86FieroSE]

Yup Maine!

Oh look, someone sorta in my neighborhood! (Sebago). Yes, do the carbs yourself-good winter project- and you'll know it's done right. Personally, I'd go for a new vacuum petcock and not have to worry about it for many years- maybe $50. There will be lots of maintenance to catch up on, so just eliminate any fuel delivery problems asap.

OOB here but thats just about meaningless in a few weeks. Might as well be up in Milinocket. This towns gonna be a ghost town. Windows boarded up, stores all closed, heck they even roll the beach up and put it away.

Fuel delivery first, thats what our plan is. Then our airbox seal is horrible. Maybe weatherstrip it, dunno yet still researching what to use. Any tips to that?
Anyway forgot to post a pic of the bike so...

[86FieroSE]

YEAHHHH!!!! its running

We got it running today! Four times we pulled the carbs, the fourth time we had an air compressor. That did the trick!! Few more things to tweek and we should be pretty good!

Sat in the driveway with a couple cans of carb cleaner and a homemade jet cleaning tool. Cut a wire brush bristle off and stuck it in the end of a twig I found in the driveway. Worked great for cleaning those tiny jets out.

Went for a ride around town and things seem pretty smooth. It shifted through the gears nicely!

Thanks for the tips and advice to everyone here!! Saved us a bundle of time and money. Great!!