1980 GS 550 no power after 60mph

[cowboyup3371]

You should do all of your work and you'll have it done far cheaper than any shop can do. See Basscliff's site for the tutorials and have at it.

[bodcherokee]

Well i guess it will be cheaper to do it myself, i'm just gettin a little frustrated with ripping this thing apart to get the carbs out and putting it all back together again and again and again. Those carbs are mad hard to get out too. how do u adjust the valves because mine are pretty loud.

[cowboyup3371]

Valve adjustment procedures are also available on Basscliff's site while you will want to email Steve (name and username on here) for his spreadsheet.

[bodcherokee]

Holy crap, thank god i started this thread. That website is the greatest thing i've ever seen. Step by step and a free service manual. Can't find anything like that for my jeeps. cant wait to get started on re-cleaning my carbs. Just looked over his step by step and already found a few things i missed. Thanks guys!!

[mike_of_bbg]

Sometimes if you loosen up the rear fender you can get a little more clearance for the carb removal (if the air filter box is hitting it moving back).

Carb cleaning:

http://www.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/gs/Mikuni_BS-CV_Carburetor_Rebuild_Tutorial.pdf

I've heard it said "a slappy valve is a happy valve". The valve clearances usually wear tight over time and that's where the problems start - a slight sewing-machine type noise from the valves is a good sign. The spec on the valves is 0.03-0.08mm, though it's OK to run them a little looser (I've heard of 0.12 without any apparent ill effects, and run 0.10 myself on a few valves).

Get yourself some metric feelers and a new valve cover gasket. The most frustrating part of valve adjustment is waiting for the new shims to come in...

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/images/gs850valve_adjust.pdf

The zip-tie supplement if you want to avoid buying a shim tool:

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/images/valve_tool_zip_tie.pdf

As Mr. Cowboy pointed out, Mr. Steve distributes an Excel spreadsheet which you can use to track and calculate your gaps and needed shims.

Well i guess it will be cheaper to do it myself, i'm just gettin a little frustrated with ripping this thing apart to get the carbs out and putting it all back together again and again and again. Those carbs are mad hard to get out too. how do u adjust the valves because mine are pretty loud.

[bodcherokee]

ok so after spending like 2 hours looking through basscliff's site, i've come to the conclusion that i missed a few things on the carb cleaning so i'm goin to redo that, i never cleaned the petcock so i will do that and make sure the tank breather is clear, then i'll do an oil change and a new set of plugs. hopefully that will about do it for now. I would like to adjust the valves but thats a little more involved right now. i am seeping oil out of the valve cover so i may end up doing it anyway. Can't say thank enough guys for all the info, i'll let you know how it comes out.

[pete]

ok so after spending like 2 hours looking through basscliff's site, i've come to the conclusion that i missed a few things on the carb cleaning so i'm goin to redo that, i never cleaned the petcock so i will do that and make sure the tank breather is clear, then i'll do an oil change and a new set of plugs. hopefully that will about do it for now. I would like to adjust the valves but thats a little more involved right now. i am seeping oil out of the valve cover so i may end up doing it anyway. Can't say thank enough guys for all the info, i'll let you know how it comes out.

Don't forget to get a new set of O rings from cycleorings.com if you didn't already do that. Actually, get another set anyway, they're cheap enough...

[bodcherokee]

Don't forget to get a new set of O rings from cycleorings.com if you didn't already do that. Actually, get another set anyway, they're cheap enough...

thanks thats great, $15 shipped! cant beat it. Anyone have any recommendations on the chemical i should use to soak the carbs and jets?

[cowboyup3371]

What the articles say - Berryman's found at your local auto parts shop; even Walmart started carrying the gallon can out here.

[Mop Bucket]

Any update on this issue? I am having the same problem and scratching my head.

[IanDMacDonald]

From my experience, it's could be a number of issues already mentioned in this post. Carb clean, carb sync, proper jetting, valve adjustment, airtight intake, new spark plugs, etc. One bike's problem does not necessarily mean it's the same as your's mop bucket. If you have done everything mentioned, then there is always a timing issue with the mechanical advance unit. I have not read this thread in awhile, so, not sure if any new info is here. All I can go is off experience with my bikes.

[Mop Bucket]

From my experience, it's could be a number of issues already mentioned in this post. Carb clean, carb sync, proper jetting, valve adjustment, airtight intake, new spark plugs, etc. One bike's problem does not necessarily mean it's the same as your's mop bucket. If you have done everything mentioned, then there is always a timing issue with the mechanical advance unit. I have not read this thread in awhile, so, not sure if any new info is here. All I can go is off experience with my bikes.

Looked at the advance... it turns decent enough but is there a way to lube it to make sure it moves as needed?

Does anyone know if a 5x5 paper towel could be pulled through the cylinder and into the exhaust?