First ride problems

[TheCafeKid]

Now that I think about it, I had a similar problem with my very first GS (and yes I was full on newbie and had done NONE of the newbie checklist either)
But, amazingly, it wasn't any of the newb issues, it was a plugged up fuel tank vent. Was fine while the bike was cold, fuel was cold. After some miles it started doing just as yours did. The engine being hot heating the fuel in the tank and it expanded and had a clogged vent, no air could get in to take the place of the fuel leaving, so it was pretty much like vapor lock.

But, that was just the start of my problems. Eventually I learned that ALL of that stuff I mentioned needed to be done. Air leaks behind the boots and around the airbox caused it to run lean and hot, and crappy. Somewhat dirty carbs wasn't helping and valves that were way out of adjustment piled on to the problem...

We aren't here to bust your balls about cleaning your carbs and sealing your intake leaks and adjusting your valves...we only harp on it because this stuff NEeDS to be done because it probably hasn't been in 20 years. It's bad news for your motor mate. And you can't begin to really sort out the rest of the problems until you start with the basics, and short cuts literally become long cuts and money and time and worse, riding season, wasted...

[maddoggmike]

Now that I think about it, I had a similar problem with my very first GS (and yes I was full on newbie and had done NONE of the newbie checklist either)
But, amazingly, it wasn't any of the newb issues, it was a plugged up fuel tank vent. Was fine while the bike was cold, fuel was cold. After some miles it started doing just as yours did. The engine being hot heating the fuel in the tank and it expanded and had a clogged vent, no air could get in to take the place of the fuel leaving, so it was pretty much like vapor lock.

But, that was just the start of my problems. Eventually I learned that ALL of that stuff I mentioned needed to be done. Air leaks behind the boots and around the airbox caused it to run lean and hot, and crappy. Somewhat dirty carbs wasn't helping and valves that were way out of adjustment piled on to the problem...

We aren't here to bust your balls about cleaning your carbs and sealing your intake leaks and adjusting your valves...we only harp on it because this stuff NEeDS to be done because it probably hasn't been in 20 years. It's bad news for your motor mate. And you can't begin to really sort out the rest of the problems until you start with the basics, and short cuts literally become long cuts and money and time and worse, riding season, wasted...

I know that we are a big disfucntional family here but i just wanted to make sure people knew that im a complete newby with bikes and mechnics and that even with cymers books i still and skeptical in my own ablities and consult the " experts" of this site

[jbs80106]

gas tank mounted behind the seat? Got a picture of that?

It's is hard to resist the urge to take those short rides when the weather gets nice. Had my fair share of stalls, no-starts and such. Pushing the bike is no fun!

Got to the point of paranoia that even when I knew the charging system was working properly just had to bust out the voltmeter and double check before leaving the garage. So T-CLOCKS + battery.

It's early spring so plenty of time to get her sorted out for the peak riding months and maybe some commuting if gas gets too $$$

[maddoggmike]

gas tank mounted behind the seat? Got a picture of that?

It's is hard to resist the urge to take those short rides when the weather gets nice. Had my fair share of stalls, no-starts and such. Pushing the bike is no fun!

Got to the point of paranoia that even when I knew the charging system was working properly just had to bust out the voltmeter and double check before leaving the garage. So T-CLOCKS + battery.

It's early spring so plenty of time to get her sorted out for the peak riding months and maybe some commuting if gas gets too $$$

It's serf has nothing to do with the battery it sounds like it's a fuel problem I'm having maybe a over heating as mentions above by kool aid as for the gas tank I haven't done it ye yet but I thought I'd ask if anyone us seen it done and potential hazards or concerns

[mike_of_bbg]

I think I mentioned that earlier, bad venting on the tank. Like I said, run it until it dies again. Step 1 - pop the gas cap, put the bike on prime for 15-20 secs and see if it starts right back up. If not, step 2 is to check for spark on the plugs. That's easier if you have extra plugs: just unplug the caps (one at a time) from the plugs, plug in your spare, lay against the head to ground, put in neutral, crank, and see if you have spark. Since you're admittedly inexperienced, you might want to practice this first before you stall so you know what a healthy spark looks like.

On the igniter dying with heat: the rest of the bike electrical equipment would work fine. The igniter only handles the firing of the plugs. All lights, etc., would work normally.

[maddoggmike]

thanks everyone

[GS650E_81]

Any luck on fixing this problem?

I believe I have the same problem.. I can ride for 25 minutes or so then the bike will die when coming to a stop in first.

First time it died, it fired back up after 5 minutes of sitting. Second time it died I had to sit for 25 minutes. Third time it died.. I had to sit overnight..

So I am not sure if this is a heat issue with the ignitor or what?

[mike_of_bbg]

Could be. But, when my igniter would overheat and go bad, there would be instantaneous loss of all engine power at speed, I did not have to come to a stop. Perhaps there are other failure modes, though.

When I had idle stalling issues, which would also force me to wait to start, it was a combination of bad sync holding #4 closed and causing it to run rich at idle - particularly when hot - and fouling that plug, and also low voltage at the coils.

[maddoggmike]

i have yet to recreate the problem so keeping all this in mind i have continue to get thr bike back to par. being over whelmed and underfunded and under tooled makes a depressing bike project

[maddoggmike]

i think i found the problem its a air/fuel mixture thats bad i took out the spark plugs and found they are all black and nasty but not gooey ill post a pick

[Mr Rogers]

Maddoggmike,

Do you know what the proper "look" of the spark plugs should be? i'm asking because i think i might be running with the same issue!

[Flying W Man]

I think your best bet its to get out those carbs and crack em open. I had several eratic issues with my bike last season, stalling after 10-15 minutes like you explained at high speeds. Found out seals/jets/carb plugs needed to be replaced. The plugs were essentially gone..

[TheCafeKid]

Yeah black plugs are a sign of an overly rich mixture. Could be a number of things, poor ignition, mix screws set too rich, wrong float height, petcock leaking, (don't leave it on prime!! Prime is for exactly that, priming dry carbs. The stock petcock requires vacuum pull from the motor to flow in the On and Reserve positions. Leaving it on prime can flood your carbs, and your crankcase with gasoline. Smell your oil, if it's gassy, get rid of it and the filter pronto...gassed out oil will ruin bearings and cylinder walls..)

Not to harp on it yet again, but to be sure you've eliminated all of your problems, the carbs should be torn down, dipped and rebuilt per the tutorials in your welcome package from BassCliff. Air fuel mix is crucial for not only a good burn, but to prevent things from burning up, and aids in keeping an air cooled bike cooler. If someone has fiddled with the mixture as a band aid to cover up years of neglected things like valve clearance adjustment, intake and airbox leaks etc etc, they weren't doing anyone any favors.
To know what you have to work with, and correct things, you need to create a fresh slate. And cleaning the carbs is a good starting point, to be followed with a valve adjustment, and replacing the sealing implements in the intake system.

Without doin these things, we can help you pick and poke and toy around, and maybe sometime this year it'll be right. But if you just buckle down and do the required and likely severely neglected maintenance items, you could be smiling with a great running bike in a week or so.

We're here to help, but we can't do it for ya unfortunately. As I said, shortcuts and hopes for a silver bullet fix just end up taking much longer to get the bike right. I know you said you're on a tight budget, but most of this requires more time than money. Orings for the carbs and intake boots are less than $30. Weather stripping used for winterizing your house windows is recommended to seal up the airbox bits, maybe $5-$10. And the shim club here can likely help you with shims for cheap if not free. The most expensive things you'd have to buy are a valve cover gasket and a can of Berrymans carb dip. Maybe $20 each.

Of course there will be other things as time goes on, tires, and oil filters and brake lines, etc etc. it adds up for sure. But motorcycling isn't a cheap hobby.
Certainly cheaper than hookers, gambling and drugs, and it's legal, and more fun

[maddoggmike]

Well assuming the best case scenarios the spark plugs should have a brown burnt look to them per clyers

@ thecafekid My father always told me hope for the best and perpare for the worset, with better weather I have gottne more motivated but looking at this site gets me depressed because I see a lot of over the top bikes and my little mods and wants see mediocore. Putting that all aside I have started assumming that the last owner was a complete moron and look at basic matinece and working my way to the top. So gas tank is of pain stripper doing its thing going to paint and seal that to get any rust deposits that could have been there then on to the carbs and air filters. I am very intimated with carbs, my last project went down in a blazing glory, mostly because I didn't have any parts and was still trying to get a grasp. But to be safe I bought four carb rebuild kits and the sync tool. Hopefully next year ill have 2x 2-1 for the carbs but that's assuming i don't kill myself and or blow my bike up. I think the cause of my problem is either electrical or just neglect again the owner before me seem very motorcycle dumb, though i am no better i stick to clymers and advice from those around me with more experience.

[maddoggmike]

I think your best bet its to get out those carbs and crack em open. I had several eratic issues with my bike last season, stalling after 10-15 minutes like you explained at high speeds. Found out seals/jets/carb plugs needed to be replaced. The plugs were essentially gone..

I guess you can say im still taking baby steps. This is my first REAL bike that 100% together and relatively running well for its age so carburetors like i said before are still intimating. Mostly because everyone I talk has one carb or fuel injection. those who have a few each give me different stories on how i should go about the carbs and sync them seems even more nightmarish. So I am taking baby steps, also i found that the peacock line going to the cabs i believe was ripped slightly. I was in a rush so no telling how bad it was before I made it worse