gutless/gashog 450ga

[bob_coakes]

After months of work, my gs450ga is finally road worthy so I took it for a cruse. When I got it out on the highway, it would only go 65 mph (that was even with a long running start) and had about 1/2-1/4 of a twist of throttle left. When I twisted the throttle a little more, it would cause the bike to chug and pulse. Not sure if this is part of the problem but in the 30 mile trip it used over 1/2 of a tank of gas. I tried to mess with the choke but it would do nothing or kill it. From what I've read about other bikes of this make, it should do 80-85 mph and get 40+mpg. Any help would be much appreciated.

[MOC]

too rich. you did rebuild the carbs properly right? check the plugs for carbon/wet/fuel smell. perhaps you have a stuck float needle or two.

[bob_coakes]

If the plugs are damp do I just need to adjust the floats? I ran a can of seafoam in hopes of cleaning the internals out but still have the problems. Last fall I had a local mechanic work on cleaning the carbs out and adjust the set screws so they both pulled equally. He didn't rebuild the carbs but took them apart and said they were working fine. Would it be worth rebuilding them?

[Nessism]

You might want to check the newbie mistakes thread linked in my signature to make sure you avoid some common pitfalls.

[neo4203]

Same issue

After months of work, my gs450ga is finally road worthy so I took it for a cruse. When I got it out on the highway, it would only go 65 mph (that was even with a long running start) and had about 1/2-1/4 of a twist of throttle left. When I twisted the throttle a little more, it would cause the bike to chug and pulse. Not sure if this is part of the problem but in the 30 mile trip it used over 1/2 of a tank of gas. I tried to mess with the choke but it would do nothing or kill it. From what I've read about other bikes of this make, it should do 80-85 mph and get 40+mpg. Any help would be much appreciated.

i have an 82 gs1100gl, i have the same issue, wet plugs, wont rev past 5-6k, only 70mi to a tank. desperate for help

[bob_coakes]

I've checked the plugs and they were dry. I can tell that the right cylinder is weaker than the left because it will die when I disconnect the left plug but will still keep running slower and a little rugged with the right plug disconnected. I even replaced the plugs with hotter one and still top out at around 60 mph. The last tank of gas lasted longer but it still has a good half a twist of the throttle that does nothing. Any help would be much appreciated.

[ThrottleBack]

.....I ran a can of seafoam in hopes of cleaning the internals out....He didn't rebuild the carbs but took them apart and said they were working fine.

theres your problem

[ThrottleBack]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=194050

[bob_coakes]

when i first got the bike i had a mechanic that has 30+ years experience working on four-wheeler and motorcycle engines go through the carbs because it wouldn't run a steady idle. once we got it to run better we found out it has no speed. he thought something may have came loose from the tank and said to use seafoam as part of trouble shooting. the carbs have been gone through in great detail by someone with lots of experience, i didn't just dump a can in and hope it would fix everything.

[tkent02]

After months of work, my gs450ga is finally road worthy so I took it for a cruse. When I got it out on the highway, it would only go 65 mph (that was even with a long running start) and had about 1/2-1/4 of a twist of throttle left. When I twisted the throttle a little more, it would cause the bike to chug and pulse. Not sure if this is part of the problem but in the 30 mile trip it used over 1/2 of a tank of gas. I tried to mess with the choke but it would do nothing or kill it. From what I've read about other bikes of this make, it should do 80-85 mph and get 40+mpg. Any help would be much appreciated.

Your 40 mpg figure is low. Very low.

Just do the maintenance it needs.

[ThrottleBack]

Unless he FULLY stripped them down and DIPPED them they have not been properly serviced. That doesn't change with 3 or 30 years experience. Follow the link I gave and go through the full and complete steps.

[bob_coakes]

so I rebuilt the carbs that I've been having trouble with and still had the same results. off some unknown whim, I rebuilt the carbs on my parts bike, these were so varnished inside that the throttle wouldn't open. for same strange reason, when I put them back together and on the bike it runs great now. the run it took to get to 50 mph can now be done in half the distance. I wasn't able to take it on a long trip to check gas milage but from the way it feels I think it will get better.
Thanks everyone for the help, even though it didn't help that set of carbs I at least have a solid bike now.

[Nessism]

Good job getting the bike running but don't stop there. Do all the maintenance if you want the bike to run reliably. Valve adjustment, fix the charging system wiring, etc. Check your mega greeting.

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. bob_coakes,

You may not have received your "mega-welcome". If not, I apologize. Let me stress that every item in the maintenance lists must be properly addressed. Skipping steps or taking shortcuts will be frustrating at best, dangerous at worst. You'll find lots of "how to" guides on my little website.

If you are here you probably have a 30 year old motorcycle that needs about 20 years worth of maintenance. In the links below you'll find maintenance lists, documentation, wiring diagrams, "how to" guides, vendor links, tips, tricks, and a whole lot of GS goodness. This is your "mega-welcome". Let's get started.

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!

More links to helpful threads in the forum:
Help! Your Bike Won't Start
DON'T DO THESE THINGS
Help! Your Bike Won't Run Well
Oh God! Pods!


Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bob_coakes]

I'm sorry to bother everyone again but I'm still having some issues. After rebuilding the carbs I was getting bad gas milage (20-25 mpg). The plugs were wet so I replaced the floats and needle and seats in the carbs. The plugs are no longer wet and my mpg jumped to 35. I tried setting the carbs again to see if that would get me back to the stock 55 mpg that the bike is suppose to get. The bike runs great and has lots of power, it can even hit 85 mph easily, but my milage has dropped to around 20 mpg again. The plugs are still dry and it is running just fine so needless to say, I'm stumped again and would greatly appreciate some help.