Low end power up to 3500rpm horrible

[scooter6148]

Your next lesson will be "How to use the petcock".

Normally, the petcock lever should point straight DOWN, in the RUN position. That is where it should be when you park the bike and when you ride the bike. When the engine is running, vacuum will turn the petcock ON and fuel will flow. When the engine is stopped, vacuum will stop and the fuel flow will stop.

If, while riding the bike, you start running out of gas, move the lever FORWARD (rotate clockwise) to put it into the REServe position. That will let you use the last gallon or so in the tank to find the next gas station.

If, by some chance, you have not ridden the bike for several weeks, or have done some carb work and the bowls are empty, move the lever REARWARD to the PRIme position. In that position, gas will flow freely to the carbs, and not rely on the vacuum generated by a running engine to turn the petcock ON. WARNING!!! Do not leave the petcock in this position for more than a minute or so. You will easily forget it and leaving it there will remove one of the two methods of stemming fuel flow. (The other is the float valve in the carb.) As you have seen, leaving the petcock in PRIme can easily cause the carbs to overflow.

.

What would cause the leak if the petcock was on Run? Only thought I had was a stuck float.

[gearhead13]

So, the shop said it was supposed to be 21 teeth? They are wrong, 20 teeth is correct
If you didnt replace all the o-rings in the carbs, then thats why they are leaking, get an o-ring kit from Cycle o-rings. It sounds like your petcock isnt working properly either. Check your engine oil for gas, it can leak into the engine. Open the oil fill plug and smell for gas and check the oil level to see if it is overfull because of the added gas.

[cowboyup3371]

What would cause the leak if the petcock was on Run? Only thought I had was a stuck float.

Your petcock could have failed. Please don't try to rebuild it as most rebuild kits don't work well. Get a new one from Z1 Enterprises that matches your bolt settings

[tom203]

Your petcock could have failed. Please don't try to rebuild it as most rebuild kits don't work well. Get a new one from Z1 Enterprises that matches your bolt settings

Yeah, just get a new petcock (maybe $60) and rule it out as a problem, then move on to carb repair fun. If you don't do this work yourself, it will very likely be done incomplete or wrong.

[scooter6148]

Called shop and discussed Cam links...owner says it was off spec and they set it to what it should be. Now saying wasn't sure which direction it was off but put it in spec now. Asked him to verify..discussed gas leak. He mentioned petcock and had me test in On position with fuel line off to see if it drips..nothing..petcock ok. My speculation on that at this point is, since I'm a newbie to this style of bike, that I may have positioned it to Pri for too long not understanding how that petcock positions worked..Thanks again for the lesson 'Steve"!! I did go ahead as a precaution and drained oil...smelled a little like gas when I opened the oil filler. Got fresh oil in it now.
While I had the tank propped up I zip tied the vacuum line that connects to the petcock from carb. Later on after work I fired it up after refreshing oil and took it for a spin..It seemed to be a little better now since I sealed up that vacuum line! I only rode it for a short time but from idle to start in first gear seemed better..I still need to seal up the airbox to the inner carbs better and drive it a little more before I let the shop change pilot jets in carbs. (Yes, I'm giving them one last shot at this before I take it over myself since I'm not paying anymore labor for this..)
Thanks for all your input on this!...although it's not over yet I feel comfortable that after I cut ties with the shop that I have some better support on my GS1100e..

[scooter6148]

Ok guys here's what I found after driving it around today and testing at different RPM's..idle to around 2500 RPM is good. From 2500 RPM to around 3500 RPM is where the the problem seems to be..seems to be stumbling and has power loss until sometime after 3500 RPM. Thoughts?

[Big T]

That could be your air box leaks affecting the carbs response

[scooter6148]

Update on carb internals:

Pilot Jet - stock 45
Main Jet - DJ114
Needle - New needle was used from DJ kit

Shop is going to try a 47.5 pilot jet first then a 50 pilot jet..hopefully fixes the issue.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!!

Hi Mr. scooter6148,

Do yourself a favor. Read this. Take your time. Read all of this. Read all of the information in all of the links. Read all of the pages the links point to. I'm sorry, it will take you longer than the attention span of a 12 year old to go through all of this material. There is no "quick fix" when it comes to 30 year old neglected motorcycles. Read the maintenance lists in your "mega-welcome". ALL of these tasks must be properly addressed in order to have a safe and reliable motorcycle. Quit giving all your money to someone who doesn't know or care about your bike. Roll up your sleeves, let's get started.

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

[themess]

Scott lives about ten miles from me, so I drove over Tuesday to look at his bike. It is a nice machine with less than 12,000 miles on it, and obviously stored properly. I pretty much reiterated what Cliff wrote above. It is a bike worth the effort.

[scooter6148]

All...I need some help understanding jet sizes between Stock and Dyno Jet...the stock mains are supposed to be 110's according to the manual. The Stage 1 & 3 kit from DynoJet the shop used, the instructions had them put in DJ114's. The DJ114's on a Mikuni to DJ conversion chart shows the Mikuni equivalent is 107.5. Isn't that going backwards from the stock 110's?
The shop gave me back the jets that were in the carbs that were originally in the carbs when I got the bike it and those were 122.5's. Can someone explain this all to me?

Here is the link I found for the chart:

http://www.jetsrus.com/FAQs/FAQ_mikuni_vs_dynojet_vs_keihin_sizes.htm

Also found this on old Q & A on jetting..my bike also has a 4-1 exhaust and K&N filter:


DATE: December 12, 1999
QUESTION: What jet sizes to use - 1980 GS1100E

First of all, let me say that this is a great web site. I've spent more than a couple of hours going through it and I'm always finding more useful information. Anyway, I'm replacing the stock exhaust on my 1980 GS1100E with a Vance and Hines 4-1 Chrome Megaphone and replacing the stock air filter with a K&N. I know I have to re-jet the carbs but I'm wondering what size of jets I should use. I've never done this before either so I would really appreciate any suggestions and help you can give me.

RIDER: Dwayne Van Buskirk

REPLY: Scott Horner
First, I recommend the Dynojet kit for your bike ($99.95). But, if you would rather not, here is a suggestion. Depending on your elevation, try a 122.5, or 125 Mikuni main jet and raise the pilot jet to a 47.5. Good Luck!

[scooter6148]

Shop put 47.5 pilot jet in yesterday. Night and Day difference now...no more popping and 2500 to 3500 power good. Rode last night and after it got hot it wouldn't idle. Checking docs found from all of you who posted here it seems when its gets hot it may be running rich now and needs a 1/2 turn in on the carb pilot adjustment. I'll do that and see where I am..I'll keep you posted..

[themess]

Good news. It's also nice that the shop is sticking with you.