Dies on choke

[NEMXB20]

Hi All

My 1980 GS550L starts on choke but then dies after 2 or 3 seconds. Would I be correct in thinking carb issue? Please be gentle as I am not too mechanically minded but trying to learn.

Cheers

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Welcome to the forum.

Thank you for creating a signature with your bike info in it. It's super helpful.

That's not a lot of info to go on. But carbs could be a likely culprit.

Some history could help: The bike's, as well as your experience working on this or other bikes. Was it running OK recently? Did it ever, since you've owned it. What's changed? Or has the bike sat for how long? Are you running stock airbox/filter and stock exhaust, or some kind of pod filter / 4 into 1 exhaust.

A good place to start is the Newbie Mistakes thread linked in my signature, even if you aren't a Newbie.

Also, BikeCliff's Website as lots of manuals and how-tos for lots of things, including how to clean and rebuild those CV carbs.


And we like pictures.

[tom203]

“1980 GS550L starts on choke but then dies after 2 or 3 seconds.“
does it die without you moving anything…..throttle?

for the “choke “ system to work as intended, you don’t apply any throttle at all

[NEMXB20]

UPDATE

Taken the carbs off and given to a mechanic to clean for me. He is reporting that the diaphragms seem to be super glued in place and some of the jets have snapped and been glued back together. No wonder it has issues. Probably looking at £400+ to get them sorted.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Aren’t Previous Owners great?

Sorry for your luck.

[rphillips]

Jets have snapped & been glued back together. I didn't think there was anything that we'd not discussed around here over the past 20 yrs, but I've never heard this before!!