trying to start

[Guest]

Borrowed my buddy's fuel bottle so I can try a get it started. Tried off and on for 10min. Then it just stopped. Oil light and neutral light still on so I no it has power. Is there a solenoid I should check or perhaps the relay?

[tom203]

10 minutes of cranking is about all you'd get before a bike sized battery got tired. In your other post, you said you had spark at plugs, so it's now time to play with carbs- check for fuel in bowls, understand use of "choke"- after this cranking pull a spark plug, is it dry (no fuel visble) ?

[Nessism]

10 mins grinding on the starter is crazy. Do some maintenance and the bike will fire in 3 seconds.

[TwoKaw]

Ok fair enough, I'm going to just go for it, meaning I'm going to put the time in and see what happens..I really wanted to just see if it would fire maybe test the transmission and clutch to see what I had to work with before purchasing anymore parts.

[koolaid_kid]

You really don't have to spend any money to run the basic tests of the system.
For the engine to run you need 3 basic items:
Fuel
Air
Spark
Check out each one and you should be able to pinpoint the issue(s).
Good luck.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. TwoKaw,

Have I greeted you properly? In your "mega-welcome" you will find all the proper maintenance tasks. Skipping steps or taking shortcuts will lead to frustration at best, mayhem and destruction at worst.

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

[TwoKaw]

Hello sir!!
Thank you very much for the greeting and information. I've probably over analyzed this to death but wanted to see if she would fire right up. This was based on the guy I bought it from.

A little history --
I grew up riding a Suzuki RM50, then on to a GS400 I think but not able to confirm, it was a single-cylinder. My brother-in law was the chief motorcycle mechanic at the local cycle center. So I've haven't had much chance to do the major repair stuff. I plan on enlisting his help when needed because I do want it done right. Bikes of this era are exactly what he worked on.

I'm excited but know its a long process. At the advice of other I've decided to just pull the carbs and try the resources here on this forum.

Thanks again!!

[eil]

Yup, there's a lot to be done to these old bikes to get them to run if they've been sitting awhile. And then much more to get them to run right. Follow the advice offered here, read everything on BassCliff's site, and you won't go wrong.

Welcome!