Need help with an 83 GS650GL

[Guest]

I recently bought an 83 GS650GL, my first bike. I know next to nothing about bikes and even less about fixing them. When I received it, it worked great but soon started to have problems. When it broke down, I was on the interstate and when i turned the throttle, it did not accelerate.

It is turning over but not starting.

I have since cleaned the carbs and restored the gas tank and it still didn't work.

The battery is not the problem because I had it hooked up to a car when I tested the wires. I tested the spark plug wires to make sure that there was a spark. It was but there. I tried to test the ignition coils but I'm not sure how because they are encased in rubber. I replaced the spark plugs, but still no luck.

I think I might need to buy ignition coils but I'm not sure.

Any and all help is much appreciated.

[BigD_83]

Welcome to the insane asylum. You'll find the 650 has plenty of smooth power to keep you entertained, but 30 years worth of issues to track down.

First question for you, how much gas did you have in the tank when it started to go down? I find I have to turn to reserve quite early with my 650, about where 1/2 tank is by mileage. The draw off in the ON position is quite high in the tank.

Are you saying you had no spark? It looks like your auto correct turned "not" into "but"

The coils can be tested from their terminals. You should also check the resistance of the spark plug wires attached to each coil.

Have you gotten into the valves yet? They need to be well adjusted for easy starting.

I'm sure BassCliff will find you eventually with a nice warm welcome, but in the meantime, introduce yourself and your 650 in the GS Owners forum.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/forumdisplay.php?f=101

No need to repeat the whole story, but you could point people to this thread.

Then, once you've had your fill, do some reading in Nessism's Newbie Mistakes thread, and see if anything rings a bell:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=171846&highlight=Newbie

[Charlie G]

Are you sure you are getting fuel to the carbs?

cg

[tom203]

The fact that bike worked "great" at first is a good sign - well worth the effort to sort out the typical maintenance issues. I doubt you need new coils- don't buy stuff till you know what's no good- quessing is a waste of time and money.
When you hook it up to car make sure the car is NOT running- a car's charging system can overwhelm the bike's.

Have some info overload courtesy of Basscliff...

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff

[Gorminrider]

I tested the spark plug wires to make sure that there was a spark. It was but there

I didn't grok this either
You seem to think it's the spark, so keep trying to narrow it down by testing...easy stuff first-the kill switch might be funky, for instance, and can be bypassed to see if that helps.... connections yada-yada..

12volt test lamps and learning something about "voltage drops" will help a lot and is cheap.