New Rider / New GS Owner : 1982 GS750E

[Anonymous]

Hello all,

I've got a bike that won't start, and I'd like to get some advice from fellow owners.

First, I'm new to riding, and just bought a 1982 GS750E with 9,000 miles on it. I just picked it up last Friday... and it's in great shape. However, it's rather difficult to start. I've only ridden it once so far, and I did manage to it started after about 3-4 minutes of trying (yes, I had an experienced rider with me to verify I wasn't forgetting anything). Today, about 5 days later, I went to go take it for another spin, and I couldn't get it started.

Now, I'm new to motorcycle maintenance, but I know my way around a car engine (I do all reasonable regular maintenance, and I replaced the rod and main bearings on my Jeep a few years back). So let me describe what's going on as best I can, and see what you think.

When I hit the starter button, the starter spins fine and at first, I can hear a weak muffled firing sound about once a second. It seems to do this for a while without any progress. I adjust the choke, still no luck. I throttle back a tad, still no luck. So I flipped it to prime for about 30 seconds, tried starting it, still no luck. Today, it wasn't even doing the muffled firing bit anymore. Just cranked but wouldn't fire up.

A minor complication in this is that it's parked in a parking garage downtown (I live in Chicago), so I don't have the convenience of a great workspace.

I've read through my owners manual, the service manual, and the Clymer guide and I'm prepared to do the following tomorrow:

1) Check that fuel is getting to the carb (Remove the hose between the fuel cock and the carb, and verify that fuel comes out in prime position, and in the ON position when I hit the starter).

2) Pull a plug (or two, if I can get to 'em) and verify I'm getting spark.

Above and beyond that, I'm at a loss. I'm not in a position to pull the thing apart in the parking garage. It's rather inconvenient to get to a service station from downtown Chicago with a bike I can't ride. (Oh, and I no longer have access to a garage to work on it in)

Is there something else I can check or try? Is it a weather thing? (Not sure if older bikes are susceptible to the weather, but it's been a little cold lately.)

I'm excited and anxious to get it on the road again.

[Anonymous]

You said throttle back a tad, you have CV carbs, with these carbs, you shouldn't give it any throttle while starting. Just full choke & hit the starter. You've got the right idea in checking the pet cock. If I were in your situation, I'd take the seat off, remove the air box lid, and try some starting fluid on the air filter. There are very small passages in the choke (enrichening) circuit & idle circuits, that could be clogged, may be a good carb cleaning may be in line. Also some of these old GS's can be very cold natured, If you get into the carbs, I'd recommend installing pilot jets, one size larger than stock.

[Anonymous]

If I were you. (And I am not).

I would do 2 things just to manange through the short term.

1 Buy a can a starting fluid so I can get it started and then figure out some things.

2 Replace spark plugs. The impact of new spark plugs is very hard to account for but it makes a world of difference ...in my limited expereince.

You may have a carb clean up ahead of you, but you may be able to organize yourself a bit with one or both of these efforts.

RG

82 GS1100GK
77 GS750
78 GS 550E

[jinxz]

hi, i had the same bike and problem you mention about the little misfires when cold starting. the problem with mine was the choke cable wasnt pulling the the choke linkage all the way to the left, i was only getting like have travel, , to test this just move your choke lever all the way open then grab the linkage end(left side of bike on left carb) and see if it pulls out more, that was my problem and bingo it fired right up, hope yours is as easy a fix as mine was(cable)adjustment

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your advice.

I went out to the parking garage today, and tried a few things, but no luck yet.

I brought along a can of starting fluid, and sprayed it into the airbox. After a few tries, it did fire up... but it didn't stay running for more than a few seconds. Which leads me to believe its a fuel supply issue, but I couldn't successfully reproduce it again... so I'm not entirely sure.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a container to empty the fuel into, so I couldn't test the fuel cock. But that's my next step.

I also managed to drain the battery in my attempts (both today and last week), so I brought the battery home to charge it.

I did inspect the choke cable, and it seems to be properly adjusted. The rod that the cable is connected to seems to travel the full distance when I move the choke lever.

Tomorrow afternoon, I'm heading back with an empty container (to test the fuel cock), an extra couple gallons of gas (incase the fuel went bad), a fully charged battery, and some new plugs, just in case. If this doesn't work, I may have to figure out how to get it towed or transported to a mechanic, as I'm reaching the limit of my abilities in a parking garage.

Thanks again for the tips. With some luck, I'll be riding it home tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

Wooohoooo!

Dropped the freshly charged battery in today, and VROOM! It started right up. My guess is that I'm due for new plugs, and now that I've got it home I can take a closer look.

Thanks again for the tips. I'm sure I'll have more questions in the near future.

Jason

[duaneage]

I bought new plugs cheap at Pep Boys and they made a big difference in starting. Run some gas treatment through the bike, calculating how many ounces to add for the smaller fuel tank. Chevron makes a pretty good one.

I think it just needs a good running on the highway :twisted: