Trouble getting old bike to Start

[Anonymous]

Thx for all the advice so far...

I'll get rid of the in-line fuel filter.
The carbs levers open up with more throttle

When i took the carbs apart the floats moved freely,
I only took out one of the floats and it seemed fine so i just sprayed sprayed the others down and I replaced the gasket where the bowls connect, so 1 gasket for each carb.

I'll have to check the O-rings somtime tomorrow....2nite is my b-day (23),
As far as the tank goes i didnt notice any rust, the bike was sitting for 10 years with a half tank of gas.

This is the first bike i have even owned or worked on so i'm no expert haha. Thx again. I'll keep everyone posted of how its going or anything else I think of.

[Darkchyld]

Fuel starvation I think is likley. On the float needle and seat is a tiny filter screen. I'll wager its plugged in each carb with varnish.
Definately check your fuel flow from the petcock in the prime postion. I think you should fill a quart jar in about 3 minutes.
Ahhhh....

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Starting it and running a short time as you describe (no throttle), would commonly be the pilot circuit gummed up and causing fuel starvation. Sitting that long with fuel in the bike, the carbs would have to be carefully cleaned. Be sure someone hasn't seated the mixture screws. They should be around 2 turns out.
The next thing I'm thinking is hardened/holed/incorrectly installed diaphragm(s). You said the bike will not accept any throttle. This is a classic symptom of a bad diaphragm(s). Rubber parts dry out when not used for years. Hopefully, it just needs the carbs cleaned and cleaning all the electrical connections is a good idea too. The diaphragms are expensive.

[rek]

from your posts it sounds as if the pulling of the pilots, needle and main jets has not been done yet. if not then, that is a very likely culprit having sat up for 10yrs. you can do this get a shop manual and lookup the parts breakdown for the carbs, disassemble one at a time. it's best to take it off the rack. if carb ovehauls are unfamiliar then leave one body intact to act as a guide while cleaning the other 3. then do it last. a 10 dollar can of carb dip will clean it all up nice but either get new o rings for the carbs or take the old ones off as they will dissove in the carb dip. put in all the jets along w/ the needle seat. then with all rubber removed from the carb you can put the bodies in one at a time for a half day or so.
a down and dirty alternative is to get some Honda carb cleaner spray from the dealer, remove the jets and spray the passages out then the jets themselves but beware this stuff will eat up any rubber NOW! it is about 15 dollars a can and is many times more powerful that the $2 sprays from autozone.
it has been sitting a while but is low mileage so some TLC should have you riding in a little while. mine sat from 83 to 05 w/ alot of time outside by the PO and it has responded well to the TLC and all the good folks on this forum. you'll get there.

[Anonymous]

If you don't have a shop manual (like me), use the carb cleaning series pdf linked from the home page of gsresources. I think anyone who has performed the ressurection of a gs has used it.


mike

[ccratin]

Didn't see you mention anywhere, but I assume you removed the old gas and put in new? Ideally, you would have also cleaned the tank with some type of solvent while you were at it.

[snowbeard]

sounds like you need the carb cleanup series, it's on the left side of the coverpage of this site, illustrated instructions for FULL cleaning of carbs. you'll need it.

also, get in touch with Robert Barr, http://www.cycleorings.com/
he has put together a Great set of O-rings for these bikes for a steal! get them before dipping.

all that, then come tell us how it goes!! good luck, I'm currently in almost the same boat!!

edit: oh yeah, and macmatic has the orings for the intake boots on ebay!!

[pasteurized]

Seems that everyone is overlooking the fact that the bike now has a K&N filter on it. I would venture to guess that if the bike still has the stock jetting in the carbs, its running very lean and is going to need a rejet. Add to the fact that the engine is cold so it's going to be starving even more. Do a full carb clean and take inventory of what jets are which while you are in there. That will give you a baseline of what you have if you do need to rejet.

Of course, this is assuming the carbs are set up as stock.

[rustybronco]

No my 1982 gs850g is bone stock and has only a k&n air filter and it starts and runs fine with it. me thinks it sat for a long time and the carbs are varnished up... but i've been wrong before.

[DaveDanger]

Just my 2 cents worth, but I disagree with removing the inline filter as a rule. As a troubleshooting measure, have at it and see if it makes a difference. If it does... then it did its job. Replace it or clean it, but keep it. An inline filter is usually the easiest type to access and replace as necessary, in addition to which they can be obtained in a perfectly transparent housing which makes it easy to SEE if there's crap in your fuel. Why force the screens inside the carbs to block up, if you're going to have to partially disassemble the carbs to clean them? Again, it's just my personal preference.

[Anonymous]

Just my 2 cents worth, but I disagree with removing the inline filter as a rule. As a troubleshooting measure, have at it and see if it makes a difference. If it does... then it did its job. Replace it or clean it, but keep it. An inline filter is usually the easiest type to access and replace as necessary, in addition to which they can be obtained in a perfectly transparent housing which makes it easy to SEE if there's crap in your fuel. Why force the screens inside the carbs to block up, if you're going to have to partially disassemble the carbs to clean them? Again, it's just my personal preference.

this makes sense to me.

mike