HELLO! NOOB with 1980 GS550E ?'s i.e. HELP!

[yellow]

Hello all! WOW - great site. After looking thru this site is refreshing to see that noone really appears to have a chip on their shoulder like you usually find in other forums. Very REFRESHING. Anyway, I have been perusing and searching but do not have quite enought knowledge to filter. So I am seeking help

My 2Wheel Knowledge: Bicycles

Bike: 1980 GS550E - all stock to best of my knowledge

Mileage: 14000MI

Bike History: Just bought it Thursday from a college student going to MSOE in Milwaukee. Apparently it had been sitting since 1998 inside. It is looks to be in very good condition. He acquired it from his uncle this summer. Work that he did to get it to run
carb rebuilds - 5 times seeing as he had never done it before
oil - changed the oil and filter
new battery - it ran with new battery
I purchased for 300 after test riding. not having too much experience with motorcycles, especially older ones. It seemed great to me. Issues that I noticed while riding a couple of times. Only riddin maybe 6mi so far.

1) idle will increase after warming up. I have been adjusting with the throttle know down by the carbs as it warmed up to keep it's idle down. Notice some mention of vacuum here and a flammable aerosal to see if it revs up. Some more explanation on this would be helpful

2) rear shocks super soft and need to be rebuilt. Not sure if this is easy or not. Shocks currently adjusted so they are their longest

3) it is really hard to get into neutral if bike is running. takes perhaps about 20 times of going between 1st and 2nd to get it into N. When she is not running it is not a problem to get into N

4) Petcock is stuck in reserve mode. can not turn.

5) Kinda seems bogged down if RPM's less then 3500-4000. Then it kinda kicks in and you feel this surge of acceleration.

6) THE BIGGY. Just came into the garage after working on the bike. Was gonna try flammable aerosal and see if engine revved up. So fired her up. First thing I checked after getting her going was if all 4 pipes were hot. THEY WERE NOT!!!! The two on the clutch side did not heat up while idling. I do remember that side of the engine(did not check pipes) was hot after the 4mi ride yesterday. The exhaust does have old shoe rubber melted on the pipe, so I do think they did fire at some point. Also feeling the side of the engine yesterday after riding for a little bit they might be kicking in at higher RPMs, but I am not sure of this. Also, pulled of spark plug cables and they did arc to plugs when turning over on the affected side. Pipes as for color. They two on the brake side are a deep blue next one over is purple and the farthes over on clutch side does not appear to have much color to it.

Where can I start to fix the above issues. And will it be detrimental to the engine to run it on only 2 cylinders while trouble shooting.

Thank you inadvance for any suggestions or advice. Please remember that I am a complete rookie i.e. not sure where everything is on the bike. I do have an old Haynes manual that came with it.

[ddaum]

rear shocks super soft and need to be rebuilt. Not sure if this is easy or not. Shocks currently adjusted so they are their longest

These were a great buy for the money. Contact the seller, they will get the ones you need

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KZ750-KZ650-KZ550-GS400-GS550-Brand-new-shocks_W0QQitemZ4603450553QQcategoryZ35592QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

it is really hard to get into neutral if bike is running. takes perhaps about 20 times of going between 1st and 2nd to get it into N

Practice, practice, practice... :P

[yellow]

rear shocks super soft and need to be rebuilt. Not sure if this is easy or not. Shocks currently adjusted so they are their longest

These were a great buy for the money. Contact the seller, they will get the ones you need

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KZ750-KZ650-KZ550-GS400-GS550-Brand-new-shocks_W0QQitemZ4603450553QQcategoryZ35592QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

it is really hard to get into neutral if bike is running. takes perhaps about 20 times of going between 1st and 2nd to get it into N

Practice, practice, practice... :P

Thanks for the info on the shocks - I would like to rebuild if possible, is this extremely hard or a complete PITA.

On getting her in neutral I should have qualified. It IS difficult to get into Neutral while running. When I turn it off no problem at all. I do have practice on other bikes. This is unduly difficult.

[mark]

Normal plug color is light grey to tan. Dark fits your situation if the plugs aren't firing. Also its possible even if you are getting spark to the plug, that the plug itself is bad and not firing. Try new plugs first and let us know what happens. Make sure you gap the plug correctly before you install it (check you manual).

If you're only running on two cylinders, it will "bog down".

Check you air filter to see if its in place or plugged.

Also what is this flammable aerosole business? If your testing for vacuum leaks, a spray bottle filled with water works just fine. The reason for the rpm change is that for a brief moment the water (or whatever) blocks the leak if you have one. Some use WD-40, but I think water does just as well.

You'll have to fix the petcock at some point too. Rebuild kits are available etc. Make sure your petcock vacuum line (the smaller one) isn't drawing any fuel.

Anyhow, start off with new plugs and let us know what happens.

If you're a newbie, I wouldn't mess with rebuilding shocks. In my opinion just get new ones from Progressive Suspension if they have a model that fits your bike. All it takes is money.

running your bike on two cylinders if your testing it shouldn't be to big of a deal, I wouldn't worry about it. Don't take it downtown of course until you get it fixed. Make sure if you idle it a lot as you're working on it that you get a big fan to keep the engine from overheating.

Good luck!

[yellow]

Mark, thanks for the info/advice. It is a place to start from someone with experience. Hopefully I can borrow my roomies camera and take photos. Thanks again.

Also, was a bicycle mechanic in a previous life and didn't think the shocks would be that much different than an older bicycle shock. Springs, oil and a valve. But if they are not too much new, what the heck.....

[mark]

Glad to help, there's tons of guys here with a lot more experience than me though. Keep asking and you'll get the help you need.

By the way, here's the shock that's probably the best for your bike. They ain't cheap but don't skimp on your shocks. Shop around of course. http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/produc...nid=Session%20[GSOWPFS2MSCXXLA0WTKSM4VMDK0NKIV0]?leafCatId=41608&catId=4&brand=612&store=Main&mmyI d=4540

[yellow]

Oh yeah

I think that the 2 clutch side pistons do eventually fire because I did take it on the I43 and got her up to 85 with perhaps a 15mph headwind. Figure I could not do that on only 2 cylinders. Gonna look at plugs tonight....

[yellow]

Update

FIRST I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LINKS(NOT SURE HOW TO PUT IN PICTURES) AND FOR THEIR LOW QUALITY.

Here are some pictures of the new baby. She is pretty.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ffhargarten@sbcglobal.net/detail?.dir=cb5e&.dnm=f93ere2.jpg&.src=ph

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ffhargarten@sbcglobal.net/detail?.dir=cb5e&.dnm=c36cre2.jpg&.src=ph

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ffhargarten@sbcglobal.net/detail?.dir=cb5e&.dnm=7cf8re2.jpg&.src=ph

So now to the updates. Came home checked all the gaps on the plugs. Looked good. And they all sparked the same when held up to the engine. But they do appear different. Using the Numbering Scheme found in the Carb Rebuild PDF found on this webpage(which is looks very well put together)

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ffhargarten@sbcglobal.net/detail?.dir=cb5e&.dnm=a121re2.jpg&.src=ph

I found that plug#1

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ffhargarten@sbcglobal.net/detail?.dir=cb5e&.dnm=984fre2.jpg&.src=ph

is pretty oily and doesn't look like she has fired much at all. Plug #2 is dark but looks a little better and Plugs 3,4 look good.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ffhargarten@sbcglobal.net/detail?.dir=cb5e&.dnm=15c5re2.jpg&.src=ph

When I had each plug out I checked the compression by throwing a finger over the hole and turning her over. Was trying to keep it covered and on each cylinder my finger got blown off.

I then checked the airfilter, looks pretty good and new.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ffhargarten@sbcglobal.net/detail?.dir=cb5e&.dnm=7303re2.jpg&.src=ph

I then took fired her up and took her for a spin up and down the alley. After I went up and down a couple times in first, she backfired (not everytime) and I would feel a burst of accerlation at about 4K RPMs. I would then feel pipes 1 and 2 for heat. Only 2 would heat up. This coincides with the color of each pipe. 1-no color 2-some color 3,4-deep blue

I also noticed there was fuel leaking from the petcock, which does turn I am just an idoit.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ffhargarten@sbcglobal.net/detail?.dir=cb5e&.dnm=b920re2.jpg&.src=ph

ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO DO NEXT?

[jimg]

On your petcock question, the top hose is a vacuum line going to a carburator that turns the petcock on when you begin to turn it over. The petcock does not have an off position, only 'on' and 'reserve'.

The leaking line is the fuel line to the carburators. Does it only leak when the bike is running? Pull the fuel line off to check. If it leaks all the time, you have the possibility of having gas in the crankcase. This can happen if a float valve in one of the carburators doesn't seal correctly. Take out the oil filler plug and smell carefully to see if you can smell any gas fumes. If so, do not run it anymore, fix the petcock, and change oil/filter.

Since you appear to have good carburation at high speed, you may be looking at dirty carbs causing a problem at low speeds. On the other hand, since the plugs appear fouled, you may just have float problems due to dirt.

[ccratin]

I think it was suggested before, but make sure you try new plugs. You can rebuild the petcock very easily. It's a 10 minute job. I agree that if you are having idle issues, the carbs likely have a problem in the pilot circuit. My suggestion would be to fix the petcock first, switch to new plugs and then you'll have a better idea of where you actually are. When you remove the carbs, check the boots carefully for cracks and go ahead and pick up some o rings and change them. For the petcock kit, you'll be out about $20, less than $2 apiece for plugs and the orings are less than $1.50 each. Well worth the investment.

[8trackmind]

Mine Idled high when I got it too. The carbs had just been rebuilt but the clamps on the intake boots were all loose. I got new ones and have had no idle issues since. Clamps are cheap, try that first, then go on the expensive stuff.
Good Luck.

[mark]

Again, start with new plugs and ride it and see what happens. It might run fine and then get worse, but you'll be able to see what happens over a controlled period of time.

I couldn't really tell from the picture, but that #1 plug looks really clean for an oily plug (unless you cleaned it), looks more like wet from gas. Again I can't tell really. #2 is classic rich.

Also the compression test is basic to knowing the condition of your engine. Just because you're finger blows off the plug hole doesn't necessarily mean that the compression is good. Testers aren't that much money, check your manual but good compression is at the very least 100 psi. Perhaps more important is that all the cylinders show similar compression. Also when you do the compression test, the throttle must be wide open or the test means little.

Sounds like you'll be getting into all the routine stuff pretty soon. Carbs, Carb synchronization, valve adjustments, manifold O-rings etc. All has to be checked and up to spec for you bike to run good.

Theres an article on the homepage under "What to look for" thats called the "stator papers". Read up on that for how to test your electrical system.

Its fun too!

[Nerobro]

ANOTHER 1980 GS550E.... Advice to come tonight..

[yellow]

EXCELLENT!

Thank you all! It is hard to go to work and then study when you know she is out in the garage waiting for you.....


Mark - I agree that it is gas on plug#1. Thought about it afterwards.


Alright, So here is my plan based on what I have read.

1) Check compression with something besides my thumb. (why does the throttle have to be wide open?)
2) Determine why gas hose/petcock connection is leaking. Check oil if necessary.
3) Change plugs
4) Fire her up and see where we are at.

Oh yeah, where does one get a petcock rebuild kit, O-rings for carbs. If I have to rebuild carbs is the appropriate method here

http://www.thegsresources.com/gs_carbrebuild.htm

Thanks again guys. Pretty damn excited about this project and it is nice to have knowledgeable people to point the way.

Andy

[yellow]

plugs

Quick question. If the plugs look new and all give good spark why would replacing them help. Also if the one is bad wouldn't swithing with a good cylinder plug work if it was just the plugs?