Tough to start

[slosherturtle]

I'm a new bike owner and i bought a 1985 GS750E with 58000 km's on it. It was sitting around for a year. Stuck a new battery in it and changed the plugs so far , also i cleaned the K&N air filters and oil them up.
I am having a problem getting it started. I play with the choke and still have trouble. Today i got it going with a little gas on the air cleaner. Once it is running it will start again no problem. Please any advice would be helpful. My next thoughts was to change the plug wires and coils and maybe put some carb cleaner in the gas tank.

[Doctor Shifty]

When you have it running, carefully lift one plug cap away from the plug by a half inch or so - just enough to break the conection but still allow the spark to jump to the plug, then put it back. Do this with each plug. If the motor revs up a little when you do this, the plug cap is gone. Replace them all at this age as they break down inside.

Also check your plugs, even if they are new. If they are oiled up you might have dried up valve guide seals that are leaking oil when the bike is sitting. Does it blow white smoke on start-up? That is the easiest check for valve guide seals.

You might also have worn rings, and the lower compression makes it harder to start. You can do a compression check easily enough for this.

Another thing, do you give it lots of throttle when you start? The enrichener circuit (it is not a butterfly choke) does not want you to do this as it works best on almost closed throttle. These motors can be cold frogs to get started sometimes. I need to use lots of choke but minimum throttle to get my GS1000 running, then close off the choke as soon as the motor allows me to increase throttle, maintaining revs at about 2,000 rpm. If I use the choke for too long I have problems as well. :-(

You could also check all the electrical connectors in the starter motor circuit. The starter motor pulls the voltage down a fair bit, but the ignition system still wants its full share. The GS is famous for electrical "insufficiencies" and the first place to start is by cleaning up all the connectors you can find.

You mention K&N filters. If you have pod filters, make sure the jetting in the carbies matches. These can really mess with fuel settings until you get the jets right.

Kim

[KEITH KRAUSE]

If the bike sat a year, the pilot jets/circuit probably need a cleaning.
Also, your statement: "I got it going with a little gas on the air cleaner".
You mentioned K&N filter(S) and oiling them. Pouring gas on these will remove the filter oil and is bad for the gauze filter element. Also, these filters should never have anything poured in from the outside-in. Always, as in cleaning them, rinse them from the inside-out only.

[Planecrazy]

Slosher, Keith is one of our elite "Kings Of Carbs," so pay careful attention to any advice he gives you (not to take away from anyone else's good advice).

Most GS's seem to resist starting when cold. I have two, and they both require full choke, no gas, and lots of cranking (in short bursts, so as to save the starter motor from overheating).

Someone (maybe it was Keith) recently suggested switching the petcock to the "prime" position for three to five seconds before trying to start ... this ensures that the float bowls are full of gas before you begin. I don't know if it was coincidence or not, but after trying this trick I was finally able to get my 1100G to kick over, after lots of unsuccessful cranking several days ago.

Good Luck!

[nabrams]

If the bike has been sitting for a year, you'll almost certainly have to disassemble and clean the carbs thoroughly. You probably will also run into some of the other typical issues for a bike that has been sitting. I (and others) have written many posts about this scenario - do a search of this forum.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Sitting for a year will cause carb problems and possibly poor electrical connections. Also depends in what conditions it sat.
Good time to check basic maintenance items. Clean up the carbs, go through all the electrical connections, air filters, etc.
Also, after re-reading your post, it sounds like you got the bike a year ago and you're just now trying to run it? So you could have also inherited some problems? You mentioned K&N filters. Do you mean pod filters? If so, the PO may not have jetted it corrrectly and that's also contributing to the hard start.